Dear NTA, burnout, PCOD and 2 attempts later I am back in Kota because of you

A NEET aspirant from Jamshedpur recounts years of sacrifice after her family moved to Kota for preparation. After battling health issues, isolation, and academic pressure, she is now studying again without her handwritten notes, reflecting the uncertainty and emotional toll faced by NEET aspirants.

In Short

• NEET aspirant dedicates three years to becoming a doctor
• Parents moved to Kota for NEET preparation
• Returned to Jamshedpur after the second attempt

Editor’s Note: Dear NTA, is an ongoing India Today series featuring first-person letters and accounts from students affected by the NEET 2026 controversy. Through these voices, aspirants speak directly to the authorities about anxiety, uncertainty and the human cost of system failures. Read other stories here.

For the last three years, my entire life has revolved around one dream: becoming a doctor. My retired parents shifted with me from Jamshedpur to Kota so I could prepare for NEET with complete focus. There was no life beyond studies.

I sacrificed my health, developed PCOD, gained nearly 20 kilos, and lived through constant pressure, isolation, and burnout. This was my second attempt, and after the exam, I genuinely believed I would finally secure a seat in a state medical college.

We packed up our lives in Kota, sold my years of accumulated study notes, and returned to Jamshedpur, believing this difficult phase was finally over.

But now, with the uncertainty surrounding the re-examination, everything feels shattered again.

Though I have somehow gathered the courage to start studying again, I no longer have the same confidence. My teachers have been incredibly supportive.

Two of my coaching teachers immediately sent scanned notes, photographs, and study materials because I am stuck in Jamshedpur until I return to Kota on May 22.

I even bought the NCERT books again, but the handwritten notes I had built over the years are gone.

After making so many sacrifices and putting in years of hard work, dedication, and effort, how can students be made to go through this uncertainty all over again?

It is disheartening to see aspirants, who have already endured so much, being subjected to further stress and ambiguity.

Regards,
A deeply disappointed aspirant.

(As told to Rishab Chauhan)

- Ends