JIPMER - One of the best Institutes the nation can provide

When I joined JIPMER, I was selected through my rank in the JIPMER entrance exam. The process has however changed now and admissions are done through a common NEET UG examination. The cutoff rank last year was 227 for AQI UR candidates if I remember correctly. The application previously was done via the JIPMER website but now is through the All India Counselling process along with other colleges. Students are called upon to attend the counseling session at the college at Pondicherry and we submitted all required certificates and filled out necessary forms in the morning and were allotted seats in the afternoon session in presence of the Dean Academic. We paid the fees and a couple of days later, we started our orientation session. Reservation benefits are available for caste-based reservations, EWS benefits, Pondicherry domicile certificate holders, and PWD students. Certain seats are kept for NRI/OCI applicants.

JIPMER was created by an act of Parliament which clearly mentions one of the primary objectives to be an Institute of excellence when it comes to medical education. JIPMER students enjoy lectures from doctors at the helm of their field in the country, with many faculties being authors of books studied nationwide by MBBS students. Many professors here are famous for their style of teaching and are even involved in training professors regarding teaching methods across other Institutes in the country. We are also lucky to be able to receive lectures from super speciality doctors for parts of the curriculum related to their field. Teaching also happens through postings in wards and outpatient blocks which never have a dearth of patients. We receive patients having the most common ailments as well as rare unique diagnostic challenges. University exams are held along with preparatory sendups and internals. Exams are fairly difficult to pass but most students emerge successfully.

One year internship is mandatory for all MBBS students after passing final year examination where they undergo rotation in all relevant departments throughout the hospital. JIPMER being a tertiary care center, the internship experienced here holds great value and teaches important skills.

The fee to be paid annually is Rs 6770 for MBBS students which is extremely cheap. This includes Rs 1200 for tuition fee, Rs 2000 as the learning resource fee, Rs 1500 for the student information system fee, Rs 2000 for JIPMER Students Association fee, and Rs 70 as the corpus fund fee. There are no regular fee hikes. Scholarship is seldom necessary as the course fee is already heavily subsidized by the government. However, many students have availed many external scholarship schemes like NTSE. There are no campus jobs available for students. However, students with an entrepreneurial flair can become student ambassador for various companies and save money and earn extra cash.

While events had stopped recently due to the covid pandemic and have been restarting from this past year, JIPMER has always had a very rich student culture on which it prides itself. The annual cultural fest, Spandan is the largest medical fest of South India and held for 7 days in the month of September or the end of August usually. Other than that, the year is marked by cultural, literary, debating, sports, and academic inter classes. Music, dance, and drama club regularly hold sessions. There are various student committees and clubs to join and 3rd-year students can contest elections for the association offices. Social service opportunities are also available along with photography, research, and art clubs. Several festivals like Holi, Diwali, etc are celebrated. Hostel nights bring the campus together. The college is enriched with amenities with a state-of-the-art library that hosts a huge online collection of books, journals, etc. Outdoor stadium, indoor stadium, and swimming pool are there.

Hostel rooms are of various kinds. The room I stay in is a double room with attached toilet. Another hostel building has bigger rooms albeit with common toilets. Single rooms are usually alloted in 3rd or final year. Rooms have general amenities, but air conditioners are prohibited. Meals provided in all mess across the campus can be improved a lot but for the price being paid which is around Rs 3000 in all mess services, the quality is acceptable. External mess services are also available for regional food cuisines. Menu varies from caterer to caterer and has enough variety. Hostel and mess services are fairly affordable and can be applied to at any point during the course. Nearby PGs are also available for rent if one can spend a bit.