NEET 2023 Topper Interview: “Always wanted to go into a service-oriented field,” says AIR 5, Dhruv Advani

NEET 2023 Topper Interview: The much-awaited results for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test, NEET UG 2023 were announced on June 13. Out of over 20 lakh students, a bright 18-year-old boy from Karnataka, Dhruv Advani, emerged as a NEET 2023 topper, by bagging All India Rank 5 scoring 715 marks out of 720.

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In conversation with Careers360, Dhruv shared how he has always been a classroom student and never forced himself to have a rigid routine. Aiming to get into AIIMS, New Delhi, the topper wishes to pursue neurology or oncology and holds a keen interest in research.

Coming from a family of doctors, Dhruv expressed how he never let self-doubt come his way to success. “I was never pressured into doing anything. It has always been my choice, what I want to do and how I want to do it.” says the NEET 2023 topper. Apart from academics, Advani is passionate about basketball, swimming and wishes to write a novel in the future. Read the full conversation with the NEET 2023 topper AIR 5, Dhruv Advani below.
Also read: NEET 2023 Topper Interview- Parth Khandelwal, AIR 10

NEET 2023 Topper Interview: AIR 5, Dhruv Advani

Careers360: Congratulations on your NEET 2023 results! How are your feelings about this achievement?

Dhruv: I am very excited, but the feeling hasn’t sunk in yet. One after another, a lot of things are happening, but, like I said, I am excited.

Careers360: Tell us about your journey in terms of preparation strategy for NEET 2023, and what were the key factors that contributed to your success?

Dhruv: One very important thing is that I am a classroom learner, meaning that if I learn in the classroom properly, I tend not to do anything outside the class. So my strategy was to pay proper attention in class; if I have any doubts, I get them cleared then and there. And once that concept is clear, I will be free. So we had classes from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and after that, I wouldn’t do anything once I got home. I play basketball for a while, meet my friends, and roam around.

My preparation started in school, and the factor that contributed to my success has to be the support I got from my family, friends, and everyone around me. I was never pressured into doing anything. It has always been my choice of what I want to do and how I want to do it. My parents have been extraordinarily supportive. They are the ones who would ask me to take breaks, go down for a while, calm myself, and have fun because what they believe is that there is no point in studying more if nothing is going into your head.

Careers360: Tell us something about yourself. Where did you complete your schooling?

Dhruv: Until class 10, I was at Delhi Public School, Bangalore South, and after that, I did my schooling at GR International School, which had an integrated program with Aakash, which was an extremely important thing for me.

Careers360: What motivated you to choose medicine as a career? When did you decide to become a doctor?

Druv: My grandfather is a cardiology physician and a general specialist. My aunt is a neurosurgeon, and both of my parents are from IIM, Bangalore. So there are a lot of doctors in my family from different fields. And they have always instilled a sense of service in me. In fourth or fifth grade, it was decided that I would go into the service-oriented field.

Secondly, biology is my passion, and I have been obsessed with its infinite complexities. And this, in my opinion, is a charming phenomenon. We exist on earth by pure luck, and we are fortunate enough to get the opportunity to study this. As far as we know, right now, this doesn’t exist anywhere else. We are searching for it, but it's just infinitely fascinating to me. So the combination of this fascination with life and the desire to go into a service-oriented career, along with the role models I have in my life, combined to become medicine.

Careers360: How has Aakash Byjus contributed to your NEET 2023 journey?

Dhruv: Aakash Byjus played an extremely important role in my journey. The reason I joined Akash was actually kind of funny because of the way their books look. I hadn’t had any exposure to their teaching method, but I really loved the way their study package was structured. However, over the two years, I realised that the teachers were wonderful. They allowed us to engage in any extracurricular discussion if there was a topic we were fascinated by, let’s say, biotechnology. So in class 12, we had two classes dedicated to discussing the application of biotechnology and enjoying ourselves without hammering our studies.

So, my passion was already there, and they allowed me to explore that passion rather than forcing me into the curriculum. Additionally, Aakash Byjus has a lot of test series, and according to me, those are extremely important while preparing for NEET 2023 because, no matter how much you study, if you don’t practice questions, there is no point in studying because there are certain concepts and certain applications that you will only understand when you solve the questions.

Careers360: How did you manage your time effectively while preparing for NEET UG 2023?

Druv: Setting a schedule never worked for me. I was a very free learner. And my study has always been mood based. If I feel like it, I’ll study, if I don’t, I’ll just enjoy myself. And in Aakash’s batch, we had exams every two-three weeks, so the week we did not have an exam, I would just enjoy myself.

In the last week before the exam, I used to read the textbooks and solve questions that I missed or had doubts about. And that would be the extent of my extra preparation. Most of my preparation happened within the class itself. If there was anything missing, I would cover it; otherwise, I pay attention in the classes.

Careers360: Which subject is your weakest, and which is your strongest? And how did you overcome the difficulties in mastering the weak subject(s)?

Dhruv: For me, it wasn’t a subject as a whole, there were different parts of different subjects that were challenging. For example, when I first learned about fluid dynamics in physics, I did not really understand it. It was after I took a mock test and related it to concepts like the first five chapters of physics.

The second would be chemistry because I had a hard time in chemistry near the end since we had only one week and we needed to complete the all P block, the DNF block, and the coordination compounds really fast. All three were completed very quickly, and because it is a very fact-heavy subject, I used to get annoyed. It was less hard to learn, more annoying to learn. But I figured out the logic behind the actual stuff we were learning, and that made it fun for me.

Careers360: During your NEET 2023 preparation, did you ever face a moment of self-doubt or challenges?

Dhruv: Self-doubt was basically there throughout, even on the NEET 2023 exam day, while I was writing the test and afterwards too. But I never let self-doubt stop me; I was told by everyone around me to try my best. In my mind, too, I knew that I had to try my best and be completely sincere.

Careers360: Apart from academics, did you engage in any extracurricular activities?

Dhruv: Yes, I love playing basketball, and I used to play it every day after school. I enjoy swimming too, and I have just started getting back into it since summer started. And I also love reading fantasy novels, and I want to get into writing my own. I have had an idea in my head for a long time, but I never had the time to write it down.

Careers360: Since the NEET UG syllabus is vast, how did you approach the task of covering the entire syllabus?

Dhruv: So I did not look at the entire picture until I was done with the portions. Because, if you look at it at the start, there are almost a hundred chapters, and looking at the number alone can be overwhelming. So my strategy was to break it down into parts. I would prepare exclusively for the next test we had.

Careers360: How did you maintain a positive mindset throughout the NEET 2023 preparation phase?

Dhruv: I agree that NEET 2023 preparation can be extremely stressful. My stress buster has always been my family, because we sit and talk to each other often about things that are bothering us. I have lived in a very open environment, so I just talk about my problems with my parents.

Personally, I am an overthinker, I make a mountain out of a molehill. So I talk to my family, especially my sister, because she is my favourite person in the world. We talk to each other about absolutely everything, and even the day before the NEET 2023 exam, we had a fun time.

Careers360: Which college is your dream college for studying medicine? What is your aspiration in the field of medicine, and which specialization would you be interested in?

Dhruv: My dream college is AIIMS, Delhi. like every medical aspirant, but I especially want to get into AIIMS, Delhi, because it has a great research facility, as well as infrastructure and teaching, so the college is great in every field. In the future, I would like to work in research too.

As of now, I am really interested in neurology and oncology. My interest in neurology came from my aunt. I have always looked up to her a lot, and the brain is the most crucial and interesting organ I have learned about. We understand virtually nothing about it because it is so complicated. There is so much research potential there. And oncology is also similar because it is your own body turning against you. And as tragic as it is, it is equally interesting to me.

Careers360: What would you suggest to future NEET aspirants in terms of preparation, attitude, etc.?

Dhruv: I would say enjoy the stuff you are learning because this is exploring the universe. Try to enjoy the experience it brings. Because if you enjoy it, it stops feeling like work and starts feeling like something you want to do. That makes the whole journey a lot easier than forcing yourself to study because you have to.

And secondly, take it one day at a time; there will be bad days and exams you don't do well in, but it doesn’t matter; you just have to keep trying and take breaks when you need them. Breaks are really important in NEET 2023 preparation. Even if you are studying 12 hours a day, if you are not giving your brain enough time to process the information you have studied, it makes absolutely no sense, you are just wasting your time.