What an exhilarating week it has been for us. Orientation week of our 1st cohort, session 2022-26, at Lovely Professional University, took off with unmatched enthusiasm and joy on September 9, 2022. On the eve of Homecoming, the Kalvium students touched base by getting lost on campus! First things first, it is homecoming; isn’t it? Students are going to build a home away from home; kilometres away from people they have known their entire lives to date. These students will thrive amongst strangers that will grow to be their best friends, maybe even family, over the next four years.
They’ll understand friendship and the value of relationships. Students will experience a rollercoaster of emotions such as empathy, sadness, loneliness, and sheer joy. Additionally, Kalvium students will experience work ethics of professionalism, responsibility, communication, and the struggles of working life. We are excited, and so are the students!
Kalvium Touchdown: We are Lost
Let’s briefly look at students getting lost on the first day. You see, the University is an avant-garde campus spread over 600 acres on the outskirts of Jalandhar. One is bound to lose their way around campus on their first day–maybe even the second and third! It took the Kalvium team a few visits themselves before they got a hang of the campus buildings. However, as Computer Science students who’ll be pulling long hours in front of the screen and at their desks, the walk from one building to another will definitely help with their fitness goals!
Graduation to Adulthood: Breaking the Ice
From finances to health decisions, college life throws all at once at you. It can be scary, but it doesn’t have to be so. On that note, the night before the Kalvium orientation, our team sat down to rub heads together to come up with topics that will help break the ice with- and- amongst the students. During orientation, it is hard to generate participation and build enthusiasm among students. But, that was definitely not the case here. Here are a few topics we came up with, along with how things went!
Kalvium Community: “Sir/Ma’am” Who?
We have spent a lot of time training our brains so that we refer to our mentors, peers, and professors as ‘Sir’ and ‘Maam’. However, at Kalvium, we are transforming students into working professionals that shall grow together at the same level in the same space. The Kalvium Culture strictly follows a First Name basis communication. Respect comes from within, respect comes from your work. The professional community out there is not looking for school students. They want “well-rounded” individuals who are well-versed in the works of life and the responsibilities that come with it.
Example:
“Anil sir, could you—-”
“Just Anil!”
“Hehe, Anil, could you tell me more about that?”
Straight talk: We don’t Spoon Feed
As working professionals, would you really want someone else doing the work for you? No, right? We are investing time and energy to learn and become our best versions. We are here to explore new things, figure out our strengths and weaknesses, and build together as a team. Students need to understand the difference between the concepts of guidance and help as provided by their professors, mentors, and peers as compared to being spoon-fed information and tasks with next to no individual contribution.
Example:
“Anil, I have already mastered this class.”
“Alright, why don’t you go and explore whether you are able to take on a real-life project such as XYZ?”
“Anil, I have done that too.”
“Alright, here’s a situation and a project. Do you think you can reach the finish line with 2 interns working under you?”
“Alright, that is a challenge I am yet to take on!”
Equity vs Equality
The 21st century demands that people understand the difference between ‘equality’ and ‘equity’. In fields such as Engineering and Computers, the ratio of girls to boys has forever been lacking. This makes it important for students to understand the sensitivity of opportunities provided to them and how sometimes the opportunities provided to the minority ratio differ from those of the majority. Healthy competition and teamwork come from understanding one’s situation and being respectful of their shortcomings. Kalvium aims to build an environment where boys and girls thrive to become the tech leaders of tomorrow without compromising or lacking in any form.
Risk Taking
We have all led a life of risks that we aren’t proud of; we have also taken risks that we are thankful for. Students shared life experiences of taking and avoiding risks. While we got answers such as, “I didn’t study for my JEE exam until the night before,” we also heard stories about how one student-led a life of reckless driving, got into an accident, and then henceforth started leading a responsible life. The aim of Kalvium is to help students develop an understanding of responsibility and to see the consequences of their actions when making a decision. Yes, we learn best from our mistakes, however, some are better to avoid.
Peer Pressure
From something as small as watching a movie we don’t like to incidents of bullying fellow classmates only to be included with the “tough” crowd, we’ve all given in to peer pressure in one form or another. However, owning up to these incidents and understanding what could have been different defines our responsibility as mature adults.
2 Truths and a Lie
Did he actually go to jail? Did he actually motorbike his way through the Himalayas? Does he love football more or table tennis? Was he really a topper throughout college AND school? Did she really play national cricket? Who knows! Take a guess to know your batchmate better.
Late to Class? Aw Shucks!
Lastly, as a strong pointer to the Kalvium culture, we recommend you never be late to a class or scheduled meeting. The punishment? A dare. You might have to dance, you might have to sing. In some situations, we might ask you to run the class or lead a project. Even punishments can be moments of growth. The options are endless! So well, let’s practice punctuality. Every minute counts.
Student Opinion
Talking about the students, when interviewed about how stressed they are about the work-life balance they will have to pull in addition to their academics, and the things they look forward to, here are some of the responses we received!
“I am looking forward to the long teaching hours; to learning everything you can possibly offer me, and more.”
“I feel super excited about the work-life and academic balance that awaits me. We are in the real world now, aren’t we?”
“My parents wanted me to live a life of no regrets, and here I am.”
“When I told my parents about the work-integrated curriculum, they convinced me to hop on board with this program!”
“I believe Kalvium can help me become a professional that nobody will be able to reject.”
“If it weren’t for Kalvium and the opportunities it brings, I would have never travelled this far away from home.”
These are statements that one rarely expects from 1st-year college students on the 1st day. However, Kalvium’s 1st intake is all fired up for the journey ahead of them. In a world where many believe that children today shy away from the hustle of life, these professionals are here to prove them wrong. Most of us spent our college days running around experiencing the leisures of life.
Bunking classes, time-outs with friends, cramming the syllabus the night before, and even running around to get someone to do our projects was the norm back then. However, students today are filled with goals to achieve. For this reason, they know what they want, and they want it now.
The Kalvium FOMO Hits Hard!
In conclusion, the 1st day of college is always a vibe. Orientation is tiring, however, the energy Kalvium students brought with them had us running with games, activities, and program discussions till much later in the evening. Additionally, team Kalvium even squeezed in a Marketing shoot wherein all the students took on the glamorous roles of models and laughed their way through the conceptualised settings! Oh, what a week it was. Feel like this is somewhere you should be? We agree. Sign up today and well, trust us, the Kalvium FOMO (fear of missing out) is very real! Ask our students, they are our best brand ambassadors.
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