Mangaluru: Back in 1996, when Dr Prateek Rastogi arrived in Mangaluru to begin his MBBS at Kasturba Medical College, he relied on books and maps to understand the city and its culture. Information was scarce, and surprises — like the sheer intensity of the monsoons — were plenty. “I knew it rained here, but didn’t expect it to pour the way it does,” he recalled. As a vegetarian, he struggled to find suitable restaurants, with the city mostly shutting down by 8 pm, save for one eatery near Bunder that stayed open till midnight.
Fast forward to today, the game has completely changed for newcomers to the coastal Karnataka education hubs. Instead of guidebooks, students now turn to social media platforms like Instagram, YouTube, Quora, Reddit, and Facebook to prepare themselves for life in the region. These platforms serve as informal but effective orientation kits — offering tips on monsoon packing, must-try dishes, hostel hacks, and even cultural etiquette.
Dental student Siddharth Mishra from Odisha said he had done his research online before landing in Mangaluru. “Many of us came prepared — we knew where to eat, what to expect from the weather, and even where to hang out,” he said. Medha Chatterjee, an MBBS student at KMC Manipal, echoed this, saying YouTube helped her understand the academic structure.
From advice on carrying double umbrellas to avoiding excess winter wear, social media is shaping a smarter, more adaptable generation of students.