It was summer of 2012, when I sat in the bus to Lahore. I only knew Lahore had Educational Institutions, which was a good enough excuse for me to leave. I believed that out of tens of universities, one of them would accept my application and I am grateful that BNU did. The sole reason for me to get into a University this far from home was to learn anything I could. The only thing I was sure about and saw myself doing in the future was Software Engineering. However, I didn’t know how but I found the answer at BNU.
I am sure the batches after 2016 would not know much about the city campus, but the batches until 2016 surely do. It was home; from the cafeteria to the courtyard, you seemed to know everyone - without even realizing it. They say the secret was the area of the location and by the end of semester you almost knew everyone by their first names, good friends were made.
Coming from a small town, I felt that the learning capacity of students from big cities was really good compared to mine. Luckily, the faculty was not just good at teaching but they were like elder siblings, always available. I remember we had a calculus visiting lecturer, he would explain the course in the cafeteria - in his free time. Also, coffee and Maths go well together.
Recounting all the experiences, I realized that the environment of this institute helped me grow as a person and broadened my horizons. I mean anyone can learn to code online these days, I mean it’s just a click away, that too for free. But there are things other than the course outline that play a part in one’s success. I remember our teachers pushed us to specific domains where they could see we could learn more, I also remember my reluctance to give presentations in English but I was reassured by the faculty that they judge the presentation on the basis of our knowledge rather than some googled definitions pasted on the slide. This was a boost to my confidence and maybe that’s the reason why I enjoy giving at least two presentations at work every week. Such little things like these short 5 minute conversations can have a huge impact on someone’s life.
With all the courses scheduled, I managed to find time to wander around the Tarogil campus and that’s how I got to interact with some fine people. The bestest of friends I made were not even from my batch, I made a few friends in a hot summer afternoon all dehydrated after football games and I met some late in the evening waiting for the bus, all exhausted.
Did I talk about the extra-curricular activities we are motivated to take part in? The greatest festival, called Bestival! Made by students, for the students. From the benches setting up to the lights color, everything is done by the students. I was lucky enough to be one of the team members for Bestival’s websites for two years. I won’t lie, I did put it in my CV and potential interview calls did appreciate the aesthetics of the websites. The festival in itself is a great teacher, helping understand public dealing to learn skills as useful as marketing. People see the extravaganza of Bestival, but you cannot put a price on the hard work the student body puts in for months before the festival.
I was very fortunate to find seniors who helped me in my professional career - Talaal Burny, Mehmood Ali and Shahmir Khan are amongst those few. Teachers helping students is normal but the seniors were like mentors as well! Every person there was always ready to help and every day in BNU was a new learning experience which I will cherish it forever.
