This article has been submitted by Shruti Nanivadekar for the CLATGyan Blog Post Writing Competition. If you think this article is a good read, ‘Like’ this article on Facebook (the button is at the bottom of this piece) or post a comment using the ‘comments’ section below.

“My child is going far away. Far away to Kolkata,” my mother said, mournfully.

I ground my teeth, and answered her, one more time.

“Ma, why don’t you listen? I only studied for a month. People studied for years for the CLAT. Years! And I didn’t do static G.K, which means I lose about thirty marks, in a wink. I’m not getting in Ma, so stop saying that.”

And I sang this mournful song all month, till 28th May.

We went on vacation, the longest one ever. But as hard as I tried to enjoy myself, it was always lurking behind me. The fear of not getting into my dream college.

I’d fallen in love with NUJS Kolkata, ever since I’d read its Wikipedia page. About its perfect location, it’s neighboring party atmosphere, and the city.

Kolkata.

I became obsessive. I started reading books set in Bengal. (The Hungry Tide, etc.) I ogled at pictures of Victoria Memorial and St. Paul’s Church. I extensively studied the happenings on Park Street.

I tried learning a little Bengali, too. (Ami shotti bolchi)

And the refrain in my head kept playing.

Dear God : Please, please, please get me into NUJS. 

And finally, the day arrived.

The day of the results.

The CLAT website didn’t open, and I panicked.

Then I remembered, the website that had a solution for every crisis.

CLATGyan.

“CLAT 2012 Results OUT!” – the headline screamed.

My hands shook as I clicked the link.

I frantically scrolled down the list, looking for my name.

First page… then the second… then the third… I began to lose heart.

But there it was, on the fourth.

Shruti Nanivadekar. In my blur of excitement, I read the number 141. I gasped. Phew, rank 141, I thought, not as bad as I thought. Top five at most.

Then I read it again.

141 was my score. My rank was 116.

Shock. Then euphoria. Then prayers of gratitude.

And in four days, my name was on the list of WBNUJS, Kolkata. My dream college.

So, a word to all the one-month prep crash coursers of the year 2013, you have as much chance of getting into a top-tier NLU as anyone who’s studied for years.

Because it’s not about how long you study.

It’s about how big you dream.