How is college life different from school life for girls in India

Most girls in India, experience living alone, that is, not under parental supervision is a big thing and it happens when they move away for college. College life not only marks independence for them but also brings so much more: confidence, exposure to new people, cultures and food habits.

It is also the time when girls embrace their individuality and freedom. The girls of today’s age are eager to explore the world around them and college opens a new world of exciting experiences and experimentations. The excitement and thrill of exploring a new place, meeting new people and discovering what best suits you can be a little daunting.

Life for girls in schools in India in contrast to this is kind of constrictive; they are bound by the insecurities of parents and teachers. Most of the girls in school aren’t allowed to stay out late at night or even go out on trips with their friends or even have a night stay.

A girl has all these experiences for the first time when she leaves home. College life lets girls experience relationships more flexibly, in school they are considered to be too young to have relationships and have to often hide it even from their friends because there’s a fear of being judged.

College life also makes girls realize about the limitations that women face in general, they are able to contrast the freedom that they enjoy in the moment with that of their mother’s, their younger selves and themselves. This usually leads to them seeking opportunities to become more independent and learning about how deeply ingrained patriarchy is in our society.

These changes clubbed with many more can be overwhelming for a lot of girls and that’s why many girls might experience anxiety or mental stress or just a little more prominently.

College life for most girls who live with their parents, is filled with the household chores, the pressure of exam preparation, and an awareness that the world beyond your home is far larger than what you knew in your childhood.

Dormitory rooms in hostels are usually shared with other girls who bring their own stories of success and failure. No one’s problem is very different from another’s, and there is a lot of understanding and commiseration. It is a time for growing up.

A lot of boys have already experienced things that girls only experience when they join college and this is because they have to agree to certain conditions when they step out into essentially a world which they don’t belong to. The outside is supposed to be the realm of males which they are free to explore.

Things are changing slowly but only in urban areas where western culture is deepening its roots but in rural parts of the country which is a majority of the country not a lot of girls are able to feel the freedom. Their movements are limited as they are still believed to be home-makers.