Biology and I Got a Divorce. It Was Mutual… Almost.

Biology and I Got a Divorce. It Was Mutual… Almost.

Just close your eyes for a moment and ask yourself: had you really never wanted to become a doctor — at least in your dreams, daydreams, or casual conversations with friends and loved ones? Certainly, I was one of those who did.

When I was barely five, it was hard for me to grasp the difference between life and death — or even to understand what separated a healthy life from a disease-ridden one. But whenever I came across news about accidents, diseases, or wars in the daily newspaper, I would question my belief and faith in bewilderment. I just couldn’t accept life as it was.

I was adamant. I was stubborn. I wanted to change the world — or at least the way living beings evolved. I would ask why birds could fly and humans couldn’t. Why insects bit. Why crocodiles walked that way. How tortoises could live both on land and in water.

The spark was there. I was curious. I wanted to help the world and create a place where people could live free from disease. But then, reality struck!

Biology & My School Days

I took admission in a nearby English-medium ICSE school. It wasn’t a convent school but was fairly good. I was fortunate to have a group of capable science teachers. Our biology faculty was particularly good, and I studied there in both Class 7 and Class 8.

In a way, I was content. The only drawback in our biology class was how both my biology sir and later biology ma’am — yes, we had two different teachers — avoided explaining the chapters on “male anatomy” and “female anatomy.” I’m talking about 12–15 years ago, when there were no smartphones, no internet access, and certainly no social media.

Whatever information you needed back then, you had to rely on newspapers, magazines, or books. Most of the time, both my biology teachers simply asked us to read those two “embarrassing chapters” at home. Naturally, it became a funny gossip topic among my friends and me.

As for exams, I scored well. I don’t remember exactly, but my biology marks usually hovered around 70+ in the final exams — which, from what I can recall, was quite satisfying for me.

My Biology Scores Were Good

I never chased marks. What mattered to me was understanding every topic clearly — and I’m happy I did. In every exam, I answered all the questions. As far as I remember, I never left a single one unattempted in any of my biology papers during school.

After my Class 8 exams, I started thinking seriously about my future. I wasn’t sure whether to go for MBBS or choose a non-technical, non-medical stream. I thought about it for months. At the same time, I was facing financial hardships — we all were — though I didn’t want to use that as an excuse.

Fast forward to Class 10. During a casual chat with friends, I realised that if I continued with biology, I’d have to take PCB (Physics, Chemistry, and Biology) in Classes 11 and 12. That didn’t discourage me. I knew the syllabus was vast, yet I wasn’t afraid of it.

Is 10+2 in PCB a Good Choice?

I also realised I’d need to spend a good amount of money to pursue PCB. Given our financial situation back then, it was something I had to think about seriously.

Still, I kept the option of an education loan in mind — that if I couldn’t arrange the required amount for my Class 11 admission, I’d approach a bank for help. But finances weren’t the only issue. What really ended my “love affair with biology” was something else entirely.

One day, I asked my science teacher what biology students studied in Classes 11 and 12. The answer came instantly:

Every biology student has to study human anatomy in detail. Otherwise, it becomes very difficult to cope later.

Sayonara, Biology

I was naïve, sure — but not weak-hearted. Biology was tough, no doubt, but I believed I could handle it. What truly shook me was the next thing my teacher said.

“To understand how the body and its organs function, you need to study them closely. That means dissecting FROGS, LIZARDS, and CENTIPEDES.”

That one line changed everything. I had never imagined such things would be part of studying biology! And that was it — the moment that ended it all. From that day on, I gave up my dream of pursuing Biology in 10+2.

Naturally, I never appeared for NEET after that — and that’s how I let go of a dream.