Myth # 1

“If you clear the first year properly, you are set for the next three years”

You might have heard this one from one of your self righteous know it all seniors. The reality is, the actual grind(pun intended for Mechies) begin after the first year. The first year is designed to let one have a sneak peek into what they’re going to endure for the next three years.which makes the subjects look superficial and easy to master, which in turn ends up giving some people a feeling that all four years are going to be the same.  Some people back up this myth by saying that F.E is your first taste of battle and that if you master it(in the first attempt, NOT after a decade of perseverance ), you are set for life.  The only thing I have to say about this is that its good to pass your F.E with flying colours, but don’t levitate after that and think that you can master the subsequent years as easily as you did in F.E

Myth # 2

“KT’s are absolutely taboo, get one and you are doomed for all of eternity”

The origin of this myth, I feel, lies in the minds of some paranoid parents who think that a tuft of white hair is all they need for ultimate wisdom. First of all, the KT system exists for a GOOD reason. The people who designed our course know how complex and time consuming it can get and that it isn’t within the capacity of everyone to clear their exams on the first attempt. Second, academic incompetence isn’t the only reason people get KTs, there are many cases in which the drunken revelries of the examiner resulting in a truly deserving candidate getting a KT. While I do not encourage getting KTs, an all clear record will certainly help you in the long run, a KT or two in your overall record will NOT spell imminent doom for your career.

Myth # 3

“Classes are not a must for engineering”

Once again , this myth originates from the minds of the white haired ones who think that people who run classes are out only to make money and dominate the world.You might have heard your old man going on about the wonders of “Twenty nine hours of back breaking work per day”(NOTE FOR THE SLOW: There are ONLY twenty four hours in a day), but in reality, it just doesn’t happen. Even though it is true that one can glide through the course without and classes and it wouldn’t  be a  crime if you stay class free for four years, classes are known to complete the whole syllabus of a given subject, something a college doesn’t and isn’t expected to do. Besides, classes provide you with those “really really really important questions, study these or die” materials, which does help narrowing down workload before exams.

Myth # 4

“Number of KTs are inversely proportional to your dads bank balance”

This is the trademark line of some random spoilt brat who thinks that flaunting paternal wealth is all it takes to academic salvation. Remember, there are too many of those kids lurking around in all of engineering and only a limited number of these ‘requests’ can be actually taken care of. So the next time you’re thinking of paying  the person, STOP then and there and clear your KT’s the way normal people do, it isn’t  all that difficult. Although I admit that this practice does exist, its best of you not take a chance with it.

Myth # 5

“One night stand before exams will bear fruits”

This is another one of those numerous pieces of advice your seniors(YES they bullshit you  a lot:|) give you. First the syllabus of ny subject is immense and trying to master that in one night is akin to breaking the great wall of China with a Fork. Second, the human body can withstand only a limited amount of fatigue and writing the exam with puffy eyes and a kilo of nicotine in your lungs (Not to mention the gallons of caffeine floating in your gut) is nothing short of madness!! Besides they give us a one month preparatory leave (P.L) for a good reason so use it, your pool sessions and all night hitch hikes can wait until after the exams. And yes just because we get 5 days before every exam we shouldn’t even imagine trying to master our syllabus in that period.

Myth # 6

“You have to study the entire syllabus of each subject”

Another one of Grandpa’s ramblings, this is one of the most common misconceptions that plagues engineers worldwide. Even though each topic in the syllabus is related to one another and an integral part of our careers it is nothing short of stupidity in trying to master it all. Even later on in life an engineer is not expected to know everything. My advice on this would be to stick to your strengths and know enough of the rest to pull you through.

Myth # 7

“Opeth/Himesh songs fetch you marks in exams.”

It is commonly believed that examiners dole out marks according to the length of the material you have given them (some people go as far as saying that “Every inch of words fetches you a mark”) Through personal experience I have gotten away with writing about why Morbid Angel kicks ass but there are some sincere examiners out there who ACTUALLY read through the paper thoroughly and they would not be too pleased to know that Morbid Angel is a technical death metal band. Also, if you have ever crossed the line with a prof and he has the luck to examine your paper… Morbid Angel should be the last thing seen anywhere near that paper.

Myth # 8

“You need to be a grammar nazi to get through Engineering”

For all you walking talking dictionaries ( Those who feel their Wren & Martin to be Mein Kampf) English is not a necessity in this course. Textual nightmares like “I did not brought the notebook” do exist and are perfectly acceptable here. So before you beat your fellow mate for a missing apostrophe think twice because he just might end up ownig you in the forthcoming exams.

So if any of you feel that I have missed out on some undead myth that needs to come out of hibernation or if some of the myths seem to be more non-sensical you are all welcome to post your comments on it.

1.     Man on the Moon

The first step to live through F.E is, GET BACK ON EARTH!!! I mean it. Once the word spreads that you are into engineering, old relatives throng you to flood your mouths with tons of mithai, which is promptly followed by compliments pointing to your metamorphosis from a 5 inch piece of tissue to a full grown 18 year old and that you are ‘t3h RoXxOr’ for securing a seat in engineering. Remember, engineering was a highly coveted course in the past which could be done only by a privileged few and the oldies simply refuse to live in this era. Securing a seat in engineering is NOT equivalent to living through an Altaf Raja album. This feeling of elation and superiority is nullified only when you have a fantastic number of KTs.

2.     Textual Nightmare

Do NOT buy random textbooks judging them by their thickness. There are a LOT of textbooks available in the market and you can’t possibly buy and read them all (Ultra rich kids excluded, but heck, who spends money on textbooks these days anyways?). Your college professors WILL guide you on what textbook to buy, so fret not. Many egoistic professors state that their notes are more than enough to get one through the exams. To a certain extent, their notes will help you out, but most professors can NEVER complete the entire syllabus during the course of the semester. So go forth and spend some money in places other than McDonalds and CCD.

3.     A Private Intuition

Keep the number of private tuitions at a minimum. While most college professors are all against these institutions, it does become essential for one to opt for extra coaching for certain subjects. Opt for vacation batches whenever possible because you have a gist of the subject way before the flood of assignment and journal writing hits you. Join classes only for subjects which you find difficult. Joining classes just for the heck of it or to hang out with pals is only a frivolous waste of time and money.

4.     Subjective Paralysis

Lay extra emphasis on the subjects ‘Mechanics’ and ‘B.E.E’ in Sem.1 and ‘Engineering drawing’ in Sem.2.These are the subjects in which the chances of repeated KTs are maximum which can result in a ticket to one year of college-free life (AKA a drop).Clearing these subjects in the first attempt HAS to be one of your top priorities. Remember, no subject is ‘difficult’ as such, but all these subjects demand is practice. Practice and a tad bit of understanding power is all you’ll need to crack these subjects.

5.     Impression Ka Sawaal Hai…

Keep a good (or anything but a screwed up one will do perfectly well) impression of yourself in front of all professors. However linguistically and intellectually inferior they may be to you, they ARE your professors in the end and 25 marks lie solely in their hands. Try NOT to contradict them in mid-lecture and redirect all queries to the end of the lecture, after they leave. Asking a simple doubt (simple does not involve asking them the meaning of life or the probability of finding an electron in the 4d shell of palladium) or two regularly will guarantee you a place in their good books.

6.     Do the Attendance Dance

Make sure to keep your attendance decent. If possible, keep it in the 80-82 percent range. It’s common knowledge that keeping a 90 percent plus attendance record is next to impossible for most people, but if not kept at the mandatory 75 percent, rest assured, your hind side will end up in a sling. A good bunk every now and then is perfectly alright provided it does not affect your attendance record adversely.

7.     Journalistic Endeavors

Try to complete all your journals and assignments on time. A day or at the most a week’s delay is forgivable but a last minute scribbling spree before the day of submissions will only result in loss of precious term work marks for neatness. Even though it is a widely known fact that 99 percent of assignments are never read by the professors, they have to be written for you to better you knowledge. Getting stuff to be written by other people should be kept as the last option and only for journals of subjects that have no real practical application for your field.

8.     A Novel Read

READ the textbooks you so gracefully brought. An hour and half of dedicated work during college days will be sufficient to get you through with decent marks. While 8 hours of slugging it out with the books is not necessary, getting enlightened about the nature of the subject during the preparatory leave won’t help either.

9.     Don’t be KT Holmes

Keep the KTs to a minimum. Getting a KT isn’t as much as a big deal some people make out of it but anything above two KTs implies that you don’t deserve to be in this field. It is true that KTs are inevitable, but too many of them are simply unforgivable. Clear any KTs you have at all costs at the first attempt.

10.     Master the calculator

Yes you heard me right, master the calculator. This is the first time in life you’ve been given the privilege of actually using an instrument that you’d use only to cheat in your school and JC life. The calculator shall be your only ally for the next four years, so grab one and keep tapping on it until you put “1337lOlKoOlBoI” from the “PwnZz0rS” clan to shame. Last but not the least, DO NOT switch between models of calculators no matter now they don’t match with your bag texture, mastering the use of one model is tedious enough, you don’t want to get stuck in limbo and ending up not knowing how to operate neither.