It's almost a chant now: College is the next big milestone of your life and it's up to you to make it or break it. And somewhere in its sound wave is another harmonic: We are sending you abroad to study and not party.
I believe all of us Indians are used to the repetitive reality of these two dialogues that crawl themselves into the most unrelated of conversations. But who are we to blame? Our parents are sending us off to college and they send us off with trust and expectations. Especially in India, where some may call a foreign education a fad, or a vacation time for the rich kids who couldn't make the high Indian cut-offs or the last hurrah before being tied into the typical Indian fabric of marriage and family business. Some of these statements actually are true for a selected few of the crowd and the rest, maybe not.
What remains mostly constant in this equation of higher education are the reminders. The concoction of parents' sky-high expectations and Hollywood-esque woes as instigated by aunties who are simply peanut butter and jelly. Since every Indian student's woes or expectations as they prep for education abroad remain more or less the same, I thought of compiling a list.
Food
Pros: Variety
The different brands of food you'll feel equally guilty and satisfied of having. I mean different cuisines, different candies, different ice cream. You'll be at the epicenter of where the trends break out and you'll be there, ready with your choice of cutlery to savor it. You'll probably be amazed with the variations of one particular food, some of which were not even accessible in your hometown.
Cons: Ghar ka khaana is the best food.
You'll miss the spicy, and the tangy, and the ghee and the eating with the fingers thing. Most of all, you will miss that dal you hated and cribbed about so much back home for it seemed bland. But you will learn it isn't so.
People
Pros: Diversity
You'll find it amusing to know of people of backgrounds and stories similar, yet so amazingly different than yours. You'll immediately be aware that you had just met the subset of the world's universal set. You'll learn so much of different cultures, countries and nationalities. Moreover, you'll be satisfied in knowing that college filters people out such that they match your interests or at least the level of maturity -- well, most of them -- unlike back in your high school.
Cons: Lost in translation
You'll realize that you'll want to speak more and more of your hometown language, and use those phrases and those dialogues that made you into who you were. But, somehow, they just don't translate well enough to be articulated in English. You'll miss your Indians back home.
Academics
Pros: Qualified mentors and liberal arts
Creme de la creme of the academic world will be transferring their knowledge to you and will be available to assist and evaluate you on your strengths and weaknesses. What more do you need? And unlike high school, you'll have the opportunity of trial and error as you navigate through courses you would have never imagined existed.
Cons: Not an easy A.
Unlike high school, when you passed even without studying or by cramming at the last minute, college is an upgrade that will intimidate you. You will require constant revising and much more than the class notes or textbooks to ace the class. A cultural adjustment will also be in the process as the mode and method of education in class will be different compared to your classrooms back home.
These are the main points that came to my mind as I write this article one month before my college begins. My mind is shaking with nervousness and enthusiasm for the great adventure, perhaps, that awaits. Life after college definitely won't be the same but, hopefully, we now know what to expect and what not to.
