Journey to IBA A wise man once told, “The more difficult it is to reach your destination, the more you will remember the journey” and for a destination as outstanding as IBA, the journey is as unforgettable as it can get. However rocky and bumpy the path may be, if it leads to something astounding it is worth the ride. The journey to IBA is somewhat similar. It can push to your breaking point, make you doubt your own abilities at times and crack under pressure too but the thought of finally procuring it keeps you from giving up, helps you getting yourself together again and lets you go on with it. In the end, when you reach where you were aspiring to be, all those hardships that you went through become the rising action of your epic story that you later share with others being the protagonist.
Institute of business administration of Dhaka University is the leading business school of Bangladesh par excellence. My desire of being part of this peerless institution started with my eldest sister’s dream of getting into IBA. I was an eighth-grader back then. She used to go into raptures talking about IBA and of how splendid the campus, the faculty and the education there are which also sparked something in me. She worked her fingers to the bone but alas, she wasn’t shortlisted. This setback had distressed my sister as well as our family severely because we were all holding onto the hope of her selection. It took all of us a while to recover from the despair. The dream had been then passed on to sibling to sibling but unfortunately it resulted in our parents’ disappointment only. However, as the superstitious phrase goes “Third time's the charm", it was the same for us three sisters. I was the last in our family to try for IBA and the first to get through to IBA. So I have my family to thank for the inspiration and motivation.
By the grace of God, my Ordinary level result was up to the mark although my Advanced level result wasn’t. Though the substandard and mediocre grades fairly caused a body blow to my parents yet they didn’t lose faith in me. It was I who thought of myself as an incompetent failure and that I was utterly incapable of getting into Bangladesh’s renowned universities. So I was willing to try out for the admission tests of private universities. But my mother’s speech of exhortation attempting to instill enthusiasm and determination in my inner self restored the belief in my potential. So the lack of self-confidence and being sidetracked phase was quick to fade away and I was back to my ultimate road to IBA.
After my Advanced level completion, I spent roughly ten months to gear up for my entrance exam which is a long period of time but I really wanted myself to be up for it to a fare-thee-well. I used to skim through the books at first to get an idea of the exam paper’s structure before I went for a course in an admission and standardized test preparation center which has a reputation of counselling their students substantially for IBA’s entrance exam. The instructors aided me in plenty different ways. With the ongoing classes, I came to know that my intimate paternal uncle was no more. We were all devastated to hear this terrible and appalling news. I went to my hometown along with my family for his funeral and to be there for his family while they mourn his sudden departure. This upsetting ordeal had hampered my studies a lot since we were away for a long time. I had missed a deal of my classes and it took me quite some time to cover for the damage done to my learning. I had to work twice as hard due to the pile-up of studies, but somehow I managed.
After months of classes, came the mock examinations which seemed extremely challenging for me to excel at. I could hardly keep track of time or answer the optimum number of multiple choice questions in each of the three sections along with the written part. This on top of the fact that all of my academic peers were performing exceptionally well demoralized me and knocked me sideways. Nevertheless, it also urged me to put more effort into giving my best shot. Days went by like paper in the wind and before I could even fully prepare myself, the actual exam was knocking on my door.
The day had finally arrived which was going to shape the rest of my life. I tried to keep myself calm and composed as much as I could before the examination. In spite of that, deep down inside of me, I was overly jittery. As the prime time approached, the knots in my stomach started to tighten. The two hours in the examination hall were the most crucial period of my life. That was when I could truly comprehend what Einstein conveyed with his theory of relativity. I inferred that when you attend a tedious class, a second seems like an hour however, in the same room if you sit for an examination of paramount importance an hour seems like a second. The fear of not being able to reach the marginal number of questions answered on time had me making blunders. I was very tentative doing the mathematics section and the uncertainty amplified after the exam as I overthought about every seeming mistake that I might have made. I came out of the exam hall with a heavy heart being dubious of my chances of getting into IBA.
The days between the exam and the result were the hardest of all. It got me worked up over what I should have studied more when I had the chance, what I should have answered instead during the exam and all other sort of regrets. The moment of truth was nearing rapidly; and in a flash, the notice that I was dreading most then had been published online. I was gushing with intense apprehension and behaving like a cat on a hot tin roof. Every click ran chills down my spine. Despite of the pessimism, there was a part of me that believed I would get in. Thoroughly going through the list of roll numbers that belonged to the selected candidates, my gaze stood still at my own roll number. I was both flabbergasted and overjoyed. I double-checked it to be absolutely certain. The overwhelming exhilaration to give the news to everyone was tremendous. My euphoria had no bounds.
My journey still had another obstacle to overcome as the viva voce examination was yet to be held. I tried to bring down my elation since I didn’t want to jinx anything. Few of the seniors of IBA helped out by giving me a proper idea of the conventional questions usually asked, the dos and don’ts and every probable situation that I should anticipate. This had been the most consequential interview of my life and I had my heart in my mouth the whole time. Before it began, we all had to give a short piece of writing as well. As luck would have it, the members in my viva board were very affable and my communication assessment test went without a hitch. After stepping out, I chatted with a lot of my fellows about how their interviews were and learned that theirs went exceptionally well. Naturally, the beam in my face I had before vanished with the heart-rending hunch of not making it. Turning back after being so close to my goal would have crushed my spirit. The following days were filled with immense fright. Terror fell upon my bed and sleep no longer came after the depressing thoughts. This was it, the defining moment was here. I was over the moon when I gathered that I had been officially chosen to be a part of an institution as incredible as IBA. The rejoice after my triumph was immeasurable. At last, I made it.
The journey to IBA has taught me a lot of things. It has taught me to stop doubting and start improving myself. It has taught me to start looking onto the bright sides and avoid getting pulled into the dark. It has taught me to stop worrying about what could have or should have happened, to believe that every cloud has a silver lining and let the chips fall where they may. It has taught me that the obstructions which someone faces in their way will make them more determined to achieve their objectives and to win against all the odds. As the quote goes “Man needs his difficulties because they are necessary to enjoy success”. I was lucky enough to see my dream come true. Lesson is that anyone’s dream can come to reality if they have the courage to pursue them.