Medical aspirants, in and outside Mumbai, once again find themselves in the midst of admission anxieties as the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) has extended the processes by yet another day. Originally, the students were to close choice filling Round-I by July 28, which lets them select their preferred colleges, after which the results are announced. According to the initial timetable, the Round-I results were to be announced on July 31. However, students are still finding themselves stuck in the choice filling.

July 28 was pushed to July 31. Then, the MCC postponed the choice filling deadline to August 3 allowing students with disability more time to arrange for certificates. The deadline was then pushed to August 4 stating the same reasons. Citing technical glitches, the choice filling deadline was set to August 7. Soon after, the committee pushed it ahead to August 9 owing to ongoing court cases regarding the admissions. On Saturday night, students informed that they spotted a flash announcement on the website saying that this initial phase of the admissions has been pushed ahead by yet another day to August 11.

For many, especially for those registering through the NRI quota, the decision spells anxiety and frustration. “My husband works in an East-African country and flew down to ensure that he was present for our daughter’s college admission. Since he is the NRI sponsoring her education, he is needed at the time of admission to sign the documents. However, weeks have passed, but the admissions haven’t progressed, and now we’re in a limbo. We have already spent R75,000 on the air fares. Changing these timelines casually has taken a major toll on our mental health,” said a parent based in Andheri.