How much one can participate in the rat race (or the mad rush) also depends on how you were grown up as a child. It differs based on state, caste, and class.

I've had all the social and economic privileges but due to my family issues and the constant harassment I had to face as a child, I was restricted in making friends and going out. Now, instead of doing what people do in college, I am doing what people do in school - loving my friends, talking to people, focusing on academics, flirting with people, and just having fun.

i mean i have an entirely different outlook. first, theres a large difference between who gets internships ( which are unpaid) and jobs- which are well paid. second, most people who are very ambitious arent aiming to be at some lala firm all their lives. Ambition is not an evil thing. A rising tide lifts all boats. And being ambitious doesnt mean you dont have friends or a social life. The most ambitious person in my batch was a rhodes scholar- she had a steady boyfriend for four years, a large number of friends, she was at the top of the class in grades, she did internships at the best places and worked very hard, and she won prestigious mooting and debating competitions and published good papers that still get cited. She also was hilarious and was the life of the party and made friends in law school and went on trips and all of it . and she made friends after law school. by the time she was graduating she had an offer with a foreign firm, an offer with a top indian firm, and a rhodes scholarship. it was a joy to see someone work that hard and be that successful.

you dont stop making friends after law school thats just a myth that people who dont put effort in propogate. I made my best friends after law school.

all of this is some rationalising for not being your best self everyday. Youre university students- not children. And clat isnt some killer JEE type exam- you didnt really have to work that hard to crack it, just be lucky. And now you have all this opportunity before you and youre gonna leave that on the table to hang out with friends? cause you cant do both for some reason?

Those who find no meaning in life distract themselves with pleasure. Victor Frankl. I don't support the T1 culture but just enjoying your life in all the things you mentioned above can lead to a slippery slope of laxity. No amount of "moments" or pleasure can satisfy you. You will be empty just like the folks in T1. Instead build up on yourself. Increase your skillset. Yes, there are folks from non t1 nlu but look at number and proportionality. As someone who took the other path you mentioned for brief period. I now regret it. Only because I didn't care about my professional life. College time is not just about fun bro. Its time to be responsible as well.

I mean the rush to get the highest grades amongst your peers, to fetch the next best internship, or to win the next big moot, or to publish in the best journals. Is it all worth it for peeps who want to end up doing a typical corporate job?

Coaching institutes did feed us that picture that only the top NLUs grads make it but now that I have started interning at these places, I can see a lot of graduates from other colleges making it. Some took a year or more but they are here.

What's the point of rushing? You sacrifice your fun days to get that so-called glamorous job, which will make sure that you don't even have a life beyond them. Is it really worth it?

Why not slow down a bit?

Make friends in college. Hangout with them. Propose your crush. Deal with that rejection. Go on that trip you planned in the first year. Have fun. Make memories.

After you get out of this place, anyways you have to work and make a living. This is the last time most of us will experience "friendship." Post college, everyone will be busy making careers. Eventually, they will get married, and obviously this fun will only be a remnant of the past.