There’s nothing quite so exciting as the first day of college, especially for the fresh batch of degree students. For them, this brand new phase is characterised by fresh perspectives, new friends and exciting classes.

While some students are determined to keep their nose to the grindstone during their college years, excelling in their studies, others are looking forward to participating in on-campus activities and joining various extracurricular clubs. All in all, the air is one of anticipation and excitement — and this was exactly the scenario at Baldwin Women’s Methodist College, which threw open its doors to a fresh batch of students recently.

Most of them are equally excited and nervous about their stint in college. Although they’re looking forward to making new friends and having a blast, they’re also taking the time to understand the rules of the institute and stick to them. Zaira, a BCom student, decided to return to the college because it was a familiar experience — she had done her PU from here too.

However, she says that there are major differences between the PU and degree experience. “In pre-university, there are certain rules and regulations. But in degree, there’s a lot more freedom and students are restricted. This is especially the case in terms of dress code — we can wear what we want,” she says.

Of course, there are certain rules, but she feels that degree students are responsible enough to handle them. “We have to follow certain time frames regarding out projects and if we have a shortage of attendance, then we have to make efforts to achieve the fixed percentage. But the teachers are friendly and helpful, and the surroundings are good,” she adds.

Shadhana, who has joined the BA stream, is also having a great time adjusting to the new environment. “I was pretty nervous on my first day but then, I met another girl in the same stream. We’re already pretty good friends,” she smiles. The student, who is keen to pursue either journalism or photography in the future, adds that she’s still trying to decide which extracurricular activity to take up.

“We’ve just joined college. So I’m looking forward to checking out some of the clubs and then deciding which one to join,” she explains.

To make the students feel more at home, the college also organised an orientation programme for them, which was attended by Shalini Neelakandan, who used to be a lecturer in the college’s BBM department. She did a great deal to inspire the freshers, discussing how they could be moulded in the institute to reach their goals.