18 Jan 2023 10 min Read
Wonderful Things Can Come From Wondering
– Harsimran’s Story
Who Am I?
Not all who wander are lost – Gandalf. This quote has shaped who I am and
perfectly gives a gist of what I want from life.
My mind and I have always had a habit of wandering. My mind is led by my curiosity.
The curiosity to find out about new things and keep learning is something I aim to commit to
my entire life.
I’ve been fortunate enough to have a diverse set of experiences—from having a wholehearted
interest in Chemistry to becoming a baker, from being a Food Technology undergraduate to a
female manufacturing intern and then an executive in a food manufacturing unit, I have tried
my hand at various different things.
Like I said though, I like to keep wandering. So I wanted to take my learning curve a notch
higher.
My Application Process
So In 2019, I learned about the Erasmus Mundus Programme mere months before
the pandemic began. I chose to apply to one of the programs, but unfortunately I was
rejected.
At the time, being between the job of an essential commodity worker and my monotonous daily
routine that I had grown tired of, I yearned to learn something different and new. I wanted
to learn about the business aspect of the food industry and switch my focus from operations
to research and management of food businesses.
Eventually, I began exploring the Erasmus programme once again. The programme consists of
many fields and courses.
The fear of facing failure and rejection again took over me, especially because I was at a
crucial point in my career. I knew I had to make the right choice but at the same time, I
was wrestling with many internal battles. I felt like I had a lot to lose. I started to feel
defeated.
I began to second guess my abilities and wondered how best to approach my application
process. Though I’d made peace with past failures, the disappointment still remains and
influences my thought process.
My Journey With Kohort
Amid this dilemma, I fortunately met Pavan from Kohort through LinkedIn,
and after just a brief conversation with him, I was determined to apply again. I had hope
again. With his guidance and mentorship, I applied to two Erasmus Mundus courses.
Pavan is a true mentor because he not only supported me during my application process but
also during the post-application anxiety I faced. I had good grades, decent internship
experience and full-time work experience as well, yet it took a great deal of creativity and
hard work to finetune every part of the application process.
With Pavan’s hand-on approach, I learned a lot. Never before in my life had I received
guidance to construct my application in such a detailed and organised manner as I learnt
during my application process to the Erasmus Mundus program. It felt nice to receive
personal attention from someone who genuinely cared, this is rare in the education
consultancy industry sadly.
In the last days of March though, I learned I had been rejected from the first program I had
applied to. I had to wait for another month to know about the outcome of the second program.
That one-month wait was a very stressful time for me.
After a month’s wait, I got accepted to the BiFTeC-Food4s program with a full Erasmus Mundus
Scholarship! I was partly in disbelief and partly over the moon.
I had my initial doubts about so many aspects of this programme and about applying to it. I
forced myself to take action anyway and decided to believe in myself and grab this fantastic
opportunity. And I never looked back.
Looking back now however, I’m so glad that with Pavan’s help, I could muster the courage to
take the leap.
The Road Ahead
Now, I have the chance to study in Belgium, Portugal, Germany and Ireland.
I have the opportunity to learn not only through my course curriculum but also about new
cultures and languages.
Some wander to study, some wander to experience new ways of growth. Now, I’m off to wander
and have the adventure of a lifetime.
I can’t wait to find out what a new place like Europe has to offer. I’ll always be grateful
that people like Pavan and his venture of Kohort exist, making such experiences and dreams
of students come true.
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