The college truly does prepare us to stay relevant in the industry by nurturing our skills for the same and increasing our awareness at every step.
Throughout my schooling, irrespective of my age the one thing that was always emphasized by my teachers was the importance of staying up to date with the world. Reading newspapers was often looked upon as though it was a chore back then by my peers, something which had to be done by the end of the day and while a part of me did enjoy it, I struggled to be regular with it. Not even in my wildest dreams did I anticipate a college environment in which this aspect would soon become a way of life and not something that had to be consciously accomplished as a daily task.
The first month of college was a whirlwind of fitting in, making friends and exploring the college and its curriculum. The scheduled MCR test on the academic calendar piqued everyone’s curiosity. We soon learned that this was viewed as one of the toughest tests merely because the portions encompassed pretty much anything under the sun! It was equal parts exciting and terrifying to prepare for the test, we had hurried after professors and seniors for advice on how to tackle it. In fact all of us had armed ourselves with numerous newspaper apps, current affair apps, media industry related apps and so on. This was not something that we could pull an all-nighter for; it simply had to be done regularly and the process just could not be rushed.
Nothing prepared us for the shockers these tests turned out to be with the passage of time. Each test was slightly different in the manner of testing as well. While this can be extremely challenging at times these tests have solely been responsible for inculcating general awareness in my daily life. The first MCR test was a glimpse into what awaited us for the next three years. In spite of the challenges and shortcomings I faced during these tests I was hooked. Though this did not necessarily mean that I was able to deliver a stellar performance at these assessments I became a firm believer of ‘No knowledge is ever useless’ and I started to read whatever little I could every day.
I remember sitting at a family gathering and being able to actually discuss and explain the extent of certain elements of politics in the country much to their immense surprise. It’s no wonder why the Symbiosis Centre for Media and Communication is one of the Best Mass Communication colleges in India. The college truly does prepare us to stay relevant in the industry by nurturing our skills for the same and increasing our awareness at every step. The journey towards this may not be easy but in the long run there is no better method to ensure our holistic development even with respect the industry readiness factor. The personal transformation that I underwent as a result of these tests is something I hold very dear to myself and I look forward to carrying ahead in life beyond SCMC.
Aparna Anandan (Batch 2020)
Photo: Nayanika Mukherjee (Batch 2019)
