NUST – Five Things We Don’t See
Okay, before you put on your imaginary reading glasses and begin your quest to prove me wrong, I’ll admit defeat. I know that each one of us knows the campus inside out and you must be wondering, what am I going to tell you that you don’t already know. Well, I’m here to talk about a few things that are hidden to the open eye. A few things that when magnified have the capability to change perspectives. You see, we don’t normally realize it but we are the blessed youth of Pakistan. Why? Because we have earned the opportunity to be students at one of Pakistan’s flagship universities. NUST H-12 is a sector of its own, from the long cruises at less than 40 km/hour to the nights spent at C1 singing the night away till 9:30, we are going to miss all of it once we pack our bags and set foot in the outside world. I just wanted to highlight a few things we overlook when it comes to the magnificence of this majestic campus we have inhabited.
Extreme Diversity
There are over 6000+ students currently enrolled in NUST H-12. These 6000+ students do not reside from any particular geographic area in specific. These students come from all the different villages, districts, towns and cities of Pakistan and each one of them comes to nust with his or her own baggage and in his or her own frame of mind. It’s the fusion of so many different mindsets and personalities that make this place so enchanting. Just an example, my own class with a strength of 50, includes people from all provinces of Pakistan, meaning thereby representatives from all the distinct communities come together and share an exciting journey. It broadens your approach by bringing together hundreds of people from all over the country and transforming them into a close-knit unit. It aids the enhancement of your networking capacity, as you learn more about all the different cultures our country possesses. It helps bring us all closer as a nation. The intriguing part is you’ll have people from all unconnected societies, trying to understand and comprehend each other’s personal space. No other university offers diversity in such gigantic amounts.
The Order of Things
When I say order of things, I mean there’s a certain structure of proceedings that is followed here. From the security check at gate 1 and 10 to the signboards that prohibit smoking NUST takes immense pride in the fact that it is a smoke free campus, there are rules and regulations for every sort of discrepancy at H-12. The problem-solving or problem-handling ability our campus has achieved over the years is second to none, and its all because of the organized manner in which everything is seemingly dealt with here. The handbook we receive on our orientation is a guideline for students that includes every sort of ambiguity that may arise in students’ minds over the next four or five years. Finally, it wouldn’t be wrong to say that the campus is safer than many other neighborhoods or societies we see nowadays. That is only achieved through the utmost diligence and systematic management prowess our administration holds. Hence, there is a certain order of things followed at nust which eventually spills over into the students and helps them manage their own routines efficiently.
Cheap and Cheerful
Think about it, NUST offers us a wide array of facilities and charges us next to nothing for it. The hostelites enjoy three meals a day at Rs. 150 per day and the menu is flexible too. We get to work out at the gym, play all the sports we desire and even the concerts at NUST cost us way less compared to what they would cost an outsider. The pricing strategy applied in Concordia 1,2 and 3 has been set and maintained for the welfare of the students. We enjoy a higher standard of living at a much lower cost relative to other top tier institutions in Pakistan.
Go-getter mentality
Right from day one here, we’re taught that whatever we want to achieve is only approachable through a hard working personal mentality. It teaches us life is not going to be a bed of roses anywhere we go. Nothing will present itself on a plate like man-o-salwa. We have to work for it ourselves and in the midst of searching for our life goals and objectives, we realize we’ve been taught responsibility. Nust instills in its students a feeling of devotion and motivation, be it your studies or any other extra-curricular activities. On- campus societies have been set up for us to get involved, inculcate ourselves in a work environment and pick up on any skill that manages to attract us. The foundations have been laid for us to enrich ourselves with valuable experience. We’re not extremely pampered like many other university students, neither are we left with no options. NUST provides us with one of the keys to a successful life ahead, that is be responsible for your own self and if there are any shortcomings, take the blame yourself.
Beauty in leaps and bounds..
Walk with me through this; imagine sitting on the bench in the freezing cold with a cup of hot coffee in your hand as you see the glimmering floodlights dawn over the dewy green grass of the football ground. A fresh breath of fog every time you talk. You sit frozen, stuck to the bench like it’s the only thing in the vicinity giving out heat. You see people walking and talking, ignoring each other’s existence and minding their own business. Everything seems to be in peace. That’s the epitome of a winter night at nust. There’s a certain aura about the winter nights at H-12, which is to die for. Even when the sun shines, you see trees planted in beautiful symmetry and give this campus a picturesque outlook. We see all this everyday, and yet still fail to recognize how lucky we are to have such a perfectly composed field of vision to look forward to.
