“This is some insane superiority complex,” an individual said after a set of screenshots purportedly showing the rules imposed on freshers in a WhatsApp group at the Indian Institute of Technology (Indian School of Mines), Dhanbad, went viral. The post has triggered a heated debate over senior-junior culture in engineering colleges, with many describing the guidelines as “authoritarian.”
The screenshots, posted on Reddit, featured a list of dos and don’ts for first-year students at the alleged institution, laid down by their immediate seniors in a WhatsApp group. The message began with this text: “For Freshers:- First and foremost be respectful.”
Address Seniors As “Sir/Ma’am”
Freshers were then instructed to introduce themselves in a fixed format, greet seniors with “Good
Morning /Afternoon /Evening Respected Seniors” and addressed them as “Sir/Ma’am”. They were also asked to change their WhatsApp username to their real names with a “j” as suffix. The guidelines further prohibited freshers from using emojis, GIFs, stickers, abbreviations, or short forms while interacting with seniors.
“All admins are your seniors,” the message stated. Freshers were also told to react to messages instead of replying with “ok” to avoid spamming the group. They were also asked to never ask seniors basic details such as their name, branch or hometown and advised to obtain such information through LinkedIn or batchmates. They were told to send a detailed introduction first whenever a senior asks them to message privately.
This is some insane superiority complex for just one year older seniors of IIT.
by
u/New-Bullfrog646 in
JEENEETards
“It’s So Stupid”
The screenshots quickly grabbed attention on the platform, with many questioning such guidelines while others called out such practices at renowned institutions and engineering colleges.
“I never understood why the juniors agree to do all this s–t? What these people gonna do if I don’t call em sir/maam? Remove me from the whatsapp grp? Or scold me when I get to college? hit me?” asked an individual.
“Entitled stupid people for absolutely no reason,” commented a person.
“It’s so stupid, I mean how did they even get into IIT with such an obnoxious mindset?” asked a different individual.
“I wish medical colleges me bhi bas itna hi hota… Y’all are lucky asf,” another person quipped.
A user shared, “This is just about immediate seniors. Most 3rd- or 4th-year guys don’t really care. You will eventually know/meet the people from whom you want to take guidance from. And almost certainly, they wouldn’t care about this. Look out for everyone around you, have a good time.”
Meanwhile, someone else remarked, “And then if you will get placed in a good company, then these seniors will ask you for a reference as if they are entitled to it. I suggest your batch should have another WhatsApp group and y’all should collectively decide not to give attention to these people.”
