In a quest to grow and recover

“I was a pretty average student in school and like most other students, I wanted to pursue medicine. I actually dreaded computer science and felt if I took it up, I would flunk in my exams. So biology was the best option for me. However, I didn’t qualify for MBBS. I thought I would take a break for a year and prepare better for the medical entrance examination. But many told me that was a huge risk. I didn’t have very good grades in my boards and there wasn’t any guarantee that I would make the cut for MBBS the following year. After contemplating quite a lot, I eventually opted for a Bachelor’s in Microbiology. The course was very regressive and there was very limited scope of asking questions. I didn’t feel connected to the subject at all. But we had a course in Biotechnology which particularly interested me especially because of the teacher who taught the subject. I was pretty sure I wouldn’t continue with microbiology for my Master’s and was more inclined towards biotechnology.

I however didn’t get a good rank for my Master’s in many of the competitive exams that I applied for. Somehow, the JNU entrance examination clicked for me. But I wanted to go to Pune University for some unknown reason and put Pune as my first preference. My grandfather passed away when I was about to shift to Pune. It was a difficult time for my family and I did feel guilty about going to Pune during that period…