A record 1.47 lakh students from Tamil Nadu have applied for NEET, the mandatory test for medical admissions this year. This is around 5,000 more than last year, largely due to renewed interest in medicine after the pandemic.
Ishita, a Class 12 student, has been studying 16 hours a day after her board exams, hoping to crack the NEET. Explaining the hard work she puts in, Ishita told NDTV, "From 9.15 am to 4.30 pm, I attend coaching class. Back home, I study for another six hours. In the morning I study two more hours."
Tamil Nadu has 11,575 medical seats, the highest in the country.
A bulk of the aspirants are repeaters who finished Class 12 in the previous years.
RY Lohitha's family has a history of cancer. She is attempting for a second time to fulfil her dream of becoming a surgical oncologist. "I have given my best, so I don't feel I could have done better. Some days I sleep just for a few hours and later feel sleepy in class," she said.
Tamanna Barthwal is from a family of defence personnel spanning over four generations. She wants to serve in any of the forces as a doctor. "I listen to music to beat stress. Earlier, I never used to listen when my mother asked me to meditate. Now I do," she said.
There's also a rise in government school students appearing for NEET, availing a 7.5 per cent quota.
With NEET turning competitive, students are under severe stress. Many join private coaching centres as early as Class 6.
Santosh Kumar Singh, the centre head of Allen Career Institute, has asked aspirants to "keep calm, get used to working from 2 pm so they don't feel sleepy during exam time."
"Don't attempt to study any fresh topic now," he said.
Tamil Nadu is still opposed to the NEET, arguing it favours affluent students and puts the poor and students from rural areas at a disadvantage.
For nearly a decade, the state had abolished entrance tests and made medical admissions based on Class 12 marks. Still, if numbers are any indication, it seems doctor aspirants are beginning to join the NEET race with vigour.
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