Alumni Interview: Harshith Bhat on his 4 golden years @ RVCE

How would you reflect back on your life at RVCE?

Now that I am out of college, looking back at the 4 years of RV life, I would say that getting a seat here was the best thing that ever happened to me. And I owe this all to my batchmates, seniors and juniors at RV. One amazing bunch, I must say!
It is actually pretty hard not to get nostalgic at this stage. I now know they are not lying when they say that these years turn out to be some of the most cherished memories in every engineer’s life.

Harshith @ the Jog Falls

Since ours was the first autonomous batch, everything in this world that moved kept telling us we were doomed to the confines of our study rooms; I am certainly glad we proved them wrong.
On a personal note, over the last 4 years, I made some amazing friends, had a fabulous time with all sorts of people, planned and organized events, got into projects and committees, worked as a Placement Coordinator and made more amazing friends in the process… All in all, had so much fun!

Trust me, I never let studies interfere with my education 😉

What do you believe are the FIVE things that students should definitely try out in campus

* A walk in the campus at 3am. Take my word for it, you’ll love it!

* Organize or atleast volunteer in extra-curricular activities and programs (you will learn things that the classrooms will never teach you)

* Walk into an exam hall and find out what subject you are attempting that day only when the question paper is distributed (hopefully…)

* Bunk so many classes under the pretext of participating in other activities that your counsellor calls you up to find out if you have dropped out (yeah, it happened to me once)

* Work for an NGO or for any such cause (yes, you have to be socially productive atleast once in a while and you get a feeling of immense accomplishment)

What was your funniest college experience?

Haha, OK, this is tough. Had a lot of things that happened in various situations that made my day. But coming to think of it, one incident stands out from the rest in my mind and I am pretty sure a majority of my facebook friends know about this already.
I was to attend a meeting with the Principal one fine evening. But unlike other days, I did not wait for the people in the office to let me in. I rather just walked into his chamber only to find a big group of administrators (won’t be naming them for ‘legal’ reasons) staring at the huge LCD on the wall and it had a report on Katrina Kaif’s performance in ‘Sheila ki Jawani’ playing… Men will be men, I thought, and spent the rest of the day laughing 
(To be fair, I believe that report started on TV just when I entered. But it was still pretty funny seeing them fumbling for the remote!)

What changes would you like to see in the campus?

If you ask me, a Wi-Fi network in the campus and a better auditorium. After a part of the auditorium roof once collapsed when a few people were setting up the sound system for a show, it is now difficult to organize events there without hoping that the audi doesn’t cave in the next time somebody coughs into the mic.

 And oh! New ID cards that have chips to tell you if a lecturer is coming behind you after you bunk his classes and sit near the bakery bragging about it. You end up trying to hide behind others and hopping away with your head turned the other way. Makes you look spatially challenged.

You mentioned earlier that you feel that RVites should participate in loads of extra curricular activities. What were your experiences with extra-curricular activities in campus?

To tell you the truth, I am glad that you asked me about extra-curricular and not academic experiences. As you might have guessed by now, I was more happy spending all my time in extra-curricular activities. Indeed, I must confess, what I am today was solely because of the exposure I gained working in different aspects of extra-curricular activities. Try to get involved in as many different things as possible.

A handful of events, a bunch of clubs, a pinch of hobbies and top it with a fest or two. You will have an engineering life you wouldn’t want to finish (though you might possibly forget where your department is located.)

Vidyut, Jhenkaara, Project Vyoma or Placement Coordination? Which was the most cherished experience of college?

Ah, I would never imagine grading one against the other. The things I gained serving in various capacities in my 4 years, each one of them is valuable to me. Among the things you asked me, being the Student Coordinator of Vidyut-10 was infact what gave me the confidence that I could organize events and fests. Chiguru, Suggi and Jhenkaara gave me a platform to involve myself in a unique cause while Project Vyoma taught me the most important lessons of teamwork and working under intense deadlines (Hey! Who is complaining? It took me to the United States of America). But nevertheless, being the Placement Coordinator would be what I would say prepared me the best for the hectic life ahead of me. Interacting with companies and coordinating with them from morning 8 to 2 in the morning instilled the confidence in me to take on anything that the future has in store for me. Bring it on!

Your favourite hangout when in college?

Well, anything outside the classroom was good enough for me but most of the time people would find me at the bakery near my department and wonder if eating was the only thing I did all day…

What advice would you give to the ickle first years who seem to be asking a lot of questions about the college on facebook ?

Hold on, let me put on my grandpa glasses. OK, where was I? Oh, yes…
Listen kids, you have (somehow) ended up in RV College now. Irrespective of what people around you may tell you or what you might feel at times, this college has one of the best opportunities for you to excel in whatever field you choose to pursue. Of course, I would never recommend you neglect studies, but regardless of what the staff may tell you, classes aren’t the only thing that happen around here and your life isn’t over the moment you score anything less that 9.8959. You will enjoy engineering only when you look beyond and immerse yourselves in everything that happens around you. At the end of the day, you will hardly remember sitting in the classes studiously noting down every sniff and cough from the lecturer. Explore things and make time for stuff that have always fascinated you. Choose good company, balance between studies and extra activities but remember to always stay focussed.
(Seriously, take my advice; I don’t use it anyway).

As the placement season has started this year, what do you feel is the best way to get your hands on the fat pay cheque?

Never say never: take up interviews with an open mind and do not reject any option without considering it twice.
Most important of all, show the company you have the potential to be productive. An employee with a chronic case of apathy is as useful to them as a xenophobic police dog.

Let them know you are willing to learn new stuff and are flexible. Don’t be afraid to make your point but don’t be too agressive in the process. A company looks for team-players; so speak of instances where you have efficiently worked in teams. Having organized events or fests in college would give you a good advantage in this aspect.

It is OK to be inquisitive. When the interviewer asks you if you have any question, utilize the opportunity to ask them about the work-culture in the company or the types of projects they are currently into- anything that tells them you are quite keen on getting into the company (but avoid probing questions like those regarding the salary, team picnics and paternity leaves).

A prior SWOT analysis helps you confidently answer questions like “Your biggest strength”, “One instance which brought out your hidden abilities” or “Any one failure that taught you the most” without looking like a brain-dead horse while you mull over the question and come up with appropriate answers.

Every company expects something different. So the best thing to do would be speak to your seniors and find out how their process was conducted the previous year.

Anything else on the advice front?

To people who have not already slept off reading this interview, I have just one more thing to tell you: I have often seen students appearing for the placement season on the verge on a nervous breakdown. If you are unsure about where to go after your B.E., the best option would be to take up a job close to your field of studies. Contrary to what some might say, entering a job after engineering doesn’t decrease the prospects of a post-graduation, in fact, it increases it. Take another 2 years deciding on what interests you. Since you are in your own field, you will always have an option to continue in it after taking up a PG (2 years work-experience is an added bonus). In case you realize the whole thing is not YOUR thing, you can always move out into some other field that interests you, say working on the management front or selling tea.

Note: 
While not digging up backyards for enriched uranium or hot-wiring cars, Harshith  can be found on facebook at www.fb.com/harshith.bhat for a discussion on the advantages of implementation of Metaphysics courses in universities.