After 5 freaking long years, on the 20th of March, 155 of us were liberated from the Medical School Syndrome (MSS). That morning, we all gathered in the hall, anxiously awaiting the announcement from the Dean. As he couldn’t make it, the Assistant Dean took over and read out the names of all those who have passed the final MBBS, one by one. We clapped from the first name all the way to the last, and there was this air of relief and joy filling the hall. Nevertheless, some were crying not just in joy, but in sorrow for those who did not make it.

These 5 years would be what I describe as the most trying times in my life, and I had hoped that everyone would make it through together. A math teacher once said to me, in an exam, there will always be students who get full marks and students who fail (based on the normal distribution). If no one scores or no one fails, then the exam is skewed. I guess it’s part and parcel of life, nevertheless in the midst of our happiness, the pain of knowing that these handful of friends will have to stay back and relive the stress and horror of the exams once again, sent us into a turmoil of emotions.

I quote Cyanide who wrote this elsewhere…

“At the same time, our hearts ached for those few friends who didn’t make it. See, this is life in reality. I knew I’d be devastated even if one of us failed to leave with us. But I didn’t expect the feeling to be so intense. I guess it touches everyone’s hearts and leaves a mark. The saddest of all is that there is nothing we can do or say to help ease the pain. Anyhow, I’d like to see this as a special challenge that God has set aside for the bravest and strongest of all. As always, God will never put unto our shoulders a burden too heavy for us to carry. For my dear friends who are to walk this difficult journey ahead, I pray that God will also grant you the courage, strength and patience to reach the finishing line. I believe you will come out of this better than any of us.”

That night, we were all invited to the alumni dinner with our professors and lecturers. For the first time, we got to see a different side of them and some of the intimidation and fear of them fled. They are no doubt our teachers and source of inspiration, however they are also only human, like us. It was really fun to see our Dean and Head of Orthopaedic Department singing songs as well as our professors and lecturers dancing on stage. Awards were announced and tribute was given to our 2 top students of the year, Dr. Lee Zhi Shan and Dr. Lim Li Han. Congratulations to them both, as well as the 15 students in the Dean’s List and the other winners of the other various awards.

The following day, we had the “swearing in” ceremony, where we took the Hippocratic Oath, and were also presented with our temporary certificates. Parents were invited and we had the ceremony at the Dental Faculty’s Hall, as they had a bigger hall to accommodate everyone.

I really didn’t expect you to come. It was a really brave thing to do. Thank you…

Everything felt so surreal and sometimes, I just can’t believe it’s actually all over. No more classes, no more typing of case summaries, no more “covering wards”… Hmmm, come to think of it, there will still be more of this when we start working but what the heck, at least for the next few months or so, we are spared from it.

We do not know what the future holds, but we will definitely enjoy this break to the fullest. Thank you to everyone who has kept me in prayer, supporting me emotionally and believing that I could do it, when often I felt I could not. Thank you for everything.

Praise be to God!