EVERY SINGLE BIT MATTERS (Part I)

I moved to the Netherlands in 2010 for my BSc studies at the Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University (RSM). To be admitted to this University, I had to pass the TOEFL test. At that time, I saw it as a massive obstacle which my life depended upon 😅

For those of you who don't know TOEFL is an English online test that consists of 4 modules: Reading, Listening, Speaking, and Writing. Back then you needed to go to a Test Centre and spend around 4 hours to go through all the modules.

Even though I was learning English since I was six years old (a big thank you to my parents for this!), I still had to prepare for the test. Let me first tell you how an average high school student's life (starting from grade 9 till 11) in Azerbaijan looked like:

08.00 - 13.15 School

13.15 - 14.00 Lunch. Usually, it was either a sandwich, doner or nothing

14.00 - 17.30 Classes with tutors. In Azerbaijan to apply for any local University, you need to pass the Government exam which covers a 6-year material on six subjects. So, it is common to have tutors to help you cover the whole material

17.30 - 18.30 Going home. Because of the rush hour traffic was crazy, and a 20-30 min car ride could easily take an hour to get back home

18.30 - ..... Studying. Doing your homework, preparing for next day's tutoring lessons, and hoping to have a few minutes for a break

On top of all the above mentioned, I had a TOEFL tutoring 4-6 hours per week (excluding homework). "Fun" times 😀

Back to the story now 🙂 The RSM required a TOEFL score of 80. To figure out what my level was, I went on my first try after a couple of months of studying. Weeeell, the result wasn't fascinating: 56/120. There were no happy faces at home. But as the Russian proverb says: "The first pancake is always a failure." 🙄

In total there were 5 attempts to pass this damn exam. A lot happened after my first attempt... 😬

To be continued... Subscribe to not miss! 😉

P.S. On the photo is me during my last high school year in 2010