In the category of colleges, there are colleges that are situated right in the university campus- the ones bustling with people, chatter and activity; the popular ones. Then there are colleges outside the university campus- the off-campus colleges- quietly existing, quite forgotten. And being in an off-campus college of the University of Delhi, I can tell, for a fact, 10 things that all students in an off-campus college (be it any university) will relate with:
1. Lonely, alone: Since these colleges usually have a solitary existence, the life here is quite simple. We don’t bother anyone, nobody bothers us. We go about our college life with negligible disturbance or interference from outside. Hardly anyone new ever comes to the college: p it has its downsides too, in the form of limited outside interaction.
2. Not easy to get into: Even though these colleges aren’t as popular as the on campus colleges, and definitely not a prospective student’s first choice, getting into these colleges as not as easy as it seems. They have their own admission criteria, entrances, and cut off systems. And these systems can be very rigid at times.
3. Not enough food: As compared to their counterparts, the off-campus college students have limited options for places to eat at. There aren’t many recreational spaces in the vicinity, either, except for a restaurant or 2 and the local market (if any)
4. Lower turnout at events: However much we publicize our events, an on-campus college always steals our show. If we have the event on the same day as them, people will always prefer their event. And even when event dates don’t clash, we don’t get a lot of participants because our college is always too far.
5. Campus placement?: Recruiters can get a pool of students at one go when the visit the university campus and the colleges there. We are usually the last ones to host these recruiters, so they have very limited vacancies till the time they reach us.
6. Rahe kaha?: No hostels and the pgs are far away.
7. Media coverage: The events of these colleges are lost in the long list of events happening in the university. So, naturally, the coverage is limited. (Ironically in my college, our departmental fests (journalism dept.) gets more coverage then the annual college fests)
8. University Events: All reasons combined, events held at the university level are a nightmare for us. We don’t know too many people, we don’t know the place too well, so we feel a little out of place.
9. Koi or college ni mila kya?: Even if our college is one of the good colleges in the university, we will always hear questions like “Didn’t you get SRCC?” Or “why didn’t you go to Hindu or Hansraj?” If not that, we’ll get judgmental looks when we name the college we’re studying in.
10. Ye konsa college hai?: Even if our college stands 2nd amongst the course we have opted for, still we always faces the embarrassment while telling our college name because every time we tell which college we are from, people are like “ye konsa college hai? (Which college is this?)”, “DU main hi aata hai kya? (does this college falls under DU only?)”
But all this aside, ever college has experiences unique to itself. And the location can’t be the deciding factor for the worth of a college. And most importantly why should North-Campus have all the fun?
