Mystory@Rishika Aggarwal: How I chose my course and career path

Mystory@Rishika Aggarwal

Despite being good at academics, I never had a clear picture in my mind about what I want to be when I grow up. Scoring a good CGPA, being good with numbers, sucking at Science, and being in a family where almost everyone belong to Commerce background are some of the factors that made me take up Commerce in class XI.

This fact is that I wasn’t always inclined towards the stream that I chose to study. It was more of an elimination method where I crossed out Science and Arts from the fields I want to pursue in my life. And guess what! I found myself dealing well with the Commerce subjects, and scoring a decent percentage in my XIIth standard. Then came the toughest part: The Delhi University Cutoffs! The soaring cutoffs were a nightmare for many.

Luckily, I got into one of the premier Commerce institutions of DU, i.e. Sri Guru Gobind Singh College of Commerce (SGGSCC). This is one college that many only dream of, and I was one of the lucky students getting to be a part of it. Hence, I was assured that all the hard work that I had put in my schooling years had reaped decent results for me.

How I prepared for entrance exams and cracked my college admission

Even though I had slogged in the final two years of my schooling, I wasn’t sure if I would be able to secure a seat in a college of my choice. Hence, to keep different options open to myself, I took a lot of entrance tests, some of which were for NIFT, IIM Indore’s 5 Years Integrated Program, Symbiosis Institute, JNU Foreign Language Program, IP University, BMS, etc. I had to take coaching for three months to prepare for all these entrance exams.

I was really keen to pursue BBS from Shaheed Sukhdev College of Commerce, which was a tough nut to crack. And as fate would have it, I wasn’t able to make it there. However, I had a good rank in NIFT, Symbiosis and IP University admission tests.

Not very late, the DU cut off lists were released. I got admission into Indraprastha College for Women for B.Com (Hons) after the first list. And as soon as the second list came out, my happiness knew no bounds to know that I was eligible to get into my present college SGGSCC.

So, I would say that keeping multiple options in hand is always a good idea, considering the fact that the competition is really high, and we have to fight hard for what we want.

How I made the most of my college years

After I got admission into my college, I applied for a membership at the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries, UK, and started preparing for the exams so that I could proceed with a professional degree. Hence, a major part of my time was spent studying for Actuarial Science.

However, I also wanted to gain some real work experience. Thus, with this objective, I joined AIESEC in Delhi University, which is an international organisation that aims at inculcating leadership skills in individuals. Initially I was in the business development department, and later got into corporate relations as an international exchange coordinator. This was one phase of my life that I give due credits to, for the development of my overall personality.

In the second year of graduation, I and my friends also worked on a startup by the name Initiating You, which is one of the most fulfilling experiences of my life. Being a co-founder and the marketing head for a startup inculcated in me a great sense of responsibility, achievement and honor. Apart from this, I was a member in the college’s Entrepreneurship Development Cell, and a volunteer at Leaders for Tomorrow (A non-profit organisation).

My college years have not just been limited by academics. At all times during my graduation, I have been associated with one organisation or the other, either as an intern, a volunteer or a project manager. This helped me develop a rich work experience and a sense of how to deal with different people.

I believe that one’s college years offer multiple opportunities to discover new horizons of their life. One must make sure that they aren’t afraid of taking chances and grabbing new opportunities that come their way. These experiences are not merely the bullet points that we have to put up in our resume, but they help us in finding out what subjects and issues grab our interest and attention, and what we really want to do in life. We might find it tough to juggle our academics, interests and extra-curricular activities all at once. But these years form the roots of what our life is going to be in the coming years. Therefore, every opportunity is worth a try!

About the Author:

A 20-year-old aspiring Actuary, pursuing her graduation from University of Delhi, is what defines me the best. An energetic soul with a young and creative mind. Believer in hard work. Open to new challenges and opportunities; success, happiness and independence is what I crave.

Can be found watching random episodes of FRIENDS anywhere, anyday!