The finest college for the few lucky

A few things that need change are perhaps an equal opportunity for boys and girls during entrance(not limited by the 4:1 ratio).Besides this, the college is as near perfect as one can have. As I said in the title, its a college for the fortunate few and i am glad i am one of them.

AFMC used to have an entrance exam of its own back in the year 1996 when i took it. The first step was to qualify in the multiple choice type written examination following which there was an interview and finally a thorough medical examination before finally making it to the fortunate 105(the number of males qualifying each year for AFMC).The choice for AFMC was simple. It was one of the best colleges that made not only doctors but also complete gentlemen out of you.

The course curriculum is undoubtedly the best and the latest and state of the art knowledge and skills are imparted to the students. Students are motivated to actively participate in research and grants are provided by the college and the ICMR for the same.

Yes, internship is available in armed forces service hospitals(tertiary care hospitals). Mandatory rotations in all subjects with focus on acquiring clinical skills hands on and bed side manners to achieve highest level of clientele satisfaction and confidence to practice medicine scientifically and in an evidence- base method.

The students join the Indian armed forces and commissioned officers and are Class I gazetted officers and are paid in accordance with central government scales.The pay is augmented with facilities like medical coverage for self and family.There is life insurance for self.They have access to army club facilities and CSD facilities and also various allowances like travel etc.They also get pension after having served for a mandatory period of 20 years.

The College has a festival called Silhouettes which has the All india inter medical college basket ball tournament as its central attraction and has all kinds of competitive art and sports events for local colleges as well.Participation is huge from many medical colleges across the country. There are rock shows, dance shows, theatre, art displays etc etc... its a week of nothing but pure showcasing of talent and enjoyment at its best.

AFMC is a government funded college and all facilities are essentially free. A little contribution of a few hundred rupees per month goes in such expenditures like extra messing in the cadets mess. Students are also provided with the essential books for each subject along with stationary for which no fees are charged.

Since the college is technically free, including lodging and food, no scholarships are offered for courses.However ICMR scholarships to carry out research work is offered.

The campus life is disciplined, yet allows complete growth and expression of individual personalities in the best possible way. Sports, dramatics, musimatics and art are inseparable facets of life in AFMC.The gender ratio is skewed in favour of males(4:1 M:F) and all the girl cadets enjoy a fair amount of attention from the young male cadets.The extracurricular, labs, sports and debates etc are the finest in the country and there is hardly any such event where AFMCiites have not made their mark on a national and in many cases at an international level.

The hostels are good, without any fees and are single occupancy. Basic furniture including study table, chair, lamps, bed, easy chair, dressing table is provided in each room. Linen is also provided free of cost.The bathrooms are clean and water and electricity are supplied 24X7 . The mess is centralised and offers the best quality food with the most nutritious menu with a lot of variety. The food is served in a very nice ambience and with nice crockery and cutlery.

An AFMCiite wears the love for his college on his sleeve and its his endeavour to make every junior colleague worthy of the title "AFMCiite", and prove himself to be a worthy AFMCiite to his senior colleagues.As most of the faculty in the college are alumni of the college, there is a lot of interaction with alumni, unlike perhaps any other college in the country.The traditions carry on year after year and every AFMCiite has a lingo, a perspective, a set of ethos and a way of good conduct that he carries forward and passes down.

The Exam structure, like MBBS anywhere else, was hectic as the volume of knowledge and skills to be acquired are huge. The syllabus is vast and four and a half years in the college is actually less. Consequently, exams are frequent and one has to read a lot on a daily basis. Although, the very essence of being an AFMCiite is that one has to follow his passions too, other than the curriculum and one surely finds time for art, games and music ; however, it would be wrong to say that it was Chilled out , especially for two to three months before the exams. For the time before the exams , it was study, study and study and little else.

The forms were available in newspapers. You had to fill it up and send it along with the examination fees. One is allotted an examination centre out of the choices opted for in the application form through post(snail mail and now perhaps through email).The written examination is in the multiple choice type pattern.The results are declared in the newspapers and also through post to each of the qualifying individuals. The next step is the interview The interview happens in New Delhi in the army head quarters where the interview judges all facets of your personality including interests in extracurricular activities and your general awareness.The results of the interview are intimated to you by post if you qualify following which the final step is the medicals at AFMC, Pune. The interview

The faculty are the finest available in the country with immense experience and thorough professionalism. They undergo continuing medical training themselves to remain updated with the latest in the world of medicine and take unmatched efforts to train the students.They are not guided by greed for money but are driven by the zeal to make the next generation of AFMCiites doctors of the highest standards with the best skills and knowledge.The number of teachers available is adequate and the teacher student ratio is one of the best in the country.