On Entrances

Right after the boards were through, I hopped upon a plane and decided to spend some much required time with the folks back home :) Given that I just got back a week ago, I'm trying to see whether I can post more often than before!

As the hours turn into days, days into weeks and weeks into months - I see my friends tackle the entrance exams required to get into their desired university courses, with significantly huge number trying out for the two majors any Indian would be familiar with (usually because it has been presented to us a lot): Engineering and Medicine

Now while every major/course has its own difficulties and of course, mad competition (Let's not forget Law - which also requires a great deal of commitment and long hours of study - made blatantly obvious to me), Engineering and Medicine happen to be the two that seniors or elders use to frighten you into studying your head off - the long hours, the difficult papers, the heavy portion (Three cheers! *gets hit with a book*) and the intense competition. If you're lucky, you graduate with the satisfaction of a job well done, sincerely or 'half-assedly', and then realize it won't do you any good without your post-grad qualifications. (Like most subjects/courses these days)

I see a lot of people attempt entrances in order to get seats in the universities they vie for. Many work hard, pore over papers, attend classes and write mocks - all necessary to single themselves out as part of the 'creme de la creme' of the pool of students appearing for those competitive exams - but there shall always remain that difference between the student who loves the subject they want to take and the one that was forced into it.

Given how far we've come in education - and how many different, exciting fields are introduced each year, I really hope that the latter isn't around due to someone's narrow-mindedness on the issue. It's a fallacy in itself.

If you're passionate about something, you'll keep at it.

 If you're passionate about something, you won't give up on it. 

But most importantly, if you're passionate about something, nothing will stop you from being the best you can be at it.

I maybe mistaken, but that sounds like success to me.

So what am I after? Engineering or Medicine?
You'd think that after putting myself through two years of near-craziness at the hands of Science, I'd be inclined towards one of their subjects, seeing as I'm already in the boat...

Sorry to disappoint.

So why not Engineering?

Given my love-hate relationship with Math and mixed feelings of fascination & frustration (fascitration?) for Physics.....

What about Medicine?

I did consider it at one point of time - but once you find something that fascinates you more than Medicine (I say this because I adore Biology), you wouldn't want to be studying it while thinking about another field of study you could've taken but didn't. It's like cheating on the subject - you just get overwhelmed by the frustration & regret. (Apparently Medicine has that a lot too, if Grey's Anatomy got anything accurate :P)


So just do what you love, and love what you do! ;)

And to everyone writing their entrances: Godspeed and may the force be with you ;)