New beginnings

In the New Year, students explore options beyond the syllabus.

The earth has come around the sun once again and the cycle of seasons will repeat once more as we step into 2015. There is promise in the air, for all those who look forward to changes — in routines, careers and lives. This is indeed an important year for students who are completing their courses of study and looking forward to starting something new. What does this mean to them? Do they have an assessment of the changes that lie in wait for them? How are they preparing and what are their plans? As we spoke to the students, their evolved view of looking at education and opportunities came into focus. They are no longer content with merely following the syllabus, but keep looking for more opportunities to explore. This generation likes to keep its options open.

Necia Sequiera, a final-year BDS student of MOP Vaishnav College, believes that it is not necessary to have a post-graduation degree to grow in her field. “I think in today’s professional scenario, practice and skills are very important. So I would prefer to work rather than pursue post-graduation. And even if I change my mind and decide to pursue further studies, I would like to go abroad for post-graduation and settle there,” she says.

A bright outlook

Another student, Tanveer Bal, who is pursuing his final year English Honours at Christ University, Bangalore, wants to explore his skills and not stick to the beaten path. “I plan to pursue a Master’s in Philosophy after my undergraduation because it is the subject that stimulates me the most and I consider it my calling. For the New Year, I have a few plans. A book, graphic novel and a music album, in no particular order. Along with my studies, I want to explore my skills as a creative writer as well,” he says. And what plans do the ones who are not in the final year have? Ekta Khubchandani, a fourth-year Applied Arts student from Sophia Polytechnic, Mumbai, has no plans to make this year similar to the last one.

“A bigger number, a New Year, and a different look to the same, old pictures. For me, this year will not be about getting back to the grind. I’ll be looking out for new opportunities that will help me grow further. I have a whole year, and I hope that it will help me chase my dreams of becoming a writer,” she says.

Change of scene

The year is going to bring in change for some. Anjana Udayakumar, who is in her third year M.Sc. Physics (Hons) programme at BITS-Pilani, Hyderabad, happened to take an elective on “Indian Economic Development.” Fascinated by the banking sector, she now plans to specialise in economics. On the other hand, there is Aritra Ghosh, who is now in the final year of B.Sc. Physics at Presidency College, Kolkata. For him, the horizons of physics are attractive still.

He has been pursuing physics quite passionately, what with attending summer projects at IACS, Kolkata, and the University of Tokyo and later the Asian Science camp. This experience has taught him not to specialise in a hurry and instead, go for a general M.Sc. Physics. He looks forward to learning computer languages like Python and about numerical computation, as he feels his future lies in computational physics.

Balaji, who will be completing M.Sc. Mathematics in 2015, wishes to become a teacher. Zealously, he says that he wishes to be a good role model and guide students who may fall for addictions. Having grown up in Tirunelveli, he would like to eventually go back there and teach students in his hometown. The coming year therefore has more exams in store for him such as the NET and the SLET.

Research holds special appeal for Sarayu Murali, who is in the fourth year of her dual degree programme at BITS Pilani, Hyderabad. Studying B.E. (Hons) in Chemical Engineering and M.Sc. (Hons) in Biological Sciences, she looks forward to a research which will combine both disciplines.

“Research that will bridge the gap between biology and engineering can not only find cures to diseases but will also act as a source to finding alternative sources of energy such as biofuels, making India a greener, cleaner place to dwell in,” she says.

From going beyond the syllabus to thinking of what would benefit the country, these students have great plans and dreams.