How to spend your college days productively?

1. Networking

The richest people in the world look for and build networks; everyone else looks for work. - Robert Kiyosaki 

I remember the very first day when I joined my NIT, the first thing I learned about was Networking. I didn't agree with the concept that much initially, but realised it was indeed one of the most important thing during college (and even after that). College is a really good place to network both with peers and faculty. It's also a good place to network with everyone in your industry as you are a student and you can approach people for guidance - usually people are helpful. Though very few of these people would become good friends/mentors/well wishers, but all those who do help immensely in life.

2. Read/Learn 

The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go. - Dr. Seuss

Well you are in College, might as well do this one :). My two cents: Reading doesn't have to be restricted to the course books and lessons are not learned only in classrooms!

3. Experiment

All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

College is the best time and place to experiment as failures are quite cheap and acceptable here. You are at the stage in life where the world is your oyster and everything seems possible - experiment, learn and grow and even if you fail, learn from it, make things better and again grow from it :)

4. Make memories

The moments may have ended, but the memories last forever - Anonymous 

People always told me the time that you spend in college is one of the most amazing time of your life and no matter where you go and what you become that's the time you'd like to go back to - always. I know I cannot say that for everyone, but I find it quite true in my case. I think it depends on your memories you've made in college - most of us have the best of them from college.

And Now,
Being a college student isn’t easy. However, the Eisenhower Matrix can help.

We rush to classes, complete multiple homework assignments per night, and fight to stay awake in lectures the next morning. When we allow ourselves the privilege of spending time with friends, thoughts of important responsibilities leave us feeling guilty.

It can be overwhelming.

One great method of coping with that, “too much to do, too little time” feeling is adopting a method of time management that facilitates the decision of how you should be spending your time. Meet The Eisenhower Matrix!

This is where the Eisenhower Matrix comes into play. As denoted by the name, President Eisenhower developed this method of time management. This is how he balanced his responsibilities as the 34th president of the United States, a 5-star general, and the 1st Supreme Commander of NATO.

To keep himself focused and decide where to allocate his time and resources, Eisenhower divided his priorities into four quadrants.

Critical and “Do Now” Tasks
These tasks are of high importance, and demand your immediate attention.
Examples include:

• Study for tomorrow’s exam
• Buying your best friend a birthday present for his/her party this week
• Completing an online quiz due tonight at 5:00 PM

Critical, but Do Later
These are tasks that contribute to more long-term goals and advancement.
Examples include:

• Getting on a regular training schedule to make the club tennis team
• Choosing a topic for your end-of semester research paper
• Running for an elected position in your club, sorority, or religious group

Not Critical, but Do Now
Tasks like these can be confusing to deal with. The idea behind these tasks is that they should be delegated to other people; they are menial tasks that do not demand the skills you possess, and should be passed on. However, as students, we don’t have assistants.
The best thing to do with these tasks is deal with them when you don’t have the mental energy to work on things that are more important. This saves your best self for more critical work.
Examples include:

• Scheduling a dental cleaning
• Taking your formal dress to the dry cleaner
• Sending a quick thank-you email to your professor who just gave a test review session.

Not Critical, Do Later
You may be thinking, “but tasks in this quadrant will never get done”. This is exactly the point. By identifying which tasks do not need to be done, you free up more time for tasks and activities that mean more to you.
Examples include:

• Going to an acquaintance’s improv performance
• Watching 5 episodes of New Girl
• Colour coding your closet

The Result: 
By organising your priorities in a matrix like this, you can rest assured that you’re focused on the right things, whether trying out for a club sports team, planning your best friend’s birthday party, or studying for a test.

Pro-Tip: One thing that President Eisenhower didn’t realise is that not every task is simple and clear-cut. A task like “study for Chemistry” might look easy enough, when in reality you need to know what to study first or in what order you should go through the material.

We decided that in Priority Matrix, each task should have its own “matrix”. This allows you to keep track of each action item that needs to be done.

This way, you won’t forget each step and will successfully complete the entire task!
Courtesy- The Eisenhower Matrix, For Students 

Life at NIT

An average student attending NIT goes through 5 phases typically-

1. Denial- Most people here believe they were destined for IIT or some other greater stuff. So initially,we have a lot of guys roaming around explaining how they got sick on that crucial JEE day,how their lousy coaching guru skipped the very topics which came in the exam,how they forgot to circle the answers in the OMR but marked them in the question paper.....the list goes on and on....
2. Anger- In this stage, anger is vented out by the hapless guy upon any issue he can lay his hands on-the shoddy quality of mess food,the shoddier quality of teaching, the super-boring schedule(it takes some time to form friends), electricity cut -outs in the hostels.
3. Bargaining- For a short period of time,the guy ,in vain,tries to brighten himself up by cultivating thoughts like  'I will make up for everything by topping my department, having a good job with a better pay packet, I will finally learn how to play a guitar/bongo/any other musical instrument which will gain me instant popularity points among the female NIT populace, I will get into the core team of XYZ fest and thus obtain that elusive certificate'
4. Depression- Soon,reality strikes. It turns out that it is not easy to get that 9 pointer,especially when you are in competition with those 'chosen ones' who mug 10 hours a day. Moreover, you weren't the rockstar or sublime actor that you imagined yourself to be and most of the girls of your batch are already committed to your seniors.
5. Acceptance- After the darkest hour , things begin to go uphill. Free Internet and DC++ comes to your rescue. Everyone finds those few people whose 'frequency' matches with them and friendships grow. Few people discover their passions (coding,robotics etc) and delve into them. Assignments no longer cause undue worry, as seniors teach us the golden mantra-'Light lo". Life is again full of laughter and fun (incidentally, the definition of 'fun' differs a lot from person to person).                                                                        

That,in brief,sums it up.

" When all is said and done, there are only two ways you can react to whatever happens. Learn or Let Go.

Freshman:

You'll be surrounded by the most diverse crowd. Some will share their lunch, some others will kick your lunch down. Some will motivate you, some others will humiliate you.
Observe. Learn.

You'll be made to do things you are not used to, things you've never dared to, things that go against your principles. 
Run away. Let go.

Sophomore:

Every friend around you is stuck with some problem. Financial status, academics, romance, spats, enemies, addictions.
Observe. Learn.

There are assholes who'll break your heart.
Run away. Let go.

Pre-final:

Suddenly everyone is running. Some know the destination, others are playing Blind man's buff. Do not fret, this is the best time we seniors come in handy; as we have 'been there, done that'.
Observe. Learn.

Antipathy is everywhere. Sadist professors give you arrears. Friends leave you suddenly to befriend more studious/influential people. 
Run away. Let go.

Senior of them all:

Your friends are getting placed, they are flying abroad, they are starting a business. This is but the beginning of a new path. A new path that you have been constructing or a new path that you have simply stumbled upon. Seize every single opportunity.
Observe. Learn.

Despite all the running and chasing; happiness and hurt, here you are, wondering where time went, pining for one more day in college. Memories will haunt you.
Run away. Let go.


And most importantly,
Learn to let go and never let go the process of learning.
All the very best. "