My Journey from Labs to Gardens at Hansraj College

Choosing Botany Honours: A Perfect Match

I am a second-year student at Hansraj College, pursuing Botany Honours and a minor in economics. I am someone who would know new book releases more than movie releases, know more dance hook steps than famous song lines and not be labelled as biased towards my course but I absolutely love Gardening. At my college, you would find me in labs, or anywhere else with a book!

Hansraj is a premier college, at least that's what I had heard all my life and what all NIRF rankings say. And as my experience would testify, it indeed is a premium college with premium courses and a crowd! I had heard that Hansraj is best if you want to pursue any science degree or something in Arts and Humanities.

And luckily I got my course, BSc Botany Honours in the first round of allocation only. As happy as I was when I first saw the name “Hansraj” popping on my PC screen, I was compelled by everyone around me to look at the freeze or upgrade option too. But I listened to my heart and went ahead to freeze the allocated seat because I had gotten the perfect college for the perfect course.

Since the very start of my school life, I have wanted to build a life around science, as far as my memory goes, so it was a cherry on the cake when I got Science stream in class 11th because I had good marks in my CBSE boards in 10th. I had taken coaching for the competitive exam NEET in classes 11th and 12th, which I believe was necessary for covering the vast spectra of subjects and courses in the science stream in the Indian curriculum. This helped me score well in all the exams I went for, be it class 12th CBSE board exams or CUET.

While I could not clear the NEET cutoff for my region, now in hindsight I would not have wanted it in any other way due to many reasons. Same year I also appeared for CUET and due to the fact that I had prepared well for NEET, CUET was a cakewalk for me I got my first preference in the course, as I wanted a course which supported my biology background, and also my preferred college, I chose and went ahead with it.

Societies, Friends, and Growth: Navigating College Life

“College life equips you not just for academic success, but for life as a whole. “I couldn't agree more with this saying. I feel college life enables you to open up to new people, circumstances and a new life. There are no well-defined rules like school, but you must bound yourself to some rules, for your own good. College life is like a trailer that flashes before your eyes, of the life you are going to have after graduating, so making the most out of it would be my only advice.

To participate in every event, you think it is good enough for you to attend, to give a chance to that bad piece of poetry you wrote in grade 9th, because who knows, you might be a poet! Exploring each and every interest of yours that you left, due to any reason, working with the kind of people you resonate with, and most importantly making friends, of all sorts, of all courses and kinds and years. I personally registered in every society I was interested in. Yes, there is a proper registration process and a good amount of interviews and auditions you would have to surpass to get into one, but in the end, if you are good enough, meaning if you actually are passionate about it, there is no stopping you.

I registered and also got selected for my departmental society, enactus, internship cell, HRD cell, creative writing and folk dance. There were many fun auditions and interviews that I too went through and now they are one of my core memories of college

So take the plunge, follow your interest and just let yourself go. Everything falls on you, and in the end, what you make out of it is completely on you, use your time and make innumerable memories!

About the Author: Prachi Khola is a second-year student at Hansraj College, pursuing Botany Honours and a minor in economics.