Andhra Medical College - A Tale of the Triumph

MBBS is a dream of lakhs of students in India and I am no different. I worked really hard to get myself enrolled in this prestigious 100-year-old Medical College of India. Student-Teacher Ratio during lectures is around 125:1 and during practicals and small-group Discussions is about 20:1. Faculty in all medical colleges are well qualified as they themselves are doctors first and then a professor. Most of them have done their MD/MS degree from renowned Medical Institutes of India including AIIMS, JIPMER, PGI etc. The teaching method is a bit monotonous during lectures because most of the professors teach passively using a presentation, but real teaching happens in Laboratories and Clinical Postings where we actually see the purpose of our studies. Term Exams are one of the most dreaded things in most medical colleges as they make really tough to test the real understanding of the students in a particular subject. Passing criteria is 50% marks in both Theory & Practicals.

Every Medical Student, after passing the final professional examinations, has a serve a one-year period of clinical internship called 'House-surgency' in different government hospitals that come under the college with a stipend of 22,500/- per month. After the Internship, one is free to prepare for further studies or jobs.

Fees in Government Medical Colleges are very Nominal, unlike the sky-touching fess of Private Institutions. 1st Year Fees : 26,500/-, 2nd Year Fees : 10,250/-, 3rd Year Fees : 10,250/-, 4th Year Fees : 10,250/-. Internship Stipend: 22,000/- per month for 1 year. Hostel Fee: 10,000/- per year, Mess Fee: 4,500/- per month. No scholarships were provided to me.

Every year we celebrate our Annual Fest which has a unique different name every year. It lasts for about 7 Days and includes Dances, Singing, a Fashion Show, Literary activities, Quizzes, Drama, challenges, Arts & crafts, Photography, Games and Food Stalls, a DJ Night with Last Day Prize Distribution & Cultural Show. We just celebrated our Centenary Annual Fest - TARANG in August 2023. Central Library is huge with an enormous collection of Medical Books, Articles, Journals, and research Thesis of Medical Professors and Students of the college. It has 2 big 24-hour Reading Rooms which are fully Air-conditioned to ensure peaceful study-hours. Classroom and Lecture Galleries are mostly Air-conditioned (except a few) and provide good-spaced seating areas. However, I feel the size of classrooms could be bigger to accommodate the entire strength. Every Lecture Gallery has a Projector, Green Board, and a White Screen. Almost all sports activities are present in the Boys Hostel.

Being a Government Hostel one must not keep high expectations from the hostel. Small rooms are accommodating 3-4 people per room. Girls Hsotel is located inside the campus whereas Bous Hostel is about 500 m from the Hospital's main gate. The Meals include a typical South Indian Breakfast, Andhra Meals for Lunch, and Mixed cuisine for Dinner. Food is hygienic and is served hot with unlimited servings except for chicken (can take extra by paying). The menu is more or less similar every day with non-veg being served four times a week and a wholesome Andhra Style Biryani on Sunday. Sunday Dinner is not served. Hostels are quite affordable with a 10,000/- deposit and a 4,500/- Mess Bill per month.

To get into Andhra Medical College, one has to write a National Level Entrance Exam called NEET (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test). Eligibility criteria include a minimum age of 17 years and at least 60% aggregate in English, Physics, Chemistry & Biology in the 12th Class. Once the exam, an All India Rank will be generated and the candidate can apply for Counselling (either All India Councelling or the Andhra Pradesh State Councelling). If alloted to the college, one has to report within a week and confirm the admission by submitting all the required documents and medical fitness certificates. There are 250 seats available of which 15% seats are available for the All India Quota Students, while the rest are filled by Andhra Pradesh State Counseling. One has to sign a bond of discontinuation, i.e. if he/she discontinues the course, they are liable to pay an amount of 3,00,000 (plus 18% GST) to the Government of Andhra Pradesh. 37% of seats are reserved for OBC, SC & ST.