An Unsuccessful Attempt

This article has been submitted by Aadya Singh for the CLATGyan Blog Post Writing Competition. If you think it’s a good read, ‘Like’ the article (the button is at the bottom of this piece) or post a comment using the ‘Comments’ section below.

CLAT 2016 is over. The scores are out for now and the ranks will be out soon. There are many students (including me) who know that their score is too low for a NLU. However, people say, “Don’t rush to conclusions. Wait for the ranks.” But deep down, the student, who is actually facing the burden of not scoring well, cannot be consoled that easily. I remember coming across this line in one of the Shakespearian plays that perfectly describes our situation – “Men can counsel and speak comfort to that grief which they themselves not feel.”

I was extremely sad after seeing my score but then, I wondered, “What would the candidates who dropped a year and still could not make it to a top NLU do?” To be honest, I never prepared with all my heart and soul and I lacked preparation. Twenty-five days preparation after my boards would surmount to almost negligible preparation for an exam like CLAT. But students who prepared really well but could not score up to their expectations are in a worse situation than I am. Does that mean that they are not intelligent enough? NO! It has got nothing to do with one’s capabilities and intelligence. CLAT is an exam in which your luck plays an important role too and everything happens for a reason. Therefore, I’d urge you to believe that CLAT is not the end of everything. Maybe there are better plans for everyone who couldn’t make it. The country has got only a limited number of top NLUs for which students work hard but it’s untrue that only students of those NLUs get jobs or achieve what they have always wished for. There are numerous law colleges where a student can pursue his/her ‘dream course’! Yes! That very dream course – Law. There is a generalized concept of every student having a dream college but after my failed first attempt, when I sit back and reflect upon things, I think about what I really want in my life. I’m a cent percent sure that I want to be a lawyer. So, how does it matter if I pursue becoming a lawyer by studying at either the reputed top NLUs or from an average college? If I do well in my dream course and work hard for those five years, there will be nothing that can stop me from getting a good job. Of course, the top colleges make the five-year path as well as post law school life easier for a student who passes their portals. But even if you don’t get the top colleges, the path does not become impossible.

Those who think that their dream course can only bear fruit if they join the top NLUs can try their luck once again in CLAT 2017. The others can get into any other college and give all that they have in them for the next five years. Or maybe, you realise you’re doing the wrong thing and are, in reality, good at something else. But no matter what, none of the CLAT takers should put their head down and lower their self-esteem. CLAT is a game – Some win, some don’t. But that doesn’t lead us to the conclusion that the player was weak.