What would you do if you converted a call to IIM A but even 2 days before the deadline didn’t have an education loan or funding in hand? Most people would probably give up. Many would feel extremely disheartened and turn cynical. After all that hard work of cracking a b-school like IIM A, not being able to get in because of the lack of funds is rather sad! And that’s what our video feature today is about. Aashik Jayswal, a citizen of Nepal, came to India to study agriculture at an Allahabad college. Post his B.Sc. he decided to pursue an MBA and worked towards CAT. Finally, in 2020, he cracked his dream b-school, IIM A. But alas, Aashik could not secure a loan for his education and had to find alternate means to pay his tuition! If you too feel or have ever felt the burden brought on by financial instability, this video is a must watch! Check out Aashik’s inspirational story and winning thought process here!
Summary
In this video, we meet Aashik Jayswal, current student at IIM A, FABM, 2020-22 batch. Aashik is a citizen of Nepal and post 12th in his home country, decided to come to India for graduation. Hailing from a rural family, and knowing about farming intimately, Aashik decided to pursue a B.Sc in Agriculture. During his 2nd year, he discovered an MBA that students interested in agriculture could pursue. This culminated in him writing CAT. His end goal? Make it to IIM A, one of the best schools to study agri-business management and rural management in India!
It took 2 years and some dedicated focus. After scoring only 30-35%ile in his 1st mocks, Aashik finally managed to make it to the FABM course at IIM A. After securing admission to a top tier MBA school, Aashik started looking for loans. But Indian banks could not give a collateral free loan to a citizen of Nepal. Makes you feel rather privileged to be Indian right?! Anyway, Aashik then went back home to avail an education loan. But Nepal has different rules about collateral free loans, and Aashik could not secure funding once again. He was well and truly stuck.
This is when Aashik decided to write to his peers, professors and seniors at IIM A. The community saw his passion and focus and decided Aashik deserved to pursue his goals. And they came together to help. IIM A helped Aashik make a video to share his story, introduced him to alumni from IITs and IIMs who could help and pushed him to find opportunity for himself. TOI covered his story and that’s how this farmer’s son got funding for his 1st year and living expenses. Despite this story sounding very basic, it shows how Aashik asked people to help him with funding, how he stayed positive throughout and lots more. He was even told to quit his efforts. But he persisted and found 2 people happy to help! Today Aashik is studying agri business management with a goal to give back to society. If you’re looking for some inspiration today, make sure to watch Aashik’s video!
Key Takeaways
- Don’t be intimidated by CAT. If it’s tough for you, it’ll be tough for others.
- Keep persisting towards your dreams. If you have capability, many people will be ready to help you when needed.
- When asking for funding, looking for sponsors, don’t expect anything from people and be patient.
- Don’t let a refusal for funding get you down.
- Be real during interviews, especially if you want people to help you!
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2) My Journey From A Hospital Bed To IIM Lucknow, Ft. Manavdeep S, CAT 99%iler
3) From Delivering Newspapers To Making It To IIM Rohtak, Ft. Rakesh Kunbi