Dear
readers,
This
is a small but a wonderful story about how I came to Institute of Chemical
Technology (ICT), formerly known as UDCT.
Like
many of us I decided to give GRE and TOEFL in my Final Year B.Pharm and apply
to the US for post graduate education. My GRE score was not that great. It was
average. The TOEFL score was good. But I had more confidence (and a bit of
overconfidence as I see it in retrospect) about my academics till that point of
time. Therefore I was convinced that even though my GRE score is not that good
I may get admit based on my Statement of Purpose (SOP) and acads. So keeping this in mind I applied for 10
universities cross’ USA.
But
reality struck in the form of 10 rejects. I did not take into consideration
that the US was going through a phase of recession and cost cutting. So there
was some want of funding at that time. Another reason could have been my
average GRE score…..I can think of so many things which I might have done
correctly at that time. Anyways I was really disheartened. I had put in my
sincere efforts in studying for GRE and too much time and energy in the entire
application process. Not to forget the pre-application costs. Someone could say
that I wasted an entire year on fruitless quest, with mad hope. I had not
considered the option of M.Pharm before all this. But now I had to make some
serious decisions. I had no backup plan. Therefore after getting 6th
or 7th reject I filled the application form for Graduate Pharmacy
Aptitude Test (GPAT) which is the entrance examination for securing admission
for M.Pharm with stipend. Now the problem was studying for GPAT. As our Final
Year B.Pharm exam was approaching fast it was getting really difficult to study
for GPAT with its huge syllabus covering subjects from First year to Final year
of the B.Pharm course. I studied with my best friend Nishad who went through
same ordeal of 10 rejects with no backup plan. We studied only for 3-4 days. I
am not joking or being modest or anything. But we had absolutely no time to
study from GPAT point of view. I was sure that I was not going to qualify given
the quantum of study required and seeing what we managed.
I
believe (which may be entirely wrong) that when something bad happens to you
there is always compensation. Homeostasis is the nature’s way of balancing
things out. Similar thing happened to me and Nishad. We qualified GPAT (most
surprisingly) and that too with respectable ranks. Now the question arose about
admission to M.Pharm. Everyone in India has probably heard about UDCT in one way
or another. So even I knew that it was impossible for me to enter UDCT with my
rank I applied and waited. When the list was displayed my rank was 72nd
on the list and there were only 30 seats for M.Pharm. So I gave up the hope of
getting into a good institute and took admission in AISSMS College of Pharmacy,
where I completed my B.Pharm.
Slowly
the routine in Pune began. College reopened on 1st September 2010
and initially there was not much work to do. Nishad took admission in Bharati
Vidyapeeth’s Poona College of Pharmacy. So we had plenty of time to hang out.
It was 5th September 2010. We were playing badminton in the morning
when my phone rang. It was one of our seniors, Avinash, who was doing M.Pharm
while we were in Final Year. He told me that my name is 3rd in the
waiting list of UDCT in 4th round of admission. Until that moment I
had completely forgotten about my application to UDCT and I had not even
checked the website for updates since there was no need (That’s what I thought
at least). Had he not called I would have been a part of very small world
called AISSMS. Elated with joy I called Aai-Baba to inform them about this
development and they were happy too. Subsequently we went to UDCT and on 8th
September I took admission in M.Pharm in Medicinal Chemistry course at UDCT.
Some
would say it was destiny. Others would consider it as luck. I don’t know what
it is. I don’t know why Avinash called me. What I did to deserve such a
wonderful entry into a new world. As Brahmavidya teaches, all I can do is to be
grateful and that’s what I am. Even when I take a dive in my mind’s pensive all
I can think is that feeling of happiness and gratefulness. And that gives me
hope and inspiration to do something good with the chance that I was given and
I am trying to do that ever since.
Mihir
