I'd love my readers to go through this article.
It reminded me of those two years - 11th and 12th grade. My seniors and their teachers had told me that these are your make-or-break years. You can either conjure up a formula to look at yourself with pride for the rest of your life, or you can make yet another burnt cake and regret it for the rest of life.
Unlike the author of that article, I do not come from a small city. Neither am I cash-strapped in any way. My parents were ready to do whatever it took, pay whatever was required, if it meant that I was going to succeed. Getting into a good college (mainly a Medical School, but Engg wasn't shown a closed door) was a priority, not for the economic security, but for the sense of pride and achievement that came along with it. I wanted to prove that we, Maryite's weren't just snobs without brains who shined in Std 10 and lost all steam in Std 12.
I shall be claiming falsely, if I say that I remember each and every moment of those 2 years. In fact, I have blocked out most of it. But, what I do remember is that, in those two years, I never lost focus and I tried the best I could to get through that CET.
I had a good foundation initially. Scoring a 96% in Std 10 and coming second in the city did a lot to improve my self-esteem. The hurdle was to keep going, not let this achievement get to me...to ensure that this was the first step and that I had to take many more. We decided that I would join a school, instead of a junior college. There would be less distraction, more discipline and less time to waste. My choice was Laxmanrao Apte Prashala. It was a complete contrast from my previous experience of St. Mary's School. In school, I was exposed to a Convent culture...a different method of thinking and doing things...looking at myself as an individual capable to doing things and having a certain amount of attitude about myself. In Junior college, the culture was the exact opposite. The students were very different...their mentality was even upto my level...they could do any amount of backstabbing to get ahead...the teachers preferred to support such things...they gave me s*** load of trouble including stuff like, not giving me books I'd paid for. It was a culture shock to say the least.
That worked to my advantage. I did not have to waste time making friends and carrying out my friendship duties. I did not have the distraction of hot guys walking around. There was just one goal- study. When I topped my 11th grade, I knew I had taken the right steps. This was just the beginning, however. My ultimate goal was to ensure I got into a reputed college (Med or Engg, it didn't really matter).
Std. 12 is an important year for every Indian Student. The system here is such that this year categorises you into a 'topper' or a 'duffer'. Now, of course, we have entrance exams that can be sat for multiple times. But, repeaters are never looked at in the same way as freshers. My 12th Std sucked. College-wise.
Suddenly, the so-called ok college of Std 11 became a nightmare with all the bitching, back-biting, low mentality of students and teachers alike, coming to the forefront. It was a s***hole. And that is exact word.
I think all this really gave me a chance to study on my own. My timetable is those days was so packed, I wonder when I even managed to sleep!! I had three classes and college. Every day. I don't know how I managed it. All I remember is watching the India Tour of Australia 2008-09 around that time. That was my solace. Cricket. It helped me forget everything :-)
My crash course was jam-packed. I had joined two crash courses with a Sunday Test Series at a third place. At times, my entire Sunday went in taking tests at each of these places. A few Sundays were devoted to the Entrance Examinations themselves. My mom says I used to sleep for around 4 hours. I had a class at 5:30am in the morning. From there, it was a long day, every single day of the week....
I'll say this frankly, I never thought about the result of my hard work. In fact, I didn't even think I was working hard enough. Today, looking back I know I worked my ass off. In fact, my Second Year PL hard work is nothing compared to what I did in that entire year. So, I deservedly got my reward. The CET paper almost magically decided to put forth tough Physics questions. I drew a lot of advantage from that. 'Coz the people who were actually good at Physics took more time than usual to solve their papers, and weren't even sure of their answers. I, on the other hand, knew my limits. I just skipped questions I didn't understand. I managed to read my paper twice, something that better-prepared people couldn't manage. Ultimately, I scored. Enough to get me into B.J. Medical College and follow my parents' footsteps.
An achiever's strength is that, whenever he or she looks back, there is always something to fall onto. That something is the evidence of determined, un-distracted, unwavering hard work. You don't just get lucky and succeed. For luck to smile on you, you need to show that you're worth it. You need to work hard enough to get that amount of luck. I know that if I hadn't solved those 20-30 physics sums daily, that paper would never have turned out to be tough for everyone. I'd still have managed my 37 marks out of 50, but everyone else would've got above 40. When I showed that I could put in the hard work to improve my physics, I got some help from the Powers That Be.
Today, 4 years down the line, when I look back, I don't regret anything. I can smile peacefully to myself. Those years are the golden years. They prepared me for what I want to achieve now. The feelings I went through on 14th June, 2008 are undescribable. But, now, at times when I get frustrated and want to just stop all that I'm doing, a walk down the memory lane to that day, pulls me up again. I know I have it me. I have proved things before. I can very well prove them now. That is an achiever. An achiever, who has been the product of those 2 years of determined, focussed and well-supported hard work :-)
It reminded me of those two years - 11th and 12th grade. My seniors and their teachers had told me that these are your make-or-break years. You can either conjure up a formula to look at yourself with pride for the rest of your life, or you can make yet another burnt cake and regret it for the rest of life.Unlike the author of that article, I do not come from a small city. Neither am I cash-strapped in any way. My parents were ready to do whatever it took, pay whatever was required, if it meant that I was going to succeed. Getting into a good college (mainly a Medical School, but Engg wasn't shown a closed door) was a priority, not for the economic security, but for the sense of pride and achievement that came along with it. I wanted to prove that we, Maryite's weren't just snobs without brains who shined in Std 10 and lost all steam in Std 12.
I shall be claiming falsely, if I say that I remember each and every moment of those 2 years. In fact, I have blocked out most of it. But, what I do remember is that, in those two years, I never lost focus and I tried the best I could to get through that CET.
I had a good foundation initially. Scoring a 96% in Std 10 and coming second in the city did a lot to improve my self-esteem. The hurdle was to keep going, not let this achievement get to me...to ensure that this was the first step and that I had to take many more. We decided that I would join a school, instead of a junior college. There would be less distraction, more discipline and less time to waste. My choice was Laxmanrao Apte Prashala. It was a complete contrast from my previous experience of St. Mary's School. In school, I was exposed to a Convent culture...a different method of thinking and doing things...looking at myself as an individual capable to doing things and having a certain amount of attitude about myself. In Junior college, the culture was the exact opposite. The students were very different...their mentality was even upto my level...they could do any amount of backstabbing to get ahead...the teachers preferred to support such things...they gave me s*** load of trouble including stuff like, not giving me books I'd paid for. It was a culture shock to say the least.
That worked to my advantage. I did not have to waste time making friends and carrying out my friendship duties. I did not have the distraction of hot guys walking around. There was just one goal- study. When I topped my 11th grade, I knew I had taken the right steps. This was just the beginning, however. My ultimate goal was to ensure I got into a reputed college (Med or Engg, it didn't really matter).
Std. 12 is an important year for every Indian Student. The system here is such that this year categorises you into a 'topper' or a 'duffer'. Now, of course, we have entrance exams that can be sat for multiple times. But, repeaters are never looked at in the same way as freshers. My 12th Std sucked. College-wise.
Suddenly, the so-called ok college of Std 11 became a nightmare with all the bitching, back-biting, low mentality of students and teachers alike, coming to the forefront. It was a s***hole. And that is exact word.
I think all this really gave me a chance to study on my own. My timetable is those days was so packed, I wonder when I even managed to sleep!! I had three classes and college. Every day. I don't know how I managed it. All I remember is watching the India Tour of Australia 2008-09 around that time. That was my solace. Cricket. It helped me forget everything :-)
My crash course was jam-packed. I had joined two crash courses with a Sunday Test Series at a third place. At times, my entire Sunday went in taking tests at each of these places. A few Sundays were devoted to the Entrance Examinations themselves. My mom says I used to sleep for around 4 hours. I had a class at 5:30am in the morning. From there, it was a long day, every single day of the week....
I'll say this frankly, I never thought about the result of my hard work. In fact, I didn't even think I was working hard enough. Today, looking back I know I worked my ass off. In fact, my Second Year PL hard work is nothing compared to what I did in that entire year. So, I deservedly got my reward. The CET paper almost magically decided to put forth tough Physics questions. I drew a lot of advantage from that. 'Coz the people who were actually good at Physics took more time than usual to solve their papers, and weren't even sure of their answers. I, on the other hand, knew my limits. I just skipped questions I didn't understand. I managed to read my paper twice, something that better-prepared people couldn't manage. Ultimately, I scored. Enough to get me into B.J. Medical College and follow my parents' footsteps.
An achiever's strength is that, whenever he or she looks back, there is always something to fall onto. That something is the evidence of determined, un-distracted, unwavering hard work. You don't just get lucky and succeed. For luck to smile on you, you need to show that you're worth it. You need to work hard enough to get that amount of luck. I know that if I hadn't solved those 20-30 physics sums daily, that paper would never have turned out to be tough for everyone. I'd still have managed my 37 marks out of 50, but everyone else would've got above 40. When I showed that I could put in the hard work to improve my physics, I got some help from the Powers That Be.
Today, 4 years down the line, when I look back, I don't regret anything. I can smile peacefully to myself. Those years are the golden years. They prepared me for what I want to achieve now. The feelings I went through on 14th June, 2008 are undescribable. But, now, at times when I get frustrated and want to just stop all that I'm doing, a walk down the memory lane to that day, pulls me up again. I know I have it me. I have proved things before. I can very well prove them now. That is an achiever. An achiever, who has been the product of those 2 years of determined, focussed and well-supported hard work :-)
