Most of the people joining Manipal are certainly not localites since it is one of the premier private institutions of the country. People from all over do come in, and most have to leave their home behind, just like I did. For someone like me whose home city is more than 2000 kilometres away from Manipal, where I am supposed to spend the next three years in, I’m pretty sure everyone does a hell lot of research about the place, check out various blogs and blogs written by other students here and try to get familiar to the place a bit before that actually place their first footstep here. I had a whole month free to myself after I took admission in Manipal. Being left with no work other than packing, which I being the lazy person that I gave that responsibility as well to my parents, I spent most of my free time researching about Manipal.
I didn’t research too much about the Institution I am joining since I was already admitted and I heard enough to know that the college itself will suit me just fine, so I started to research a lot about Manipal about a place. The month passed by quickly, hundreds of websites such as ManipalBlog were searched by me, and I took the pain of actually noting out the essential things about the place. So being pretty satisfied that I am prepared for making the most out of the Manipal Experience, I left my home.
After reaching Manipal around three days later, within my first day here, I got to understand that there was still so much more that I had no idea about and I wish someone had told me about those.
So to make things a bit easier for the people coming in, here is a list of some things that I wish I knew before coming to Manipal and living in a hostel here:-
Rains
One thing I cannot emphasize enough upon. It is a well-known fact that it rains a lot, but only people who have been here are aware of how bad it is. Unlike most places where the rain starts slow, the rain here starts pouring cats and dogs out of nowhere. And there have been cases when this happened to me, by the time I opened my umbrella, the rain had already stopped. So while I was busy closing the umbrella, it just started pouring again. That’s how it is in Manipal.
Umbrella
Sharing an umbrella MIT Manipal | Photo: Srushti KulkalrniBy far the most critical companion you’ll have throughout your journey in Manipal, no matter how many relationships you get into during your tenure here. Doesn’t matter how near or far your destination may be, even if it’s from your 16th /17th block Hostel to the Food court two right opposite to the hostel entrance, always carry your umbrella with you. If possible, keep a spare umbrella with you because umbrellas getting “exchanged” is a ubiquitous thing here, and you might not be at the gaining part of the “exchange.”
Raincoat
And when the heavy rains set in, nothing will be handier than a full raincoat which includes pants. I remember getting into a small argument with my parents over the raincoat thing since I was like “What kind of college student even wears a raincoat?” I am glad that my parents won the argument and I arrived in Manipal with a full raincoat in my suitcase. Not only will it protect you and your clothes, but it’ll also protect your electronic accessories.
Hostel Rooms
You will be getting 3 cupboards + extra space built-in inside your beds, so do not worry about where you will be storing all your things in. The space above the cabinets will be more than enough to store your suitcases. Try bringing a proper extension cord from home itself as the local ones are not of good quality. And while booking a hostel room, if you are booking it on Block 16, 17, 18 and 19, always try to get the odd number rooms since they have a view of the valley, which is beautiful.
Campus stores
Everything that you are going to need is available at the Campus stores that are spread all across the campus. From things like Chart paper and paintbrushes to buckets and mugs and pillows, you will get everything, so better not overload yourself with these things from home.
Food
Even though the taste of mess food is pretty decent here, the items repeat a lot, making you hate it. You will eventually try to find excuses to order food out or have food outside. Since I like ordering from outside instead of going and eating out, I have the option of Zomato and Swiggy open to me, offering me a wide variety of food to choose from. But no matter what, you will have to go and collect your food from Kammath Circle, which is the student plaza. For the people living in the hostels of the 16th-19th block, it’s a long uphill walk, which kind of kills the entire vibe of ordering out.
Virtual Money
Even though UPI / Paytm is accepted in most places, a lot of other places does not accept any form of online payment, so it’s always better to keep money in the bank or cash in hand than loading a lot of money into online wallets, a mistake that I did before coming here thinking that more or less everything will be completely digital here citing that it is a student-based town.
So despite not knowing everything before coming to Manipal, I am making the best of my time here as of now and my one month here has been great. I am kind of glad that I wasn’t prepared for every single thing since I feel like that would have killed the experiencing a lot of new things here in the city.
So come, explore on your own and enjoy the best of the Manipal Experience!
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