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DIMC- class of 2014

29K views 135 replies 32 participants last post by  *FaarinaKhan* 
#1 ·
I have made up my mind about going to DIMC!

I have been researching about medical schools in Pakistan for the past coupla months and DIMC seems to be the best government college in Pakistan by far especially since it meets the basic needs of foreign students (you gotta admit the campus looks amazing! #happy )


I want to share these links with you guys that I found very helpful in knowing more about DIMC..


http://www.duhs.edu.pk/download/prospectus/dimc-2008.pdf
http://www.duhs.edu.pk/download/prospectus/prospectus-ibms-2009.pdf


And my question, ofcourse, is:

Is anybody planning on going to Dow International Medical College (DIMC) this year?
 
#2 ·
Hi!! DIMC looks like a really nice university. I like it because it is international. I wanted to know how the dorms and food is at DIMC. Are the dorms safe? How is the teaching? How are the professors? What difficulties do students encounter while trying to adjust to the environment? I would be very greatful if someone answers my questions!
 
#3 ·
The girls hostel is pretty good and I have heard that it's safe too. And as far as I know the boys' hostel has been closed down so they have to make living arrangements on their own. And as for the food, I saw the menu on the DIMC group on facebook and they basically have all the delicious desi food. So, if you are okay with desi food then there should be no problems.

Yes, DIMC has mostly international students and some locals.
 
#4 · (Edited by Moderator)
From what I herd about DIMC is that currently it has a bit less than a 50% pass rate...... My cousin is currently attending and well think of it this way, they will charge 10k a year no matter what. so if you fail 1 year that's and additional 10k for them. DMC has decent stats but DIMC according to my cousin lacks in education factor. They were not well equipped to pass those first year exams therefore such a high failure rate. After I learned about this I changed my mind and am planning to apply for SGU or Antigua way better and not only that SGU is quallified EVERYWHERE!!!!! so yea its pretty awesome.

Oh i forgot to add they make a LOT MORE MONEY on foreign students than they will ever make in the batch of local students. So DIMC I suggest you explore other options unless you really wanna go there but I wont throw away my future to that school because its so new and we have no stats as to how the students do after they graduate as in USMLE passing rates and such and SGU has about an 85% first time passing rate. Its worth getting an education that actually gives you something not a hoax.
 
#5 ·
Thanks for the info Rashope! So DIMC is good with their international status and facilities, but not its education? I ve heard that since DIMC is a government institution, teaching is not so good and sometimes the professors dont even show up for class! Is this true? Is Aga Khan University better?
 
#6 ·
As a current student at DIMC, I just want to share a few words:

-The curriculum is the same as DMC and SMC's curriculum.
-The newly implemented semester system is efficient and I like it better than the annual system.
-The teachers speak good English and are all competitive and know what they're talking about; they are all, for the most part, very approachable.
-The facility is great, up to par with American standards.
-The girls' hostels are very nice with a well-designed facade. I'm kind of jealous because the boy's don't have the same luxury.
-Caribbean schools cater to students who want to go back to the States or Canada to do residency; therefore, their curriculum is based on the USMLE's. Why would Pakistani medical schools do the same?
-Don't question the education; You're getting a pretty darn good one.
-As holds no matter where you go, you have to put in the effort, work hard, and do well on USMLE's. You can't hold the college accountable or anybody else but you.
- Personally, I dislike DIMC and living in Pakistan, but I'm gonna stick it out through these tough years, because I want to be a doctor.

If you have any more questions regarding DIMC, feel free to ask them.
 
#7 · (Edited)
Khalid AKU is way better. in fact did you know DIMC lowered thier standards from 700 to 550 on SAT 2s because of thier poor performance and so much complaint from the students who got accepted in 08. remember this is only the third year, we dont even know how future students will do. AKU has by far one of the best stats in terms of paki med schools. Their are only a few med schools on par but I know many people from my family who have graduated from both DMC and AKU. Everyone who has graduated from AKU is very successful were ever they went. a few people from DMC that I know of didnt get residencies in the states. trust me there is a reason why AKU charges about ~25k per year as opposed to dows 10k.
 
#9 · (Edited)
Thanks for the information everyone! What is the difference between the semester system and the annual system? Is the semester system like the American High School semester system? How long are the breaks there? Do we need to buy a car for transportation or will the university provide transportation sometimes? What activities can we participate in at DIMC? Thank you for the help!
 
#10 ·
Khalid have you opened your scope to any other med schools. I suggest you look at options in the carribs such as SGU which is accepted by almost EVERY MAJOR country just look at their list. you can go anywhere!!! DIMC is like a backup school if you really cant get into anythin better.
 
#12 ·
I'm still in 12grade however im planning to apply to Shifa medical college in Islamabad. Its also a very good school and from what ive heard its very competitive.
I think its a good school but I am actually planning to apply for SGU and AUA then Shifa. My cousin who goes to DIMC is pretty much surviving with all hes got and has actually turned me away from DIMC. Its a tough decision but my priorities are as follows, SGU - Shifa- AUA. So depending on where I get in Inshallah I will go to them in the following order. The euducation in Cariibs is very nice and also very much worth it if your planning to practice in the states because you do all your rotations or up to 2 years of your rotations in the states. AUA gives last 2 yrs f rotations in the states and if you impress the hospital during rotations then you will have a much better chance getting good residencies.
 
#15 ·
Hey US_medstudent,
Since you are currently attending DIMC, would you mind answering these questions

1) Does DIMC have any PTAP seats for foreign students and do you know if anybody those seats?
2) If I take Anotomy and Physiology over the summer would it help me do better once I get into DIMC? I guess my question is, Are you learning the same material as you would here in the US?
3) Can I transfer/migrate after 2 years at any other government college in Pakistan to DIMC?
4) Exactly when do they inform you whether you got in or not? Because If I don't get in for some reason, I want to be back on time for my next semester here which is gonna be end of August.

Thanks so much for taking the time out to answer my questions!


P.S. Anybody else who might be able to help is most welcomed to reply.
 
#16 · (Edited)
1)No PTAP or any sort of scholarships at DIMC. Their all self-finance seats.

2) Undergrad anatomy and physio are much different then med school anatomy and physio, and even if you do take them at a med school, anatomy in pakistan is much more detailed. So dont pay for classes which your going to take here anyway, it wont help much. If you want to get a good start, just get an Anatomy book like Gray's Anatomy and start memorirzing. Its pure memorization and nothing else. Dont worry about physio, you can cover it when you get here.

3)Transfers are considered on a case by case basis. There are no rules or set criteria. It also depends on availability during that year.

4)We found out only 2 weeks before class started. That's how it works in Pakistan its not only our med school but others as well. We started in October of last year but I think their starting in September this year, I'm not 100% sure. Just keep calling the administration office after the application deadline ends. Ask for Dr. Rana, shes in charge of admissions.
 
#17 ·
Would you guys recommend DIMC? was it hard to adjust to the environment? I had a similiar question to chitownzchica, the deadline for DIMC is after the beginning of the semester here. Is admissions on a rolling basis--the sooner you apply the sooner you know if you got in or do they wait until the deadline and then evaluate?
 
#135 ·
US_medstudent, what is the difference between the semester and annual system? and is it competitive to get in? Thanks for all your help!
in a year for high school students in USA there are three semesters ( fall sep-jan, spring feb-jun, and summer jul-aug) Each semester is divide in to three marking periods. every marking period have 2 exams, but in final marking period theres a final exam as well, but passing the final doesn't mean you pass the class. You have to pass other exams and attendance ( you can take only two days off in each semester with doctor's note, and even with the doctor's note they take off 2 points from your scores with out doctor's note 5 points off) and class work is very importend Lab is 25 %. Each class gives one credit and five days a week for 45 mints. after passing the classe or geting 2-3 credits in each science subject you must have to pass the regent exam of your state. The end
i don't know how annual system work. hope this is the answer to you question
 
#24 ·
Not exactly sure, I would just be guessing. It really depends on how many students apply and how many empty seats are left. We have really dumb kids in our batch, my guess is they had just the bare minimum GPA that gives you a 650 on the IBCC and they were accepted either due to some kids dropping out or those just applied but never matriculated so the school had empty seats to fill. This happens with every government school, they have a certain number of seats which they have to fill so if they dont have enough good standing candidates, they'll fill them with students which meet the bare minimum requirements. They dont want to let those seats go to waste and they also dont want to lose that cash.
 
#25 ·
Assalam ualaikum...

Great time reading the posts!!!...
I have got most of the information from the website. It's just the Application Form which I could nto find out. Does anyone here have any idea about the application form for this year? I intend to join DIOW.

Thank you.
 
#27 ·
Yes, its same exact system but the dates arent the same. Theres no winter break or christmas holidays or thanksgiving so all those days you use to get off, you can forget about them.

Campus life at DIMC is the closest thing you'll get to back home in any paki school. It really depends on who you make friends with and the crowd you hangout with, usually group of friends are decided by where you came from, ie us, canada, middle east, local, etc.
 
#28 · (Edited)
Thanks again! So basically...are the people nice there or no?!!! :) Sorry to ask, but from your expierences, are they accepting of everyone? I would like to go to DIMC, but I am still a little anxious about how all the students there are. Do you think an indvidual encounters problems when trying to adjust with the students there? Also, approximatly how many locals are there? Thanks so much!
 
#29 ·
Dude, this place is like any other, just as in HS and in College, you have the good, the bad and the awful. Being accepted isnt something one should be worried about, some people are very social others are anti-social. There arent many friendships among the seniors and lower-class men, theres a lot of mistrust bc they mess around with you when you get here so you end up not trusting them which wasnt the case in HS or college back home but theres enough kids in your own batch to be friends with. I think this place was the easiest place to adjust to since there were so many kids from the US, and I actually ended up knowing a few from back through other friends so its a small world. I think there are about 15-20 pure locals in my batch, the 2nd your batch has a lot of them but their a minority in my batch.
 
#35 · (Edited by Moderator)
If you submit IBCC equivalence certificate with your meirt certificate.. you will NOT have to write then entrance test.
Entrance Test is ONLY for the students who had submitted SAT II scores. And so the the entrance test is based on the SAT II curriculum.

so if you are not going to submit your SAT II scores but IBCC then you won't have to take the entrance test.


All the best.


[Moderator Edit]: Spelling fixed. STOP spelling like you're writing someone a text message.
 
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