"TARC Rhapsody: An Unforgettable Memory-Building Adventure that Lasts a Lifetime"

One of the things that separates BRACU from other private universities is its Residential Semester (RS), which takes place at the university's residential campus located in Savar.Away from the hassles of this megacity, the RS program is compulsory for every undergraduate student at the university.TARC stands for Training and Resource Center. Training and Resource Centre (TARC), as the name implies, is a training center where students not only get the training of being educated but also how to survive in society. The students here not only extract lessons from the textbooks but also from their surroundings, from their friends, and even from the staff as well. This is a unique program of BRAC University, where the students receive “Education Plus,” because here they do not only learn how to educate themselves but rather how to lead a better life independently. Overall, BRAC University sends students to their residential campus for a real-life experience.

Every time a BRAC University student gets promoted to their second semester, they have to complete this semester (a four-month course) at TARC, Savar. The third semester is being chosen because, within this time, a BRAC university student gets accustomed to the curriculum system of the university, and the pressure of studies is also comparatively low. Here, every student gets similar courses (BNG103, ENG102, HUM103,EMB101), but it does not matter what department they are in.

I am from RS64 (64th batch of RS).My TARC took place in the Fall 2023 semester. On September 22, I left home for TARC. By evening, I had reached the RS campus. My dorm name was Nikunjo (Boys Dorm). I got my room on the 6th floor. My room number was 619. The balcony view of my room was marvelous. On the first night, we were called for a dorm meeting. Our dorm tutor, Bakul Sir, introduced himself to us. He is a very humble guy. Everyone on the 6th floor became a fan of this guy. In the meeting, he told us the rules of this campus and the instructions for the whole semester. The next day, our orientation took place.

Night view of dorm

View From My Balcony

6th Floor Lobby

View From 6th Floor

"You will cry three times—once—when you come to TARC since you have never stayed away from your family. You will cry again as you leave for your home from TARC. However, this time you will cry twice as much as before since you will like the place so much that you will not want to leave," said Morshed Sir, the Campus Superintendent of Residential Campus, Brac University, in our orientation program. And trust me, this is true. Once you start staying in TARC, there is so much to see, so many things to learn, and so much to enjoy that you will want to stay there forever.

The environment of TARC itself is incomparable. It has so much greenery, so many different kinds of small animals, and the air is so fresh to breathe that you will definitely fall in love with this place. The whole area is so secured that you can freely walk around. We, the students, live here with our batchmates and our friends. All of us are of the same age. We study together, chat together, help each other out, and stay by each other's side when we have any emotional breakdowns. We share our joys together and our sorrows as well. I got my first taste of getting wet in the rain in TARC, which I cannot even imagine in Dhaka.

The most important thing that we learned in TARC is how to make a balance between education and socializing, since excelling in both of them is equally important for leading a better life. Moreover, as we share our rooms with roommates, we learn how to make adjustments and compromise and also how to understand and respect the sentiments of other people. We also develop our communication skills as we have to do plenty of group assignments and we all know how important communication skill is to compete in the corporate world. All these things combine together to develop our leadership quality.

The courses at TARC were also enjoyable. We had a poster presentation competition at EMB101, and we chose Tajuddin Ahmed for our poster presentation. We performed a live drama at BNG103. That was pretty much fun.

Poster Presentation of EMB101

Everyone with BNG103 drama costume

We had to do a fitness session once a week. We had to wake up very early in the morning for that session.

Fitness Session

Yoga

The RS offers a variety of programs and activities, much of which are mandatory for the students to take part in. But perhaps the most intriguing and influential one from the list, is the Social Learning Lab (SLL).The SLL program is experiential learning at its best.For one whole day, all the staff of TARC take a “holiday” and the students get to do the jobs of the staff. Nothing to worry about! It is not as hard as it sounds, but rather FUN! The students choose their designation via lottery--- some of them get to become cooks or laundrymen! In my turn I have been a cleaner and I have had to clean (along with others of course) Anandapur! Only then I have realized how hard it is for the Cleaner to do their job day in and day out and maintain the hygiene as well.

SLL Day

SLL Day

Every RS batch gets a chance to visit different study tours, and these study tours are really enlightening. But RS64 didn't get a chance for study tours because, at that time, the national election was knocking on the door and the situation was bad out there. That's why the RS authority prioritized our safety first and didn't permit us to go on study tours.

But I realized study tours and village trips help the students enhance their knowledge. by going to the villages, mingling with the villagers, and learning how they lead their lives. In this way, they know the lifestyles and ways of thinking of different people and have learned how to respect each and every individual in society.

The dorm tutors were always available and they were always ready to help whenever required. The doctors and the counselors are also there to take care of our health.

We had inter-house sports competitions. I was from Mayurpankhi House,and we won three trophies in that competition.

Banners of the houses

The weeks passed by so fast. We had a multicultural program (a cultural night and a gala night). Guess what? The entire cultural program at TARC is being organized by the students, with a little help from the teachers. To me, it was a perfect chance to recognize our hidden talents. I never knew that I was such a good singer until I sang a song at the cultural night. Some of my friends, who have never danced in their lives on stage, did not even hesitate and set the stage on fire. Moreover, whenever we have seen our friends participate, we automatically feel the drag in our hearts: “If they can do it, I can do it too.” The frequent “coming on stage” raised our confidence level to the peak and cut down on all our hesitations.

Gala Night

The days passed by so fast. The TARC was coming to an end. After the gala night, we became very busy with our studies. After 6 days, our final exam took place. The three and a half months of the fall semester are over. But the memories that are left in my heart can never be forgotten. The bonds that were made are still there, and we said good-bye to the students who left for TARC on the 9th of December.

The last morning, when I woke up at around 6 a.m., I saw that a few of the guys were there to play their last football game. It occurred to me how attached we had become to the place. And why shouldn't it be? The breakfast, the snacks, and all the other meals that we had were in the company of our friends. The chatter of familiar voices, the jokes, and the laughter... Never again would we all be together in such surroundings. All throughout, the serenity of the place and the company of new and old friends made the two months seem like a journey that will be engraved in our minds forever.

Before coming at RS students have no idea how lucky they are. And they all have the very same sad faces that we had when we went, not knowing what we were going to experience. It's the same story every semester.

It's great that BRAC University gives us this opportunity to experience something so great. I only wish that students from the other universities knew what it felt like.