Your Manipal years are undoubtedly the most awesomest time of your life. While in Manipal and away from your families, there are plenty of temptations and distractions, and the decisions you make here are truly what dictate your future.
Each one of us has in us, what it takes to be a monumental success. Each one of us also could end up in a life of mediocrity. The choice is up to us! While each one of us in Manipal as a student thinks we know the key to success, history shows that people often repeat the same mistakes their predecessors at Manipal did!
Manipal life is the time you need to put in the hard work, to fight and scrap for the life that you dream for yourself. These are the crucial years that’ll determine your future, your dreams paying off, your destiny.
Every decision you consider, every choice you make in Manipal is a test. Don’t f*ck it up. These are the 20 Mistakes You Don’t Want To Make In Your Manipal Days.
20. Carrying on with your High School Mindset!
Just because you finished top of the class at your high school in your hometown doesn’t mean that you’ll have an easy ride through Manipal University. Remember, almost everyone of the students at your college in Manipal, has finished top of the class in their high school in their hometown. It is time you readjust your outlook, the expectations are much higher in Manipal and studying should be a top priority without which your dreams and ambitions may just remain that!
19. Keeping Silent in your class!
Your professor asked a question, you know the answer, but you stay mum! You’re worried that your colleagues may call you a show-off! Another student answers and asks another question to the professor.That brave soul is now the person the professor values. That student will be seen more favorably, may have a shot at better grades, may be able to get recommendations from that professor later on. That student is no longer invisible.
Keeping silent in class made you lose an important opportunity at a better chance of success. No matter how stupid the question or how obvious the answer, get up and speak up! Never mind if the answer isn’t accurate enough. It’ll help you create an impression and improve your visibility!
18. Falling in love. . .
Manipal can be a very tempting place for us students. Most of us come from small towns across the country and many may not have the experience of studying with the other sex. In that situation, when we are thrown into this huge melting-pot of a cosmopolitan culture and exposed to a freedom we’ve never had, we’re bound to experience a range of emotions that can overwhelm us!
While it may be very tempting to fall in love, remember, all of us are not finished products yet! We’ve still to travel a long distance in this journey of life. Your years at Manipal are crucial to your personal growth and focusing your attention on fulfilling the needs of another individual is not the right way to do it. Get out there, meet new people, test the limits and have fun. It will take you to the places you’ve dreamed of going.
17. Not earning trust but only making Friends
Trust is essential for having anything meaningful in your relationship with any person. Building trust takes a lifetime in many cases and can be crushed in an instant! It may be tempting for you to be associated with the ‘In’ crowd and to flaunt your social connections. But finally you’ll fall prey to the many social climbers and booze whores that you’re going to surround yourself with. You may think that surrounding yourself with these so-called ‘Inspiring people’ is the fastest way to make a name for yourself, the only thing you’re achieving is faking your life.
Trust me, I’ve been there. I’ve always wanted to be in the ‘Hip’ group, I’ve been a part of the ‘Hip’ group, I used to want to live their lives and be embarrassed to tell them about mine!
Make connections with people based on trial and error, not on what you think will improve your reputation based on what someone else is telling about them. If you ever want people to take you seriously, then you have to take them seriously.
16. Damn it Dude! We only live once! Let’s chill!!
No longer are parents insisting on a respectable bedtime or restricting activities during the school week. Who wants to wrestle with calculus when there are so many new Manipal experiences to be had?
A life of partying, weed and pretty much having that YOLO attitude will leave you flat on your ass. Scholarships can be lost if a GPA goes lower than an agreed-upon average. Are you willing to throw away free money and potentially your future, just to attend a party in Manipal? Remember that your primary goal as a student is to succeed in your classes so that you can get a real (or better) career with plenty of paid vacation and the funds to enjoy it, which, I might add, beats Dee Tee any day of the week.
15. Waiting until the last year to begin the job search
Some students view Manipal as an interim period in their lives, one in which actions have no real consequences. Most of us wait until the final semester of our senior year to visit the career counseling office and then complain that we can’t find a job. This process should start in the second semester of your freshman year at Manipal (More so for students at Manipal Institute of Technology).
14. Not differentiating your wants from your needs
Expensive girlfriends, cheap thrills, expensive parties and outings to Goa and Gokarn are not needs. They stem out of our wants, our desires to be associated with the social crowd, and in Manipal this is accentuated every Saturday night. Setting the foundation for your future and academics is far more important than updating your wardrobe and chasing sex. Differentiate between what you want and what you actually need. Make sure you understand your priorities.
13. Forgetting that family comes first
Friends come and go. But forgetting the people who helped you get in to a Manipal University college in the first place is unpardonable. They’ve supported you, financially (the course fees at Manipal are not exactly peanuts) and emotionally right from your diaper days and deserve a lot more respect and love then you’re offering them. Don’t forget to call your mom and dad ever so often. Keep them updated on your life in Manipal and your dreams.
12. Not Studying At All
Ah, what we could get away with in middle and high school. As a teacher at Melaka Manipal Medical college, I sometimes ask my students whether they’ve bothered to study for their exams, especially after they’ve done miserably in the test. If you choose not to prepare for a test in middle school or high school, you might still survive since the information necessary to succeed on these tests will be less than on a college exam. Not so in the Colleges of Manipal, here you’ll fail miserably. Miserably. And professors have a tendency of not looking the other way and passing you anyway just because you are a good kid.
11. Not Asking for Assistance
I see a lot of students, earlier at KMC, Mangalore and now at MMMC, Manipal, visiting me once they’ve scored low in their exams. Before the exams the professor’s sit in front of empty desks and hope students turn up and ask questions on their subjects. Then their parents call and enquire about why their wards aren’t performing well in class! Freshmen often make the mistake of talking to a professor only once they’re in hot water, and not spending a few minutes talking to her so that they can understand a difficult concept or get some guidance on a research paper. If you’re putting everything into a course but still struggling to keep your head above water, consider getting help. . To overcome this problem, it is helpful for students to remember that it’s hard-earned money of their parents that pays for a professor’s time both in class and in the office.
10. Studying for Hours on End
One cannot expect to go without food or sleep for hours on end, staring at the books without a break. The words will blur and run together. The mind will wander. While it is a great idea to begin the study process the night an exam is announced, 45 minute studying sessions with a 15 minute break make more sense than five hours straight. The best thing would be to keep abreast of the class schedule and study the topics before you attend the class. This boosts the retention power and helps score brownie points with the professor.
09. Not having Exercise or Taking Exercise breaks
Get some air! No, not the stuffy Manipal hostel air that reeks of Axe spray residue and sweaty socks. You have been breathing that in probably too long. Give yourself some time for physical exercise every day. Your brain will appreciate it. My personal favorite was a 30 minute bike ride in the evenings and a jog up to End Point Manipal in the early hours of the morning. Work up a sweat. Shower. Come back refreshed and ready to study some more.
08. The Cram Session night before the Exams
Ok, I’ve been guilty of this on occasions. But tell me,how many of you have attempted to study on the bus the morning of a large exam? And how many of you were actually successful at it? Manipal college exams are a bit more thorough. Cramming, known as the art of waiting until the last minute to prepare for a test, is not good for the brain which cannot usually absorb a ton of information simultaneously. So this patented move needs to be tossed immediately. Study well in advance. University is not little league, son.
07. Not staying organized
College can be a full-time job,especially for those in the Medical Colleges at Manipal. Keep the chaos to a minimum by investing in an organizer and comfortable, well stocked study nook. . Spending too much time on activities such as video games and social networking can also derail a successful college experience. Forgetting assignments due to a lack of organization is another classic mistake, as Manipal university professors do not make a practice of reminding students about upcoming assignments.
06. Not getting enough sleep
Not getting enough shut-eye is one sure way to undermine your efforts. If you want to survive your classes, let alone your college career, make sleep a priority.
A large proportion of Manipal college students are sleep deprived, regularly getting less rest than they need each night. When students routinely have problems with sleep, learning and memory suffer. Motor skills can be impaired. Resistance to illness drops, particularly important in Manipal, where most of the students stay in the hostels and in Apartments outside the Manipal University campus.
05. Choosing a classic college diet (i.e. pizza and beer)
The average college student is often pressed for time, under a lot of stress and eating on the go. You may find it difficult to avoid bad habits like skipping meals or frequenting fast food restaurants. But eating a healthy diet can help you fell better, cope with stress and do better in the classroom and on the athletic field.
It can be difficult to keep up a healthy diet on a student budget, but that’s no excuse for relying on fast food and frozen dinners (assuming you remember to eat at all). Stick to fresh produce, lean proteins, whole grains and lots of water. Also try to squeeze in common brain foods, like nuts, fish, blueberries, spinach and green tea.
04. Taking a course that does not suit you!
I’ve seen many students joining a college in Manipal under pressure from their parents and peers and then performing badly because they lack interest in the subjects in the course. Not everyone is suited for the fields that many consider practical, like accounting or Engineering. Don’t live with the assumption that your choices are limited. You are likely through life to cycle through many jobs. Show how smart you are by building that 9 point GPA where you have a passion. Talk to alumni about what they have done with their majors. The information can be surprising. Find where you can be successful in your courses. Smart counts.
03. Bunking Class
The classes are taken for a reason, they provide most information in a small amount of time. The professors instruct you in the important aspects of the topic which you need to concentrate on. When you miss a lecture in Manipal, it not only deprives you of information on the topic, it also deprives you of an important link in your study chain! There is nothing more true than the fact that whatever goes around comes around, and you are not immune to the cosmic forces that be.
02. Getting Angry!
Manipal college life may seem unfair! The rules of Manipal University may seem to be too strict at times and you may think it snatches away your freedom. This can make you very angry. But remember, the rules are provided for your protection and to make sure you are provided a safe and stress free environment ! It is okay to feel angry. What is not cool is to act angry. Or to suffer anger in silence and self-sabotage. Or damaging Manipal University property.
Go to the proper person (not the Chancellor) and ask nicely for help. Explain your point of view or your concerns. Show that you have done some homework. Be willing to work things out reasonably.
01. Procrastinating.
Many students believe in “no work before its time.” They put off papers until the last possible minute and pull “all nighters” right before the test. Careful planning and time management are essential to college success, and that, without parents and teachers to tell you what to do (and when to do it), “you’re in charge of this college thing.”
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