Admission – Mission to add!

During this season of admission at my institute (Mar – May 2009), I was a part of the process and I watched every part of it from short or longer distance. There were few incidents which I think I will not forget for a longer time and so I am putting them all in front of you. It is a quite serious process and I respect it from all aspects, but to keep things in lighter note I am putting all the humorous incidents here.

• From this year only we started on-line form filling and submission of the application form. And in the initial phase only I got some shocks as a start of the mission. Being in IT team of the institute I was given a chance (Chance!!?  – Punishment!) to create an online admission portal in 2 days!! Somehow we (I with my team mate) managed this sock and completed that thing and showed to the respected officer for further process. After the initial meeting we came to know that another programme people are also having admission with us and we also need to create portal for them also! …and that too in next 2 days (again!)! I had no idea about the programme and its rules and process for admission. I contacted many people regarding that and also managed to complete the portal for them also in time. And after that on the day when it launched to public we found that our initial management was not so bad and site was running properly. J
  
• Now as these few incidents before starting of the process, I was very sure that the ride is going to bumpy and I am going to have lot of socks till the completion of it. Site was running properly and my module final exams are also approaching. So I was doing both the tasks and somehow maintaining the balance between two. After some days I came to know that some of the students have some queries regarding the admission and I had no answer for them. I forwarded them to the concerned officer and then passed the answer back to the student. In this task I was fortunate to have couple of more guys to work with me and make life easier. Somehow we managed to solve most (I can’t say all as you can’t satisfy all!)
  
• When the form filling process was going on, we found one guy is abusing our course without having bases and making other students away from the course. So we had to devote our time to solve that matter. I was fortunate enough that in this matter I was not much involved but few of my batch mates had to scarify their precious exam preparation time to see this matter. After that we came to know that that same guy had apply for the course and somehow he does not want others to join this (strange! but true). And he also used wrong name in the community to spread this message so that he would not get caught! But we had better sniffer dogs! They have sniffed him and found his real identity and then caught him red handled. And guess what, he has been selected in the final list and we are so happy that we will get a chance to meet him and work with him for next few months.
  
• We had created a system where candidates who have some doubts can call us and we can solve them. In the list my name was also there along with four other (poor chaps). After the shortlist has come for the people for the GD/PI process, I started getting calls (at least 10 per day). And this has become the funniest part of the process. And during those days our internship was also started. So calls can come during any time, meeting, presentation, discussions… but we have to manage them also along with our daily routine. I am putting some of the incidents here for you to enjoy!
  
• One fellow called me at Sunday night at around 9 and here goes the conversation:
  

X:  (After failed in initial trial of speaking in English – which I could not understand) “Hello mein X bol raha hun. ”

Me:  “Haan, bolo.”

X: “Pehchana Mujhe!? Mein pehle phone kiya tha…”

Me: (I get 10 calls a day and how in the world I will remember each and every one’s name) “Nahi. But bolo kya baat hai?”

X: “Arre mujhe tu yeh bata, ki yeh shortlist kab lgane wali hai?” (It was on the site 2 days before only and almost everybody is knowing it)

Me: “List to aa chuki hai site per.”

X: (Interrupting me in between only) “Kahan aa gayee hai? Waha to nahi hai. Meine check kiya hai.”

Me: (?!!) “Nahi. List aa chuki hai aur main page pe hi link di hui hai. Aur hamne sab logo ko e-mail karke bhi inform kiya hai. Tumne apna email check kiya hai kya?”

X: “Arre Ha! Mein sab dekha hai kuchh nahi aaya, site pe bhi nahi aaya hai.”

Me: (I was going for dinner at that time, so did not want to waste my food) “Ok. Ek kaam karo. Mujhe half an hour ke baad call karo. Mein dekh ke bata dunga.”

X: “Ok.”

(After around one hour at 10 in the night) X: “Mein X bol raha hun. Tune check kiya kya?”

Me: “Ha. List hai, main page pe hi hai. Tum apna application number batao. Mein check karke batata hu abhi.” (After he gave his number) “Tumahra naam hai aur tumhe 15^th ko aana hai. Tumko hamne e-mail bhi kiya hai tumhare address per details ke saath to usme dekh lena”

X: “Aisa kya? Thik hai. Arre tu abhi office mein tha kya?”

Me: (?!!)“Office? Abhi Sunday ko raat ke 10 baje?”

X: (With his same style laugh) “Arre ha.. ha… Mujhe laga ke tu office gaya hoga… tune bataya tha na ki tu internship kar raha hai…. Mein to bhul gaya tha ki aaj Sunday hai… thik hai chal. Bye”

Thank god! Call was over. I am amazed that people like him also applying for the course and praying that he should not get selected for final admission process!

• One of our batch mate whose name is “Akaknsha Mittal” has sent mail to all candidates,  explaining the process and gave some tips to them. And here come a reply from a person “Y” which is legend in the admission process. He started with “Hi Mr. Akaknsha Mittal Ji” (Even in the Chinese world where people would be having confusion about the name, how could he write like that?). Then he wrote (all CAPS where on in the mail):
  

“HI MR.AKANSHA MITTAL JI

THIS IS Y.

1.MY ALLOTED DATE IS 15TH MAY,2009

2.MY PREFERABLE DATE IS 13TH MAY,2009

3. REASON FOR CHANGE IS ON 15TH MAY I AM HAVING FINAL SEM EXAM .

MORE OVER I WANT ACCOMODATION ON 12TH,MAY AND HOWEVER I WILL BE LEAVING ON 13TH EVENING TO CST TO CATCH THE TRAIN. I WANT ACCOMODATION FOR ONE PERSON ONLY(MYSELF). ”

There are several of this type during those days.

• I also remember a conversation which I had with a lady on one fine day in the morning. She was an MCA having good score and applied for the course. But as per our institute standard, we are having only engineers to study. Now knowing all this she applied but could not make in the GD/PI list. And then as my number known to her, she called me as she has become the victim of “global atyaachaar” and she wanted me to change the institute rule (!! The rule which has created by directors from last 40 years can be changed by a student!! I never know that! J). As being a girl she had power to talk for hours. And using that power she did not allow me to say a word for 15 minutes! At last I had to break my silence and explained the situation in firm words. Then only she realized the situation and said ok, but from next time you people should take care… (!!)
  
• Days passed and date of GD/PI cam closed. Then I came to know that the person, who has used his nights and money (that’s me) will have to move out of Mumbai due to project work. I was apart from the physical admission process as I was away from Mumbai, but somehow was getting information from other people. And one day I managed to come back for a day in Mumbai for my mid-term project review, I decided to go and meet people and talk to them for a while. I talked to them and was coming down to go to my office. While walking down the ‘famous’ stairs, I met one girl. She was looking at me from a distance and she had some kind of doubt on her face. I thought she might be new and want know about the admission place. I asked her if she want to go to the place. She told me she knew the place but…. “aapke bag pe label hai… usko aap nikal na bhool gaye hai…” (She was talking about the Jet Airways security check label which was there on my bag as I came from airport directly.) I was speechless and walked away.
  

There are many more to add, but don’t want to make this one lengthier. Apart from all these incidents there were many genuine and serious doubts which we took and solved also. But this are there in my mind on the top.

So this was our mission. Mission to add people in institute. “Mission Admission”.