After completing high school education in 2011 from Vidhya Niketan, Coimbatore, I set out on a similar career path like others, but life had something different in store for me. A year back, P.S.G College of Technology had signed an MOU with the State University of New York, enabling students to pursue three years of Mechanical Engineering at Coimbatore and the final year in the USA. Having previously studied in the United States as a Rotary Youth Exchange Student, I was excited by the opportunity. The last three years have been enriching, and I am, at present, pursuing my final year of mechanical engineering at the Farmingdale State College, Long Island.
From the hustle and bustle of Coimbatore to the pristine and calm 380-acre campus, the change has been significant. One gets to experience complete silence here. The history of the college is vividly depicted through its red brick buildings and large open gardens. From the start, the days have been demanding and busy. I have woken up in the middle of the night when somebody had set off the fire alarm in the dorm and danced salsa at our Mexican Night Party. There is never a dull moment.
Hands-on classroomsThe classroom culture is very different from back home. It is more hands-on, we are always reminded to ask ourselves “How can we make things better?” This leads us to be innovative and creative on a daily basis in our classrooms.
The students here are diligent and have strong work ethics. The professors are helpful and value our ideas and give us the freedom we need. As our college has a very diverse student population, we’ve had a chance to experience different cultures. The students always go out of their way to help, as I have personally witnessed on multiple occasions.
New York has been rightly called “The city which never sleeps.” We were very excited to go the city, which is about forty minutes from our college. Our first trip to Manhattan was a memorable experience. The city has something new to offer every time. We also frequent our Indian community, Hicksville, where we enjoy aloo parathas, samosas and idlis.
Life lessonsBeing away from home is a big lesson in self–realisation. You start to appreciate simple tasks like washing vessels and realise that there is no way to cut onions without shedding tears, all the while wondering how mom did it back home.If I can share one piece of advice with aspiring students, it would be to experiment, beginning with food, music, courses at college and with the people they meet. This will illuminate and broaden their outlook.
