END SEMS

Finished the last paper with a sigh of relief, left the exam hall. FY done. Vacation plans discussed. Celebrated with friends. And now was the time for an eternal slumber (barring the one during the entire semester) ….and yet I woke up the next morning with palpitations ------------------------------------------------

--------------------------------------------apparently, I was unable to recollect hydrophobic amino acids. Also failed my Biochem exam in a dream. The morning went fine tho – recharged my social battery with friends. But the afternoon was spent worrying about a non-existent exam the next day. Friends also had similar symptoms.  😰😨😮

Yeah, this was exaggerated. But you get the point. You feel exams haven’t ended, when in fact they have. End sems clearly take their toll on you…especially when they stretch for a month. (YES. A freakin’ whole month!)

For bioengineering folks like me...for whom practical exams matter just as much as theory (50-50), equal attention is to be devoted to both parts.

Prolly the part where u get to enjoy the most is the viva…. (Grp of 3 v/s examiner).

I did observe few types of examiners in the viva. Many examiners are target-ists, who will pick on the dumbest student of the 3 (The other 2 r lucky). Few are anything-ists, asking everything apart from the syllabus. Occasionally, you meet the grillers – make u feel dumb. Within the viva trio there exists great variety. The presence of anyone dumb, will guarantee a great viva for you (provided you are not the dumb one). The guy with good English survives easily as well…throw in a couple of polished phrases and u r good.   

😎😑😓

As for the experiments, the required skill is manipulation…of readings. Seldom will you get the perfect readings and result. I won’t encourage copying here, but it works.

The theory exam is another ball game. I hv come to believe that end sems here are ace-able by studying less…contrary to board exams.

     All of this suggests stuff heading towards mediocrity.  This method can do you good only for exams, not ur Btech as a whole. For instance, someone may hv scored well in microbiology, but it’s very much possible they hv forgotten their bacteria by know…and therein lies the problem.

Standardized exams test our knowledge at that instant. It’s easy to forget all about it in the weeks that follow. A “done with life” approach by students contributes to it as well. 

🧪💻✏📃

We see exams as panic-time above everything else. College is seen as an yr long routine, rather than a place to grow and transform. Even worse, peeps like me realize the problem in ourselves and still won’ t change. Some sort of inherent nature seems to hold us back from doing something new. 

The current attitude might WIN us the end sems, but at the cost of the end game.

To end on a lighter note, Pune has witnessed the first showers of the season ! ( खड्यांचा ) Been a grey weekend. Time for some coffee......

.........I went for tea. 🍵

🌧🌧