Medical Counselling Committee says new timelines will be adhered to; the students were to close choice filling Round-I by July 28, which lets them select their preferred colleges, after which the results are announced
The Round-I results were to be announced on July 31. REPRESENTATION PIC/ISTOCK
Medical aspirants, in and outside Mumbai, once again find themselves in the midst of admission anxieties as the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) has extended the processes by yet another day. Originally, the students were to close choice filling Round-I by July 28, which lets them select their preferred colleges, after which the results are announced. According to the initial timetable, the Round-I results were to be announced on July 31. However, students are still finding themselves stuck in the choice filling.
July 28 was pushed to July 31. Then, the MCC postponed the choice filling deadline to August 3 allowing students with disability more time to arrange for certificates. The deadline was then pushed to August 4 stating the same reasons. Citing technical glitches, the choice filling deadline was set to August 7. Soon after, the committee pushed it ahead to August 9 owing to ongoing court cases regarding the admissions. On Saturday night, students informed that they spotted a flash announcement on the website saying that this initial phase of the admissions has been pushed ahead by yet another day to August 11.
For many, especially for those registering through the NRI quota, the decision spells anxiety and frustration. “My husband works in an East-African country and flew down to ensure that he was present for our daughter’s college admission. Since he is the NRI sponsoring her education, he is needed at the time of admission to sign the documents. However, weeks have passed, but the admissions haven’t progressed, and now we’re in a limbo. We have already spent R75,000 on the air fares. Changing these timelines casually has taken a major toll on our mental health,” said a parent based in Andheri.
“It’s not just about a couple of days. The medical admission process is too long, and it first starts out for MBBS and BDS students. Admissions for courses like BPTh or Bachelor of Physiotherapy begin later, and ‘physio’ aspirants like me are held up for months on end,” said a Dombivli-based student. The long wait between registration and admissions has also spiked anxiety. “The process is taking too long, and I am worried about what fate holds. My parents and I keep worrying whether I’ll get the college I want, and how the All India Rounds affect the Maharashtra state rounds. The past week has really been worrisome,” said a Thane-based medical aspirant.
Uncertain about what’s next, students are approaching their medical counsellor for advice. “Delays make it difficult for the students to trust the system. This year’s admission has been riddled with unclear instructions, sudden modifications, and a lot of confusion. Lack of transparency, last-minute changes, and poor communication cause stress and missed opportunities for genuine NRI aspirants. We need to get qualified IITs to take over the planning to ensure a smoother admission process,” said Jasmine Gogri, a medical counsellor.
The change in timetables has also left parents at a loss. “I have been approached by parents who have travelled from abroad for the admissions, but are held back due to the delays in admissions. Parents of local students have also been applying for leaves to attend their kids’ admission, and last-minute cancellations put their official schedule in toss. This comes along with multiple ticket bookings and cancellations during the festive surge,” said Sudha Shenoy, who heads the Parents’ Association.
mid-day reached out to the MCC to understand the cause behind the delays. Responding to the queries, a senior spokesperson said, “Initially, there were two cases underway at the Delhi High Court regarding NRI and CW (children & widows of armed forces) admissions. This put off the counselling till August 9. Soon after, we heard reports of several students facing technical glitches, which is why we pushed it ahead by another day on Sunday morning. While we will try to reduce any buffers to restore the admission timelines, it’s also necessary to ensure that all students around the country get time to travel to their desired colleges. As of August 10, we are certain that the new timelines will be adhered to.”
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