What is the ‘going to college’ experience like?
There isn’t a big difference from what high school was like, says Samrat Silwal, who joined Kathmandu College of Management five weeks ago. Silwal who did his high school from Darjeeling, studied in a strict environment. “We had a dress code, we had to greet the teachers by standing when they entered the class…,” shares Samrat, for whom the college environment right now is freer.
“The teachers back in high school were frank but they were strict. Here, our relationship to teachers as students is different. Here, teachers come, they teach and they go. Our relationship is limited to that,” Samrat says.
For Sleshna Shakya, a student in her first year at Institute of Management Studies, the relationship between students and teachers is a primary factor that makes college different from high school. However, for her, the relationship she shares is quite opposite to the one that Samrat has experienced.
“In the plus two levels, our teachers treated us strictly as students. But now, in college, teachers are friendlier. Out of classrooms and during breaks, teachers are also involved in casual conversations with us. They are more like our friends,” Sleshna says. Hence, she enjoys college. But, she also misses the convenience of the short class hours that she had during high school. Reflecting on her high school days, she admits that she prefers those days mainly due to the friends she’s made.
“On the first day of college, I remember that there were only a few other students besides me who came to the college. I made three new friends on the first day. But I felt a bit nostalgic and a bit down because there were very few people and the class felt empty,” Sleshna recalls the first day of her college. Things were different on the second day, when more students made it to the class. And although she misses high school days, she does enjoy the freedom that comes with studying in a college as opposed to studying in a school or an extension of school.
The freedom also comes with the fact that students are treated more like adults in a college setting. They are given the freedom simply because the college believes that students who have reached the undergraduate level can be responsible.
“We have a virtual classroom where assignments and notes are posted. It’s the responsibility of the student to find out what the assignment is and do it. The teacher is always there if we have any doubt regarding the assignment, but the responsibility is primarily on the student,” shares Utsav Pradhan, a fresher at Kathmandu University School of Management (KUSOM).
However, it took some time for Utsav to get used to the long hours that one has to spend in class. “One class of a particular subject lasts for two hours,” he shares.
But, an aspect that Utsav appreciates about college is the method of learning that is encouraged. “The focus is more on the application. In plus two years, it was more about rote learning,” he says, sharing how especially in the subject that he is studying, Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA), knowledge is more about applying it to real-life scenarios or case studies.
This is just an example of some of the approaches at a college. No one is going to spoon-feed you. There’s always a choice for the students but there are also implications for the choices you make. This attitude of the college works for some, while for others it might be difficult to adapt to.
“College is different from plus two years,” says Arju Tiwari. “During plus two, we were forced to study. It was a compulsion. But in college, it isn’t so. We can choose to study or choose not to,” she observes. She feels like she’s matured since her admission to the college, but still prefers high school years for the fact that they used to be more about proper studying.
“As plus two students, our main focus was on studies, whether we liked it or not. I used to feel like I have to study because there was so much pressure. Even if you were absent for a day, they immediately used to call your home and inquire. But now in college, there’s no one at your back like that. So, study-wise, things are a bit laid back,” she says.
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