The clock in the exam hall was ticking as if it was chasing after me. Each question was a valley; a wrong tick means slipping of the feet and falling into the deep fatal pits that countless thousands have fallen into. The dreaded road of an IBA failure. I looked around and asked myself, will all my efforts go in vain?
Shortly after completing my A-Level with excellent results in three commerce subjects, I was determined that with dedication and strategy, I could achieve anything. My eye was set on the best business school in Bangladesh, DU IBA. However, a fear took hold of me, which is the math section of the IBA exam. Since I was weak in math and had avoided this subject in A-Level, my family did not expect me to get a seat, yet they fully supported me.
Hence, I knew it was an uphill battle and needed to push my limits, going berserk in preparing myself to be competent enough to go toe-to-toe with other aspirants. Before the coaching classes started, I grabbed the Mentors’ Math Question Bank and began practising relentlessly and gobbling English vocabularies too. At times, I felt exhausted and overwhelmed, questioning if this was going to be fruitful.
Preparing for the IBA admission test felt like a whole different ball game, unlike the notorious A-level for being challenging and rigorous. The confidence that I had gathered at the start of the journey began to crumble as I went on. The thing about starting a journey is that turning back is painful, so much so that you cling onto the last strings in hopes the underperformances are replaced by miracles. I refused to give up, as I had come so far with much time and money invested, and so I accelerated my preparation.
Ten days before my first admission exam, BUP FBS, I felt terribly sick, and it hampered my momentum. I still somehow managed to place the mark of my pen on the exam paper. And fortunately, I did secure a seat in BUP, which boosted my morale.
Finally came the ultimate challenge, the IBA written test. This exam gave me a reality check and proved that along with the talent and dedication, one requires luck in favour to unlock the door to the path of success. I felt disheartened and defeated that my dream of making it to IBA had slipped away.
While waiting for my ride, I overheard a boy telling his mother over the phone humorously, “One who doesn’t have IBA has BUP.” I smirked after hearing the boy’s remark, realising that maybe all was not lost yet and how blind I was to the blessings I myself had. Maybe what I dreamt of was not meant for me, but life goes on. This journey was not all about achieving victory but growth and being content with whatever life grants while moving forward with gratitude.