UWC!

When I first browsed through the UWC website, I felt uplifted. To be able to go to a college where thoughts and ideas can be shared with people from all over the world was extremely appealing. I was always a believer in talks. We need more conversations to avoid war, because wars arise from misunderstandings, miscommunications and lack of forums where issues can be solved by debating. The idea of not only studying, but also living and eating with people from all walks of life and from all corners of the world was so alluring. However along with all of this, I was also accompanied by a whirlpool of other feelings and thoughts. The movement was so big, so huge, so … amazing. How could I, a student from Karachi, coming from a class of 30 students even apply for the UWCs? At one time, I thought of quitting, it was like the ‘doubt’ stage of the five stages of man had set in, I felt it was ‘impossible’ (as Shontelle puts it, I’m listening to her right now.) Then I sat down, opened Microsoft word, and simply planned to write down 10 reasons why I should be given the opportunity to go to a UWC. I wrote about 6, but they were enough to get me back ‘in my zone.’ After that, I began working on my application.

The day of the selection test came, and it consisted of three tests, one was the general knowledge quiz, the other was the personal statement, and the last one was about general world issues. I’m not bragging, but my personal statement (which was the first test) went relatively good. The general knowledge test was simply frustrating. Yes, I had not researched like crazy for current issues, but I do have a genuine interest in what goes on in the world, and the current happenings and I like to talk about them as well. I am also an avid reader, and so, not getting most of the answers was simply annoying. It was like the person who had made the test had entered my mind and had asked all the questions about things I did not know. Anyway, I tried to make up for it in the last test which required us to write solutions on some current issues. That was all. They said they would call us for the interview in about two weeks. Two weeks passed. No call. I wished I had researched online and read general knowledge books like this other boy I had seen doing before the tests. But thank god, after three weeks, the call finally came, and the interview was scheduled for the coming Sunday.

At the day of the interview, I came to know most of the people there. I made a new friend, who had travelled all the way from Islamabad( I think her name was Misha.) She showed me a watercolor painting she had brought along, and I complimented her artistic skills. Another boy from Islamabad had brought his guitar. There were 6 of us from Karachi, out of which 4 are going to different UWCs! – Piyari (who is now going to Adriatic UWC), Rabail(who is going to Nordic UWC) Samreen (the one in the Netherlands) and me (to LPCUWC.) The interview was funny. I felt like it had gone well, the interviewers were nice, though they pretended to be strict and stern, I knew they were pleasant people. Well, anyway a few weeks later I heard I had got admission plus a scholarship. I don’t think I can fully describe the feelings that I felt at that moment, but I was definitely very happy, though a little apprehensive. I knew my life was about to change forever if I went to LPCUWC.