Engineering students are a particular breed, especially first year engineering students.At the beginning of the year, we come into the college warily on the lookout for a any strangers (read seniors). After the initial frightening days, an average engineering student begins to get bored. He develops interest in all other topics excluding his studies. "There is still time yaar!" is the common reply to the occasional question of studying for the exams.

We while away our time till the beginning of December till the time for the youth gathering and the sports activities come. Since we are taught at college that engineers should be all round persons, we promptly participate in most of the sports activities and co- curricular activities with gusto. Things chug along peacefully and smoothly. February 14th comes and the smell of roses lingers on in the air (and in our heads) for a few more days till the first jarring note in our peaceful life of melody is heard.

"The sessional exams are being held next month. Please note down the timetable below," read out my friend. "Oh no! How can the exams be next month ? We only just started attending the classes!" We all solemnly confirmed his statement. "We haven't even bought half the books of half the subjects!" he continued. We agreed with this statement also. Almost all engineering students have the same view. Most of them believe that all teachers don't know how to teach , that all of them always adopt a holier than thou attitude. The engineering students themselves are too clever to bother themselves with the small matter of attending lectures and paying attention in them. So naturally when we see the examination notice, we go about blaming the teachers, the university and the whole world and its injustice in general. We of course are blameless in this matter . How can we be blamed for poor results if we are not prepared?

Well, the exams start. We students touch our books for the first time and discover with wonder, all the things in the textbooks that we seem to find in our lecture notes but cannot seem to remember ever being taught. So we go about doing the necessary research work. No, not for notes , but to find out what the actual syllabus is and what we should study and what we can avoid studying till absolutely necessary . After doing this important work , we get down to the actual business of studying.

It's exam time for first year engineering students! There are particular ways of noticing these things. When you find that you can see a few students on the roads on their bikes in the vicinity of a college, you know that exams are in the air. Usually, there is a student driving the bike and another sitting behind him and catching up on some last minute revision. Most engineering students study seriously during this period.

The exams go on and on and on. Finally the exams are over. FREEDOM! Soon, the exams are forgotten and summer vacations are looked forward to with glee. Its time for a BREAK!.