THE MAN WITHOUT THE GOLD
Being beaten by the last men standing can be more harrowing and agonizing than being pipped at the start, and I imbibed that the arduous way a few days ago..

Goldman Sachs, the No.1 investment bank in the world, a company first on the list of prospective companies of many an MBA, a company that attracts doe-eyed and frenetic crowds to every school they visit gave us that very honour on the 12th of August. It attracted a wide cross section of eager and desperate unplaced final years and the hundred odd third years who managed to keep themselves from the allure that a five day sojourn to Bangalore offers.. The intended purpose of the jaunt was to filter the hundreds of applicants down to a manageably miniscule number which they would then absorb into the hallowed precincts of their organization.. The task was as laborious for them as it was nerve racking for us, what with a day and a half of frenzied activity awaiting the powers that be, but the task at hand promised to be phenomenally intriguing as well..

It was the first time the third years were subjected to such a rigmarole and as such wasn't something on which was precariously perched the course their life would take.. The stakes: A two month Internship at Goldman Sachs Bangalore fetching 250$, followed by probable absorption into their Bangalore operations via New York..

I, like seven score of my batchmates, put in our resumes, hopeful of plush placement in our third year itself, which would effectively render our remaining two years null and void.. The pre placement talk attracted a madding crowd, the stars glistening in every eye.. The talk itself proved to comprise of nothing more than a biased appraisal of the company's gleaming track record, and only the most discerning listener managed to keep his cool.. This was followed by an aptitude test to determine the top twenty students from each year, who would then have to brave the grind of two more rounds.. The test itself was pretty tough, what with 20 questions to solve in 20 minutes.. It was going to be quite an undulating task.. I solved whatever I could (4 or 5), then went ahead and liberally guessed the rest(no negative marking, and detailed probabilistic research has shown that selecting all C's means that atleast 40% is bound to be correct).. Most unexpectedly, I made the cut, and aspirations came to take shape..

Next hurdle was the Group discussion on "India's population: Bane or a boon" which was veritably the most general theme they could pick.. Eveyone had a view but few were able to put it through convincingly, and by virtue of being one of them, I was through to the final round: The interviews.. The dreams were more than taking shape, they were almost a reality.. I was begining to reminisce about the heart of Wall Street and how it would be to actually work there.. Sure that the interviews would be a breeze, I set about revising programming languages...
Day Two, and 4 pm brought with it the home stretch.. I was almost there, and it would only be a matter of time.. After the anguish that a 2 hour delay invariably brings with it, the interviews were flagged off.. I was first to be called, and after a breezy, languid interview that threw up no major hiccups, my self assurance towered.. There apparently was a second round of interviews, and I did get through to it.. The HR dame called me in, and I surprisingly didn't glare at her gargantuan hooters even once during the tete-a-tete which was pretty gentle..

Then there was a third interview, which is referred to as the stress interview by all those who went through its rigours..Each statement elicited scorching responses and scalding questions from the other side of the court and every aspirant that survived the terrors that run loose within those ramparts either broke down or giggled hysterically...I went in expecting the worst but inexplicably, barring one or two really uncomfortable moments(A couple of glaring typos that somehow escaped notice in the other interviews and being pesterd incessantly about my GPA) I thought it was overstated..Meanwhile, news percolated that they wanted atleast one girl, even if that meant compromising on the quality of the interns..

After an hour or so of discussions and deliberations, the results were announced..........agony.... Left out... Rejection.. My memory was clouded, only to be revived later with the realization that this was only the first battle in a long and tumultuous war... There was another year, another opportunity.. A hope that they will not again sieve out only the top 3 gpas among those shortlisted for the final round.. A chance to prove them wrong...A chance at getting in..