the truth about Sri Ramachandra Medical College

[vinu_neuro]

how competitive is it to get into SRMC?

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[thisisvick]

Most seats for NRIs in india are donation based -- though you have to meet qualifiications of having taken certain subjects (Biology, Chemistry, Physics) which is almost certain if you went to a US high school

If you want to come to SRMC your best bet is to get a hold of the admissions dept or visit srmc.edu for further contact info. But to my knowledge this year is pretty much filled up. You have to realize medical schools in india are limited to the number of foreign seats they can give. Typically its about 15 percent which comes out to be around 20 or so NRI spots out of the 150 batch the college takes per year. The college operates on a first come first serve basis so if you show enough interest early on, moreso if you place a downpayment on tuition early on, your essentially guaranteed a spot.

 

[hopeful05]

well vick...everyone has a different experience in college....as in life...
yeah your disposition and attitude makes a big difference in what that experience is...i for one am glad i had the indian education that i did...it really prepares you..because i guess you learn that no matter what you do...as a student you can't be perfect. hence, the 4.5 out of 5 being max one can get. it was annoying then..but getting 100's in the US makes you complacent...I find myself studying only what's required.."what's going to be on the test"...thats it....no extra effort at all... is that good or bad???

my sis had the pleasure of attending college (biophysics) in india as well...and u r right...from what i hear..the pass/ fail thing stands ..... some students spend years taking Re's for exams thay failed.... so it seems like...u know...what are you learning there? but somehow..indian education is the best...prepares you to cram and spill really well nah...seriously...its tough there...
anyways..do you go.../ did you go there?-SRMC?

 

[thisisvick]

I am a first year at SRMC..... and here is my take on the whole studyin what you need to...

If you notice the "class toppers" -- in the united states and even abroad here in india -- they got one common thread -- they do study more then what is required and by this i mean....

here are some examples
Like in engineering -- the kids who memorize code and complete assignments and sure.. they get an A -- but its the kid who codes something for fun... goes into a lil more depth.. that person comes out ahead... especially in job placement...

And at the end of the day it comes down to passion -- I know alot of kids who want to come to india and be a doc -- but they lack the passion and moreso the intensity to do so -- and this is not to say I am all passionate about medicine but i am gettin there... Unlike other fields -- the content in medicine is vast and diverse.... u have to take time with everything and make sure your on the ball

And finally.. haha of course.. i know soo many docs who just got by.. and damn... and they put to rest the phrase "you get what you give" -- cuase there gettin alot of $$ for something they dont like... but i like to think philosophical and think about the overall journy in life -- its what you really want to get out of it.. and thats self-satisfaction... soo if you study what is necessary and your content with it... then there it is... achieve self satisfaction... **haha just dont be self satisfied being a bum**

 

[nokia]

well guys ..i`m from mangalore , india , KMC under MAHE. for those preferring banfgalore over manipal just inquire abt manipal before u take final decisonj . Manipal is one of the best when it comes to facilities & infrastructure . sometime i feel this plce is just not right for us , the indian middle class . NRIs come here from all over the world . one more fact ..98 % of the ppl in manipal hacve cellphones ! good luck

 

[g3k]

Just to add to Thisisvick's great post, when it comes to pass or fail in SRMC, and when you get your credentials evaluated by the US credential evaluation services, a 60% is an A. In India, 75 % is distinction (which is equivalent to an A in the US).

I think, whenver someone gives opinions (high or low) on schools, you take it with a grain of salt. You are the one who is going to attend that school. Go to the school and ask the students, I am sure they are pretty willing to help. Look around the place, you will be living there!!! Dont complain that there was nothing after you get the admission!!! I am sure there is quite a bit in Chennai, from beaches to night clubs to almost everything.

Atleast thats what I did and found it great in SRDC (dental school), though I did find a few faults (students always complain about their school, the grass is always greener on the other side)!!! Every school has its pros and cons. I went to school in the US, just for a few prerequisites. A couple of things that I found weird here, were students couldnt do basic calculation. All the questions posted in the 'sample' exam was in the exam !!! Then whats the point in an exam???? If the OP found girls and guys sitting separately (which I think is a bad attitude on the schools part), I found the girls wearing micro miniskirts seated in the second row and with their feet on the seat in front row weird. That is cultural difference. And you should expect that when you are going to a different country. I have done my schooling in several countries and each country is different. Dont ever expect two countries to be the same.

And to the OP, of course you do have internet services to the room. You just have to pay extra .. 10000 rupees that is an equivalent of about 200 US dollars per year .. thats not bad. And NO, the girls dont have TVs in their own rooms!!! As for the sports in SRMC, there is cricket ... which if you dont know how to play or if you are not interested, no one can help it!! There is table tennis and soccer too. Obviously you cant expect baseball or American football in India!!!

To sum up ... TAKE OPINIONS AND SUGGESTIONS WITH A GRAIN OF SALT!!

 

[hopeful05]

Like in engineering -- the kids who memorize code and complete assignments and sure.. they get an A -- but its the kid who codes something for fun... goes into a lil more depth.. that person comes out ahead... especially in job placement...
And at the end of the day it comes down to passion --

so true...passion and innovation is the key to accomplishment...but its also something that can't be forced.

but i like to think philosophical and think about the overall journy in life -- its what you really want to get out of it.. and thats self-satisfaction... soo if you study what is necessary and your content with it... then there it is... achieve self satisfaction...

naah...i am not content with learning only whats necessary...it really bothers me sometimes...i feel like i am cheating...myself...out of a complete education...out of what i can potentially be by making the extra effort...

**haha just dont be self satisfied being a bum**

but hey! if a bum is self satisfied being a bum...and really happy with being a bum ...then Go! bum! ..coz he/she has achieved what everyone is looking for...

 

[CaliAtenza]

Just to add to Thisisvick's great post, when it comes to pass or fail in SRMC, and when you get your credentials evaluated by the US credential evaluation services, a 60% is an A. In India, 75 % is distinction (which is equivalent to an A in the US).

I think, whenver someone gives opinions (high or low) on schools, you take it with a grain of salt. You are the one who is going to attend that school. Go to the school and ask the students, I am sure they are pretty willing to help. Look around the place, you will be living there!!! Dont complain that there was nothing after you get the admission!!! I am sure there is quite a bit in Chennai, from beaches to night clubs to almost everything.

Atleast thats what I did and found it great in SRDC (dental school), though I did find a few faults (students always complain about their school, the grass is always greener on the other side)!!! Every school has its pros and cons. I went to school in the US, just for a few prerequisites. A couple of things that I found weird here, were students couldnt do basic calculation. All the questions posted in the 'sample' exam was in the exam !!! Then whats the point in an exam???? If the OP found girls and guys sitting separately (which I think is a bad attitude on the schools part), I found the girls wearing micro miniskirts seated in the second row and with their feet on the seat in front row weird. That is cultural difference. And you should expect that when you are going to a different country. I have done my schooling in several countries and each country is different. Dont ever expect two countries to be the same.

And to the OP, of course you do have internet services to the room. You just have to pay extra .. 10000 rupees that is an equivalent of about 200 US dollars per year .. thats not bad. And NO, the girls dont have TVs in their own rooms!!! As for the sports in SRMC, there is cricket ... which if you dont know how to play or if you are not interested, no one can help it!! There is table tennis and soccer too. Obviously you cant expect baseball or American football in India!!!

To sum up ... TAKE OPINIONS AND SUGGESTIONS WITH A GRAIN OF SALT!!

good advice mang....actually there is Baseball in india...one of my uncles during his college days was on a team that won the reigionals of his state. He said there are about 200 teams in india. He played shortstop and i think 3rd base. They had to get all their equipment from the US embassy up in Delhi and stuff. Imma try to organize american football games or somethin..on weekends possibly, when im going to school over in india...lol.

 

[g3k]

good advice mang....actually there is Baseball in india...one of my uncles during his college days was on a team that won the reigionals of his state. He said there are about 200 teams in india. He played shortstop and i think 3rd base. They had to get all their equipment from the US embassy up in Delhi and stuff. Imma try to organize american football games or somethin..on weekends possibly, when im going to school over in india...lol.

Truthfully, I did try to play, unsuccessfully, a little baseball during my high school in Chennai ... but there was no good instructor!!! Good luck on your mission ...

 

[allergic2morons]

1. Backstabbing ?
Truthbetold... are you a f*ckin idiot.. dude lets be honest -- would you really rely on one person to get the portions for an internal.... no you must be a f*ckin idiot cause you didnt go to class and find out what the hell you were studying for the past month. MAN - its no surprise what will be coming on the internals because its the material that is covered in class -- moreso departments usually post up possible questions before the exam SO YOU KNOW EXACTLY WHAT IS GOING ON.... and of course lets be fair there are those bastards that will give you wrong info just to mess with you-- and in all honesty.. they expect you to figure it out that their just messin with you.. but dude.. backstabbing.. welcome to life man.. it happens all the time.. its not only india --- and seniors are more then there for you to help you pass - the last thing they want to see is you failing

ASK NO QUESTION AND U WILL BE TOLD NO LIES

Do u people still have Prof Sembulingam? I remember one of my friends using his "A Textbook of Physiology".

 

[thisisvick]

No he left awhile ago actually.. tho he has a new edition of his book sells pretty well considering its not endoresed by the physio department

 

[vstyle]

lol..no i dont. is that an acura
rx stands for pharmacy and #8 is just random (no reason behind that)
hey do u go to UCI? i graduated 2004 in bio.

Wait, I thought Rx stood for prescription?

 

[CaliAtenza]

Wait, I thought Rx stood for prescription?

prescription=what pharmacists and doctors write. I thin Rx just stands for medicine...

 

[naveenanirada]

Truth be told, nothing but the truth, so here we go....
Dude nobody invited u to go 2 India 2 Study.U went there on yr own.Question is WHY?
Because U did not have it in u to make it in the USA-right?Guess what, even after your dad paid cash for you to bypass the Merit based system, u r still having problems-right?
Now lets do a review of how your case looks to others:
Some dude was a loser at home[in your case USA], so he bought a medical seat with his dad's money bypassing the merit system, and he still could not make it!

Pls blame India each time you have a failure, do not worry ,it will work like a charm,no body will know you r a loser.And all those doctors who graduate out of Indian med schools also did not learn much,though they are every where and have a good reputation......but do not worry just stick 2 your story that Indian med schools-all of them-have lousy teachers, not good enough to teach a loser from the US whose dad bought him a med school seat ,to begin with!!


P.S-U did not go to a US school because u wanted to save money?Or is it because U can't even get a cumulative 21 at MCAT and have a GPA below 3.5 your whole f*cking life?U can never make it here in the US coz u r stupid.The only way is thru India for u,but in all probablity u will sc*ew that up too.

 

[g3k]

ASK NO QUESTION AND U WILL BE TOLD NO LIES

Do u people still have Prof Sembulingam? I remember one of my friends using his "A Textbook of Physiology".

He left a couple of years back, to Singapore .. I think. In the beginning, he made hand written notes and handed it to a couple of us students for the exam and it was sooo helpful .. he turned it into a book in a couple of month's time !!!

 

[concorde]

May be Manipal is an exception. I haven't been to Manipal, but some of my cousins and friends went to Manipal( some of them came back as drug addicts (not medical school though) ). But 99% of the Indian schools work exactly the same way as OP mentioned.

To caliAtenza,
I hope Manipal works best for you. But if you have never been to India before and you don't know much about the social conditions and cultural restrictions, you are going to have hard time. It doesn't matter if it is SRMC or Manipal.

Good Luck

Ravi,
Sorry to hear about your friends and cousins, but, unfortunately they made wrong choices and decisions. I am sure you did not intend to mean it but wrong decisions of a few individuals does not reflect an institution's image . The positive note is that most (99%) of the individuals who came out of Manipal are top notch professionals/executives accross the globe. Having done a long stint at Boeing in Seattle I can vouch for that (having said that, the next time you sit in a Boeing Aircraft you can remember that a Manipal computer engineer had a significant hand in making that aircraft). But, yes, I agree with your feedback to caliAtenza. I would like to apologize to you if you did not like my posting but I wanted to dispel any misconceptions about Manipal in general as I went through this phase (of drug addicts) and almost ended up not going there(I would have lost out a lot if that happened).

Drug addicts come out of the IITs too and of course Harvard, Stanford etc.

 

[sk2005-06]

How is the work and the time off u get in the different courses? For ex: Is there more time off in the Detist batch as opposed to the MBBS batch??

 

[parasiteatwork]

How is the work and the time off u get in the different courses? For ex: Is there more time off in the Detist batch as opposed to the MBBS batch??

eeks !!! I just cant believe that this topic is still continuing !!!!

 

[heartmd]

d

 

[MustafaMond]

I wanted to address some issues that Truth BeTold has brought up to our attention. I OK first off

1. Backstabbing ?
Truthbetold... are you a f*ckin idiot.. dude lets be honest -- would you really rely on one person to get the portions for an internal....
Man, I was thinking the same thing.

2. Mean grouch professors?
haha you swear all the profs here are senile-- sure of course you got the hard asses who want to shape you up and YES they will pick on you..
Most of the professors are really good, and I've gotten to know them well since graduating. They are all well meaning, and lots of great teachers.
3. Grading system
BUT what TRUTHbetold is not telling you is the hard grading for the internals is there to toughin you up for the universities (finals - end year exams)...
Agree with you. Gotta be good to get through finals...
4. Lets Get Crunk.....
There are quite a few places to hang out -- and there are damn chill people in the city -- and truly it comes down to the person you are.. If you are outgoing and frank, you will meet great people and always find something to do... if your an introvert .. then i hope you enjoy physiology cause thats the only damn book you will be reading.
Madras is a great city...I had some of the best times of my life there...I think about 20% of the class whined and moaned and hung out on campus all day, and then the rest of us really enjoyed it there...
Hostel life gets a lil boring --
Truthbetold said the hostels suck, but the guys NRI dorm is AC, everyone has TVs and fridges,,girls dorm is in a hotel. If you're smart you live off campus like I did.


-----------
Again - for those interested in SRMC - i recommend people to talk to more people who currently go the college.. and for students and parents interested in SRMC please respond and address yoru concerns....

i am out... pEACE I absolutely agree

TruthBeTold, I think you are jaded by SRMC and are probably one of those 20% who never adapted socially.

Well, TruthBeTold it was a great thread...its just that a lot of the stuff you posted is pretty exxagerated and wrong. It decribes the college in an unfair light, and I as an alumni, don't really feel like listening someone's bullsh*t about my alma mater.

You paint such broad strokes about how much life sucks there. Im pretty curious as to what exactly your beef was....did you fail a lot? Were you forced by your parents to go there or something? Did you not fit in?

Grow up and get over it !

Times get rough...especially the summer, and study holidays...but overall, the education was great, and I had a blast....good luck w/ USMLEs TRUTHBETOLD, Ill bet this is why you are stressing out about stuff. Dont worry...just do a lot of MCQs, and youll be fine.

Maybe once you get through and become a full-grown doctor you'll mellow out and see what a blessing the place really was.

Every graduating alumni I know who has passed the boards is now in a residency program. The guys I graduated with are all either in residency, or practicing succesfully (like me).

Truthbetold, suck it up and face life's challenges.
This isnt a cake walk.

SEE THE POSITIVES!

 

[fancymylotus]

TruthBeTold, I think you are jaded by SRMC and are probably one of those 20% who never adapted socially.

Well, TruthBeTold it was a great thread...its just that a lot of the stuff you posted is pretty exxagerated and wrong. It decribes the college in an unfair light, and I as an alumni, don't really feel like listening someone's bullsh*t about my alma mater.

You paint such broad strokes about how much life sucks there. Im pretty curious as to what exactly your beef was....did you fail a lot? Were you forced by your parents to go there or something? Did you not fit in?

Grow up and get over it !

Times get rough...especially the summer, and study holidays...but overall, the education was great, and I had a blast....good luck w/ USMLEs TRUTHBETOLD, Ill bet this is why you are stressing out about stuff. Dont worry...just do a lot of MCQs, and youll be fine.

Maybe once you get through and become a full-grown doctor you'll mellow out and see what a blessing the place really was.

Every graduating alumni I know who has passed the boards is now in a residency program. The guys I graduated with are all either in residency, or practicing succesfully (like me).

Truthbetold, suck it up and face life's challenges.
This isnt a cake walk.

SEE THE POSITIVES!

aaaaaaaaaaaaah mustafamond!

 

[KaliforniaDoll]

Grow up and get over it !

Times get rough...especially the summer, and study holidays...but overall, the education was great, and I had a blast....

Maybe once you get through and become a full-grown doctor you'll mellow out and see what a blessing the place really was.

Every graduating alumni I know who has passed the boards is now in a residency program. The guys I graduated with are all either in residency, or practicing succesfully (like me).

Truthbetold, suck it up and face life's challenges.
This isnt a cake walk.

SEE THE POSITIVES!

Come on musta! Life isnt easy in madras even now. I am just back from Madras visit nearly after a decade . Yep. I went to your almamater to meet my classmate who is a faculty in neurology. SRMC buildings and infrastructure cannot be compared to american standards. My friend was trying to impress me with his 'new' botox techniques for stroke patients. I did not want to disappoint him by saying that botox is in existence and practice here for several years. Hmmm..hospital cafeteria was good with warm parathas and chicken curry. I also enjoyed the Vanilla milkshake.yummy!.

On my way back from SRMC to the city....i was thinking about the misfortune of Desi-american NRIs coming for medical education to India. It was so difficult even for NYer to survive that short visit to madras after living in the US for few years. Damn! i could imagine how hard it would be for a wealthy and sophisticated american raised/born young adult to come here, survive and complete nearly five years of stressful medical education and training. There are so many barriers in India to overcome and successfully attain your goal. Language and Weather are the worse. It is not easy without speaking local language for example tamil in Madras.

I have to congratulate you and your fellow NRIs who have successfully completed your task of going to india for MBBS, passing USMLEs and getting into Residency. It is much difficult THAN a FOB coming to US after medical school in India, passing USMLEs and getting into residency. Both are different ball games though.
Madras has changed so much in the past decade. It was so difficult for me to digest the upgraded version of madras city. Toyotos, Fords, Hyundais, designer outlets, International hotels, spas, fast foods. Everything was there. Still the 'sea of humanbeings', humidity, dust, noise and pollution was dominating. I tried very hard to find a beautiful woman in traditional indian sari with bunch of jasmine flowers in her head. No success. I stayed at resideny towers and to checked out the night club scene. Man! indian chicks dancing in the club was like seeing patients have tonic-clonic seizures in the epilepsy clinic.
BTW....How do the locals call you? Like FOBs here....are you called FFAs? Fresh from America? Man! FOBs hardly get any chicks in America...(xclude NYer here ) i guess FFAs get all the chicks in India..right?

 

[MustafaMond]

I stayed at resideny towers and to checked out the night club scene. Man! indian chicks dancing in the club was like seeing patients have tonic-clonic seizures in the epilepsy clinic.
BTW....How do the locals call you? Like FOBs here....are you called FFAs? Fresh from America? Man! FOBs hardly get any chicks in America...(xclude NYer here ) i guess FFAs get all the chicks in India..right?
?

NYer You are, and will always an FOB.

And btw, the club-scene at residency towers is not the best place to party.
U think its dirty there?
Hey..to each his own... I dont think it was that dusty and dirty. Had a great time too.

 

[TheDervish]

 -For students from the USA, all of you (as did I) will realize how spoiled you were to have the teachers you did in high school. I can not comment on the quality of education in an American college as I have not attended one. NONE of the professors in SRMC have degrees in teaching at all.

I have a 4 year undergraduate degree, and I don't think that a single one of my professors had a degree in teaching.

Furthermore, many of them were from other countries, several of which came from eastern countries, like India for example. Same things apply; subjectivity, and unspoken rules like don't talk back to the teacher. In fact, I even see some of this from American professors. I wouldn't expect this to be different in Medical school in any part of the world.

 

[KaliforniaDoll]

I wish i could be the Minister of Medical Education for Government of India. ( Interestingly Indian Central Health Minister is a doctor who graduated from Madras Medical College). I would revamp the existing whole medical education in india to new level which will then produce worlds finest physicans. Imagine india churning out best physicians and exporting them all over the world and also propogating medical tourism at home. That means world class physicians and surgeons practicing all over india which brings patients from all over the world.
This situation will compete with information technology. India can beat China in progress hands down.

Hmmmm..what can we do? It is very simple. Convert all existing medical schools into 'medical concentration camps'. Torture medical students with mandatory knowledge perfusion. Medical students must eat, breathe and kiss medical text books. Grays anatomy, Davidson, Bailey & Love should become their bibles. Surgical training should mimick like military training. All medical instituitions should be in par with AIIMS in quality. Government of India should convert the indian medical schools administration like IIT. There should be no political interference.
If that happens, india can produce worlds finest quality surgeons and physicans. Indian MDs would have a market like an american pop star, Italian designer or a French Chef at that point.

 

[Dr Jay Kill]

^ somebody is sounding like he has downed a couple of beers

 

[KaliforniaDoll]

^ somebody is sounding like he has downed a couple of beers

 

[jumpman23]

I was accepted to SRMC and will be attending this summer. Anybody else heading to Chennai?

Any advice from current students/alumni?

 

[anjali_shah]

thisisvick (vivek)...have a few questions....and hi jumpman23!

 

[Ninja]

Come on musta! Life isnt easy in madras even now. I am just back from Madras visit nearly after a decade . Yep. I went to your almamater to meet my classmate who is a faculty in neurology. SRMC buildings and infrastructure cannot be compared to american standards. My friend was trying to impress me with his 'new' botox techniques for stroke patients. I did not want to disappoint him by saying that botox is in existence and practice here for several years. Hmmm..hospital cafeteria was good with warm parathas and chicken curry. I also enjoyed the Vanilla milkshake.yummy!.

On my way back from SRMC to the city....i was thinking about the misfortune of Desi-american NRIs coming for medical education to India. It was so difficult even for NYer to survive that short visit to madras after living in the US for few years. Damn! i could imagine how hard it would be for a wealthy and sophisticated american raised/born young adult to come here, survive and complete nearly five years of stressful medical education and training. There are so many barriers in India to overcome and successfully attain your goal. Language and Weather are the worse. It is not easy without speaking local language for example tamil in Madras.

I have to congratulate you and your fellow NRIs who have successfully completed your task of going to india for MBBS, passing USMLEs and getting into Residency. It is much difficult THAN a FOB coming to US after medical school in India, passing USMLEs and getting into residency. Both are different ball games though.
Madras has changed so much in the past decade. It was so difficult for me to digest the upgraded version of madras city. Toyotos, Fords, Hyundais, designer outlets, International hotels, spas, fast foods. Everything was there. Still the 'sea of humanbeings', humidity, dust, noise and pollution was dominating. I tried very hard to find a beautiful woman in traditional indian sari with bunch of jasmine flowers in her head. No success. I stayed at resideny towers and to checked out the night club scene. Man! indian chicks dancing in the club was like seeing patients have tonic-clonic seizures in the epilepsy clinic.
BTW....How do the locals call you? Like FOBs here....are you called FFAs? Fresh from America? Man! FOBs hardly get any chicks in America...(xclude NYer here ) i guess FFAs get all the chicks in India..right?

I'm visiting this summer. Will pay a visit to my Alma Mater and possibly MMC and SRMC - I don't know if any of my friends are there now - need to find out. I'll probably give some seminars in my medschool if my plans work out, let's see. Btw, it's good to see you around here.

 

[Souvik_Sen]

Come on musta! Life isnt easy in madras even now. I am just back from Madras visit nearly after a decade . Yep. I went to your almamater to meet my classmate who is a faculty in neurology. SRMC buildings and infrastructure cannot be compared to american standards. My friend was trying to impress me with his 'new' botox techniques for stroke patients. I did not want to disappoint him by saying that botox is in existence and practice here for several years. Hmmm..hospital cafeteria was good with warm parathas and chicken curry. I also enjoyed the Vanilla milkshake.yummy!.

On my way back from SRMC to the city....i was thinking about the misfortune of Desi-american NRIs coming for medical education to India. It was so difficult even for NYer to survive that short visit to madras after living in the US for few years. Damn! i could imagine how hard it would be for a wealthy and sophisticated american raised/born young adult to come here, survive and complete nearly five years of stressful medical education and training. There are so many barriers in India to overcome and successfully attain your goal. Language and Weather are the worse. It is not easy without speaking local language for example tamil in Madras.

I have to congratulate you and your fellow NRIs who have successfully completed your task of going to india for MBBS, passing USMLEs and getting into Residency. It is much difficult THAN a FOB coming to US after medical school in India, passing USMLEs and getting into residency. Both are different ball games though.
Madras has changed so much in the past decade. It was so difficult for me to digest the upgraded version of madras city. Toyotos, Fords, Hyundais, designer outlets, International hotels, spas, fast foods. Everything was there. Still the 'sea of humanbeings', humidity, dust, noise and pollution was dominating. I tried very hard to find a beautiful woman in traditional indian sari with bunch of jasmine flowers in her head. No success. I stayed at resideny towers and to checked out the night club scene. Man! indian chicks dancing in the club was like seeing patients have tonic-clonic seizures in the epilepsy clinic.
BTW....How do the locals call you? Like FOBs here....are you called FFAs? Fresh from America? Man! FOBs hardly get any chicks in America...(xclude NYer here ) i guess FFAs get all the chicks in India..right?

Actually, all the American Desi girls in my class at SRMC are hooked up with FOBs

 

[KaliforniaDoll]

Actually, all the American Desi girls in my class at SRMC are hooked up with FOBs

Nah! they are not FOBs. Those folks are called Hardcore Desis . You cant call them FOBs. Hardcore desis have not got on boats and crossed the pond yet. BTW....do not underestimate hardcore desis. There are several silver spoon fed kids at SRMC like sons of police chiefs,cabinet ministers, top of the line surgeons, industrialists, movie stars excetras. They are chick magnets. Two of my family friends hooked up with American desi chicks and married them.

FYI: MM was a chick magnet.

 

[KaliforniaDoll]

I'm visiting this summer.

I hope you dont get burnt in madras summer.

 

[KaliforniaDoll]

I was accepted to SRMC and will be attending this summer. Anybody else heading to Chennai?

Any advice from current students/alumni?

jumpman-

Congratulations man for getting into one of the top medschool in india. I always think thrice before giving any advice to someone. Take this only as my suggestions. advice is a big word. I am writing this here only because of your personal request. I am not very sure what you really need academic advice? or social advice? WOW..it is so cool FOB living in america giving advice to FFA going to india. Things are changing topsy turvy. Is this gonna be like survival tips for FFA?

Whatever man, i have seen both ends. I have experienced the medical eduation on both sides of the ocean. so, i can offer some help. There is definitely difference in medical education between india and the united states. But, no big deal. The basic medical knowledge is universal. Medical students learn the same thing all over the world. Australian medstudents are not going to learn anything different than indians. Dont worry too much about going to india. You are gonna be a better doctor if you throw some sincere efforts during your 5 years in india.
Let us chat abt social survival skills another time. Lemme talk abt academic survival now.

Before stepping into the plane to india, make serious resolutions. You must always remember the objective of jumpman going to india. I have seen some american desi folks who went to india for medschool have failed to complete the mission. Many have failed to complete the medschool, some have completed and have failed to pass the USMLEs, few have passed USMLE and still struggling to get into residency. There could be various factors for these scenerios. It should never happen to jumpman. Plan ahead. Plan for the next 5 years before getting into your airplane. This is more important than your boarding pass.

Nothing is more important than learning aids and books. Never ever hesitate to buy any books. Always remember $$$ you have spent on admission and $$ you are gonna spend for living expenses. Books cost nothing when you compare those expenses. The point is never be stingy on books. The moment you enter your SRMC campus, start dreaming abt the day you are gonna leave that campus successfully. Start dreaming for that wonderful day. start your countdown.

(to be continued)

 

[rustic]

hey,
i did my undergrad from srmc and i dont think it is such a bad one....anyway i was trying to contact some old classmates and couldnt get hold of any..........does anybody know any docs from 1999-2000 batch mbbs.....help me out guys...
email me at [email protected] if there is any info...
thanks a lot in advance.

 

[KaliforniaDoll]

Time and tide wait for none. Dont ever think 5 years in india is a long period. I vividly remember my first day in medschool and now am gonna retire soon. but, time has passed so fast. Your 5 year period is slightly longer than US presidential term. If US prez can change the world in just one presidential term, jumpman can easily change his own life upside down in 5 years. right?

Imagine your medschool career is like starting a new business. You got to work hard to make your business flourish and profit. It is absolutely equivalent to starting a business. You have invested thousands of dollars into this study business. so, make out a plan and execute it.

Let us design a business plan for jumpman:

Business Owner: Jumpman
Investment: $$$
Partner: None
Short term goal: ( 2006 -2011)
1. Get MBBS degree
2. Pass USMLE
3. Getting into residency.

Long term goal: (2011-2041)
1. Residency training
2. Becoming a specialist
3. Help people ( 1st priority)
4. make $$$$$ in right way

How to achieve your short term goal?
Take baby steps.
Becoming a top surgeon or physician is not gonna happen overnight. Do you think famous NY surgeons like Subramanian or Ranawat became celebrity surgeons overnight? we are just seeing the final picture. How many thousands of manhours and sleepless nights those folks would have spent to achieve their dreams? How many hundreds of night calls? how many text books read burning the midnight oil? How many hundreds of marathon surgeries to refine their surgical skills? How many hundreds of hours toiling in the OR? How many family occasions they would have missed in their career? It is not only them. Even take Tom Cruise or Oprah Winfrey. They work more than anyone in the world. I have heard that Tom Cruise sleeps only 4 hours a day. There is no gain without pain.

PS: Jumpman- feel free to tell me when you are fed up with my advice. This thread is gonna go forever. You asked for it.

 

[KaliforniaDoll]

First year is anatomy, physiology and biochemistry.
Indians follow British text books like R.J.Last, Grants anatomy and indian authored BD Chaurasia. Grays anatomy is a reference text book. Unless you plan to become an anatomist, dont buy Grays text book of anatomy.
BD Chaurasia is a boring book. I would recommend Grants and Last. They are wonderful books as far as i remember. Always read applied anatomy books. I have no idea abt American text books. Embryology by Inderber Singh is OK.

If you are plannning to become a future surgeon. Anatomy is very important. Concentrate on anatomy dissection lab. We always had two and half hours of anatomy dissection spent in a long hall which was like size of two football grounds. Each table with a body shared by half dozen medstudents. Chicks were separated from guys in anatomy dissection. There was no co-education dissection table unfortunately. I dont think it was a good idea.Because folks like me half heartedly concentrated on dissection of dead bodies half the time and other half time was spent on checking out alive human bodies on the opposite side.

Future of the medstudents could be easily predicted if you carefully observe the body language of the medstudents in the dissection hall. People who were destined to become internists will touch the heart dissection occasionally and people who were destined to become psychiatrists will stay away atleast 10 ft from the dissection table. You could see the students who are gonna become surgeons in future will always be the ones who will be dissecting. Students who are gonna come to america will be daydreaming staring outside the window.

Cunninghams manual of anatomy is a great book. You have to eat and digest that book from cover and cover if you wanna become a surgeon.
Find out the available gold medals and honor prizes for the first year subjects. Usually students will be laid back in the first year because of the new atmosphere and getting adapted to the school etc. If you are smart utilize the oppurtunity and seize the gold medals. Look out for the local hardcore desis with razor sharp eyes, sitting always in the front row of the class with giant appetite for knowledge. Make friends with them. Always hang out with people who are smarter than you. If possible get a girl friend who has beauty and brains. Those category chicks always prefer older guys. Give a try anyway.

 

[jumpman23]

Post all the advice that you have even if this thread goes on forever, I am interested and I am sure others are!

 

[KaliforniaDoll]

Giving advice to someone for free is so cool. It is the easiest job in the world. So i will do it until you say enuff.

Anatomy is the foundation subject for your medical career. It is really the building block. Anatomy knowledge is going to help all your career for a very long time to come. Whatever you are gonna do, like residencies in general surgery, obstetrics/gynecology, radiology, orthopedics, pathology and few other specialities need strong anatomy background. If you know the anatomy well, you are the king. Medicine is advancing so fast, there is already filelds like telesurgery and minimally invasive key hole surgeries in all surgical branches. whatever happens in future of medicine anatomy is never going to change. If you planning for a psychiatry career, dont worry too much abt anatomy. Check out madras women colleges instead of wasting your time with anatomy.

Anatomy is an interesting subject. But, you can make it exciting and remember it well with few tricks. For example start with shoulder and upper extremity anatomy. You are gonna learn all about muscles, nerves, arteries and veins. It is like reading a map if you learn it plain and try to memorize it. If you stary applying facts it becomes very exciting.
So, you have to know the pathological conditions which can happen in shoulder and upper extremity.
Read very briefly about diseases of upper extremity like carpal tunnel syndrome, dupuytrens contracture, compartment syndrome, nerve entrapment syndromes, thoracic outlet syndrome etc and relate that with anatomy study. That is applied anatomy. Picture memory helps a long way.

I always loved staring those multicolor anatomy illustrations. Develop interest to those red (arteries), blue (veins), brown(muscles) and yellow(nerve and bones) colors. When you become bored with reading anatomy text open your anatomy atlas book (Netters). Keep staring at them. Anatomy atlas should become your playboy magazine. You should scan those pictures and imprint in your brain with equivalent interest to playboy models. or you can even open the playboy magazine and imagine the anatomical structures inside the nude models. whatever works for you. different folks have different strokes.

The reason for my comparison with playboy mag: studies have shown human mens brain is at hyperalert state surging with adrenaline searching for details with ocular lens power of high accuracy while reading this magazine. This enhances anatomy learning also.

Ostelogy is also important. Buy a full size human skeleton model and keep in your room. Having this in your room is more important than Aishwarya rai's full size poster.

 

[KaliforniaDoll]

It looks like NYer is goin' on advice spree here. The point in the previous post is make learning anatomy ridiculously cool and fun. Learn all about pectoral girdle and affliated anatomy while browsing playboy.

I just reviewed truthtobetold's first post in this thread. I really think whatever he said is absolutely true abt life at srmc. You are expecting to face some tough years in your life. It is not going to be worse than life for american soldiers experiencing at Bagdad. ( different country, different culture, hot sun, mission to accomplish!) Atleast something good is gonna happen to jumpman at the end of 5 years. You have a chance of experiencing something different in your life. There is no thrill in enjoying monotonous sophisticated life all your life journey. Think different. Take this as positive experience in your life. You are going to live in a different culture with two extremes. extremely rich and different grades of poverty. You will get a chance to realize how lucky and fortunate you are to be an american citizen.

Hang out with smart folks. But, you dont necessarily always have to hang out with rich and cool folks like you from the US. You will see mixture of students from all walks of life in the campus. NRIs, Students from powerful and wealthy families in india and also good percentage of students from middle and lower middle class families who got into medschool only because of pure merit. You will also meet some dirt poor students whose whole family property value could be less than value of the car you are driving now. If you get a chance also mingle with them. I promise you will find some highest quality humanbeings from that crowd.

 

[KaliforniaDoll]

There are different reading techniques.
Some students read everything in the book without focus. obsessive reading. Some read only to get scores and retain nothing. selective reading with focus to get high scores is always better. Remember to retain the facts.

Do not read the origin and insertion of all muscle groups in the body. Read and focus only on important muscles, course of important arteries and nerves. read about specific muscle function. remember what happens in specific nerve paralysis.
read only those important structures again and again. You have to read about other insignificant muscles also. but, you dont have to retain them in your memory. It is just like in life. People care only about important people. They ask about only important structures in your exams.
Gold medal and prize exam questions are usually repeated once in five years or something like that. speak with previous prize winners. Winning a gold medal will change your life in medschool. You become an instant celebrity in your class. First impression is the best. You get friends and foes if become a medal winner. I guarantee it can start jumpman fan club which can line up chicks for you.

Every medschool has a place called anatomy museum which is rarely visited by medstudents. Students visit hospital cafeteria hundred million times during their 5 year period. Some might not even know the direction of their anatomy museum. This place is like a church. Very quiet and serene. sometimes romantic too. good place for a quiet date!. Make sure to go here every week in your 1st year. Even if you study one specimen for a week, you can become an anatomy master in your first year. Some medstudents think it is so cool to visit art museum ( Guggenheim??) in NY city paying like 25 dollars and they dont understand a thing from those scriptures.

 

[KaliforniaDoll]

Anyone here? Jumpman, are you still listening?

 

[jumpman23]

Anyone here? Jumpman, are you still listening?

Yeah I am still here! One question I had for you, is what do you guys do socially? Assuming that your in class 6x a week for the bulk of the day, I imagine you guys do something to blow off some steam.

 

[KaliforniaDoll]

Yeah I am still here! One question I had for you, is what do you guys do socially? Assuming that your in class 6x a week for the bulk of the day, I imagine you guys do something to blow off some steam.

Awww...it is good you're still listening. I have this nasty habit of going over the board on anything. If you just gimme an inch i always take a yard from you. I haven't finished anatomy yet. social break? that is another great topic for discussion. It is better to ask mustafamond abt that issue. He is a party animal. My social steam break was wild, wild east! you dont wanna hear abt that here. Let me stick only with academics here buddy. Man, i hate to be the solo artist here in this thread. I also like some more folks come and pitch in more advice for jumpman here.

Always go for the gold.

Imagine medical school campus as your Hollywood town. Medical students are the movie stars. patients are the public. Medical subjects are the movies. Gold medals are like academy awards. (NYer is goin' crazy here!). only the best bag the academy award.

In movie industry academy award winning is like jackpot. Once an academy winner he or she is all set for a glowing movie career. Until that artist dies he/she will be always remembered as an academy award winner or nominee. samething with doctors. If you are a gold medal winner in anatomy or important subjects like surgery in medschool you are a STAR!. That goes a long way in your career. It helps you in the residency and through out your medical career. Your class mates will remember jumpman forever. Patient love gold medal winning doctor.

Why do you think NYer is sitting and writing these posts for you?. I really applaud your initiation in asking me for advice. It shows your enthusiasm in learning. You are definitely gonna be succesfull in medschool. Every thousand mile journey start with one single first step. Your first step to india is very good. You are in right direction.

Treat life in medschool like Trumps 'apprentice' show. Your class mates are your competitors. Remember medschool is man eating man world. it is a game of survival of the fittest. Project of your medschool show is 'Best outgoing student of SRMC in year 2011'. Bag all the gold medals and awards. Get involved in basic research. Write in bold letters in your bathroom mirror with red lipstick.
I want to be the best outgoing medstudent. Read it sincerely every single day when you brush your teeth. It is gonna work like magic. Believe me.

Many people will discourage you in medschool. They will say things like once an FMG you are always an FMG. It is hard for FMGs to get into top tier program. Getting into competitive program is difficult for FMGs. excetras. excetras. They will depress you.Dont believe others. Believe yourself. You can do whatever you want. Anything is possible. Fix your goals. and work in right direction. hardwork. determination. perseverance. positive outlook. dreams always work.

 

[BentleyGT]

Hello All,

I just accepted admission at SRMC for summer of 2006. New Yorker, the information you have bestowed upon us (and myself in particular) is absolutely invaluable, and being a new person on these boards, I wanted to specifically thank you for taking the time to give your advice that seems unecessarily hard to obtain these days.

Anyways, long story short, I'm a 3rd year at a university in southern california, and I have decided to expand my horizons and begin the journey through medical school. I am of Indian descent, and am familiar with weather, and the conditions of living there, so I have prepared myself for those changes. I'm just on the boards right now to digest some information and meet new people.

Nice to read everyones posts!

 

[ohbee gin]

Newyorker -- these are a terrific set of posts. I wish I had had the opportunity to have received this advice before starting medical school!

 

[KaliforniaDoll]

I also wish someone had given me advice during my medschool days. Whatever, my role here is to make our jumpman to become the worlds finest medstudent. a role model for future 21st century medical students of the world.

What is the common factor between following people?
Mike Jordan, Bill Clinton, Academy award winning Clooney, Hugh Hefner, Tiger Woods, Donald Trump? I know they all are celebrities. More than that they have something which is so special character lacking amoung commoners. They all love what they do. Mike Jordan is passionate abt basketball. Clinton loves politics. Trump is passionate abt rebuilding new york city. Hugh Hefners passion is women. If you carefully analyze over achievers they all have that common trait. passion in their own business. Money does not motivates for a long time. It is only love for the game.
What should be jumpmans passion? Medicine without a doubt.

There is only subtle difference between prize winning medstudent and hardworking medstudent. prize winning medstudent is like academy award winning George Clooney. George breathes films. Medal winning medstudent also breathes medicine. I'm not exaggerating here jumpman. Let me reveal you the mind of a gold medal winning anatomy student here.

What do you watch in TV for entertainment and sports? Our celebrity medstudent also watches the same stuff like you, but there is a difference in thinking of both minds. He also watches NBA tournaments, MTV, US open, Golf excetras.

When he is glued to basket ball in TV, he does not simply watches LeBron shooting points. He also thinks about all shoulder actions of LeBron. Protraction. Retraction. External rotation. Internal totation. All about periscapular muscles. Even he recalls the nerve supply of shoulder muscles. While watching Tiger, he thinks abt golfers elbow and related conditions. When watching Sania Mirza in US open tournament he is excited, but does not forget to think about arborization of mammary ducts and quadriceps/hamstring muscles.

I was not kidding when i mentioned all medstudents should eat, breathe and kiss medicine. I really meant what i said, jumpman. Stop breathing for a moment and think about inspiratory and expiratory muscles. When eating your Padthai in chinese restaurant with your fancy fork think about intrinsic muscles of your hand. Think about the beauty and structure of hand anatomy and its delicate movements. Appreciate the anatomy of lumbricals and interrosei muscles. Can Steve Job create a cool structure which can even come close to human hand? Nano ipod..big deal? Think different jumpamn. sure, think about buccal muscle group when kissing your girl friend. That is slightly complicated. forget it.
Am i drivin' you nuts? This just the beginning.

 

[jumpman23]

Nice posts, as always NY'er.

One question, what did you and others do in regards to studying for the USMLE? Since the Indian curriculum is a little bit different and places a different emphasis on different topics, how would you go about reviewing?

Do you recommend any books, such as First Aid to take and read concurrently during the first year for the appropriate subjects, or should we not worry about it and just start prepping for it after we have completed med. school?

 

[KaliforniaDoll]

Dont worry jumpman. I will take you through every step in this process of passing medschool.

My story is slightly different. I did not take USMLE in the medschool. but, passed couple of years after medschool which was very hard. You must take step 1 after your preclinical years which is not gonna be difficult at all. American exams are really fair exams compared to indian and british medical examinations. American exam test the candidates whole knowledge package. It is well rounded and scientifically tested examination method. Indian and british examinations are biased and includes oral examination techniques. They test very selectively which is not an intelligent method of assessment.
If you know the stuff, you will pass USMLEs without any problem. It is also knowing the 'technique' to score high. Dont even think about taking step 1 after completing medschool. You have to prepare collaterally for MBBS and USMLE. It is simple.

USMLE:
1. First get the examination guidelines and syllabus. Read it thoroughly and understand the exam pattern.
2.For example (anatomy) They have percentage of questions like neuroanatomy 10% histology 5%. I dont remember the exact numbers. Concentrate and focus on subject which carries higher percentage. They always describe in the syllabus about topics which will be tested in the examination. Read this again and again and know what to read.
3. Always read high yield books. It is OK to spend on First Aid books. Buy books like illustrated anatomy, physiology and biochemistry.
4.Make sure to attend Kaplan review courses during your US visit. I have no idea abt Indian Kaplan courses.
5. Buy illustrated books on human embryology, osteology and histology.

If you do your anatomy home work every day in your room, listen sincerely to lectures in the classroom and religiously perform your anatomy dissection. I dont think you will ever have trouble in passing any anatomy test given anywhere in the world.

 

[BentleyGT]

once again, thank you for the info New Yorker

One question I had was that I am not familiar with 'First Aid' books, could you (or jumpman23) give me some info on these?

Thanx