13 Things You Can Relate To If You Are A PCM Student

So you see, that’s where the trouble began. That choice. That damned choice. Of going for PCM after 10th. Life was all hunky-dory, and you were one of the (many) ninety percenters of the tenth board exams. And then, one of your relatives said, “Baccha toh sharp hai aapka” to your parents. The next moment, you were a PCM student, while the same relative would never leave an opportunity to say, “Beta IIT jaaoge?” every time they met you. Cue your dad side-staring at you.

The countless nights spent studying p-block and still never remembering it, the long coaching hours and chest swelling with pride when you answered “I am a PCM student, aunty.” as if you’re the one genius who invented this dreaded combo, one can’t fall short of these meme-able instances from school. So if you have ever been a Physics-Chemistry-Maths, or better known as PCM student, I am sure you’ll relate to these 13 things!

1. The constant urge to use g=10 and π=3 for easy calculations.

Let’s face it. Each of us started any problem by using g=10 and π=3 while calculating, and then checking the answer to see if we were close. And 90% of the times, we never were. Sigh. Back to square numbers 9.8 and 3.14.

2. 3 Idiots was your go-to movie.

You could relate to it on a spiritual level. Yes, I want to go to IIT and no, I don’t. Am I a Rancho? Though I feel more like a Raju… IIT mein kuch nahi rakha hai. And then, it’s my dReAm cOlleGe.

3. And “Give Me Some Sunshine” was your anthem.

Saari umar hum, mar mar ke jee liye, ek pal to ab humein, jeene do jeene do… And then, singing at the top of your lungs with passion that can put Hozier to shame, “Na na nana na… GIVE ME SOME SUNSHINE!”

4. Coaching and tuitions was your second home.

Bro, I am very busy today. I have my computer tuition at 3pm, then coaching from 4 to 7:30pm and then 7:30pm Physics class, as sir ka padhaya samajh ni aata. What, you just have one tuition! This was kind of a flex, to be honest.

5. RD Sharma and HC Verma were your gods, and foes alike.

The person who could solve even one question from RD Sharma was the mathematics genius, human calculator, while the one who could understand any HC Verma monkey problem was a future IITian doing mechanical engineering. It is what it is.

6. IIT was the dream college and everyone was optimistic.

I really fail to understand my optimism back then now that I think of it. Bas coaching mein rank aa rahi hai na, IIT is pakka. And each of my classmate was utterly positive. IIT nahi toh NIT toh mil hi jaayega.

7. The superior feeling of being a PCM student while talking about arts/commerce students.

Hum toh PCM waale hain. We don’t sleep, we don’t eat, Instagram is our enemy. And when someone from arts or commerce sections would top the batch in term exams, we’d be like history ratt ke toh koi bhi marks le aaye, physics samajh ke dekho. And we felt like the descendants of Einstein because hum unke laws padhte hain.

8. The lie you were told that integration is just reverse differentiation. Dhokha.

The differentiation of x² is 2x, and integration of x is x²/2: so simple! Why do seniors say integration is difficult…. oh, that’s why.

9. Labs were fun… until you actually had to do the practical.

The worst part of titration was when you would forget to turn off the burette in time and would get the colour of a red velvet cake instead of the intended slight pink. And sucking in through the pipette was the worst nightmare. I don’t know about you, but I never got the brown ring test. Also, do you still get those headaches after moving your head a billion times during the optics practical?

10. Never taking school seriously as tera bhai coaching jaata hai.

The hierarchy was fixed. Arts and commerce students were the ones who don’t have to study. Then come those students who have opted for PCM and go for tuitions. And finally, the (self-proclaimed) bosses were the PCM students who used to go for coaching. JEE karega, IIT jaayega. School, what school? We study in coaching as papa ne wahan 2 lakh ki fees bhari hai.