First Day at Xavier Institute of Communication!

 

Working overtime to give you guys deets! 

I completed my undergrad at Sophia College for Women in March 2023. It had only been a year since I started going to college, thanks to the pandemic. Neither I nor my friends had enjoyed our college lives as college kids. We have lived our college lives as full-grown adults, and participating in the most journalistic endeavor—Mumbay Minute—was exhausting. I still remember the day we had submitted all of our assignments and were carelessly strolling on the streets of Breach Candy. The air slapped our faces, and though we were tired from our journey, we still had smiles across our faces. This chapter was finally over.

A new journey was waiting for me. On April 8, I gave an online exam for Xavier's, and on May 5, I sat for a 10-minute interview with the course and department administrators. All went well. I came out of the interview satisfied and confident with all my answers. My family and I were eagerly waiting for the results to be declared. By the grace of Lord Shiva, everything was in my way. On May 10, along with 90 other people, I was accepted into Xavier's. Okay, I might sound like, "Omfg, guys, I've made it." But yeah, whatever.

On May 30, I was accompanied by my mother to CSMT. We measured the distance to my college, and it was quite convenient for me because there are direct trains. Although, post-Mahim, I had visited none of the stations and their respective regions, I was sceptical and scared. The racks are pathetic. They are too small and, honestly, unhygienic to even sit in. Nevertheless, I reach my home station in 35 minutes from South Bombay, so it's a win for me.

Also, I am never getting my mother to South Mumbai by train. She's in her early fifties; she gets tired!

2nd June, 2023:

 

I quickly wrapped up my very relaxing yoga class and got ready for my first day in college. I wore my normal college clothes. As I have expressed in my earlier posts, I dress up like Meg Griffin. I wore a shirt that was giving me Violet Valley vibes (IFYKYK). It is incredibly hot in Mumbai. I was scared that people were not going to like me because I was so sweaty all the way to my back. My perfumes and mist didn't last long (I should've carried them).

So anyway, I was finally here! The institute I only saw in movies When I entered my department, I was out of breath and sweaty. My face was red as a plum. But the technician (whose name I couldn't catch) allowed me to sit inside his tiny office, where there was a very effective air conditioner. He stepped out and continued with his work.

I was a little anxious about making friends, but I warmed up pretty quickly. I just need to be pushed. I met a school senior, people from all places in India, and some fellow Mumbaikars.

Our department head introduced us to the rules of the college, classes, and department. We will meet with all of our faculty later this week. They also gave us some goodies! A good Xavier's folder, an ID card, a Xavier's pendrive, two notebooks, a course booklet, and a pen. (See picture attached.)

 

What I wore! 

I will get another chance to be in the classroom of someone familiar, Krishna Warrier, who will be teaching diversity and inclusion. Sounds a bit interesting, no? I guess most of my Sophia buddies have had a chance to be in these sessions as an extra credit course.

When the session was finally over, a bunch of us decided to check out our classrooms. So we momentarily stepped out of the college and then went to our communications building. Our classrooms are cosy! The staff there happily showed us the place. I have to say, people are so nice and kind. It was so hot, guys! The weather was incredibly cruel. A friend suggested going to the Irani Cafe. But the seating arrangement could not accommodate any of us. This is how we ended up going to Kit Kat. We just wanted to sit in the AC.

At Kit Kat, we ordered non-alcohol drinks because we had to make it back to the college for an orientation. Kit Kat is like an average Marathi restaurant with oldies and middle-aged men grabbing a middle-of-the-day drink to cure life's crises. I mean, it's understandable.

We quickly left Kit Kat and proceeded to go to college. We took the subway, and I realised that no one takes the subway. It was very dark and lonely inside. Like the whole subway, it is an ideal place for drug addicts. The orientation was boring. We had guests over to talk about the theme of this year: media and artificial intelligence. I think as we progress into the session, we will be exposed to how artificial intelligence is already killing the industry. I met someone who is working remotely for an agency as a copywriter. According to him, artificial intelligence can never make human copies. I didn't argue much at that point. But reflecting on his comments, I think AI can pretty much do anything. It depends on how we have constructed it and the kind of information we feed it. I believe it can take inspiration from human emotions to craft copies. Which is also why I left MICA's copywriting course. If you disagree or agree, comment in the section below!

 

Xavier's hall is pretty huge, but it's suffocating. Luckily, they opened the windows for some ventilation.

Looking Forward: I'm really excited about the classes and the upcoming trip! and meeting new people. Let's see how that actually works out.