I personally feel that lectures are useful because in a span of 1 hour, I atleast get to know one thing more than I knew before.
Suyog Wagh
MIMER Medical College
III YEAR Topper
1.Congratulations on achieving such an amazing feat. Tell us a bit about yourself. Please also tell us your individual marks in each subject.
I’m Suyog S. Wagh, now a final year MBBS student from MIMER Medical College. I’m of the belief that acquiring knowledge should be the primary task of a student and scoring marks should be secondary. In the previous exam, i.e. III(I) MBBS, I scored 75% overall with 151/200 in Community Medicine, 76/100 in Ophthalmology and 73/75 in ENT.
2.So, when all of this is new and the rest of us are still busy figuring the head and tail of the subject,how did you tackle and master the syllabus?
I divided my time in two parts.One part(70%)of my time,I would study the subject in which I was posted for that month.For e.g.If I was posted in ENT for March,I’d study ENT for most of my time.The rest 30% of my time would be utilised for keeping me in touch with the topics taught in the lectures and the tutorials.
3.Did you have a set schedule, a time table that you stuck to? What were the daily hours that you put in self study ?
I never set a schedule for myself due to varying college timetable for each day.However,I always decide the number of hours I want to study in a day and try achieving it before 11pm.It is usually 3hours on a working day and 8-10hours on a holiday.
4.Is there any particular way in which you study or any special notes that you make? Maybe a different approach than what students normally do?
I take little breaks of around 5 minutes after studying for 30 minutes.I walk around during this time and try to recollect whatever I’ve read during the past 30 minutes.In the next break,I try to recollect what I’ve read in the two sessions combined.
5.Do you have any tips on the Do’s and Don’ts of it? How do you manage to keep yourself motivated when studies start taking a toll on you? Are there any ‘distractions’ that actually help you in the process?
a Do’s
-Sleep properly
-Prefer reading standard textbooks over someone else’s notes
-Eat adequately
-Be socially active
b Don’ts
-Don’t stress yourself too much
-Don’t deviate yourself from your goals
Whenever I’m stressed out,I either meditate for a while,talk with my friends or even look at memes on facebook sometimes.If I’m seeking motivation, I check videos of my favourite athletes or listen to TED talks.
6.Also how important do you think is attending lecrures in college? Considering half of the students are either busy on their phones or sleeping, does it really help?
That depends on the perspective.I personally feel that lectures are useful because in a span of 1hour,I atleast get to know one thing more than I knew before.Otherwise I might have wasted that time.Clinical postings and tutorials shouldn’t be taken lightly,though.
7.Was there any help that you acquired while preparing for the exams? Like any visual aids any professional guidance? Or those little tit bits that the professors tell us but none other than the toppers pay attention to? Please share with us.
I check for line diagrams on google every now and then.I also watch videos of different surgeries and procedures on youtube.They help in understanding the topic better.
Try recalling things without looking in the textbook from your first revision itself.
8.How vital is the Question Bank during exams? Does it come highly recommended or you advice thorough reading of the text and having confound knowledge of the subject?
I’d advice complete reading of textbook atleast ONCE before the question bank is emphasised upon.This not only helps one to gain more knowledge but also helps to get a detailed orientation of the subject.It also helps while solving MCQs which can be framed from any corner of the book.
9.Could you suggest a method of studying or kind of discipline that should be followed during exam time?
Try recalling things without looking in the textbook from your first revision itself.Don’t study anything new at the last moment.Rather,thoroughly revise what you’ve already read before.And most importantly,sleep properly.Even on the day before the paper,sleep for atleast 8 hours.
10.What do you do to keep yourself kinda stress free? Go for a swim, go for a walk or just wiggle under the blanket and fall asleep or what?
Either meditate,listen to music or sleep.Even play various sports at times.Depends on how much time I have.
11.Are you involved in any extracurricular activities, be it sports, cultural or academics? How do you manage it along with your routine academics?
I play football and basketball and have won various prizes in the same as well.Last year,I also conducted a research which was selected by ICMRSTS.I also attend various conferences,CMEs,participate in debates etc.These activities require a littlebit of time but they help in many ways. I think one hour a day for such things is more than enough and is not difficult to find.
12.Could you give some important pointers on Exam writing skills? And also how should one prepare for a practical exam? Any special tips for the people of your college who would be reading this?
As soon as you receive the Qpaper, Don’ tstart writing from the next moment.Take a moment or two.Breathe easily.Read all the questions and decide in your mind how you’re going to write the answers to them.Recall which diagrams and flowcharts are supposed tobe drawn and then star twriting.Divide your time properly so that all the questions can be attempted.Remember,two half attempted answers fetch you more marks than one completely written answer.
For practicals, don’t forget to present yourself properly.Don’t say anything which you don’t know or aren’t sure of.
13.What is the one major thing that you would like to change in today’s curriculum?
Integrated teachin gshould be started.For eg.Teach anatomy,physiology,biochemistry,pathology,pharmacology,medicine,surgeryetc.o faparticular system together rather than teaching them differently in different classes.
14.So, do you have any parting thoughts? Like disclosing that secret mantra that you chanted or that special brand of energy drink you savored? Just kidding. Seriously though. Anything at all?
Like in KungFuPanda, the secret element is YOURSELF. Maximising your potential is the key.
Interviewed By- Dharmin Doshi & Shivani Indrekar