POINTS TO BE CONSIDERED WHILE CHOOSING A MEDICAL COLLEGE

Admission Counselling by medical students from medical colleges all across India, is an initiative on the part of PMT Gurumantra, so that you won’t be alone while making the toughest choice in your life. A student needs to do a lot of research on the college before choosing it and the major problem that arises here is the lack of correct information. But we, at PMT Gurumantra, are determined to solve all the problems and doubts that may come across your mind.

It is often seen that students are misguided by the lists of top medical colleges published in various magazines and websites. They claim that their survey is based on education facilities and research opportunities provided by the institution but it is usually seen that they include some of the private colleges in the list too which don’t seem to fit in.

So don’t follow them blindly; instead select your own preferences and do your own research by keeping the following factors in mind:

1. College Infrastructure – Old /New, Good / Bad
2. Internal PG (as in VMMC & IMS-BHU) – It is the biggest deciding factor while choosing a medical college. Always give it a priority.

3. Hospital Infrastructure – The more the diagnostic facilities available, the more do you get to learn about them.

4. Average number of patients visiting the OPD per day – more are the patients, more are the variety of cases you will come to see in your clinical postings.

5. City (Delhi = Mumbai > State Capital > Cities > Town
Prefer Delhi; Delhi Advantages – cultural fests of plenty of college, PG coaching, good exposure, near home, well connected, good food etc.

6. Home State

7. Number of PG states in state ( UG:PG ratio should not be skewed)

8. Bond for rural posting (in Maharashtra)

9. Faculty

10. Past academic record

11. Hostel facilities (you are going to spend the most unforgettable 51/2 years of your life here!!!)

12. Ragging scenario – yes it is still prevalent in many colleges in UP and Bihar; but it’s fun in rest of the colleges.

13. Fees (lowest in AIIMS, MAMC, LHMC & UCMS)

14.Recreation Facilities – sports, culture, literature – AIIMS and AFMC are the colleges where you would get ample opportunity to groom your interests and passion.

15. Attendance – yes! Not now, but once into college you would realize that you should have chosen a college where regular attendance is not a compulsion – here too AIIMS leads the list.

16.Salary – Confirm the current salary paid to the interns and PGs to the students in the college you are taking. Compare it with other colleges. It is lower in MP, Maharashtra and other states…In Delhi the salary paid to the interns is around 12-14000 and to the PGs its 50000 approx..

17. Language – Students from North may have language barrier in southern states and  Maharashtra..Similarly South Indians will not feel comfortable in Punjab , Orissa , North East..So it is better to choose your own state or a state where language is  not an issue e.g. Delhi, MP, Rajasthan, Western UP