Grandpa inspired NEET Karnataka topper to pursue medicine

BENGALURU: It was celebration time at Dhruv Advani’s home on Tuesday night as the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) 2023 results were announced and he got an all-India rank of five. At his home was his grandfather, a civil surgeon from Baroda and the Karnataka topper’s inspiration to become a doctor.
Dhruv, a student of GR International School, attended coaching at Aakash institute. The Times of India had profiled him when he secured 497 out of 500 in the CBSE class 12 exams, making him one of the top scorers. He has secured 715 marks in NEET.
“AIIMS (All India Institute of Medical Sciences) has been my dream. My grandfather is a practising doctor in Gujarat. I’ve heard a lot of stories about his practice. He played a major role in tackling the plague that hit Gujarat in the 1990s. I have observed him closely, the way he works and have been moved by his service-oriented career. That my aunt is also a doctor further motivated me. Additionally, I fell in love with biology in grade 5. From that time, I was sure I wanted to become a doctor,” he said.
Dhruv had taken physics, chemistry, biology, and physical education in his class 12. “While I was sure I wanted to pursue NEET, there was no point in me taking maths. Instead, I wanted to choose a subject I would enjoy. I love being outdoors and exercising. I enjoy basketball. So physical education became a natural choice,” he said.

No strict schedule for him
Dhruv has been selected for the International Biology Olympiad and will be travelling to Abu Dhabi in the first week of July. “For as long as I can remember, I’ve always been fascinated with science and especially with the human body,” the youngster said.
“I’ve been focusing on my NEET preparations over the past two years. I’ve never followed a strict schedule when it comes to studying. My study schedule has always been flexible, ranging from maybe not studying at all on light days to studying 4-5 hours on the days before exams. In my opinion, the most important thing anyone can do when trying to study is to figure out what works best for oneself, and then applying that,” he added.
“My parents and sister were always supportive of whatever I did, encouraging me to take regular breaks and helping me de-stress whenever I needed. I was greatly encouraged to pursue my hobbies, including playing basketball, swimming, reading fantasy novels, writing, and Model United Nations-ing participating in debates,” Dhruv said.