Nov-Dec 1994
I am confident of failing and I know this for a fact. All my past (mis) deeds are going to catch up, lift me high up in the air and dump me in the back of beyond. There is just too much to study and even with just two subjects to cover, I am overwhelmed and depressed. All of this is familiar territory, having been there and done that a few months ago for my first set of Univ. Exams but somehow this feels different.
My Send-Ups are here. Actually, everyone's Send-Ups are here. Rahul is pretending to be buried in his books and the only saving grace is that he seems to be in deeper water than I am. This piece of encouraging information has been conveyed to me over many a drink many a times. He has this "I give up, I don't care a ***k" attitude which is beginning to rub off on me. Shom, Vikrant and the Final Year gang seem to be the only ones looking gung-ho about the whole thing. I think they know that their torture will end, if not now, then after six months, even if they fail. Failing Final Year exams seems to be an acceptable part of Med School life. Unfortunately, failing First Year, especially this Semester is not acceptable.
My Send-Ups are not encouraging. In the Anatomy Practicals, I give a Viva on the Spinal Cord and it seems to be going on well. I can identify some nerve roots and I feel good. However, once the Viva ends, I realize that I was holding the entire Spinal Cord in all it's glory upside down. It's a disaster. I'll be lucky to just get on the scoreboard.
After the traumas of Anatomy, Physiology is almost an anti-climax and goes off reasonably well.
The Send-Ups end. I fail Anatomy, not unexpectedly.
The good news is that due to a scheduling quirk, I have nearly a month to go before my Univs start. On the face of it, this seems like a good thing but the sad truth is that one week will be spent in plotting how to study, one more week will go by feeling good about a well plotted plan, one week in ultra-panic study mode and the last week will be spent moping about lost time and getting suicidally depressed. This is the general plan of a study break, regardless of the length of said break.
Shom has decide that he will start studying at 5 AM and continue till about 10 PM. I decide to implement a plan I call the "Mid-Atlantic Time Schedule".
And my "Study" holidays pass thus:
Shom gets up at 5 AM and a book each in hand, we had out for tea to California next to the shacks where he studies and I think about what I still have left to study. He continues back in the room while I go to sleep because it's Mid -Atlantic and so it's midnight or so for me. I get up at lunch (morning), study till dinner (lunch) and sleep for an hour (siesta). I then study till 5 AM, when I have tea and sleep again.
This is how I spend one month of my Study holidays, in a sleep deprived fuzz brought on by a crazy study schedule where hardly any studying has happened.
3 days before Univs I am sleep deprived and completely off schedule. My sleep cycle does not exist anymore. This, on top of my woefully inadequate preparation leaves me in severe depression.
One night, about 2 AM, I make my way to the roof, stare at the sky for a long time, curse my major procrastinating nature and shed a few depressed tears. I vow to do better next semester, whenever that happens.
In the meantime, Ashley, my roommate in arms has abandoned me and is spending his study holidays in Navin's room. Navin is a Gult and for some obscure reason, is called "Monkey" or "Green Monkey" by some. Ash won't tell me why he's decided to ditch me but it may have had something to do with the state of the room and the millions of Gold Flake butts his parents had found when they came visiting.
In the middle of all of this moping, I walk into Rahul's room at midnight and find him guzzling a bottle of the finest beer in Pondy. This is a shock as Rahul, till 2 seconds before that moment, had been a sworn teetotaller and another one bites the alcohol dust.
Univs:
We have 2 theory papers, one each for Physio and Anat.
The Anat paper is OK. Quite good, actually, considering. I even manage to finish it, a feat seeing that I had left 18 marks unattempted in First MBBS Jr.
Physio is a bit different.
Normally, our Exams are held in Banting Hall, a big hall with horrendous acoustics that doubles up as an auditorium. People are spaced out (literally and otherwise) and or friendly illegal helping is tough.
Physio theory, this time, is being held in a Lecture Theatre. Apart from being fabulously Air-Conditioned, it's also a bit more conducive to surreptitious demands for help in an exam and I make use of this. One of the long questions is on the Cerebellum and for some reason, my brain just cannot recall this at all. So I request , a topper sitting right in front to adjust himself a bit.
He is extremely accommodating and the paper goes off well.
The Pracs are good. Stressful, but good. Anatomy is actually a series of about 7-8 vivas, all in rapid succession and although not all of them are good, I do well enough. I think.
The results will not be out for another 10 days. I will be at home then.
Exams are over. Hopefully, 1st MBBS is over too.
I am confident of failing and I know this for a fact. All my past (mis) deeds are going to catch up, lift me high up in the air and dump me in the back of beyond. There is just too much to study and even with just two subjects to cover, I am overwhelmed and depressed. All of this is familiar territory, having been there and done that a few months ago for my first set of Univ. Exams but somehow this feels different.
My Send-Ups are here. Actually, everyone's Send-Ups are here. Rahul is pretending to be buried in his books and the only saving grace is that he seems to be in deeper water than I am. This piece of encouraging information has been conveyed to me over many a drink many a times. He has this "I give up, I don't care a ***k" attitude which is beginning to rub off on me. Shom, Vikrant and the Final Year gang seem to be the only ones looking gung-ho about the whole thing. I think they know that their torture will end, if not now, then after six months, even if they fail. Failing Final Year exams seems to be an acceptable part of Med School life. Unfortunately, failing First Year, especially this Semester is not acceptable.
My Send-Ups are not encouraging. In the Anatomy Practicals, I give a Viva on the Spinal Cord and it seems to be going on well. I can identify some nerve roots and I feel good. However, once the Viva ends, I realize that I was holding the entire Spinal Cord in all it's glory upside down. It's a disaster. I'll be lucky to just get on the scoreboard.
After the traumas of Anatomy, Physiology is almost an anti-climax and goes off reasonably well.
The Send-Ups end. I fail Anatomy, not unexpectedly.
The good news is that due to a scheduling quirk, I have nearly a month to go before my Univs start. On the face of it, this seems like a good thing but the sad truth is that one week will be spent in plotting how to study, one more week will go by feeling good about a well plotted plan, one week in ultra-panic study mode and the last week will be spent moping about lost time and getting suicidally depressed. This is the general plan of a study break, regardless of the length of said break.
Shom has decide that he will start studying at 5 AM and continue till about 10 PM. I decide to implement a plan I call the "Mid-Atlantic Time Schedule".
And my "Study" holidays pass thus:
Shom gets up at 5 AM and a book each in hand, we had out for tea to California next to the shacks where he studies and I think about what I still have left to study. He continues back in the room while I go to sleep because it's Mid -Atlantic and so it's midnight or so for me. I get up at lunch (morning), study till dinner (lunch) and sleep for an hour (siesta). I then study till 5 AM, when I have tea and sleep again.
This is how I spend one month of my Study holidays, in a sleep deprived fuzz brought on by a crazy study schedule where hardly any studying has happened.
3 days before Univs I am sleep deprived and completely off schedule. My sleep cycle does not exist anymore. This, on top of my woefully inadequate preparation leaves me in severe depression.
One night, about 2 AM, I make my way to the roof, stare at the sky for a long time, curse my major procrastinating nature and shed a few depressed tears. I vow to do better next semester, whenever that happens.
In the meantime, Ashley, my roommate in arms has abandoned me and is spending his study holidays in Navin's room. Navin is a Gult and for some obscure reason, is called "Monkey" or "Green Monkey" by some. Ash won't tell me why he's decided to ditch me but it may have had something to do with the state of the room and the millions of Gold Flake butts his parents had found when they came visiting.
In the middle of all of this moping, I walk into Rahul's room at midnight and find him guzzling a bottle of the finest beer in Pondy. This is a shock as Rahul, till 2 seconds before that moment, had been a sworn teetotaller and another one bites the alcohol dust.
Univs:
We have 2 theory papers, one each for Physio and Anat.
The Anat paper is OK. Quite good, actually, considering. I even manage to finish it, a feat seeing that I had left 18 marks unattempted in First MBBS Jr.
Physio is a bit different.
Normally, our Exams are held in Banting Hall, a big hall with horrendous acoustics that doubles up as an auditorium. People are spaced out (literally and otherwise) and or friendly illegal helping is tough.
Physio theory, this time, is being held in a Lecture Theatre. Apart from being fabulously Air-Conditioned, it's also a bit more conducive to surreptitious demands for help in an exam and I make use of this. One of the long questions is on the Cerebellum and for some reason, my brain just cannot recall this at all. So I request , a topper sitting right in front to adjust himself a bit.
He is extremely accommodating and the paper goes off well.
The Pracs are good. Stressful, but good. Anatomy is actually a series of about 7-8 vivas, all in rapid succession and although not all of them are good, I do well enough. I think.
The results will not be out for another 10 days. I will be at home then.
Exams are over. Hopefully, 1st MBBS is over too.
whew!i'm getting butterflies in my tummy thinking of all this.
ReplyDeletegod, how i remember those days. thanks for putting the memories in words.
ReplyDelete