CHENNAI: “If you work hard and overcome all the distractions, you can achieve heights,’’ says Shruthi K, the 17-year-old girl, who became the Tamil Nadu State topper in the 2019 NEET exam for Undergraduate medical course, getting an all India rank of 57.
A student of Velammal Bodhi Campus CBSE school in Ponneri, Shruthi never attended coaching elsewhere, except for the rigorous coaching the school gave her for the past two years. Speaking to Express, she said, “I never used to go home during holidays, but stayed in school hostel to prepare for the exams. But I ensured that I had six hours of sleep.’’
A resident of Tiruvallur, Shruthi says she was at sea two years ago, as she did not have the exposure to such competitive exams. “I studied in a local school in Tiruvallur back then. However, after joining Velammal for 11th standard, I was able to channel myself to prepare for the NEET exam,’’ she said.
Having studied Biology and Mathematics group in high school, she scored 484 out of 500 in her 12th board exams and 685 out of 720 in the NEET exams. She says Biology, in which she has scored 98 out of 100 in 12th standard, was her favourite subject. “I had experienced and dedicated teachers who guided me. Chemistry, Physics and English teachers played a big role in my success,’’ she said.
With NEET being a national-level exam with 14,000 lakh students taking it, it is natural for a young student to be nervous. It was no different for Shruthi.
“I have always heard people from the other states start coaching from standard 9 itself. I had this feeling that, being in TN, how could I score high marks in NEET, which is a national exam?’’ she said. ‘’I just told myself that ‘I can do it’ and now I can’t believe myself that I made it!’’
With all modesty, she said, “I haven’t decided what I am going to specialize in. I just want to pursue MBBS and find out what specialty interests me.’’ Coming from a family of doctors, Shruthi never had the dearth of guidance. “My parents, friends, and especially my elder brother, played a huge role in my success. My parents always told me to follow my passion,” she added.
While her father is a paediatrician, her mother is a gynaecologist and they run their own hospital in the district.