When dreams are big, the efforts behind them are even bigger! A student’s dream of choosing a noble career in medicine, becoming a doctor should not be paused by factors such as low-test scores or lack of MBBS universities in the country. As they say, if one door is closed, another opens up.

NEET (National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test) is a public medical entrance exam which is conducted for admissions to MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgeon) and BDS (Bachelor of Dental Surgery) courses across all medical and dental colleges in India. NEET is conducted by CBSE (Central Board of Secondary Education), New Delhi and managed by both central and state governments as well as privately owned universities and institutes. The exam is conducted once a year during the month of July and August.

When hundreds and thousands of students write NEET, only to fill up around 60,000 MBBS seats across entire India, the competition becomes tough. At the end of the day, the bests of the bests are chosen but the second bests were no less either. It becomes disheartening for many of the second to best students who are left out for a very nominal grade difference. The tips here are for second the second to best passionate students who have a dying desire to make a difference in someone’s life, who equally crave for a meaningful, prestigious and secure profession to serve humanity through medical practice.

When there is less than 1 percent chance for a student to secure admission for a MBBS and BDS programme in India through NEET, there is 50 percent higher chance to secure an MBBS seat abroad for the same student.  It is perhaps an extremely sombre scenario for the student but can’t be left unexplored! 

“Unable to secure desired score? Unable to afford universities? But can’t give up the dream of a career in medicine!” This is a very common feeling among the youth of India. Don’t be disheartened yet…. there is a hope; light at the end of the tunnel. There are affordable universities in a more approachable country to study medicine and achieve your dreams. The first name on that list is Philippines.

Most metro cities in Philippines have good facilities, less pollution levels, favourable weather and world class quality medical education. The cherry on the cake while studying in Philippines is their wide acceptance of English language across the country. Just like in India, the professors, teachers and locals speak English fluently.

If you are academically good and are willing to study for about 8 to 12 hours a day (including 6 to7 hours of classroom time), you definitely will be able to crack the screening test. Philippines offers American system of medical education and the primary medical qualification is M.D. degree (MBBS). This qualification is globally recognised including the Medical Council of India.

There is no entrance exam for admission in the Philippines, all that you need is pass in grade XII or HSC with a minimum aggregate of 50 percent marks in Physics, Chemistry, and Biology. And of course, the student must have passed in all subjects and English is a compulsory subject.

Why Philippines? The country has now a global recognition and acceptance of the medicine degree. Quality medical education here is recognised by the World Health Organisation (WHO), IMED of ECFMG-USA, MCI, FAIMER, USMLE and similar other bodies. Philippines offer modern teaching methods with well-established infrastructure and best facilities. USMLE (United States Medical Licensing Examination) is always an option which opens the opportunities to go to the USA. Global exposure by working with various nationalities, easy accessibility with several daily flights, extensive syllabus and curriculum which are very similar as in India are some of the enticing aspects to study in Philippines. Secondly, Philippines offers affordable cost of education with excellent hands on medical practice, they also maintain ideal student-patient ratio. The universities have well-equipped laboratories, state of the art computer centres for students to learn and explore. So, before you give up on your dreams or decide to wait for one more year and reappear for NEET, recalibrate your expectations and evaluate all your options. To know more about MBBS in Philippines you can visit http://www.philippinesmbbs.com. 

The author is Prachi Soda, Business Manager at Just for Education - an educational consultancy exclusively for students aspiring to pursue MBBS in Philippines.