Hello future doctors. I would like to start by congratulating you. I hope you have cleared NEET. Now that you are going to enter the medical sphere, there is a lot of mental preparation that you need. Medical college is not at all easy, it is the most difficult thing you are going to do. It is even more difficult than clearing NEET. Sorry for being blunt about it, but you need to be prepared.
MBBS is surely one of the most taxing degrees out there. I have realised that it is not as fun and games as I thought it would be. Here are some of the ugly truths about MBBS colleges.
Academic Rigor:
NEET as a battle is filled with a lot of support and encouragement from parents and teachers. Parents keep nagging you to study, your classes make sure that you are studying, you have timetables and schedules in place to help you get to study.
Well let me tell you that there is no pressure in MBBS colleges. Nobody is going to make sure that you study. The professors don’t care, they will fail you if you are not performing up to the mark and that is on you. If you are not understanding what is being taught in the lectures it is your job to either speak up or look for resources that can help you understand the syllabus. Oh, did I mention that the syllabus is just 100 times that of NEET? 19 subjects is not a joke.
You’re in for the most difficult 5.5 years filled with exams, practicals, postings, electives and the most difficult part: compulsory 75% attendance. It is going to be very overwhelming for the first few months, then you will figure it out. Just fair through the initial scare and you will be okay.
Emotional Challenges:
The emotional aspect of MBBS is the most difficult part . You will have to balance a crazy study schedule with the rets of your life. You will have to let go of old friendships, people that are pursuing different courses. You will be forced to miss family functions, your sibling’s wedding, your parent’s 50th anniversary, and every other important occasion.
The homesickness hits soon and it never leaves. You will surely enjoy hostel life but in a small part of your heart you will keep missing home, comfort, and carelessness. During exam, you won’t even be able to call back or eat on time. You will become a coffee addict, sleep deprived, and a borderline depressed person. You will have to bear through.
It will be easy to make friends in the first year, but you will soon realize that it is not as easy to keep them. Everybody comes from a different background. And it is very different to just hangout with people and to live with them. There will be fights with roommates, isolation even, difficulty in fitting in. Everything will make you want to give up. You will have to decide what’s more important.
Financial Considerations:
Most of us are on a budget. And budgeting, you will soon realize is not that simple. Getting an Ipad will be a big help and also a good choice in the long run.
There will be other expenses too. Ordering food if you cannot adjust with the canteen food (most of us can’t), saving money for small trips, having parties in the hostel rooms, all of this needs money.
You will learn a lot about personal finances during this period. It is smart to have a budget planned out at the start of the month to manage your finances.
Most of your old friends will start earning while you are still in third year MBBS. Your parents might retire during this period. All this will lead to you feeling guilty about taking money from home. You will have to figure out how to get a side income, or will have to figure out how to deal with the guilt of being a dependent in your early twenties/ late twenties.
Personal Growth:
You will have to improve in every sphere. As we said, interpersonal relationships will be a very important aspect. Learning to communicate and draw boundaries. Learning whom to allow in your personal space, and whom to not. Learning the difference between being available and being clingy.
Groups will form, and groups will fall apart. Clashes and disagreements will occur. You will get into relationships, you will get your heart broken, you will get into stuff you shouldn’t have. It is all an age old story. All this will also distract you from your studies.
Establishing a balance between work and life will thus become a very important task. Understanding the moral duties of being a doctor and giving in to the work it demands. Being mature enough to take the profession and the study seriously. All of this will become an important aspect of your personal development.
Future prospects:
During MBBS, you will have to decide your future goals. If you want to start practice right after MBBS. Do you want to study further? If yes, do you want to crack NEET PG/NEXT? Or do you want to crack exams to get into a postgraduate program in another country? Do you want to manage a hospital? Do you want to get into research? What will be your specialization? What sphere of medical service speaks to you, seems homely to you?
It is all up to you and your interests. Internship will open your mind to your actual inclinations and you will then have to decide your future. This is another thing you should have in your mind before you start. Now, after this, the world is yours to explore.
That’s it:
This was just a small overview of what is about to happen in college. Most of it cannot be translated to words and has to be experienced first hand. It will be exciting, thrilling, hurtful, devastating, it will be a rollercoaster, it will be yours.
As I always say. It will be the best of times, the worst of times.
