Government Medical College BDS Review By Atharva Chavan

To say, I was very adamant on taking admission into GMC of Nagpur for my BDS. I wanted to do MBBS, due to my scores I had to go for BDS. But BDS is also not easy like MBBS. The overall experience at GMC is not that great and not bad as well. While in college we expect student teacher relationships to be productive but in GMC, it is nowhere to happen. The teachers are very knowledgeable in their respective subjects though, nothing to complain about there. The teachers are not that supportive while you get tired of expecting it from them.

If you want to become a master at what you do, you are solely responsible for that. You have to put your 100% in despite the environment you are in. Between theory and practicals I found practical sessions more challenging and interesting at the same time. GMC Nagpur, we are assigned different assignments related to our studies frequently. Their sole focus is to provide us with as much knowledge as possible. Projects are an essential part of our course, I also did a couple of projects out of which Relevance of Periodontitis interested me very much. BDS is not easy, but you have to keep balancing it with having little fun with friends on the side.

The faculty is not much of a help as they only teach through PPTs. The teachers are very strict and getting help from them in solving your doubts and anything seems like a big task to every student. In the medical field, whatever course you take, you have to have more and more practice to become perfect in your work. And for this you need a great practical knowledge. And in college, it is obvious that students still expect this from teachers. But the expectation is not quite fulfilled by teachers. Though they teach theory lessons with great enthusiasm, I personally think they should have shown the same interest in practical labs also.

Unlike engineering we don't have placements here in medical colleges. We have internships of almost 1 year after our course. The internship includes working under experienced doctors to get well training on handling patients with different situations. Internship makes us ready to face
the challenges that come with every patient and helps to build confidence. After internship many students go for higher education like MDS while some work in different hospitals. Very few students after completing BDS start their own clinic. Everyone has different choices on how to
pursue their future opportunities. As of now I completed my internship and am going to take admission for masters.

GMC has a hostel in the campus itself. The hostel rules are very strict. Sometimes it feels like suffocation, living there. Hostel itself provides mess to the students staying in the hostel. They provide meals 3 times a day. The campus is groomed well with greenery. So after dinner at night, a pleasant stroll around the campus can be very relaxing. The hostel has television also, we all sit together to watch movies and series, it is the most favorable activity to do in the hostel besides playing Antakshari. There are no indoor games to play in the hostel so sometimes it's boring. But medical students don't find much time to get bored.

The college area is well groomed. Though the buildings are old but in a good state. There is not much cleanliness in the campus area; it's cleaned maybe twice a week, so you can understand the situation. Classrooms are spacious but somehow they are old fashioned. The whole college has somehow old fashioned. The college has a library but very few books are there. Every other book that is important for medical college, you cannot find it in the library. It is always having a shortage of books. Canteen in the GMC campus is good and so is the food. College has a big sports ground where different sports events are arranged. Active participation of students is expected in sports events.

GMC campus is a bit classic with its old buildings and loads of greenery. While other colleges are flashy about its infrastructure, GMC doesn't count in that category. During sports days, cultural events, it looks like some festival is being celebrated in the college. Just I thought that if faculty could be more interactive, they are encouraging though. BDS course changes you from within like any other medical course. The college has common ground for every course. And also racing track, where they hold different competitions. I am not much of a sports person, but I like to watch sports though.