The biggest impact spending 4 years at BITS-Pilani had on me was to make me humble. And I believe it happened with a lot of folks. Almost everyone who entered, entered in high spirits. The majority were used to being the school toppers. But the first T1 (internal exams) was a brutally honest reality-check. It suddenly dawned on me that I was just one of the 600-odd students here. There was nothing special about me. Everywhere I looked, I saw people who were great at what they did. There were some fantastic coders, some with the knack for entrepreneurship, some who could effortlessly manage sports and academics, some who already knew what their passions were and were following them. It was simultaneously intimidating and awe-inspiring to be in the company of such folks. And the next 4 years that followed were the best learning experience of my life. I still have a long way to go, but, atleast now, I don’t have a inflated sense of self-worth. I am more mature and have made my peace with being extremely average at 99% of things and slightly exceptional at the remaining 1% (hopefully!).
P.S. A shout out to the BITSian spirit and the sense of camaraderie those 4 words instill. I have made acquaintance with hundreds of people after leaving college, came in contact with many thousands, but by far the people I love the most are the ones that hail from that 180-acre piece of land in Zuari, Goa. So next time you see me, do say Hi. Beer’s on me!