# So when are u going to Pakistan and when is medical School starting?



## cooldude89 (Feb 14, 2007)

Ok So i've read the dates and it says that schools like Nishter,SIMS,AIMC and KE will start on January 2nd but I've heard from some sources that the medical colleges will start even later like Jan9-10 can someone check this out for me or is med school for surly starting on Jan 2nd??


Also when are u guys taking a flight to Pakistan? When should we leave for Pakistan if classes begin in early JAN? How much time before school starts should we arrive.


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## ghummank04 (Oct 22, 2007)

I am pretty sure classes start on Jan 2nd. I am leaving on 28 of november just because tickets in December were more expensive than last winter b/c of hajj/Eid and winter break. Also its harder to get tickets in December anyways. I got my economy class ticket 4 $900....one way only. Thats insane because I went to Pakistan in June and I got my ticket then 4 $1200. If you don't have any other commitments you should atleast come a week earlier so that you can get little adjusted and get done by all the things you need 4 college. It really depends on how many things u need to get done...like if you have to find a place to live then you might need more time.


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## Smeer (Jan 29, 2006)

cooldude89 said:


> Ok So i've read the dates and it says that schools like Nishter,SIMS,AIMC and KE will start on January 2nd but I've heard from some sources that the medical colleges will start even later like Jan9-10 can someone check this out for me or is med school for surly starting on Jan 2nd??


cooldude89, it would be EXTREMELY helpful if we all knew for sure when classes are going to start, but so far no one has given a solid answer. The best anyone has been able to say is January 2, and even that is a tentative date based on the syllabus. Therefore, you should plan on starting classes January 2. I tried to find out a week ago what the exact date was, and the reply I got from the KEMU administration email was that it would be announced after December 7, when the first admissions lists come out.



cooldude89 said:


> Also when are u guys taking a flight to Pakistan?


My ticket is booked for December 15, so that's when I'll be leaving. I'm currently enrolled in a university here in California, so I plan on finishing off the semester here before I leave. I'm still going to school here because I'd like to play it safe in case I can't adjust in Pakistan and have to come back. That way I'll have at least completed one quarter and have hopefully not wasted more than 1 or 2.




cooldude89 said:


> When should we leave for Pakistan if classes begin in early JAN? How much time before school starts should we arrive.


That's really a question that has to be answered on a case-by-case basis. I'm leaving about 2 weeks before classes start only because I have family in Lahore that I plan on staying with for a while until I can adjust and get into the gist of things. Even so, there are a lot of things I need to do in those two weeks such as take a medical HIV test that KE requires, submit fees, make arrangements for transportation, check out the KE campus, meet some people, etc. (the list goes on and on). My point is in my case, having relatives in Lahore who can temporarily provide me with certain facilities allows me to come as late as just two weeks before classes start (who knows, that might not even be enough time!) Some people might not be in the same position and may have to come earlier to make other arrangements.

Also, I'm trying to arrive in Pakistan before Eid so I can check out KE in session before everything closes down for Eid break. That might be something you want to consider that I'm sure would apply to all the Pakistan medical schools.


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## maik7upurz (Feb 28, 2006)

Can anyone tell me what are the flight options from Chicago to Islamabad since PIA no longer uses this route?


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## Rehan (Jan 26, 2006)

Order some labcoats from allheart.com -- you'll thank yourself later when you see the quality of most of the kind that are available for purchase here.

If you want to be completely badass, pay a little extra and get your name embroidered on them for that extra professional look.

Also in Pakistan, we don't wear "medical student" lab coats that go only to your waist, we wear the ones that hit the knees area (full length) that doctors wear back home so keep that in mind when buying some.

I usually buy these kind: Unisex Classic Lab Coat by AllHeart - Embroidery Available and get the embroidery done on them for a little extra.

Disclosure: I have no vested interest in Allheart and am simply recommending them because I've found their prices reasonable and their products of an acceptable quality.


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## maik7upurz (Feb 28, 2006)

If you are going to a govt medical college, I would highly advise you NOT to wear different labcoats then the rest of the students. It is simply another reason for the class and teachers to quickly point you out. If you must get the plain regular ones without the embroidering, as a name tag is highly out of the ordinary around here! At the most students get their names made on pins and then put it on their lab-coats.

Regular lab coats are available here for Rs. 180 I suggest buying a few so you will always have one clean and ironed one around and if they get dirty you can always throw them away. Also, you can have any tailor here make you a custom designed one with the cloth of your choice.


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## taimur (Jul 4, 2006)

so many choices, so little time! some of the local students at govt colleges get theirs from landay bazaar!!


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## MedGrunt (Feb 21, 2007)

Personally I'm super happy that I brought lab coats from back home. Most of the ones here are made out of this super thin, semi-see through material and anytime there's even a slight breeze you see them flapping about everywhere. If you're planning on going to the trouble of coming here and then buying a special material(that's thicker) and then getting some tailor made you might as well just buy them from home. Definitely much easier. Tailor made or not, the ones from back home will probably fit better too.

If you don't have enough time to order them online you can just go to a local med school bookstore and buy some from there. That's what I did. I bought 3 and haven't had any issues of not having a clean one, but it'll depend on your laundry situation. It's not as convenient as ordering them online (especially if you want embroidery) but great for those of us who remember to buy lab coats at the last minute.


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## ali9686 (Oct 24, 2007)

I wouldn't waste space with lab coats and what not. You can get excellent ones in Lahore. The surgical stores have both the thick heavy duty ones, that the profs wear and the thin semi-transparent ones as well. I bought like 3-4 for 200 rups each. 
At KE we only wore our lab coats during first yr and sec yr, and that being only during dissection hours. 3rd yr and 4th yr depending on what ward and how the M.O. and the S.R. are, u either had wore them or u didn't. Medicine ward we wore them, but the rest of the wards like surgery, gyne, eye, ent and neuro and psyc we didn't. Other than that i kept mine in my car. 
I got a good one for professional exam vivas and ward tests though.
Having ur name on it is pretty cool, but unnecessary. You will be singled out by not only by your class mates but along with the profs.


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## taimur (Jul 4, 2006)

punjab govt colleges are 99% sure that classes will start on *jan 2nd*....and the first list will come up on the 7th of dec.........so you can pay ur fees and stuff after the seventh, all of u PTAPers and SFSers and locals and what not............


hmmmmmmmmmm labcoats bought online...........stuff bought online...........sigh, those were the good ole days..


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## Smeer (Jan 29, 2006)

taimur said:


> punjab govt colleges are 99% sure that classes will start on dec 2nd


Don't you mean Jan. 2 ?


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## taimur (Jul 4, 2006)

oh sorry! um u guys mind editing my earlier post....its the 2nd of jan!


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## zulara (Sep 26, 2007)

does anyone know how much time they give you to pay your fees after the first list is announced aka approximately when the fees are due? 

thanks so much


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## MastahRiz (Jan 26, 2006)

I think it's different at every school, you should probably call the one you've been accepted to and find out.


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## Gohar786 (Nov 12, 2007)

hy guys,

does anyone know what is the actual school year. Like when do u go onto 2nd year from 1st (what month.)

thanks


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## MedGrunt (Feb 21, 2007)

For many schools(including Shifa) the school year starts in January and ends in December. 

I have heard that some schools are on a slightly different system. It would be best to check for the particular schools that you're interested in.


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## Smeer (Jan 29, 2006)

zulara said:


> does anyone know how much time they give you to pay your fees after the first list is announced aka approximately when the fees are due?
> 
> thanks so much


Taimur and I inquired about that a while back, and the umbrella answer they seemed to give was "wait till the lists come out on December 7" for government colleges. They're supposed to announce all info. regarding when/where to pay fees, when classes start, etc. then if you're interested in that info. for the government colleges in Punjab.


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## taimur (Jul 4, 2006)

i went to KE today and i saw the lists and stuff........the highest kid for ke had like 1028\1100 FSC!!! anyway the guys said that we (SFSers and PTAPers) can pick up our acceptance letter from our concerned govt med colleges on the 11th and they would also mail it to us later......


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## zulara (Sep 26, 2007)

Smeer said:


> Taimur and I inquired about that a while back, and the umbrella answer they seemed to give was "wait till the lists come out on December 7" for government colleges. They're supposed to announce all info. regarding when/where to pay fees, when classes start, etc. then if you're interested in that info. for the government colleges in Punjab.


 
yeah, thats all they told me as well, just figured it wouldnt hurt to ask if anyone else had any more info. thanks so much for all of your help. 
hopefully we will find out soon all of that stuff since todays the 7th?


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## ghummank04 (Oct 22, 2007)

well the only thing i got was a letter from IBCC that i got in under PTAP. When i went to Punjab medical college they told me that classes will start on Jan 2 and all you have to do next is to show up on 1st Jan and everything will be done on that day....dues, hostel arrangements and what ever else required. They told me that the entire expenses excluding food will be around 35k Rs. They also told me that you will have to wear uniform...grey pants, white shirt and maroon tie. I am having doubts about getting everything done the day before classes starts...doesn't sound right...can anyone tell me if this is how things will get done. I still didn't get any official acceptance letter from college itself but they say you got in.


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## Smeer (Jan 29, 2006)

ghummank04 said:


> well the only thing i got was a letter from IBCC that i got in under PTAP. When i went to Punjab medical college they told me that classes will start on Jan 2 and all you have to do next is to show up on 1st Jan and everything will be done on that day....dues, hostel arrangements and what ever else required. They told me that the entire expenses excluding food will be around 35k Rs. They also told me that you will have to wear uniform...grey pants, white shirt and maroon tie. I am having doubts about getting everything done the day before classes starts...doesn't sound right...can anyone tell me if this is how things will get done. I still didn't get any official acceptance letter from college itself but they say you got in.


That's a genuine concern ghummank04, and I can say I'm going through the exact same thing right now! I would definitely try to get there ASAP -- at least 1-2 weeks before classes start, maybe even before Eid break so that you know people are still around so you can get work done that you need to or even just check the place out while it's in session to see how things work. Try to get things done if you can at least a week an advance unless they absolutely refuse you -- then you really don't have a choice but I mean just try to do what you can, you know?

I never got an official response either, but my cousin has been in contact w/the Health Department in Lahore and the Economic Affairs Division (which processes PTAP applications), and pretty much the only proof you can attain is a copy of the letters that the EAD sends to the Health Department nominating you to PMC and then another letter the Health Department sends PMC approving of your nomination, because pretty much the Health Department double checks and makes sure that you're legit and that there hasn't been any fraud, forging of documents, incorrect IBCC equivalence calculations, etc. I would contact the EAD and/or the Health Department in Lahore for more info. on that, or if you want maybe you can PM me your name and I can see if your name is on one of the letters that my cousin emailed me so that maybe I could get that emailed to you for your reassurance #laugh.


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