Editorial

Fest Facts

Habits 1-3: Grades, tests, lectures; the usual world of academia.

One: Branch transfer is not a piece of cake

You must have tried it before, but for purposes of demonstration, we insist you try licking your nose.

There.

A branch transfer, or a ‘verti’, as it is known in common parlance, is a secret ambition of every other starry-eyed fresher. That is just about as difficult as the aforementioned activity, if you actually tried it. Many a BITSian in the past have lay waste their 1-2s (second semester of the first year) after living like a hermit in their first semester to attain said ‘verti’. Mark these words; anything above an 8 is definitely awe-inspiring.

Two: Browse through the book before a lecture

It may take a fortnight, a month, or a mid-sem, but it will happen to you. The hallowed zero-attendance policy will seize you with its hoop, leaving you immobile. Climate, distance from your hostel and odd timings are but preliminary adversaries. Per-sistence and guilt may still drag you to the LTC, but your mind will refuse to board the Concorde Jet that the series of Septem-ber-November lectures is.

The only trick is to read up before the lecture. As long as you can follow even 70% of what is being taught, you’ll keep attend-ing lectures. Keep spinning the hoop.

Three: Make the most of (and attend) tutorials

Tests happen when you miss a ‘tut’. Everyone says that; it’s the very first of the popular BITS Tips. But tests also happen when you do actually manage to move your hinds out of bed at for the first hour tutorial. Make sure you haven’t braved the 8 am Pilani cold and damned your cerebral cortex for nothing. Study before tuts. A lot of shrewd people build their CGs around them; don’t let relative grading get the best of you.

Habits 4-6: Co-curriculars, clubs and departments, DC++; Life in the village.

Four: Keep yourself involved

Despite all you’ve read so far, in all probability you’ll find yourself worrying frantically about the course the day before the exam. For all the other days (these, mind you, are not as many as you think; the exam calendar is more crowded than an IPL season), if you don’t want to end up staying up nights trying to recollect random bits and pieces of your past, get yourself in a club/department/(regional/discipline) assoc/academic group/the place they call CEL. There’s a reason they rank BITS numero uno in personality development. If you don’t, you’ll probably fall for The Vice (See Habit Five).

Five: DC++: BITSian Alice’s Wonderland – It’s all illusionary

First off, DO NOT GET A LAPTOP IN THE FIRST SEMESTER.

It’s the ultimate pass-time. Movies, TV Shows, games, comics, the works. I love it too much to say anything against it. You should know where to draw the line.

Six: Respect the BITSian ‘Junta’

Understand that we’re a national college. Be it elections, club/department interactions or even tables in the mess: Regional-ism has no place here.

The senior-junior relations are part of a societal structure that has evolved over half a century, and must be understood. Re-spect the hierarchy and tradition, if not the person.

Habit 7: How to survive the frenzy that is BITS Pilani; the all-encompassing habit.

Seven: Put first things first

Most of us spend too much time on what is urgent and not enough time on what is important. Academics, extra-curriculars, entertainment and people – all have a time and place. Get your priorities right, and these four years are bound to be the best four years of your life.

7 Habits of Academically (and Otherwise) Effective BITSians