How do I choose a Good Medical college: Guide

There was a debate , Can I become a Doctor without attending Medical School?S Well that is a debate for a debate. Coming to the ground reality, A doctors is born out of a  Medical school. Students who are planning to pursue a medical career are often seeking for guidance as which Medical college to study and how to chose a Right one for self. MBBS is the first step of becoming a doctor and a good medical college will provide a steady foundation for you to build towers of success upon it. So here is the guide to it and it is exclusively in knowledge and capacity of our Medchrome team. The article will have special focus for national and international students wanting to join MBBS in Nepal.

What should I look for in Medical College?

Before proceeding 🙂

1. Look at the Reputation- The more reputed the Medical college is, the more likely you are guided to success and more likely you will attain a better esteem, opportunity and recognition after completion. Imagine being a product of Harvard. Does it make a difference?  The most reputed colleges in Nepal is Institute of Medicine, BPKIHS and in India is All India institute of Medical sciences. The reputation carried by these institutes will reflect upon you where ever you introduce yourselves.
2. Look at the Maturation- The older the dates of establishment, more likely the college has a better infrastructure, a better team of teachers, a more planned syllabus or schedule and an experience at guiding you. So chose the mature colleges rather than jumping into new ones which has yet to produce a doctor.
3. Look at the Academics- As a matter of fact, what matters the most during the bachelors ie MBBS is, the academics of the institute. Look at how often classes are taken, how regular the classes are and take feed back from the students in the college. Look into the library, availability of reference books. Even a Medical college with lower patient flow can have a great academic. Kathmandu University ( KU) based colleges have thrived well via better academics in Nepal.
4. Consider the Syllabus- Are you ready for this University syllabus? Some have Basic Science for first 2 years and then introduce clinicals while few have a Problem based learning approach. A Tribhuvan University (TU) affiliated exam would included several subjects on same day while KU based have a subject per day. TU based is more of Short questions while KU has Long questions.
5. Consider the duration of course- Seriously, loosing a year more in MBBS is a huge loss in opportunity and earning. TU colleges have a longer course exceeding 6 years for MBBS and KU colleges have a 5.5 years course Both finally have same value in Medical council. So keep this as a balancing factor.
6. Location- Location will be a matter of your comfort. If you want to stay in the capital or away in beautiful valley of Pokhara, Remote Karnali area of magnificence or solitude and peace of Dhulikhel.  This is merely a secondary option after the country is peaceful after end of red agitation.
7. Look at the passing rate- To be truthful, Everyone wants to pass irrespective of anything . So look at pass rates of past few years before deciding. There are colleges where too poor passing rate in exam has raised a question on sincerity of medical council as well.
8. Patient flow- This portion is for 2nd phase. Clinical exposure is needed as everything cannot be learned only by reading books. Add this to a balance.
9. Country- See if the College is Reconized by Medical council of your country, and see the reputation of college in your homeland where you will be working altogether. BPKIHS has a good reputation in India as well. IOM has good reputation in Maldives, Bhutan and USA ( For USMLE)
10. Point 10 is Calculate what is best for you, in terms of Cost and Worth of Medical college. After all it is the capacity of the Medical student that will decide his future success.

So How do I get in a good college?

Prepare well for Entrance exam. There are MBBS preparation centers, but not absolute requirement. Self preparation is good as well. Appear for mock exams and review past questions.

Fight for Scholarship first-

1. IOM Entrance
2. MOE Entrance
3. BPKIHS Entrance
4. PAHS Entrance
5. Few local scholarship schemes.

• Passing IOM allows you to apply for Private TU based medical colleges as well, in case you don’t bag scholarship.
• KU entrance exam is for private medical colleges.
• Option is to wait for next exam if you are seeking a scholarship.

Ultimately, the Student is the basis of his own future and success. Even the best medical colleges have produced poor doctors and just satisfactory ones have produced the best ones. So, the aptitude, hardwork and commitment and the mind of the student decides the final verdict. If you have any questions or additional point to add, comment below. Also see our ranking for top 10 Medical colleges for MBBS in 2015