Most of the people who join Manipal University Admission are not locals as it is one of the premier private institutions in the country. People come from all over the world and most of them have to leave their homes, just like me. For someone like me, whose hometown is more than 2000 kilometers away from Manipal, where I’m supposed to spend the next three years, I’m pretty sure everyone is doing a hell of a lot of research about the place, looking at various blogs and blogs.
Other students have written here and try to familiarize yourself with the place a bit before actually placing your first step here. After being admitted to Manipal, I had a whole month free for myself. With no work left to do except packing, which being the lazy person that I am who has entrusted this responsibility to my parents as well, I spent most of my free time exploring Manipal.
I didn’t do much research about the institution I was joining as I had already been admitted and had heard enough to know that the college itself would suit me, so I started researching Manipal a lot about the place. A month passed quickly, I searched hundreds of websites like ManipalBlog, and I struggled to note down the essentials about the place. Being quite satisfied that I was ready to make the most of the Manipal Experience, I left my home.
After reaching Manipal about three days later, on my first day here, I realized that there was a lot more that I had no idea about and I wish someone had told me about it.
To make things a little easier for people coming, here is a list of some things I wish I knew before coming to Manipal and living in a hostel here:-
Rains: One thing I can’t stress enough. It is a known fact that it rains a lot, but only people who have been here realizing how bad it is. Unlike most places where the rain starts slowly, here it rains cats and dogs out of nowhere. And there were cases when this happened to me when I opened the umbrella, the rain had already stopped. So while I was busy closing the umbrella, it started to rain again. So it is in Manipal.
Umbrella: By far the most critical companion you will have during your journey in Manipal, no matter how many relationships you get into during your time here. It doesn’t matter how close or far your target may be, even if it’s from your 16th/17th. Hostel block to Food court two directly opposite the hostel entrance, always have an umbrella with you. If possible, carry a spare umbrella as an umbrella ‘swapping’ is ubiquitous here and you may not be part of getting part of the ‘swapping’.
Raincoat: And when the heavy rains start, there is nothing better than a full raincoat including pants. I remember arguing with my parents about the raincoat thing because I was like, “What kind of college student even wears a raincoat?” I am happy that my parents won the argument and I reached Manipal with a full raincoat in my suitcase. Not only will it protect you and your clothes, but it will also protect your electronic accessories.
Hostel rooms: You get 3 wardrobes + extra space built into the beds, so you don’t have to worry about where to store all your stuff. The space above the wardrobes will be more than enough to store your suitcases. Try to bring a proper extension cord from home, the local one is not of good quality. And when you book a hostel room, if you book it on blocks 16, 17, 18, and 19, always try to get the odd-numbered rooms because they have a view of the valley, which is beautiful.
Campus Shops: Everything you need is available at the Campus Shops, which are spread across campus. From things like Chart paper and brushes to buckets, mugs, and pillows, you’ll get everything, so don’t overburden yourself with these items from home.
Food: While the flavor of the messy food here is pretty decent, the items are very repetitive so you hate it. You end up trying to find excuses to order in or eat out. Since I like to order from outside instead of going and eating out, I have the option of Zomat and Swiggy which offer me a wide variety of food to choose from. But regardless, you will have to go and pick up food from Kammath Circle, which is a student square. For people living in hostels in the 16th-19th block, it’s a long walk uphill, which kind of kills the whole ordering vibe.
Virtual Money: Although UPI / Paytm is accepted in most places, many other places do not accept any form of online payment, so it is always better to have money in the bank or cash in hand rather than putting a lot of money in an online wallet, a mistake I made did before I came here when I thought everything would be more or less completely digital concerning it being a student town.
So despite not knowing everything before coming to Manipal, now I am enjoying the best here and my one month here has been great. I’m kind of glad I wasn’t prepared for every single thing because I feel like that would have killed experiencing a lot of new things here in the city.
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