Covid-19 pandemic put a dampener on the spirits of many college freshers who missed out on the campus experience. N Lakshmi Nagendra talks about it with a tinge of sadness but he knows that his college experience hasn’t been compromised. As he grows in both personal and professional walks of his life, he tells us why he feels he might have struggled with the transition at any place other than SRM University, AP.
“When I first visited SRM University, AP campus I had travelled a few hours from my hometown in Khammam, Telangana but it felt like I was transported to a completely new place. I was amazed by the state of the art infrastructure on the campus. I am glad I took the decision to enroll with the university because I have come a long way only in one year of the program.
Since I am very interested in the field, I opted for B. Tech Computer Science with Cyber Security. But as I was looking forward to being on the campus and starting this new chapter in my life, the Covid-19 pandemic had hit. It was definitely disappointing but we had to seek solace in the fact that we could be in the comforts of our homes.
I think at any other place we would have struggled with the transition, but SRM University, AP had left no stone unturned to ensure that we moved to online learning smoothly. We could see the efforts being made right from the virtual orientation program, which was filled with exciting activities. Unique events like Chess and other games made it a lot of fun for all of us.
The campus diversity is one of the reasons I chose the University, and so far I have come across students from many different states. Although we have met virtually, I have become friends with some of them. A friend from Pune knows more about coding than we do, so I learn from him. These interactions are truly enriching.
I can say that the classroom learning experience is of very high quality. I have learned so much from my faculty members, not only about the subjects but dealing with everyone in such a calm and composed manner. We are also connected through Whatsapp, and whenever we have any queries we know that we can reach out to them without any hesitation.
Some of the highlights for me are the group discussions where we learn from each other’s diverse perspective. I also love playing games and doing experiments in the lab. There are many fun events being conducted online, which keep us going. Of course, we wish that we could be back on campus, but we have time. And right now we are making the most of it.”