Why did I switch from engineering to business admin?
I was a student of Diploma in Electrical Engineering. It took me 8 years to finish just because of my laziness and greed for money.
I got my final results in January 2017. At that time, I was working for a software company as a business development manager. I never liked mathematics, so engineering never felt appealing to me. But I did like counting dollars 😀
So I decided to switch my track and get rid of boring maths. In the beginning, I was considering the art department and was saving money for the university.
But later due to some personal issues, I decided to pursue business administration. I have heard about the Institute of Business Administration (IBA in short) admission process and how hard it is. So I decided to go to North South University.
Does NSU really allow people from all disciplines to any of their departments?
Yes! In fact, all the educational institute all over the world accepts any equivalent degree or certification. I have never seen a ‘No’ at any university for any subject. There are a variety of students from all the traditional high school certificate holders and even GRE or GED students. They have their doors open for everyone.
When the university announced the admission for the Fall 2017 semester, I called the office and asked if a diploma engineering student can get admission to their business school. They asked if my total grades are 8 or above on a scale of ten. When I replied positive, they asked me to visit their office with all my papers.
After having a look at all of my academic papers, they still did not confirm and asked me to sit for the admission test. The only condition was to get through the admission test. If I do well, they will allow me in their school.
Preparing for the admission test
I had left my job already and I had plenty of time to get prepared. But I never took traditional education seriously. So I was basically talking with my flatmates who are already studying at NSU and was trying to know how the environment and rules are. I was taking mental preparation by watching numerous Bangla, Hindi, English movies and TV series.
When only 1 week was left, I thought I should give this event a bit more importance as I have already paid 1535 taka for the admission test. So I went to Nilkhet and bought a book for the admission test which was made by Mentors. My flatmates suggested this book and they too used it to prepare for the aptitude test.
I was quite confident about my English. Because I have always got more than 80% marks on all my English exams since school and was working with international clients for the last 3 years.
I am also good at creative writing. So I only focused on maths entirely. When only 3 days were left from the date of the admission test, I was frustrated with the book and started watching videos from Khan Academy about basic maths which are taught in the sixth grade. I wanted to learn everything from the beginning. But I got tired after a day!
The day of admission test
I was feeling a bit nervous because I live on the same block as the university and all the cars started honking since 9 and I could not sleep properly due to excessive Facebooking.
I went for the admission test with an empty stomach and there was no literal preparation. As the test was an “aptitude test”, I thought if I really have learned anything all these years, then I will be allowed. If not, I always have some other options.
As I was not burning my father’s money and was on my own, I did not have any pressure on me.
There were volunteers to guide me to the exam hall. So it did not feel like a puzzle-like any other public university.
The question had 4 parts if I remember correctly. Everyone has to complete each part on the designated time slot. No one was even allowed to peek on the upcoming questions! I liked this method. If I got to have a look at all the questions before I start answering, I might have felt anxious and would have done something wrong.
The good thing about the exam that they offered a juice pack during the exam. When everyone was sweating with the composition, I was sipping the box. The exam was quite fun actually.
The result was published after 3 days and I got accepted for both the subjects I have preferred!
Important Tips
- Use a good photo when you submit the admission form. Else you would end up looking like a cartoon on your ID. They use the same picture everywhere from the admission form. Also, friends will mock you ?
- You can submit the payment using a card. When I went to university, there was heavy rainfall and I couldn’t go to the bank. So I took help from an ex-colleague and used his card.
If you are planning to join NSU, please feel free to comment below and ask any question you have 🙂
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