Seniors

This post is inspired by events of last night (i.e. Freshers’) and today (i.e. GNLU WINNING INDIA JESSUP OHMYGOD).

Yes, I’m very excited. If you know me personally, you know that I get excited and buzzed and enthusiastic about things very easily. You know that I love college (everything about college) and I love classes and everything. I am your quintessential nerd, and I’m very proud to be one. Note to young Tejas, it isn’t a derogatory term, don’t take offense.

Anyway, seniors. How do you write about people who make your first days extremely nerve-wracking and take your introductions and indulge in positive interactions? Especially when they make you miss home a little less by welcoming you into their fold and accepting you as the youngest member of a massive family? Lots of questions, and hopefully this is an answer.

My first brush with a senior from college came when I interned in the 11th Grade. There was a third-year from GNLU who was interning at the same place (his internship was more serious, of course), and he gave me a breakdown of the college. I was sold. I was pretty determined to do Law, and after multiple conversations with him over lunch & during breaks from work, I knew I would go to GNLU if given a chance. He told me the bad bits too, but the positive side of things were far too many to discount.

My second brush with a senior from college came on the CLATGyan group, where I saw a frustrated A Level student complaining about boards. As a frustrated AS (soon to be A) Level student myself, I got in touch with her, and she gave me further insight into what life at GNLU was like. I asked her my questions, asked her about classes & professors, and got myself prepped and enthu’fied for the entrance exam. I loved GNLU, with it’s lack of painted exteriors (as I had been told).

As is obvious, my next brush with seniors was on my first day, when a second-year kindly helped me with my bags on a rainy day to my room (thank you!).

And then came the positive interactions. I had already had one set at Odisha so it was quite weird to undergo again, but I tried taking it in the spirit of things. Made me a little homesick at times, and that showed in my demeanour.

At least it must have. A neighbouring senior called me to his room after I delivered his night mess order and told me to smile a little more, stand a little straight and enjoy myself. That pep talk was incredible. My mother still notices a difference in my posture, weird as it may sound.

I have met seniors I had merely heard of from classmates (and now did client counseling with), seniors I debated against when I was in school (and now debated with on the same team), and seniors I’ve had incredibly profound life discussions with. Seniors who grilled me and my friends all through the night & helped us draft our first-ever memorial by reading multiple shoddy drafts and pointing out errors.

I’ve gotten to interact with super-seniors who have judged me during moot intras. This is the weirdest connect, simply because a couple of years ago, they’ve stood exactly where you stand, and done everything you’ve done.

And I’ve gotten to interact with the team that won Jessup India and are going to D.C. (a first in college).

If you know me, I’ve probably told you about Jessup. I’ve wanted to study Law since the 9th Grade, so it’s pretty incredible that it’s finally happened (as in, I’m studying Law). I googled & Facebooked Raag Yadava like a creep when NLSIU won Jessup Worlds & he became a Rhodes scholar, simply because he had been to D.C. I remember being appalled with the incredible things he had accomplished and saying “Woah, such incredible people exist?”

Note to young Tejas, they do. They really do.

I’m new to this place, and clearly haven’t interacted with these seniors a lot. But I’ve heard the tales. They’re not overhyped.

One of them is leading the charge with the GNLUMUN (DO COME, SERIOUSLY), and one of them helped lead the charge with the GNLU Debate. The other grilled me for my second intra rounds even though he didn’t know me, and one of them has been super helpful with my moot endeavour. I feel very peevish that I have to blog about the fact that I have not interacted at all (apart from an awkward hello as he walked in the corridor) with the last member, but I have heard SO MUCH about him. I am star struck.

They are legends of this institution of learning and exemplars of the institution of Law.

My friend & I got so pumped when we heard. We cried tears of joy, screamed (read: squealed like babies), high-fived, and I hate to say this, but we said “we did it”, even though we didn’t really do anything.

My debate senior thought I would need a tranquilizer gun. I was that excited when they won.

We used to speak among ourselves about the Jessup team & how hard they were working. We felt pumped to see them go for the tournament, and bragged to all our friends when we spotted them all together.

I love college. I love seniors. I love Jessup.

These people have bought happiness to everyone on campus.

And so many more off it. I saw a post by a super-senior with congratulations, followed by a trail of posts from super seniors reflecting about their Jessup journey, and how it was a burden off their shoulders.

College is a happy place. Seniors help keep it a happy place.

Thank you, seniors.

AND CONGRATULATIONS OHMYGOD JESSUP INDIA CHAMPIONS WOOT WOOT WOOT. I PUBLICLY APOLOGIZE IF I HAVE EMBARASSED MYSELF AND/OR ANY OF MY FRIENDS BUT YOU KNOW IT’S TRUE, WE’RE ALL VERY EXCITED AND WILL BE BEHAVING LIKE FANBOYS/GIRLS.

Sorry, I had to.

Congratulations, Team Jessup. As a first-year, you’ve made me extremely proud to be a GNLUite, and you’ve given me an extra dose of motivation for my own moot.

Thank you, seniors.

This post would be amiss if I didn’t mention Freshers’. Mad party they organized for us. Really made us feel like we were officially a part of this college. Shoutout to my date for being awesome!