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Mom always said, “Doctor. Now that’s a great profession!” Yeah, she is a typical Indian mom that way. So as far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be one. It was much later—when I joined med school—that I realized that this was something I really enjoyed and wanted to do for the rest of my life.
Now, I was by no means a front bencher, nerdy topper of the class. In fact, I don’t ever remember doing my homework on time. But I always paid attention in class and worked seriously to score well in all my tests.
As school came to an end, my parents and I decided that I should complete Grades 11 and 12 in Southern India. The reason being, there were schools there that were affiliated to reputed coaching institutes which provided the best of medical and engineering preparatory classes nationwide. Nowadays, there are a lot of such institutes closer by and not to forget online coaching classes too. But, if you ask me, going to Vikas Vidyaniketan (Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh) was the best decision I made. Not because I loved it there. In fact, quite the opposite. All I did was study, study and then some more. Thousands of miles away from home, with access to phones restricted, and coordinators calling me out when I zoned out. It was tough! But that was good for me as I needed that push…and a constant reminder of my purpose for being there. When I look back, I think what I gained from being there were:
I got out of my comfort zone and I got a glimpse of the real world outside the protective care of my home and family. It was like a wake-up call
I learned to focus on what is important for me. I don’t like to use the word sacrifice, because it isn’t. It is all about choices (you have to pick some and let go of some). It was all about what direction I wished my life to take
I was surrounded by like-minded people striving for the same goal. Their zeal motivated me and made me work harder. The two years were not lonely as I had their companionship
I joined Medical College Kolkata. It is a reputed college with quality education. I also got exposure to a variety of clinical cases (something that worked in my favour when I started work). Having said that, I had to be very hands-on. Also, a huge portion of the work had to be at my own initiative. Whether I kept up with the rest or not was my responsibility (this is true of most government medical colleges). Since the task was Herculean; exhaustion, feeling like an imposter, and at times being completely overwhelmed was normal. But all was not doom and gloom. As the saying goes, “Work hard, party harder”. M.B.B.S. students (myself included) did have fun. I had more than my fair share of parties, overnight trips, and adda sessions. I guess it’s a matter of balancing your studies / work with the other parts of your life.
This has been my journey so far. I wish you the very best for yours.
Doctor S (Kalimpong)
