My First Major Setback

To tell you the truth, I never faced any major setback in the first eighteen years of my life because somehow, things almost always worked out in my favour. In the year 2000 for instance, I was transferred to a private primary school called Kunoni Educational Centre when I was in Standard Seven just as it had always been my wish since my immediate elder brother Paddy had been accepted there back in 1998.

Then while in Kunoni, I studied diligently to ace the final national primary school exams known as KCPE and succeeded as a result of which I was admitted at Starehe Boys' Centre just as it had always been my wish ever since I started hearing of the prestigious instutition which consistently appeared among the top high schools here in Kenya in the '90s and well into the 2000s.

At Starehe, I successfully rose from the bottom of my class in academics to score an 'A' in the mighty KCSE exams. Then after my high school years, I had an opportunity to pursue a diploma in information technology at Starehe Institute where I acquired the computer programming skills I had wished to develop when I was in my final year in high school in 2005.

But then in mid-March of 2007, I experienced my first major setback. Okay, let me tell you the full story. I promise not to bore you.

When I was in Starehe Institute, I developed a desire to pursue my undergraduate degree abroad. That desire made me turn up one day in 2006 for a conference that had been advertised in a local daily. The conference was about studying in a Canadian university I wish not to mention its name.

The turnout for the conference was poor. If my memory serves me well, I don't think there were more than twenty people present. After the conference speaker was through with whatever stuff he was telling us about studying in the Canadian university, I approached him for a conversation during which I presented to him a copy of my KCSE result slip. And wow! He was so impressed with my KCSE results in which I had scored six 'A's and two 'A-'s that he took down my name, email address and perhaps a few other details I can't remember.

Guess what! Several weeks later, I received an email from the Canadian university congratulating me for having been accepted into it to study engineering.

I can't recollect if I was ever elated about getting admitted into the Canadian university. All I remember was how I eventually gave up with studying at the university since I couldn't afford the airfare to Canada, let alone the tuition and accommodation fees.

Then after that unsuccessful attempt to land an opportunity to study abroad, I started hearing and reading about top American colleges that meet the full financial needs of admitted students. I informed my father about them and he encouraged me to apply.

With my father's blessings, I researched more about the top American colleges. I then settled on applying to MIT, the world's premier institute in science, technology, engineering and math, in addition to three other colleges.

Applying to MIT was a rigorous process. Imagine I had to fill out several forms, submit a high school transcript, write several essays, send three recommendation letters and sit for the SAT exams which cost me Ksh. 14,700 because I sat for the SAT 1 twice in addition to the SAT 2.

Also, I submitted a cassette recording of me playing the piano and a CD-copy of an educational website I had created with two of my classmates at Starehe Institute. Even though those two supplementary materials were not required, I submitted them since I believed they would make me stand out in the talented pool of students who were applying to MIT.

Indeed, applying to MIT was a rigorous process but it was worth it. Unlike the Canadian university which assessed my KCSE result slip alone and admitted me only to disappoint me with exorbitant tuition and accommodation fees that my family couldn't afford, MIT promised to meet my full financial needs if I got admitted.

I submitted all my MIT application materials by the usual January 1st deadline. And then, the about three-month waiting period began.

Reflecting on my life so far, I have never experienced a longer period of bliss than I did in the first two-and-a-half months of 2007 when I was in my final months at Starehe Institute. My life was blissful during those months not only because I enjoyed the subjects I was studying at Starehe Institute but also because I was filled with hope that I would eventually fly to MIT for my undergraduate degree as it was my dream.

But then came the mid-March of 2007 I have told you about. On the 16th of that March, at around 7.30 p.m. (Kenyan time), MIT released its admission decisions online. I went to one of the Starehe Institute's computer labs to check whether I had been admitted. My heart was pounding in my chest like a tom-tom as I logged into my MIT account. And after I logged in successfully, I became sick with disappointment on reading the following letter addressed to me:

Dear Johnny,

The Admissions Committee has completed its review of your application, and I am so sorry to tell you that we are unable to offer you admission to MIT.

Please understand that this is in no way a judgement of you as a student or as a person, since our decision has more to do with the applicant pool than anything else. Most of our applicants, who like you are among the best in the world, are not admitted because we simply do not have enough space in our entering class. This year we had almost 12,500 candidates for fewer than 1,500 offers of admission, from which will come our 1,000 freshmen. Since all of our decisions are made at one time and all available spaces have been committed, all decisions are final.

Despite what you might think, the admissions process is not an exact science. Our applicant pool is more self-selected than most, with a very high percentage of top students, virtually all of whom have distinction in demanding academic programs as well as outstanding achievements in their lives outside of the classroom. We evaluate each applicant's materials carefully and select those we judge to be the best match for our community.

I am very sorry to bring you such disappointing news when you have worked so hard. You are a terrific student, and I wish you the very best as you continue with your education.

Sincerely,

Marilee Jones.
Dean of Admissions [Massachusetts Institute of Technology].

While applying to MIT, the institute had asked me in a question on one of their application forms to tell them the nickname my friends liked calling me. I apprised them that it was Johnny; that's why Marilee Jones addressed me as Johnny in the letter I have quoted above.

And despite her assurance that I was a terrific student, I felt so heartsick for being rejected by MIT that I had trouble getting out of bed the following morning. It was as though the institutions I had attended and the exams I had taken hadn't prepared me for that first major setback in my life.