Friday, May 6, 2011

How NITIE happened and other stories :)

Warning: Very long(boring) post. Read it only if you've prepared for CAT atleast once.(Necessary but not sufficient)You might want stop reading midway otherwise :P



As I stay up on one of my last days in Bangalore, a city I’ve befriended, and loved, I think about the last two years. I think about the next two years. And how the former shaped the latter.

I think of my engineering. The most demotivated years of my life.

I go farther.
My school. And I how I loved it. And how I still love it. And how it, to date, remains the most important factor that shaped me. For hadn’t it been the confidence in myself I’d pretty much gathered during my schooling, I’d have been, what they call, a Loser. Big Time.

It all started when I got a 68 in Social Studies in 10th. This meant 88% in boards. How I cried my heart out for days. Funny how the mood of the examiner could’ve changed a lot in my life. (This realisation came just a couple of months ago.)
So Boards were sour grapes. I never wanted them. 81% in 12th pretty much closed it. Or so I thought.


I didn’t make it to any A-list engineering college. I didn’t care. About the grades or the classes or the assignments. And how it paid me back with a measly 66%. . The only concession being a likely B School stint that might change my fortune.

And so CAT was my new road to redemption. The only way I could get out of that life of complete ignominy.
CAT 2008:I joined CL, missed zero sessions, took the mocks. Mostly didn’t do well. But sometimes, did well too. That was enough. I knew all it would take was a good day. And I was all geared up.

Form rejected. No signature. HAH!
Yes, shit happens.
Managed some calls from Non-CAT colleges. Didn’t make it. Didn’t care.

Placements brought Infy. Infy meant a 70 percentile in CAT 2009.
No problem.
It was impossible to prepare with Mysore, and the training anyway.
But then came the XAT result. A 99.53 and a PMIR call. And suddenly I woke up from my slumber.
And I cared. So much as I’d never cared for anything else. I gave up everything. Infact, I gave up the only thing I was doing those days. Studying my ass off in Infosys.
I prepared all that I could. In all the time that I could manage.
Introduction, hobbies, past, present, future, MBA jargon.

And I fumbled. On the D-Day. I was too much in awe of the situation. A direct reject.
And a couple of days later, I flunked the most important exam in Infy and for the first time ran the risk of losing my job.

So there it was. Rock Bottom.

I had never doubted myself so much. Maybe this wasn’t meant to be. Maybe the days at school were just an illusion. And maybe CAT and the likes were meant for a species of a different kind.

But I didn’t have much time. I had to save my job. And I got to it. And I did it. First things first.

Then Bangalore happened. And I was ready to take the plunge again. This time with a lot more conviction. When I look back, I feel, that nothing really changed since I’d taken my first interview. But somehow, it felt so much better. I prepared. I took the mocks. Without a laptop at my disposal. In cyber cafes and through printouts. My score ranged from 60s to 90s.

But none of that was a cause of worry. It was my VA that was troubling me now. It had always been my strongest, my fastest section. And it had ditched me. So two days before CAT 2010, I borrowed a laptop, took some 12 VA tests on the trot, and left it only when I scored what I deemed was a good score. I slept peacefully.

CAT 2010 was something of a surprise. With a few simple and few tricky questions. Mixed feelings.
I scored 98.15.
And I knew that meant no IIM calls .
But then it might have. Had there been a 90% in my CBSE Boards-You get the picture.

I had four calls. SCMHRD, NITIE, MDI and MICA.
SCMHRD gave me my first convert. And I knew this year would be it.
I didn’t block my seat.
I made frantic calls before the NITIE interview. On how things worked. I prepared. And I got through.
It was the news I’d been waiting for.
A top 10 college.
Yes!

MDI came out. A PGP-HR looked likely.

But I had made up my mind.
After Delhi, Noida and Bangalore; it had to be Mumbai.
It felt perfect.Finally.

J


17 comments:

  1. Mention of mysore's compre exam reminded me of my days as well... :)

    Wish you all the best for upcoming 2 years at NITIE.

    Welcome aboard!! :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. You go girl, you are a rockstar!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Brave Heart Gal.....
    keep dis "Never say Die" Spirit alive

    ReplyDelete
  4. somehow reminds me of my struggles :) very well written and truly deserved..!! way to go!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. You are a true fighter...You have faced bad to good times in prep of CAT but what remained constant is ur 'Never give up' attitude.Keep the same spirit alive and achieve what you want in your life.. Take care. God bless u :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. :))
    Thanks everyone!
    Thanks a lot!

    ReplyDelete
  7. exactly the same situation that happened with me last year when i posted this on PG

    http://www.pagalguy.com/forum/cat-and-related-discussion/51127-no-iim-calls-even-after.html

    NITIE proved a saving grace and now I beliv all happnd for gud !!

    ReplyDelete
  8. @Varun: Flunking the compre was and to date remains my scariest adventure! :P
    @Adam: B)
    @Tanaya: Would love to read it!
    @Archish: Same goes for you! :)
    @All anonymous: :))

    ReplyDelete
  9. Your engg colg. experience pretty much sums up mine too. Fresh out of school and suddenly seeing your dreams shattered is terrible. All we can do is to erect our castles again hoping that they won't be washed away by sea, the next time.
    Kudos! to you for your tremendous will power. Take my word for it, these two years will be the best years of your life and 2 yrs on when you write a blog u won't be able to think of any regrets ;)

    ReplyDelete
  10. Good ol' Mysore days..
    Welcome to NITIE :) :)
    NITIE will be a roller coaster ride too, but i can guarantee that you will have the best two years of your life :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. @Arpit: Engg turns out to be a rude shock for many!
    @Hantan: I hope the same :)
    Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Many Congratulations. I hope you have the time of your life at NITIE!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Hey very well written.. Reminded me of my CAT 2009 prep.. when I was onsite in UK and had to work like a crazy dog but still had to sit in front of the laptop every Sunday to give the mocks without any substantial preparation.. and there I was cleared CAT when I was least prepared to do it :D
    I would just say sometimes things are just meant to be done at a specific time.. and at that time no bloody situation can stop you from achieving it.. :)
    ATB and c ya @God's own campus.. aka NITIE :)

    ~ Abhishek Mahajan

    ReplyDelete
  14. you have no clue how similar/exact is my story!! Delhi--UPTU--Accenture(IT)--NITIE
    Delhi/Noida-->Bangalore-->Mumbai
    85%--82%--73%--99.01%

    same struggle, same trouble,same feelings,emotions,state of mind, and same result..sometimes i still doubt myself but looking at the roller coaster ride iv been able to brave..i feel i will do something good in life..all the best sakshi..

    ReplyDelete