Chasing Dreams

If you asked me around a year ago about my graduate school plans, I would have probably told you that I wanted to pursue an MBA abroad. By June last year, I have already begun reviewing for the GMAT and have browsed through a lot of websites focused on choosing the most appropriate school, achieving the highest GMAT score and providing the most comprehensive set of tips on how to ace the application.

However, my dismal GMAT score guaranteed bleak chances of being accepted into my dream schools. Thus, I found myself in what I’d call a life limbo. I had to rethink my plans because the original one did not turn out successful. It took me a month of wallowing in the uncertain and the negative and a case of dengue fever to chase a similar dream yet set in a grander city.

I have been familiar with Fordham’s IPED program even before I fervently researched on it last November because of two reasons. First, because of Kuya Nikko, a former Pathways staff and volunteer, who has pursued the same program and second, because of a random conversation about graduate school with Joel, a volunteer as well. At first, I really did not consider the program despite its reputation and generosity. However, after the GMAT debacle and while researching on the program, the opportunities, Fordham University, and New York (dream city!), I slowly found myself armed with a revitalized dream. Almost too slow though since I had neither of the application requirements with only two months left to the deadline!

It seemed all I had was a prayer! (Credits: Marga Go)

After a tense-filled two months of gathering requirements and recommendations, reviewing for and taking the TOEFL and the GRE, and encountering minor bumps along the way, I was able to submit my application a day before the deadline.

However, two weeks later, I received e-mail from the university that they have not yet received my TOEFL score. I was literally close to tears that day since it meant that all the hustle of securing the application before the deadline would go to bust just because I did not double-check that the school received my TOEFL score on time. It was as if I was due for another life limbo. And at that time, I was more than ready to accept that I might need to postpone my graduate school dreams for some other time. I called the University to confirm the mishap and to inquire if I could do anything about it. Lo and behold, they just misplaced my score report all along. The dream was back on! For the next two months, I coped with the agony of waiting by chatting with my friends about my plans and looking up on random flights to and from NYC.

Application results finally came out last March 27. I got in with scholarship and stipend! It was utter bliss. I remember how nothing could overshadow the good news that day heck even that week. Since then, I have always been excited about the new adventures and misadventures (as Ate Solvie would put it haha) that await me in New York. Matter of fact, I may be a little too excited since I have already finished all the required paperwork, U.S. Visa included. As I have 40 days remaining before I leave, I hope that the yearning and emotions kick in sometime soon so that I would be able to meet up and take loads of photos with friends. That way, I will not be too homesick come the time I’ll be chasing my dreams in New York.

After Pompeii in 2007, my NYC dream will be fulfilled this 2012!

As for you, my dear reader, I hope that I have somehow become a reminder that dreams do come true even if sometimes, they are quite different from what you first imagined them to be. I hope that as this graduate school application journey has made me realize, that you also realize that we “cannot always get what we want, we get what we need.” However, sometimes we’re just so lucky because what we want and what we need are one and all the same.