Today, we had a senior doctor specially invited to lecture us on the Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation. Holding our hearts, we sat on our chairs in the creepy lecture-hall in anticipation of learning new things from this celebrated personality. He was a humble man in his 50s – soft-spoken, always ready to explain.

 
While he was demonstrating the procedure, my four classmates came in the hall with disposable Gloria Jean’s Coffee cups in their hands. They rushed in, looked at the now-quiet doctor and hurriedly took their seats on the last row. The doctor digressed from the main topic and now talked about his own university days.

 

 

His face clearly showed waves of nostalgia rushing through him. He said, “Seems like you party out a lot, huh? I try to recall one time when I went out during my days and I can’t.” He smiled.

 

 

Then he suddenly said, “Oh yeah, I see. My colleagues once insisted me to give them a treat after getting my first research published. But I didn’t know how to give a treat” He laughed, almost chuckled. “So I took them to a local restaurant. We sat down in a silent, sweet disposition thinking about what to do and how to ‘party’. I ordered some kind of soup, seeing that I had enough money to pay for it. We sat there eating our food awkwardly, making sure we knew all our table manners. That is all we had for a treat.”

 

 

We grinned at him. “And now, those cups remind me about how much things have changed.” He pointed to the back of the hall. We all laughed away while he composed himself again to continue with the lecture.

 

 

Thinking about his words now, I too agree that university life has drastically changed. Apart from learning how to sleep skillfully during lectures or flatter the professor to get an extension on an assignment, we have also set many false standards. One of them is hanging-out.

 

All the year, all students tried and failed to maintain a crazy balance between studying and partying. Just at the start of session, all new-comers were planning and running out to hang-out like unleashed horses in a race only to “celebrate” that start of first year.

 

 

Then came birthdays of our colleagues. Almost every week, I got the news that my two colleagues have birthdays coming and half of my class was busy planning up a grand party for them either in the premises of university or outside at some awesome place.

 

 

When I logged into my social network account, the news-feed buzzed with the talks of the birthday girl or boy and the pictures captured that day. It’s fun and so absorbing that I myself, at times, got busy typing comments and hitting likes and buying gifts to wish belated birthdays. But soon I learned that partying aside; we students need to understand how to successfully juggle study and party with both hands.

 

 

I got to gradually observe some norms of university life, such as, if you don’t hang-out often with your chums, you are uncool. And if you spend excessive hours leafing through library books, you are what-they-call a nerd. If a new restaurant opened up nearby and you haven’t been there yet, are you living on the moon, like seriously?

 

 

When I had my birthday, I too went out with my group of buddies for the cake-cut ceremony. I was shocked to see so many of my university mates at the food court that at first, I thought the whole pack of them was secretly invited to join us. It was only later that my friends corrected me and said that they all had come on their own for their own reasons.

 

 

Blaming this hanging-out trend entirely would be wrong, but it surely is to be partly blamed for the fact that a lot of students flunk their semester exams eventually. While those who get away with a sad C or D – hallelujah! They just got another reason to ‘celebrate’ their not-flunking.

 

 

We, as mature students, need to learn that all play and no work is no sensible equation. Also, keeping our pocket-money in consideration, we should not act rash and party out recklessly. Perhaps, a lot among us cannot say no to a party-plan because they are afraid that they will lose their friends or will be tagged as uncool. But it’s high time that we should chalk out our own priorities rather than nodding a yes at every plan.

 

 

But yes, one good party for one good reason to get a break from tight-deadlines and burdensome studies is well-deserved. Let us never forget that!