How NEET Aspirants Can Build a Smart Daily Routine

When Friends Become Ranks: The Loneliness No One Talks About

How competition quietly steals connection.

We started this journey together.

Same school. Same batch. Same dreams.
We solved the same questions, shared notes, and laughed between lectures.
We said, “We’ll all make it together.”
But slowly, quietly — something changed.

Friendship turned into comparison.
Group study turned into silent pressure.
And somewhere along the way, we stopped seeing each other as people…
And started seeing each other as ranks.

The Unspoken Shift

It didn’t happen all at once.
But I started noticing it in small things.

How one of us stopped sharing test scores.
How the other started asking about mock ranks a little too often.
How study sessions became more about who finished first than who understood better.

We didn’t mean to compete.
But in a system where your success depends on someone else doing worse, how do you not?

Smiling Through Silent Insecurities

There were days when I smiled at my friend’s good score… and cried later that night because mine wasn’t even close.
There were moments I wanted to ask for help… but felt too ashamed.
And there were times I faked understanding a topic just so I wouldn’t look weak.

The truth?
JEE and NEET don’t just test your academics.
They test your friendships, your emotions, your ability to cheer for others while drowning silently inside.

When Distance Grows Without Saying a Word

One day, a friend got a great percentile.
And suddenly, the messages stopped.
We didn’t fight. We didn’t say anything.
But we both knew — something had changed.

I wasn’t jealous.
I was just scared.
Scared that maybe, I was falling behind in more ways than one.
Scared that maybe, I had become the “motivational example” instead of the friend.

We’re Not Just Competing — We’re Still Kids

We’re expected to act like machines.
To give up everything for that one result.
But we’re still human. Still teenagers. Still people who just wanted to succeed together.

This loneliness — the one that creeps in even when you're surrounded by classmates — it’s real.
And we need to talk about it more.

It Doesn’t Have to Be This Way

Yes, the competition is real.
But so is connection.

You can root for your friend and still want to win.
You can celebrate their success without invalidating your struggle.
You can be behind today and still be proud of how far you’ve come.

Because in the end, it’s not just the rank list that matters.
It’s the people who stayed with you. The bonds that weren’t broken by marks. The friendships that survived the pressure.

So if you feel like you’ve lost your friends to ranks — know that you’re not alone.

Reach out.
Check in.
Say “I miss you” even if it feels awkward.

Because one day, this exam will end.
But the people who truly care about you?
They’ll still matter.

Tags: #IITJEE #NEETUG #StudentMentalHealth #FriendshipAndCompetition #ExamPressure #EmotionalWellbeing #MoreThanARank