There’s still one particular experience that hurts me deeply until today. It happened last year during my third year in the university. We were approaching the end of the second semester, and exams were around the corner. Right after those exams, we were to begin our I.T. (Industrial Training) programme on july 1st. A lot of students were already talking about how they wanted to leave school early so they could start preparing for their I.T. as soon as possible, even when we literally had about 2 weeks to prepare for it. So now, things took a turn that I never expected.
Some of my coursemates, without informing everyone or considering how it would affect the rest of us, went behind and made a decision with the school authorities to compress our exam timetable and infact shift it closer. They agreed that we would write about 11 courses in just a week and a few days. When I found out, I was furious and honestly confused. How could anyone agree to such a crazy schedule? It felt inconsiderate. But even worse, I later found out that the majority of the class actually supported the idea.
From that moment, everything became frustrating. We started having two exams per day. Sometimes I’d come back from the exam hall and barely have the energy to even think straight. Sleeping or even resting at all became very hard because I had to read every night to keep up. I was exhausted mentally, physically, and emotionally.
There was one particular exam that completely broke me. It involved calculations—something I’ve never really been good at. I already knew I needed serious preparation for that course, and I was hoping I’d get help from a few classmates. But guess what? That same day, I had another paper that needed my full attention, too. I couldn’t divide myself. My brain was already overloaded from everything else going on, and I just reached a breaking point. I remember sitting there and saying to myself, “You know what? Forget it. I’m not even reading for this one.” My body and mind had had enough.
I went into that exam knowing fully well that I was going to fail. And yes, I did. I ended up getting an “E” in that course, and it was one of the most painful results I ever received. Not just because of the grade itself, but because I knew I could’ve done better if only things had been done fairly.
What hurt me the most was the selfishness behind the decision. The people who pushed for that rushed timetable were the brilliant ones. They didn’t mind because they knew they could pass regardless. And they did. They passed well and went ahead with their lives while people like me had to carry the weight of that decision on our shoulders.
Since that day, I’ve learned a very tough but important lesson, which was the fact that some people will always choose what benefits them without thinking about how it affects others. It’s a wound I still carry, but at least it opened my eyes.
Thanks for reading.