The Veteran of CATs

Once in a way life decides that you do not have enough excitement… and it throws you in the centre of a typhoon. Right now I am standing right in the midst of one…
Ok so ill start from where things usually start – the beginning silly!!! For four long years I have been trying my hand at what I think is India’s most Hyped Exam the Common Admission Tests (more popularly known as CAT). This year it actually was hyped with all the hullabaloo about the test going online. And predictions of the demise of the new online system even before it were given a chance to prove itself.
My track record began in my final year of college; I really did not know why I was giving the CAT except that I had to “further my education”. Fancy term it seemed then. So, I gave the exam without bothering too much to find out about the admissions. Obviously I bombed!!
The second time, I joined ABB at Bangalore, and I still wanted to “further my education” only this time it was just for fun. I tot I’d give ABB a try to gain some experience which counts, so I gave the CAT a light hearted try.. and surprisingly did quite well (Not well enough for the IIMs of course) but well I was kicking myself for not applying to any of the colleges. At that time experience that counts did not seem such a good Idea after all.. and the year dragged on.
I wonder if happens to all fresher, I was bored, yes too soon you may say. But two years into the job and when you are doing work which you think anyone with a basic knowledge of excel and math could do isn’t all that exciting is it? So, this time round I decided to give it my best shot! To further my education no longer seemed to be a fancy term or a light hearted trial. I dutifully did research of B schools, listed out ones I would be interested in and applied to each one of those. And I studied with respect to the exam too! Well… as fate (or whatever you call that abstract thing) would have it; this time once again I bombed not only in CAT but in all the other exams too…
Year four, I was a veteran now, a seasoned CAT writer.. I was doing pretty well at office; at least I had a better profile now! But still somewhere lurked the desire not to give up. That’s when life shrugged and dropped the next bomb.. There are only so many surprises that life can throw at you! CAT 2009 going online!! Thankfully the other B schools still considered the paper pencil test quite adequate for them. This I vowed was going to be my last shot, and hopefully my best. It’s funny you know, no matter how much one prepares; the best just does not seem good enough. All other B school results started rolling in..I was nowhere in on any list. The CAT result was the last to be declared, and of course was the most awaited. The number and types of rumors floating around made me wonder why there was a dearth of innovation in India.
The results were finally out. I was elated!!! Not bad on the border line of can be - cannot be. The uncertainty was unbearable! I even went to extent of changing my Gtalk status message as “Hanging on to the last thread of hope”. The IIMs of course were out of question. A month rolled by… I started doubting if I would make it anywhere… The Score was not good enough for MDI or IMT… So I gave up all hope.. I was kind of Shattered (that’s what my status message read).
It was a usual day at office. Not very eventful till there behold was a mail which read “Dear Divya Catherine Francis…. Congratulations! My heart leapt for Joy, Literally!!! Overjoyed, excited, thrilled, exhilarated, exalted all seem pale compared to what and where I was. Cloud 9 seemed too close to the ground..It was as if someone had just swept me off my feet and placed me on the moon. After a while the excitement did subside, and I went into a lower level of better conscience, but still am very much in the centre of a typhoon as I await my Interview. Please guys pray for me!!!