First Day, First Show Mihir Bhosale, Palka Puri and Sumith Fortunately, for the first time ever, Insight presents the ultimate guide to end all your first week woes. From laptops and SIM cards to umbrellas, medicines and deciphering local train travel in Mumbai, we’ve got you covered. Read on!
SIM CARDS
Getting a local phone number is the first task on the to-do list of most newcomers. Unsure of how to go about it? Here’s a comprehensive guide to address your queries. Can I keep my old number? Mobile number portability has recently been implemented by most telecom operators. This means that you can retain your existing mobile number, and get it ported to a Mumbai circle number (with the same or a different provider). What is the easiest way to get a new number? During the first week of college, temporary stalls are set up outside freshmen hostels selling SIM cards from all major service providers. Buying SIM cards from such stalls is convenient not only in terms of their proximity, but also in terms of their lenient address proof requirements. Since the issuing of student ID cards is generally not complete by the first week, most outstation students do not have any local address proofs for submission. Knowing this, the sellers allow students to submit documents with their old address or in some cases, waive mention that there have been rare instances where students discovered issues with their SIM cards and couldn’t do anything about that as the aforementioned sellers had advisable to ask the seller for his contact details and such before purchasing the SIM card, just in case it turns out to be faulty. For those willing to wait for their ID cards to be issued and looking for more reliable options, there are various shops selling SIM cards opposite the institute’s main gate, only a short walk away.
LAPTOPS
Should I get a laptop? While UG freshmen are usually advised against getting personal laptops by their mentors to ensure that they are not distracted by excessive gaming and other online activities, no such formal advice is deemed to be applicable for PG students as they are considered mature enough to not get carried away. Infact, M.tech students usually have a course load with multiple assignments, hence most students suggest that getting a laptop is a good idea. That being said, there are students who make ends meet without
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a laptop, so given the information, it is up to you to decide. For those without personal laptops, there are enough places in the institute where you get access to a computer and the internet. If you are a Ph.D student/RA, you will mostly have access to a computer 24x7 once you are associated with a professor and a lab. Additionally, students are scenario. Internet access in the insti for those without laptops: • whenever somebody with key permission is using these located in the Math and CSE departments respectively. • Nearly all departments have computer labs of their own that are open to students. Some of them are open 24x7 too! • The central library has a few computers for student use. Keep in mind that these are only meant for academic use! • All hostels have computer rooms, keys for which can be issued against a valid ID card.
Why is getting your own laptop a good idea? •
You will need to check Moodle (a web platform to handle course material) and email regularly for course material and news. • You don’t have to waste time in getting lab keys, getting printouts or waiting for library systems to get vacated to use a computer. Some things to keep in mind: • Addiction to internet is not uncommon, leading to poor grades along with a lack of social interaction with peers. • Social networks, LAN gaming and pornography can be a huge distraction and hinder productivity. What kind of a laptop should I get? All departments have standard requirements and Nothing high tech, a decent processor for running simulations and general browsing would be good enough. Having said that, it is still a good idea to talk to a senior in your department for any specific requirements before purchascense for all versions of Windows under the DreamSpark* the department. Most departments use Linux, so getting a laptop with Linux or no operating system preinstalled is tools at no charge which includes latest versions of Win-