Name: Abhishek Maurya
Birth Place: Delhi
Academic Qualification: MBBS from University College of Medical Sciences & Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital, Delhi, India (Admission Batch: 2019)
Languages you speak/write: Hindi and English
In this engaging interview series, we go beyond the classroom to delve into the heart of campus life, providing a glimpse into Abhishek Maurya's diverse and transformative experiences.
Priya: Hello Abhishek, Welcome to Medbound Times. Please tell us something about your professional life.
Abhishek: I am pursuing an MBBS from University College of Medical Sciences and Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital, Delhi, India.
Priya: Why did you choose MBBS?
Abhishek: I didn't have any such intention to pursue MBBS; I wanted to pursue engineering. In my first two attempts, I ruined my preparation for engineering. I didn't have enough marks to opt for engineering in my second attempt, and it was my last chance to choose between engineering and MBBS. However, my marks were not sufficient for engineering, and my father also wanted me to become a doctor. That's why I chose MBBS, and it will bring diversity to my family with one engineer and one doctor.
Priya: Why did you choose University College of Medical Sciences for MBBS?
Abhishek: When my marks in the NEET entrance exam were 605, I thought that based on the previous year's rankings, I would secure a rank around 1,000 and get admission to MAMC. However, there was such a significant variation in marks and rank that I ended up with a rank of 6,655 and didn't get admission to Maulana Azad Medical College in the first round. After that, I had a choice between VMMC and UCMS. VMMC offers two types of seats: subsidized and non-subsidized. I would have gotten a non-subsidized seat with a fee of around 1.3 lakh per year, which I couldn't afford at that time because my brother was pursuing an expensive M.Tech program and my father couldn't bear the additional financial burden. On the other hand, UCMS has a fee of only 7,000 per year, and there isn't much difference between UCMS and VMMC, except for the PG quota and hostel availability. It was also a challenge for me to commute to VMMC as there was no hostel facility available, whereas UCMS provides a hostel. Additionally, UCMS offers more cultural activities, which was another influencing factor for me.
Priya: Tell us something about the campus and hostel life at University College of Medical Sciences.
Abhishek : If we consider rankings, UCMS comes after AIIMS, MAMC, and VMMC. Our college has students with All India Ranks of 60 and 63 as well, who opted for UCMS when they didn't get admission to MAMC.
It is often said that our college can be compared to AIIMS Delhi academically, and there is no doubt about it. We have many professors who are heads of various research institutes. For instance, our Community Medicine professor was the head of ICMR, which is the higher council for medical research. We have several professors like him, and even our campus is comparable to AIIMS. Our campus spans 125 acres and is surrounded by greenery. There is no doubt about the beauty of our campus, and many students choose UCMS because of it. Moreover, we have the advantage of single-room hostel accommodation from the first year itself, which is not common in many other colleges. If we consider rankings, UCMS comes after AIIMS, MAMC, and VMMC. Our college has students with All India Ranks of 60 and 63 as well, who opted for UCMS when they didn't get admission to MAMC.
Priya: What do you learn from this profession? Or what’s the best part of your profession?
Abhishek: Apart from gaining medical knowledge, there is a lot to learn in terms of personality development in medical college. Interacting with patients helps in overall personality development. Choosing MBBS in this college means dealing with people's problems and listening to their issues. People don't usually listen to others' problems, but once we enter the field of MBBS, we are required to listen to patients' problems. This helps in becoming problem solvers and developing patience by calmly listening to patients. Overall, personality development is inevitable. Here, we also get to learn a lot from cultural activities and sports. We learn how to communicate professionally and how to progress further. If we talk specifically about MBBS, college life is the best part. Hostel life is a major part of college life, and we learn a lot after joining college. Besides that, sports activities and cultural events are also the best parts. Although academics can be challenging, it may be the best part for some.
Priya: Best/memorable moment?
Abhishek: Moments like these occur during practicals, where we may give the opposite or incorrect answer to a question, and even the examiner laughs. We also laugh in such situations. During the anatomy practical, I was asked to identify the pelvic bone, but I couldn't correctly connect the femur to the pelvic bone. They then sent me to the practical lab with the bone in my hand, and I was walking through the corridor while people were watching me. Later, they called me back and compared it with the female skeleton placed there, telling me to go and check it. There are many instances like these where someone may mistake the liver for the spleen or vice versa because both organs are large. It's difficult to differentiate them in the first year. At that time, it feels awkward for us as well as for the examiner, but afterward, we all laugh about it.
Priya: Any message for your junior or upcoming doctors?
Abhishek: Everyone thinks that life will be better in the future after pursuing MBBS, and it's true that you have to enjoy and work hard at the same time. It's not like life suddenly becomes amazing after getting into MBBS, nor does it become completely worthless. It's important to balance everything and keep moving forward.