The movies we watch, books we read and the
stories that we hear from seniors and family cause us to have a golden image of
college life. We dream of a life without the restrictions that bind us during school
days, a life full of exhilarating adventures, when we want to try a bit of everything,
experience everything and enjoy life to the fullest. But these adventures are
never complete without our partners in crime- our friends. Thus, ever since the
first day of college we start our battle of making new friends, of trying to
fit-in.
It is easy to make friends at school. I remember,
when I was in class 7, I asked my seatmate, “Can you please lend me your scale
(ruler)?” And she said “Yes.” That was the beginning of a nine years long
friendship which continues. But college friendships are tricky. They involve new
adults with sensitive hearts who cannot express themselves eloquently thus
creating complex situations for themselves and others.
It is a long and difficult journey to fit in
for most people. As days pass and college life newly molds our personalities,
we often find that the friends we once made do not remain friends anymore. So, the
question that arises many times is, “Are these friendships worth so much time
and effort, since we will probably not see these people much after college?” Unfortunately,
there is no right answer to this question. While college friendships are
difficult, most of us find at least some friends who are worth all our time and
effort. The times that we spend with these people become memories. And as is
the case of any other experiment, this one also involves several trials and
errors till you find the people you can vibe with, the most. Are you willing to
take the risk of making all these errors to find the right people? The answer
depends on you.
While conducting this experiment we end up
finding new cultures, developing new habits, and following new trends. People start
enjoying some of these new activities- some fall in love with nicotine and
become smokers while others fall in love with Japanese culture and become anime
fans. All in order to “fit in.” But do we really fit in, ever? I once heard a
beautiful dialogue in a movie: “Why are you trying so hard to fit in when you
were made to stand out?”
So, to all the medicos and non-medicos trying
to fit in at college, it’s okay if you are a noob about current affairs or do
not follow the latest fashion trends and your current social circle finds you
uncool. It’s okay if at times you feel you are lonely and everyone but you are
doing great in their lives, because this feeling will pass (if they persist for
a long time though you can consider visiting a psychiatrist). Remember that
even the girl who is seemingly the most popular and sought-after at college
goes to bed crying night after night while being under the impression that her bookworm
room mate is probably not noticing. Everyone is fighting their own battles
So, if you are among the lucky lot who has
lovely friends you can vibe with, treasure them. And if you belong to the
majority of the population, that is, confused, lonely college-goers then maybe
you have not found your people yet. Wait for it, and you will surely find them.
Till then, as Dory said, “Just keep swimming.”
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