The Great Shift from 12 Years to 4 Years
“Glow-up”: Not just physically, but mentally
Have you ever experienced a situation like this? Visiting your hometown or even anywhere else after a very long time, maybe a decade? Perhaps I have experienced such moments. I visited India in the latter part of 2024, which was almost after 12 years, and I felt the moment where “a place to live” transforms into “hub of life.” The shift from “now to then” can be seen in terms of “known by names and faces to zip codes and district,” “warm porch lights and stars to cold blue streetlights,” “bicycles and rusted pickups to subways,” and the “old oak tree in the square to the glass skyscraper with the spire.” There I realized the rapid change, where I could hardly remember a few things when I went back in 2012.
Similarly, in a typical human life, changes are inevitable as the years and days go by. Moreover, similarly, I would like to open up to the readers that I am too presently experiencing such a difference in life, now that I have stepped into university life from high school life. Though I couldn’t adapt to this change suddenly, I am realizing that university life is going to be completely different from school life. It’s because at school it was all about adhering to the rules and regulations, whereas in university, though we have few rules to be followed, we are given a considerable amount of liberty.
In the past “then,” it was to prioritize academics, but here “now” I understood that ample extracurricular activities, clubs, and associations are tied together along with the academics that would open lots of doors full of opportunities. One of the major traits that would help me out here is to balance life with academics, extracurriculars, and personal matters as well.
For so many years my ears were used to that sound of the 2pm bell, when I used to rush home after the bell sounded, looking at the same familiar faces. Sometimes, there were days I was brooding about when my schooling and this routine would end.
But standing here now, at the university, I understood that it’s not about changing buildings; instead, it’s about how I am the person I used to be. Then it was me following all the “to do lists” that I was supposed to do at school, and now the list is empty, and I am the one who should create it. From a small classroom with 40 faces to meeting 400 different faces daily at the lecture hall, it’s where the true picture is revealed. From uniforms in the past to complete liberty in the present and teachers chasing my homework then to professors to whom I must submit my 2000 word research paper and assignments, and they don’t even know my name now. It took me a lot of time to cope with the environment and adapt myself to the changes.
However, as a throwback to school life, it gave me the base to stand on, and the university would give me the wings to fly. It is obvious that handheld guidance to self-learning is what plays a crucial role when it moves from school life to university life, and it is in our hands to make the best use of university life from the lessons and the opportunities we gain in the university. It’s because here we will be ideally networking with different kinds of people. But remember, we are not just students; we are the writers of the chapters to come. According to my opinion, no matter whether it’s then or now, as human beings we are supposed to adapt to every change in our lives and make life more fruitful by creating sweet and unforgettable memories.
No Responses