Road to USA

Hi Guyz and Galz this post will be describing my experience from giving GRE till getting an admit from uNiversity.Before i begin i would really like to say bloggin is a really cool way to emulate a diary which people maintain to keep notes and memoirs,unfortunately i m quite lazy to do it so this way its much easier for me.Also please overlook the writng errors i will make and i m workin on it.I m dividing it in 3 phases.Also before i begin like to say i faced lots of problems in this phases but in a way they have helped me to grow up,take responsibility and some of them actually have been a "Blessing in disguise".As Swami Vivekananda said "The day you don't come across problems take it for granted that you are travelling onthe wrong path".
PHASE I:
Right,So i gave my GRE exam on 1st of March 2007.Honestly i wasn't too much inclined on
giving GRE that early but unfortunately due to my exams and submission of B.E(SEM II) it was the best time to give it.I had thought of studying from January to February and thought had just about enough time to get a reasonable score.Well,but as they say just because things seem good and planned does not mean they will work automatically that way.We have to work towards it consistently and sincerely which i didnt!.I just was taking it too easy and practicing procastination as i do always which i would advise everyone to get rid off.Anyways so Jan passed and during feb halfway i realised that i the time was never goin to be enough and i m going to endup with a pretty bad score and i thought of postponing it.But my 2 other friends giving GRE on the same day as mines though otherwise and convinced me to give it on the same date.Although i wasn't convinced,i just went ahead with it,i think sometimes i have to take my decisions and be more assertive which i did later on.Anyways so i gave my GRE and was expecting or rather really hoping i would get around 1200 so that i can tell everyone. Unfortunately i got a score of 1080(700Q 380V),must say the RC's were HELL and got 3 of them in a row.If i say honestly i think i never deserved 1200 on my prep. in fact i think i got more than i deserved.Anyways i was really disappointed and tried to convince myself ging some reasons for my poor performance its amazing our mind manages to convince us everytiome that we are not wrong and the conditions were just not favourable.If u thought taking a failure was hard part no it is actually telling all your friends and relatives and for me there are lots of them and also include the entire colony in it.So, i just thought of taking easy way and tell my parents the real score while for other fake it to 1170.I knowits wrong and i do feel know i should have told the real score because i had to lie all the time and wished later i might as well have told the real score.But you know "To Err is Human to Forgive is Divine".
PHASE II:
So,further after this score i was strongly of the opinion that i should give GRE again dunno why but just always thought i could score more if i was more prepared and planned.I thought maybe if could get a job somewhere i could work for 1 yr and study at the same time and then have a go at GRE again.But due to my really bad academics i never did really qualify for many company's criteria and the ones i did i just could not..i guess wasnt gud enough and not motivated to give my best shot.Anyways i guess mistakes are sometin without which i could never learn.So,finally after my final BE exam i started searchin for jobs by myself but let me tell you it is not easy 1 bit.I did it for 2-3 days.Then next day y Uncle had called he advised me not to go for a job instead go for my Master's and then seek a job.Also studyin partime is always going to bedifficult and i did find some sense in his advice so i took it and decided that wud concentrate totally on my GRE.As i had though i wanted to give GRE again around August.So,when i opened the site for taking dates i found that all for August Sept were full and i had to book a date in July.So i did no wanted to miss the avilable dates also so i booked date of july 25th after much confusion.What i did not realise is the ETS site can show up dates later on and sometimes it can show weird things.And there were dates available of August and Sept after 2 days but postponing it agin cost money so i thought i might as well go with this date and give it my best shot.I know the time was less this time too but delaying it more also means i have to delay my TOEFL more and furthur endanger my chances of going for Spring 2008.AS the application process takes quite a bit of time.So,I did slopg quite a bit mugging up the words which i always thought was my weakpoint and referred lots of sites and really did study ..i mean honestly i did VERBAL.But i did really neglect Quantitative not intentionally but may due to overconfidence and negligence and bad planning(anyways does plannin wrk not for me at least!!).On previous day i did go through bit Maths and i realised that i m lacking the ability solve them quickly and clearly.Then on the test day i started pretty well with my analytical writing goin pretty well and then was major setback.I had Quant next and let me tell u i have been confused in exams before but not like this!i was so so confused and never could choose and always had 2 answers for evry question!I had realised that i was scrrreeeewwd big time but still tried to maintain my calm thr' Verbal and i though it went alrite.And now was the judgement which was one of the most painful in my educ. career.I had scored 1050(590 Q 460 V).I was quite in shock but somehow just got my composure back and called my dad followed by all friends at least 5 of them i can remmeber.Its amazing when i scored more i didnt call any1 but now i actually called every1 and told my poor scores.I know the score wasnt a big difference as to the first score but Quant was really a Setback as 700 Q score is very much required for universities which i did have first time.I must say i have failed b4 in my exams but i havent felt this disappointed b4 and still as always i was at blame.Also the next day i went to my counsellor for shortlistin univ. he too said that u have to believe in god to get admission and i said i did and always will.But of course i have this habit of ruminating over things and it was really difficult to get over this.Its like "Hugh Grant" from "Music & Lyrics" I have been living with a shadow overhead and sleepin with a cloud above my head ,trapped in the past i cant seem to move on..
PHASE III:
Anyways so i did move on started with my applns work..It was late as i started with it in August aslo since had my TOEFL on 11th Aug i actually started with it after that.It is funny when i think now,whenever i asked for any appointments with the faculty for my applns in my guidance class.I always was treated with shock and surprise like.."U R applyin for Spring??",,"U are takin SOP appt. now??..so on.Anyways it went pretty well but the BE result was not out yet and without that i heard the univs. could not process my applns.SO I decided to wait for my results which were out on 27th for the first time we cud see it online.I got a first class for the first time in my life!!.But i was late for my applns..and yes the same Question were been asked to me now with a mocking way.In meantime i got a letter from ETS saying that the credit card i used could not be charged with the fee so have to send them money again by a demand draft and until then they could not report my scores to univs.So i asked dad to do that work as i mcompletely a novice in this banking transactions.So he did send a DD but wrote on back of it which we r not supposed to if u know.SO there was a chance that DD could be rejected.In meantime i received my TOEFL Score 104/120 which is a gud one for a change.Anyways i applied online to univs and rushed with my applns as much as i cud and reported my scores to univs hoping that payment wud be accepted.I sent my 1st application packet the next day.Next day wsa going to send the other 3 packets but as i left it started raining real hard so had to stop as on two-wheeler fortunately the packets didnt get wet.Then i went to the courier office and did the sticking and arrangement of packet there itself.People nicely stick their packets and check it thrice b4 sending it and here was i doin it all at once also did i mention i cud manage everytin just about their closing time.Anyways i did send rest packets also but it was amazing whenever i was out with packets or leavin with them it wud start rainin hard and not a drop prior to that and believe me there is no exaggeration in thsi.Somehow evrytime i managed to get the packet thr' it safely by some protection and luck.While sendin the last packet in rain i was acutally lauging at my misery which i think is the way to go sometime .Anways i did send all my packets and also some univ did ask me more docs. later which i had to send it later.Anyways after some days my friend got and admit from a 91 ranked univ and when he informed me i dunno i really was jittery and hoped for some reply from univs. and not a reject at first hopefully.And few days after at night i got and admit from univ a reasonable one and i didnt know how to respond.Its weird sometimes u dont have any words,i know u mite say big deal u got admit !! but its not so much abt the admit its just what i heard from ppl and insecurity i developed over this period and had lost my confidence after evryting.I really feel so relieved that day or night rather!Anyways i also got a letter from ETS regarding my score reporting and as the second score payment was not processed they only sent my first score to the univs. which was a boon for me.Today i look back at things and feel maybe this and that could have done differntly..maybe if i had not given GRE again..maybe..but ths the case with evry1 of us i feel i think i have learned from my mistakes and i m a better person today than i was 3 months back.Of Course Visa and replies of other univs are still rem. i dont know wat life is got for me but what i know is it i can come thr' it and now i really dont feel any fear not only because i have gone thr' extreme times but also becos i know i m on the rite direction.So,the best thing is that enjoy the moments u have in hand dont say why this happened to me in fact accept and move on as a better person.I may not be the best person to give u this advice but i will give it anyways bcos gud things can come from anywhere.I dont know how many of u will read this completely and then like it but really guyz thanx for readin it anyways and yes keep bloggin..