Jeevitha, daughter of a tailor, clears NEET with aplomb

Chennai: “Only CBSE students can crack NEET and State board students cannot pass is a myth believed by many people. I wanted to prove it wrong,” said P Jeevitha, an aspiring doctor, who cleared the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) with an incredible score of 605 out of 720.

“The exam is to analyse one’s level of understanding. The State board question paper follows a set pattern – blue print – but NEET question paper checks how much the student has understood concepts,’ added the tailor’s daughter.

The medical aspirant, who lives in Anakaputhur, Kanchipuram district, bagged the State third rank with 497 marks in SSLC exams. She chose computer science group first but with her teacher’s guidance, moved to biology and discovered her passion for the subject.

Jeevitha attempted NEET last year and passed with 361 marks, but that score was not sufficient to get a seat in a government medical college. Following the setback, she joined a private institution for coaching. The teenager took up classes from nine to five, every day, during the whole year and prepared for the exams: her results proved to be the outcome of her intense hard work.

“My parents are my support system. When I did not make it in the first attempt, I was unhappy. My parents were the only support during those difficult days. Though there were so many hurdles in my path towards success, my parents always wanted me to pursue my dream,” said an emotional Jeevitha.

She also thanked Vignesh, her teacher at the coaching centre who included life lessons and encouraged her immensely.

Talking about the financial aid from Tamilisai Soundararajan, president of the Tamilnadu Bharatiya Janata Party, Jeevitha said, “I’m so happy for receiving this timely help from her. It was a very kind gesture from her. We had to take loan to pay my tuition fees and then we were thinking of a way to pay the college fees. Luckily, she helped us at the right moment. I’m very thankful to her.”

“There were a lot of times when I was not able to attend school as paying fees was a big problem. So, once I become a successful gynaecologist, I want to help people like me who struggle to get education,” said Jeevitha with a proud smile.