Welcome to the quiet city of Thiruvananthapuram, better known as Trivandrum in most parts of India. It is the political capital of Kerala and is quite renowned for its educational institutions. The Medical College which used to be ranked in the top 5 medical colleges in India has lost some of its sheen. Although time has caught up with this institution, it is still not a bad place to do your graduation. The college is located in the North - Western part of Thiruvananthapuram and is about 5 kilometers from the Railway/Bus stations and about 8 kilometers from the Airport. It is accessible via public transport systems. The whole campus is spread out with a lot of buildings, hostels and play grounds. The main hospital complex is in close to the main road and the actual college where you are lectured is in the interior. The climate is warm and humid and can be unpleasant in the summer. But generally is comfortable. The hostel facilities are on the poorer side but are certainly not bad. The mess in the hostel is good until you get bored with the routine menu. The campus, even though big, doesn't have enough locations to hang out and have fun. The Canteen is very ordinary and the rock-bottom prices as the only attraction. The pre-clinical classes are set at high standards with a faculty capable of competing with any institution across India. The classes are regular and the notes are very useful even for higher studies. The practical facilities are adequate and the only drawback during this time might be the relative lack of entertainment events. The para-clinical courses are also good but they get boring when alternated with your first clinical postings in the mornings. There are times when you wish the faculty would make classes more interesting with fatigue setting in during the afternoon sessions. Again, the practical sessions are adequate. The clinical postings give you plenty of exposure. The academics have been excellent in the majority of postings and the PG students help you a lot with sessions in the evening. The college has been producing excellent professors in Medicine, Surgery, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Pediatrics and Orthopedics. If you are prepared to tough it out, you will have a great foundation on which your future career will be built upon. Having said all this, there is a general feeling around the campus that the standards are declining generally with the stress on Medicine department. That is basically due to the fact that a few of the top undergraduate teaching professors have retired and the next set of professors have not quite risen to the standards left by the previous lot. The library facilities are excellent with a treasure house of knowledge. It is considered the best medical undergraduate library all over Kerala. The IT age is surely taking its effect on the library but will take some more time before the whole thing is wired up. This is not the place to be if you are serious about your extracurricular activities. It has been consistently at the bottom of the pile in inter-medical competitions, not to mention the inter-college competitions. Although the campus is blessed with the only First Class Cricket ground in the city, our college cricket has never risen to high standards. The other sporting options are very limited and there is Jurassic gymnasium near the hostel. The final word - A good place for the undergraduate academician. (sham)