First Year Special Section
BITSian Survival Guide
Survival in BITS needs no following of a set of rules. There are no unimpeachable laws of the jungle, er..desert, no ‘Survival of the Fittest’ like fluffy proclamations. However, you might want to keep in mind the following guidelines as insights into BITSian life for a memorable and pleasant (to say the least) four or five year stay.
1. Negligence of academics is a bad, bad idea
? Relative grading is a vicious thing. Unless you recognise the above statement in entirety, you will find yourself in a flood of Cs and 6.something. ? Do not lose touch with what is being taught. When, sooner or later, you start giving up on the world of lectures, an everyday brush up will be your saviour. ? Tuts and labs – the inconvenient catch to the 0% attendance policy. Yes, first hour classes will turn out to be painful (especially in the Great Freeze of January) but do
not ignore their potential - these happen to be the most generous troves of marks. Never miss them – even after those mythical ‘gaming night-outs’. Also, steer clear of ‘short naps’ before labs. Or experience shall teach you.
2. Priority – It isn’t only for Registration numbers
? With a lot of time on your hands and two years’ worth of enjoyment to take back, chances are you will be overwhelmed by the amount of things you can choose to do
on campus. Often you may find yourself amidst of a chaos of activity. But once you start to realise and set your priorities, you will see a clear pattern emerge. Striking a balance is tricky indeed, but there’s nothing more important. ? Take proper doses of rest - Exclusively for a) Amazing ‘I-just-want-a-good-dual’ Man b) Ghot ‘My-sole-aim-is-a-verti’ Woman and c) Super ‘I-shall-be-a-part-of-allclubs’ Boy. Nothing is worth killing yourself over.
3. The hamlet and its villagers
? BITS is a diverse place. You will meet a motley crowd of seniors and batch mates. No one will care about your BITSAT rank and you shouldn’t either. Build a good
rapport with at least some of them – they will be your desert companions.
? You will or must have also come across certain traditions. These have evolved through many an age - acknowledge and respect, even if you don’t follow them. ? Advice shall be doled out to you more often than you will hear ‘lite’. These will range from the useful - ‘You should take these sections....’ or this article for example,
to the pointless - ‘Never allow a Vogon to read you poetry’. Neither ignore them completely nor follow blindly. Decide in what measure you should take these helpful titbits. ? DC++, the magical genie we all love is like Hotel California – You can check in any time you like, but you can never leave. Use your good judgment or you will find yourself transformed into an insomniac hyper-caffeinated, movie-drugged monster.
4. Be happy
Sprawl on the lawns on sunny afternoons. Chat with redi owners. Gambol around campus. Go bird watching (double-entendre not intended). Invent a dance. Read rusty books in the library. Talk to peacocks. Hug the clock tower. ‘Tis a place to be happy and a wee bit crazy. Do that.
A bit of this and that...
With all the endless lines of print having been devoted to the most important aspects of life at BITS, many seemingly inconsequential yet crucial matters tend to get overlooked. Presenting to you a guide, more or less a toolkit, for the mundane aspects of BITSian existence:
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MAC ID registration
After having heard countless stories from starry-eyed seniors of the limitless options that DC has to offer, you excitedly plug in your LAN cable, only to read that most crushing of alerts : "Access is denied". Fear not, it's not your laptop at fault. Rather, it's a practice at BITS where students need to get their mac IDs registered at the IPC for accessing the LAN. MAC IDs can be found on your laptop through the command prompt.
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IPC
Clueless about where to register the aforementioned MAC ID? That's where the IPC or the Information Processing Unit comes in. Located in 1139, it serves as the office for the LAN administrators and also as cyber-cafe of sorts for those who did not bring along laptops.
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S9/Xerox Centre SAC
It is the institute Xerox centre where course handouts are also available and general printouts can be taken.
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The Student Activity Centre is the the epicentre of student activity for most evenings throughout the semester. It houses badminton, table tennis and squash courts as well as a gym, billiards table and even an amphitheatre. It serves as the headquarters for most departments while they gear up for the various fests as well as a practice area for many clubs like Dance Club and Ragamalika.
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Library
One of the most iconic structures on campus, after the temple, is the BITS library. Serving as almost a second home for some and a no-man's-land for others, it houses one of the most extensive and exhaustive collection you are likely to find anywhere. With hundreds of books on literally any subject, it is a must visit at least once for every BITSian. Also, air conditioning!
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DC++
What more is left to be said that hasn't already been about this, one of the most fascinating pieces of software. It is quite literally a limitless resource for books, movies, journals, ??[Y[?\?Y\? ??X? ? ]Y\?[? \\?? ?Y\?]?\?Y??? ?X?]?[ K]?[??HH?X]?????? H[?\?H ? Y[???[][?] H]\??H ?[H[??\?Z[??\? ?^\?]?[? ?\?HH?X]X[? [YK??[Y[X?\? ?]?X] ??\???Y\??X] ?\???X?[] HB??