As soon as my Class 12 board exams ended, I dived headfirst into preparing for the Chartered Accountancy (CA) entrance exams scheduled for November. Fueled by ambition and determination, I dedicated myself to the preparation and was thrilled to clear the first level with excellent scores. Everything felt aligned, as though I was exactly where I was meant to be.
But life, as it often does, had different plans.
Then came the pandemic. COVID-19 turned the world upside down, uprooting routines, disrupting goals, and blurring timelines. While I managed to clear all subjects with exemptions, I was repeatedly held back by just one subject, both times I attempted. The defeat stung. The effort was there, the intent was strong, but the result didn’t reflect the journey. I felt stuck, demotivated, and unsure of what lay ahead.
That’s when I made the toughest decision of my academic journey: I chose to step away from CA and pursue an MBA instead.
Initially, it felt like surrendering. I questioned myself constantly: Was I giving up too easily? Had I not fought hard enough? But with time and introspection, I realized that sometimes, real strength lies in pausing, reflecting, and choosing a new path, not out of fear, but out of foresight. Life isn’t a linear race; it’s a journey of choices, and it’s okay to take a detour if it leads to growth. I wasn’t giving up, I was restarting. And that restart led me to IIM Nagpur.
Joining IIM Nagpur has been one of the most transformative chapters of my life.
The campus has changed me. The person who was hesitantly shaking hands on Day 1 is now someone who confidently holds her ground in discussions, anchors events, and shares opinions with assurance. The rigorous academic environment filled with case studies, quizzes, deadlines, group projects, and presentations did initially feel overwhelming. But it also taught me how to prioritize, trust my instincts, and balance multiple responsibilities. This journey has given me more than just academic knowledge, it has given me resilience, perspective, and a deeper understanding of who I am and who I aspire to be.
More importantly, I found a tribe. The campus is filled with incredible people, people you can reach out to even at 4 AM, who will have your back through thick and thin. From study sessions to late-night conversations, from stressful group assignments to celebratory parties, I found lifelong friends and mentors who made the journey worthwhile.
As I now pause, breathe, and look back at my first year at IIM Nagpur, I feel nothing but immense gratitude and humility. I didn’t just learn how to survive the storm, I learned to dance in the rain. The transition from a CA aspirant to an MBA student wasn’t just a shift in academic focus, it was a transformation of identity. The journey is far from over, but if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s this: You’re allowed to change paths. You’re allowed to restart.
Swati Jaiswal is a PGP1 student at IIM Nagpur and serves as an executive member of Santript—The Mess Committee of the institute. With a B.Com (Hons.) degree, she combines strong academic grounding with a creative mindset in all her pursuits. When not engaged in her duties, Swati finds solace and joy in baking, a creative pursuit that brings her both relaxation and fulfillment.
