Mystory@Hariharan K:How I selected my course and college

Class 12th was an extremely difficult phase in my life. It made me realise that things are not the way they seem to be. It forced me to reassess a lot of my life’s choices. I was pretty sure I wanted to be a computer engineer (who doesn’t!) till my 11th Standard. But when things started to get tough inclass 12^th, I was like – Wait a minute! This isn’t fun at all! There isn’t a single useful thing I am learning from the syllabus. It is more about mugging up than learning stuff. If this is going to be the exact same thing I will be doing in college, then is becoming a computer engineer really my true calling? I decided to go against it.

I was pretty good at writing and I was extremely creative. I participated in a lot of extra-curricular activities and represented my school in many topics and competitions. My sister suggested that I join Visual Communication and my mind grasped the idea like phosphorous exposed to air. I applied for both BSc English Literature and BSc Visual Communication in Madras Christian College (MCC). I got selected in both the courses, but my father advised me to take up Visual Communication since it had a wider scope. I agreed and thus started my college life as a Viscom student. The only other colleges I applied to were Loyola and Guru Nanak. I got selected in Guru Nanak as well, but decided to go with MCC. I fell in love with the atmosphere at once and to be truthful, I didn’t even care about the quality of the courses offered when I entered the college for the first time. Such was its beauty. Too bad that most of its glory was ripped off by the Vardha Cyclone. I really hope my college recovers soon.

How I cracked college admission in Visual Communication course

As I mentioned earlier, I applied only in two other colleges apart from MCC. I didn’t even make the shortlist for interview in Loyola. I did ace my interview in Guru Nanak, but personally, I was not satisfied and so I decided to wait. I applied for BSc English Literature at MCC and did very well in the interview. The staff was really impressed and I was spot selected. So, it was pretty much confirmed that my college life was to be in MCC. But the million dollar question was – which course?

I had also applied for Visual Communication. They had 2 stages of selection – Art and Personal Interview. We were given a topic and asked to draw anything that relates to the topic. Drawing wasn’t my strength. It still isn’t. But I am not terrible at it. So, I decided to draw something that relates to the topic, but more than the quality of art, I concentrated on the witty statements I decided to write to make my art even more appealing. My strategy worked and the interviewer laughed at my witty remarks during the personal interview. She said ‘Sarcasm, huh?’ and I replied with a smile. I had absolutely no idea what the word sarcasm meant back then. I was nervous during the personal interview, but my work spoke for me. I showed her all my certificates, my poems, my photographs (I went to Vandaloor specifically for this) etc. etc.

She asked me to write a verse for her and gave me the first line: On top of a tree. I was not expecting this. When I wrote poems, I thought a lot. I wasn’t someone who could pull out lines from my head on the spot. But I decided to go on impulse. This is what I ended up writing: On top of a tree, I sat down in glee, Looking at the beauty of the sky… And something that ends with wondering why. I know it’s pretty lame. But come on! Cut me some slack!

My college experience

I didn’t feel the need to join any extra-curricular activities because my course itself felt like one. Making short-films, writing scripts, taking photographs, analyzing movies, doing artwork, digital designing… I could go on and on. The Evening Canteen is the place where I and my friends hung out the most. When the staff didn’t show up, Evening Canteen! When it’s a break, Evening Canteen! Bunking the class – Evening Canteen! It is an open area full of plastic chairs, the ‘Canteen’ being a cubical building at the corner. Officially, it’s called Evening Cafeteria, but we prefer the local word. Cafeteria seems far too luxurious for a place which sells five rupee tea, bajjis and samosas.

No matter how many classes I bunked, I was always looking forward to one class – English. We had English for two years and I never ever had a desire to bunk that particular subject. I might have skipped classes because of other work or when I was absent, but whenever I was able to attend the class, I would. Maybe it was my passion for writing. Maybe it was my love for the language. Maybe it was both. In fact, I got selected in English Literature first before I chose Visual Communication. If given a chance, I would probably join English Literature course instead of Visual Communication. But I don’t regret anything. Everything happened for a reason. If there isn’t one, I would rather try to make a worthy reason out of it instead of sulking.

The college has shaped me into a mature person. Through my college life, I experienced friendship, betrayal, heartbreak, hard work, teamwork, success, defeat, disappointment, dirty biases and much more. It was as if my college life decided to give me a rehearsal run before I step into the real world. I am happy about it. It was tough, but now I know – better to have the known devil than the unknown one. All the incidents have helped me grow mentally and I now have the confidence to go into the real world with confidence – all thanks to my college. 

About the Author:

I’m Hariharan K, currently studying BSc Visual Communication at Madras Christian College, Tambaram. I joined this course because of my passion towards writing and film-making. My hobbies include writing, reading books and enjoying the perks of media (a fashionable term I came up with for watching TV series and spending time on Facebook). The topics that trigger my interest are Psychology, Deduction, Philosophy and like almost every other Indian, Cricket.