A lot of students are aspiring to become doctors. Every year, lakhs of students apply for the entrance exams, and only a few thousand students are selected. Every year students work very tirelessly and put in a lot of effort just to clear the entrance and get a seat in the desired college.
I would like to share one such experience. I travel daily, hustling and bustling through locals of Mumbai, work at a hospital, and again get back home. There’s a guy who’s roughly around 17 or 18 years of age. I see him travel daily along with us. He is preparing for his NEET UG entrance exams. He wants to pursue MBBS as his career. I see his dedication, and it reminds me of my younger self back in the time when I was preparing for my entrances. He gets up by 5; he catches his bus by 6am in the morning. He reaches his destination by 7-7:30 am. He does his self-study for an hour, then attends his classes by 8 am, gets free roughly by around 2 pm, and then he again studies on his own. He then catches his return train by 4 pm and reaches home by 5 pm. He completes his daily tasks, and the same cycle repeats again the next day.
I am very speechless at his routine; I mean, see the dedication that students put in just to secure a seat for further studies. I really admire his dedication, but I would also like to advise him to not be harsh on himself at times. Be recreative and live your life, as this is only the age once you start the actual medical career; there’s not enough time for self. Also, no one told us that it’s okay if you take some time for yourself and enjoy at times. Studying always is not necessary; you can take a break sometimes.
Even if there are some students who only just study for the sake of a degree, give donations, and play with innocent people’s dreams, that seat is anyway considered a waste. Those students are not even half as dedicated as him. They just study according to the minority quota marks required to enroll for admission. I have seen and faced these situations, and I’m sure many might have faced the same.
Hence, the only advice for students who are serious about the study is please don’t be harsh on yourself. Take the load off your shoulders; you can surely do it. Also, those who don’t take study seriously and just do the education without its actual purpose, please leave that seat empty because someone innocent is suffering because of you, and you are viciously enjoying that thing.
What are your thoughts on this point? If there’s one piece of advice you would give to your younger self, what would it be? What would you like to change if given a chance to go in the past and change it?
MBH/AB