The journey from Cancer to CAT- How did I grab a coveted seat in IIM - By Aishwarya Rao from IIM Amritsar

Every IIM success story has its ups and downs. Each student here has a story of resilience, from endless nights staying up studying for CAT to the anxiety wrought upon their minds preparing for multiple interviews. My story, however, begins a little before I started preparing for CAT.

The beginning of sturm and drang

It was in February 2019, after almost two years of work experience, that I decided my career needs to move in an upward trajectory. After speaking to a few friends and mentors, I applied to an online coaching class for CAT which was scheduled to begin classes in April.

And then, out of nowhere, in March 2019, my family’s lives were turned upside down by a small word – ‘malignant’.

If anyone here doesn’t know what that term means, the common term for it, is ‘cancer’. My mother had a lump that she got checked after a month, and a few tests later, it was confirmed.

Even a month after the diagnosis, the magnitude of the situation was not something I was able to comprehend. After all, I thought, this was something that only happened to other people. It takes longer to get to the bottom of something like this happening to someone extremely close to you.

This isn’t a commonly known fact, but not all cancer requires chemotherapy. The doctor kept reassuring us that only surgery would be enough, a few tests would be done, and then we would be able to carry on as usual.

Then the second blow hit – the report said ‘metastases’ – meaning, we would have to undergo chemotherapy, as well as radiation therapy.

So, there I was. When other students were learning the concepts of logical reasoning and tips for quant, I was learning about terms such as ‘docetaxel’ and filling out insurance forms. My father, who works in Hyderabad, came over as often as possible, but the lion’s share of the task of handling my mother post every chemotherapy session fell upon me and my brother.

The art of parenting

My house automatically had a role reversal – I became a parent to my own mother. I ensured she slept on time, ate properly, and managed the entire household chores at the same time. I really have to mention my gratitude towards my office during this period – they ensured flexible working hours and a lesser workload to help me out.

There’s something to be said about struggle – it really helps you understand the importance of the little things. Only people really close to me knew about what I was going through and ensured throughout the entire time that I had a positive environment around me. Little gestures such as my office team picking up my tasks, my friends from dance class coming over at 2 am to console my breakdowns, and friends staying up helping me to do my CAT prep side by side – these are things I can never stop being grateful for.

Positivity keeps you going

All of this does sound a little downing, so let me talk about the positives of the situation. I had to learn to cook – and I loved it. Each day, I learned new things. Earlier, I had no idea of the multitude of tasks my mother used to do around the house. This period forced me to understand the small bits of every task, even one organisational error around the house led to a breakdown of ‘Where did that bartan go?’

I also learned, in a lot of detail, about time management. I had to wake up, do house chores, keep a note of my mother’s medicine schedule, go to the office, and also study for CAT. In a way, this really helped me prepare for my MBA.

By September, we were done with the last session of radiation therapy as well. Now, my mother assumed her role again and ensured that I studied properly for CAT. This was also the time I started yoga, which transformed my approach to learning as well – I was able to focus better and manage to learn rather than dwell over mistakes. In those two months before CAT, I had no breaks. I knew I was a little late to the race, but I ensured I gave it everything I had.

Coming of the good news

In February, we started receiving interview letters. My days started by reading the business news, reading up on my previous portion, and it re-introduced me to my childhood passion of reading books. By March, we were confined to our own homes, but I was grateful. It gave me the time I needed to prepare for each aspect of the interview, and come April, we were informed of online interviews.

My interview experience with IIM Amritsar was the best – Professor Amit Gupta and Professor Harpreet Kaur allowed me a platform to express my ideas in the best way possible. Within 10 minutes, my fate was sealed.

On 20th May 2020, my life changed again, this time, for the better. I received the admit letter from IIM Amritsar, and the entire day, I had the biggest smile on my face. In the end, it really was the things that broke me down that built me up again. And with that resilience in hand, I began my journey at IIM Amritsar.