A lot of things have been going on in my mind since Entry #1. My very beloved semester break has ended and I’m slowly coming to the terms with the fact that my 5th semester has started and things are going to get more hectic. Exams are just a month away and it’s all hazy. Also, a mixed realisation that engineering seems to have more math than math itself.
My day didn’t exactly begin on a high note. Not terrible either, just… off. But I did miss two classes which I had the intention of attending and woke up around 12:40pm. The cool breezy wind from yesterday had turned demonically hot and humid. As I walked to the Microwave Lab, the feeling wasn’t very #sunkissed but more of #sunslapped. To my horror, as I typed on my keyboard, it turns out that the “p” key wasn’t working. Neither was the caps lock. I ended up having to copy and paste “p” every time I used it. I sighed more than I was supposed to, throughout the day.
The only thing keeping me even slightly optimistic was this new 3-month workshop I joined: 3D Printing and Additive Manufacturing by CDAC. Before signing up, I did question my sanity. My schedule is already stacked: classes from 10:30/11:30 till 5:30, with the whole 75% attendance circus (which is a joke anyway, since we all publicly survive on YouTube lectures). Add this workshop for 2 extra hours every day, and I only crawl back to the hostel around 8:30 p.m., half-baked and useless. Studying after that? Forget it. And I still have to go out every now and then to keep my extrovert battery charged. If you have already read my previous blog post, you might already know that I’m in the process of slowly getting into a career in microphones and electro-acoustics. Tough decision, but I definitely need this for my sanity right now. So, guess what? I decided that I’m going to make a condenser microphone. Yes, as a personal project, and my best friend decided to join me in the ordeal. I am really happy that he did, And even more hyped up since he agreed to put in equal effort. And you know what’s going to help out in the prototyping process? 3D printing!!! So of course, my brain went: why not? What’s another brick on the back of a dying camel?
And you know what? Worth it. The workshop feels like how college should have been all along: small groups, teachers who actually have time for you, and real attention. We’ve got three instructors.
- Mr. Sankhajit, senior faculty, teaches theory
- Mr. Srikant and Mr. Ashish, mechanical engineers, teach practical
The first few days were just intros and theory. Now we’ve started the practical side, which is tougher than I expected but surprisingly intuitive. We began with Fusion 360 (thank god Autodesk has a free student version). Apparently, we’re switching to CATIA soon, which is more complicated and costs a fortune. Thankfully, CDAC’s giving us licenses.
The batch is tiny. Just me and one other MTech senior as the only girls, the rest are boys from CIPET and NIT Patna. I’ve already had to catch up on two missed days thanks to an untimely tonsillitis attack. And honestly, that’s where the real struggle begins. Falling behind isn’t about intelligence, it’s about discipline. And discipline is… well, not my strongest suit. Plus, the system is rigged enough to screw with us. Academic validation got to be one of the sickest jokes in the history of mankind. I see my roommates who are seniors, panic about placement stats of our college and attend a hundred OAs (Online Assessments) a month and get rejected because someone decided to cheat. My life as a senior isn’t looking very promising but, well, we’ll see about that in a year.
Am I succeeding? Not really. But a girl’s gotta try. And if ⌘+C ⌘+V worked for “p,” maybe it’ll work for life too.