Lessons From My College Seniors

My first-year at college has recently concluded. And throughout the two semesters, I met various seniors, some in clubs and some elsewhere. This is my attempt to describe some of them.

• She was very sweet and polite, the first time I called her. She was always listening patiently to me whenever I talked to her, helping me with stuff every now and then. Though she scolded us whenever we were at fault, she was never angry when we asked for help. She taught me that one can never be too polite and patient.

• He seemed like a professor of sorts to me after he finished speaking at the first club meeting of the year. You would ask me why. Because he always checked for understanding. After every plan he discussed, after every task he assigned and even after he told me how to glue two charts together, he checked for understanding. He was very dedicated to the club and worked so hard for everything. He taught me that one must check for understanding after everything he/she utters because understanding is the key to successful communication.

• He headed a club and was professional in the way he handled work. If we weren't enthusiastic about an idea, he ditched it completely, something that not a lot of seniors do. He was relaxed at times people went crazy and I admire him for that. There are a list of things that I learnt from him and all of them can't fit one sentence.

• She knocked on my hostel door during the first weeks of college, and that too at night. Scared that I was going to have to go through ragging, I inquired why she had called us outside until she ordered us outside, even then not telling me why. Later, after she was done telling us about their dance club, she asked me to have less of an attitude. Ironic, wasn't it, when she was the one who ordered us outside without telling us the real reason and I was so scared. I learnt from her that being haughty just because you are the senior will not make us respect you, but despise you.

• He was the coordinator, but always so chilled about the events or the impending work. He let us do the discussion, interjecting only when he deemed necessary. He wasn't a tyrant coordinator, and I loved working under him. He taught me that to be a leader, you don't need to be hot headed at all times, you can be a calm coordinator too.

• She told my friend that I was going to top the class even before the semester completed and I wondered how she had prophesied correctly. Even though she was a senior, she always treated me equally, neither trying to make me feel inferior, nor did she boss me around. She taught me that one is always a senior, not a superior.

• People aren't what they look and this belief of mine strengthened the day I met him. He was the topper. And I was baffled once when he answered a question I had absolutely no idea of. He was always so laid back, but had so much knowledge on the topics.

• She was the first person to not consider me a know-it-all and the first person to scold me like an elder sister. And she didn't mind if I didn't call her "ma'am". From her, I learnt that you can always make a person feel welcome and at home.

These words don't do justice to my seniors.

P.S. I am still trying to incorporate these things into my life and I have a long way to go.