Soon after the results of the Consortium of Medical, Engineering and Dental Colleges of Karnataka (COMED-K) examination were announced on Tuesday, the toppers got into a celebratory mood.
Interestingly, the first 10 rank holders from the engineering stream were all from Karnataka. However in the medical and dental stream three out of the top ten rank holders were from Karnataka.
Topping the engineering stream, Abhijeet Shenoi, a student of National Public School, Indiranagar, said that he enjoyed working hard as he enjoyed his subjects. “I mostly prepared for the Joint Entrance Exam which helped me score an edge during the COMEDK.”
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The medical topper, Neeli Devee Krishna Sashidhar from Vijaywada in Andhra Pradesh, candidly admitted that he expected to top this exam.
He mentioned that he studied for 15 hours a day and was happy on his achievement. Hailing from a family of doctors, Sashidhar aspires to be a cardiologist.
“I will, however, wait for the All India Institute of Medical Sciences results before I make my decision,” he added.
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High flyers speak
While most toppers attributed their success to the training at their coaching centres, some other said that their persistence and rigorous study schedule helped them ace the paper. Sucheth M. Kuncham, the second rank holder of the engineering stream plans to give up his COMEDK seat as he is banking on his good CET ranking to get a seat. “There was a lot of persistence involved. We don’t have power connection at home, and I used to study with the help of a solar lantern and a torch. Hopefully, the government will take notice of this,” said an avid cricket fan who plans to pursue a future career in the DRDO.
Meanwhile, the second rank holder in the medical stream, Hemanth Amardeep Santhoor, a student of National Public School, Indiranagar, said that he has already chosen to study at the Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research (JIPMER). Aspiring to be a neurosurgeon, he said, “Consistent studies, understanding conceptual intricacies and constantly practicing Multiple Choice Questions have helped me”.
Increase in candidates
This year, 82,262 candidates appeared for the examinations, an increase of 5,000 compared to last year.
While all engineering aspirants are eligible to take part in the counselling, only 41 per cent of the medical aspirants who appeared for the exam are eligible for counselling.
A press release from COMEDK said that the counselling for medical, dental and engineering seat selection would commence on July 2.