From School-going Children to College-going Adults

By Harkirat Singh

Guest Writer

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During my recent visit to my school, after experiencing that environment all over again, I was taken down memory lane. It made me feel quite ecstatic about how life was in school and how it has shaped itself now that I am in college. This journey, when I look back, has been quite surreal, and I could not have asked for more. 

Since change is the only constant in our lives, transition is an inevitable part of it. Transition serves the role of a bridge, facilitating our move from one phase of our lives to another. It involves leaving behind all your past routines and starting a fresh journey ahead. As battles are fought and won on the battlefield, similarly in life as well, heights of success are achieved when we get out of our comfort zones and strive hard to achieve any task. Transitions are all about stepping out of your comfort zone, as moving into a new phase presents new conditions and challenges. Therefore, it's important to adapt to them and flourish despite these obstacles.

The first phase of this transition is the school, which, being our second home for years and where one spends their childhood, naturally creates an emotional bond with it. Thus, bidding adieu to our school and moving on to join college can be quite overwhelming. This transition from school to college reminds me of how the seeds in the form of white puffs in a dandelion flower disperse into the air and get settled at distant places to start a new journey ahead. The journey of school can be visualised as a common road where everyone follows the same path. However, in its end, there are various bifurcations—different career options, each leading to a unique destination. School life can also be envisioned as a bird confined to a cage, and with the commencement of college life, the bird is set free from that cage where it has spent its life so far, enabling it to fly high into the horizons of the sky.  

Transition takes place as there is a change from one phase of life to another. The roots of this transition from the school to the college were laid back in grade 11, where we all chose our streams with the career choices in our minds. In this academic transition, the previous one smoothly gives way to the newer one to take control, which in turn helps us to flourish further in our lives. As the school has given its portion of requisites to a child, it has shaped them to a certain extent by laying the foundation of their career. However, the role of the college is that of icing on the cake, which is so crucial as it proves to be game-changing in the whole scene. While being in school, one generally lives in a very protective environment provided by the school as well as by their family members back at home. However, by being in college, one becomes all the more independent in his/her respective life. This independence brings with it a host of responsibilities. Earlier in school, the decision-making power rested with our parents; however, now the ball lies in our court to make certain major calls relating to our lives, which affect us substantially. 

The second phase in this transition is the college or university, which is a crucial factor in one’s scholastic journey, as the learning and the experiences gained during this very pivotal phase of our lives will ultimately govern and determine where we’ll land in our future. Another important aspect of college life is that it teaches us the fine art of professionalism. This indispensable skill polishes our intellect, conduct, and behaviour in a way that our way of dealing with things becomes all the more refined, requisite, and ideal for the required job. Moreover, the camaraderie that one develops along with their journey is surely a lifelong longing. Our peers often end up in similar professions, which makes it easier for us to stay in touch even longer.  

Leaving behind the rat race of marks that we’ve all been through, college life provides the perfect platform, offering us the opportunity to master the vital skills that are prerequisites for our profession. Putting in extra effort over and above this certainly gives us an edge over the others and boosts our careers to the next level. Personally, being able to directly experience the university before going to college has been a wholesome experience altogether. The added advantage of studying in a university is that one gets to experience certain things that colleges are generally devoid of. 

The education that we gain and combine with the experiences of life plays the role of a stonemason in our lives. All this brings the best out of us, provided our way of looking at things is optimistic but not pessimistic. A failure would teach us something that even success cannot. The obstacles in our lives at every step are a testament to our character and how we respond and bounce back in such critical times.  

Looking forward, this new journey looks promising, as the learnings in this short period have been quite a few. Being humble in our attitude yet having that glaring attitude to conquer anything when the demand of the circumstances is such, we march ahead with a lot to experience, learn, and cherish forever.