College life is a curious topic of imagination for every school student, same went for me. I was a shy and introverted person, I just wanted to break that mold in my college life. After my boards, my priority was to get admission to a college which is esteemed in its field, near to my location and The NorthCap University was just that choice. I opted for Btech Computer Science with a specialization in data science and artificial intelligence.
My first day started with the induction classes, where we were made familiar with the wide range of opportunities that the varsity provides along with the rules and regulations which students must follow to maintain a sense of discipline on the campus.
In the first semester, I found it quite challenging to adapt to the new environment, which is quite natural as, in the transition from school to college, the whole atmosphere gets changed. It was mostly due to the project-based learning and the new teaching pedagogy followed by the university. But, after the minors, things changed and I got well-adapted to the project-based learning approach.
The university not only focuses on academics but also gives special emphasis on the overall development of a student. The campus houses various international societies and clubs, along with many facilities for various indoor and outdoor games. I explored some of them, which includes Enactus and IEEE. Speaking about Enactus, it is an NPO which promotes entrepreneurship as a part of its pilot project – “Sahayta”. We made various field visits, it was a new experience for me where we were directly interacting with the people on the ground. In addition to the benevolent outcomes, the smiles and thankful reviews made the whole process worth it.
I participated in an event by Techienest. I was the zonal winner and got an opportunity to represent the university in IIT Bombay- “Aavriti 2019”. I also participated in various hackathons and workshops. I participated in the EESL challenge in the second semester, and in Microsoft-incubate challenge in the third semester. I also got ample floor to harness my skills in extra-curricular activities. I am also a part of the “Vibings” society and frequently write articles. Recently I participated in a group discussion by “Spie-Macay” and won that contest. Currently, I am a part of a start-up which deals in renting costumes- “costumes360”.
The day I entered this campus, I made a lot of new friends, got a chance to interact with many people, from workshop guest speakers who were adept in their fields to corporates. In my friend circle, every person is quite adept in their skills and field. For instance, one of my friends has launched his game in collaboration with a studio, some of them are in app development, and serious gaming also. Not only that, but there are also three schools in a single campus namely, “School of Engineering”, “School of Management”, “School of Law”. This multidisciplinary exposure is something that contrasts a college and university. I am not just restricted to my field. I am able to interact with people from management and law backgrounds, a forum where we discuss various national and international issues, and the new developments in our respective fields. The shy and withdrawn kid from school has now become an assertive and pro-active person, all because of the opportunities that this university campus provides, and the nurturing environment for following a variety of interests. From just reading about projects in newspapers and magazines, he is now working on some real industry projects. I am currently in the second year and the journey still continues. I have a lot to learn but still, being from a non-computer science background in school, looking back at the whole journey feels amazing.
Name: Sourabh Sharma
Roll no:18csu241
