Learning Professional Skills At A College Fest

We all know how the college campus is abuzz with laughter, chatter and deep discussions of students. It is a home to creative energies that compliment learning and academics. Bubbling with energy and enthusiasm, college life offers an opportunity to do something out of the box. It is an enriching experience to participate in any activity that can cultivate an innovative mind, and an entrepreneurial spirit in you.

Almost every student has specific dreams and expectations after entering college. Colleges offer more than just academics and degrees. Here, an individual gets an opportunity to experience freedom and experiment with their thought processes. Exposure to the real world sharpens the students while preparing them for their careers.

Also Read: Facing Job Interview Questions: 5 Professionals Share Experiences, Tips For Freshers

As we all know, colleges offer various programmes ranging from graduation to post graduations and sometimes PhD as well. Along with imparting quality education, the college management often organises events and festivals for students as it helps build skills and nurtures talent outside of academics. .

A college fest is one such mega event that is held in almost every college. It is organised by the college administration but students are the ones responsible for a successful execution. College festivals are grand events. The college administration involves the students wholly for the success of the events. Students are given the laborious task of organising, managing, and conducting the entire fest. The students are the ones in charge of getting the sponsorship, talking to the stars and other personalities, and negotiating their fees. They have to manage the entire logistics starting from the venue, to equipment, food stalls, and arrangement of security and safety.

Mood Indigo by IIT-Mumbai, Malhar by St Xaviers Mumbai, Kaleidoscope by Sophia College, Rendezvous by IIT-Delhi, Pulse by AIIMS, Crossroads by SRCC, Renaissance by Kirori Mal College, Oasis by BITS Pilani, Kashiyatra by BHU are some of the biggest and brightest inter-college festivals. Then we have intra-college fests like DARPAN by Christ University, and Anveshna by Jain University.

Careers360 spoke to students of three different colleges to understand the responsibilities undertaken by them during the festivals and learn from their experiences.

Varsha Pandey, Bhawan’s College (Mumbai)

I was a part of the organising team for Arthamantra 2019, an economics fest. I was working under the guidance of my seniors. We organised competitions such as elocution, singing, poster making, and a few other literary activities.

It was my first time being in the field. It was my duty to check that all logistics required for any event were available in advance. I was new but my seniors took care of guiding me properly.

My favourite was the singing competition because it required singers to be very creative. They had to use words such as inflation and money in their songs. Overall, it was an amazing experience and I also got a trophy for successfully organising the fest.

Shivali, Banasthali Vidyapeeth (Tonk, Rajasthan)

I was a part of the management team during the college fest Apaji Mela. I enjoyed what I learned while managing the fest. I was communicating with a bigger group of people, ideas were shared freely and I felt I had the power to get things done. I understood that I had it in me to command a bigger group and get the show going.

I was a part of the college basketball team and had the dual responsibility of playing the game as well as managing the event. This led to learning the art of time management as I had to prepare for everything during college and practice hour.

Rishabh Jain, Amity University (NOIDA)

The entire University waits for Amity Youth Fest. We have more than 50 events across all the departments. I am a photography enthusiast and took up the role of documenting the fest. Amity Youth Fest is a large event that goes on for 4-5 days at different venues. I made a team of photographers and each photographer was responsible for a group of events. We divided the task.

Every morning we would get together, save the earlier day’s pictures on our laptops, discuss the events that were happening on that day, and plan accordingly. I am glad that this festival helped me understand that photography is my calling. I am pursuing photography now as a career.

After reading about their experiences it becomes clear that college fests are a great source of fun and learning. When you’re in the management team, you need to make decisions, rise beyond your doubts, and manage things. At times, you need to take care of finances as well. While you’re dealing with the dignitaries, your skill as a host is tested.

You are on the field, with your friends who are your teammates as well. You learn the art of teamwork and cooperation. This goes on to help you in almost every aspect of life. When you’re dealing with logistics and organising the programme, inevitably you learn the art of successful negotiation and better communication.

Organising college festivals helps many students decide on their careers. The practical knowledge and exposure helps them to find their calling and embark on the journey to fulfil their dreams. College fests make you the problem solver. Your network gets bigger. You know a lot of people and a lot of people know you. You become a network wizard who can get things done, multitask and also have fun doing all of that.

College fests are a great way to socialise, learn, and enjoy. So, are you going to be a part of this holistic event?