The Prospect
Choosing your profession is not an easy task at all. It takes maturity and experience. Yet, we take this decision at quite a young age. Deciding which stream to pursue, and which option to choose can be very confusing. Especially in a country like India where the youth population is huge and job openings are limited, a lot of thought is put into this matter by both the students and their parents. In this scenario, the medical profession has come up as a go-to direction for whoever believes is capable of it. Being a doctor in society stands out in stark contrast to a lot of other career options. Certain important factors which students think of while choosing this line of career can be –
1. Social Status – Doctors are held in a position of high respect in society. Their work is quintessential to the functioning of our daily lives. They enjoy a certain nobility, and rightfully so because of the effort they put into enabling the people to live a healthy and long life.
2. A Noble Profession – Medical is considered to be a noble profession. Saving people’s lives is not an easy thing to even imagine, let alone doing it. It takes an immense amount of study and countless hours of clinical practice to attain the precision required in this profession.
3. Job Stability – It is one of the rare streams where you get a guaranteed government job placement right when you are admitted to a medical college. So there is no hassle in terms of the surety of getting a job.
4. Economic Fluidity – For a long time now, we know that money talks and that is no problem in this profession. The salary doctors are entitled to go hand in hand with the effort they have to put into their profession. Apart from government hospitals, there are also various private organizations ready to take you in and for a rightful amount of salary.
How to Get into the Top Medical Colleges in India?
As already said, the youth population in India is huge, while the seats of medical colleges are limited. There exists a tremendous amount of competition to get into a medical college. According to present estimates, there are around 83,075 MBBS and 26,949 BDS medical seats all over India, while the total number of examinees is around 14 lakhs. The Indian Government has arranged for a common entrance examination eligible to all the students who have qualified their school (10+2) board examinations to get into a medical college. The examination is known as the NEET-UG which stands for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test. Some salient features of this examination are—
i) It is a pen and paper mode, offline examination.
ii) Exam centres are in the number of thousands and are spread across various cities and towns in India.
iii) The exam can be taken in 13 different languages.
iv) The questions are of multiple-choice types (MCQs).
v) The exam is of 720 marks and consists of 180 questions. The total time allotted is 180 minutes. Each correct answer carries 4 marks while every wrong answer costs 1 negative mark. Leaving out a question gives neither reward nor penalty.
Simply qualifying in this exam is never enough to secure a spot in the top medical colleges in India. One has to have a high AIR (All India Rank) to have a chance at a seat in such colleges. Seats in the top colleges (say top 20) usually close within an AIR of 4000 for the General candidates. Hence we can easily assume how difficult it can be to rank within 4000 amongst 14 lakh candidates.
Top 10 Medical Colleges in India
1. All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi
The AIIMS colleges in India are certainly amongst the best in the country, but AIIMS Delhi just set the bar up too high. It’s the best medical facility in the country and certainly the top institute to get into. It is a government-owned college. Estimated Cut off (AIR) for the college- UR- 53 OBC-236 SC-1081 ST-2090
2. Christian Medical College (CMC), Vellore
It is a semi-government college and the best privately owned medical college in India. It is located in Vellore, Tamil Nadu. The cut off (NEET marks scored) for the college in 2019 was: UR-685 SC/ST/OBC-468
3. Armed Forces Medical College, Pune
This college was the first medical college in India to be run by the Armed Forces. Nevertheless, it is an institute that excels in education and research. 2020 cut off (NEET score) was: Boys- 618 Girls- 637
4. Maulana Azad Medical College, New Delhi
Certainly another of the best and most popular colleges in India. This college is also located in the capital of the country, New Delhi. It is a government-owned institution. 2020 cut off (AIR) of the college: UR- 90 OBC-5814 SC-1475 ST-2334
5. Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Post Graduate Medical Education and Research (JIPMER), Pondicherry
This prestigious institute is located in the union territory of Pondicherry. It is a government-owned institution. The expected cut off for this institution is: UR-156 OBC- 324 SC- 1432 ST- 2406
6. Kasturba Medical College (KMC), Manipal
Located in the Manipal district of Bangalore, this medical college stands out as one of the best across nations. From foreign exchange students to top placements, this college provides the best hands-on clinical exposure to every student.
7. King George’s Medical University, Lucknow
This medical University, located at the heart of Uttar Pradesh, provides a wide range of courses from MBBS to BDS to MD/MS, MSc. Nursing and even PG-diploma. It has got a diverse collection of faculty, libraries, and research facilities.
8. Grant Government Medical College, Mumbai
Affiliated to the Maharashtra University of Health Sciences, GGMC had once stood as the 2nd best medical college all over India. 200 students are selected annually through NEET-UG and 100 students for the post-graduation courses.
9. St. John’s Medical College, Bangalore
One of the best medical colleges, St. John’s medical college is a bit tough to get into as it accepts only 60 students for their UG courses through the all India NEET exam.
10. University College of Medical Sciences (UCMS), New Delhi
UCMS was founded back in 1971 and is affiliated with the University of Delhi. The college provides 150 seats to the NEET aspirants annually, out of which 15% is for All India Quota and the rest 85% is reserved for students from Delhi.
Conclusion
Getting into a top medical college was never an easy task. Apart from merit, it requires tenuous hard work with patience and dedication. The medical profession is one of selfless devotion as taken through the Hippocratic’ oath on the very first day. 5.5 years of MBBS degree is the fruit of rigorous practice and commitment. The road might be tough but it’s not impossible. And as the proverb goes, where there is a will, there is a way, with proper routine and guidance, you’ll be all set to ace the entrance exam and get the college of your dreams.
