# Which Pakistani Medical College Can I Get Into



## stephenasmith (Oct 30, 2018)

Hey Guys!

I am currently a senior in high school. I am from the USA. I planning to go to medical college in Pakistan but plan to do residency back here.

My stats are 1440 on SAT I and 750 on SAT II BIO. I am going to take the other tests later in the year. 

Which is a good medical college for my current stats?

I heard Aga Khan, Shifa, and DIMC are great for IMGs. Which one is better and what are the cutoff scores? 

Also, can somebody explain to me the exact process for applying? Like how and specific deadlines?

Thanks!


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## Doctor.Who (Jul 3, 2018)

Please do read this thread in its entirety. It answers a lot of FAQs.
https://www.medstudentz.com/pakista...ing-pakistan-medical-colleges-read-first.html

We can't really predict your chances of gaining admission before you get your IBCC equivalence marks.


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## stephenasmith (Oct 30, 2018)

How do I obtain my IBCC equivalence marks and by when should I obtain them. 

I am pretty sure Aga Khan and DIMC don't want IBCC equivalence marks, maybe Shifa perhaps.


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## dfsff (Aug 31, 2018)

Okay, I am also from the U.S and recently completed high school. I applied this year and also plan on returning to the states to do residency, so I can give you some insight into the process.

Your SAT I is pretty good and should score you an interview with Aga Khan, but keep in mind Aga Khan is literally (as far as I know) the only Pakistani medical college that asks for the SAT I score. Instead, they will ask for SAT II Bio, Chemistry and Physics (or Math). Your Bio sat score is good too. If you want to guarantee a higher score than take the SAT II Math I exam instead of Physics, since they accept either and Physics is a pain.

You ask what college is good for your stats? All of them are doable, if you have all the requirements like IBCC equivalency which ALL colleges require and SAT II scores. 

The best college for IMGs is the best medical college in Pakistan -- Aga khan. But, in the end you have to self-study in every medical college so it doesn't matter as much whether you're in Shifa or DIMC. I have a bunch of relatives who went to less known colleges but had good USMLE Score and are now practicing in the U.S. One of my cousins recently graduated and is now giving his interviews for residency. 

But, being an IMG is not easy if you want to get into competitive specialties in the U.S like Dermatology your chances are extremely slim (people are doing it but its difficult). Also Pakistan is a different world than the States and some people don't want to deal with it. It's your choice in the end. I'm not trying to discourage you, just telling he reality.

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stephenasmith said:


> How do I obtain my IBCC equivalence marks and by when should I obtain them.
> 
> I am pretty sure Aga Khan and DIMC don't want IBCC equivalence marks, maybe Shifa perhaps.


Check the IBCC website for requirements: http://www.ibcc.edu.pk/
They all require IBCC equivalency. They have to be able to compare you with their system, so they need equivalent scores. You have to check the requirements on the IBCC website then go to Islamabad where there office is and give them the required documents (they ask for a lot of things).
You have time before the next years applications open - the current application year is still going on actually. Get it before May since thats when AKU's apps open.


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## stephenasmith (Oct 30, 2018)

Hey, thanks for the information.

How long does it take to get an IBCC equivalence and is it based on GPA. Some of my classes are AP classes. Do they factor unweighted or weighted GPA?

Thanks.


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## dfsff (Aug 31, 2018)

It takes a while for the official certificates to come mine took a few months, but you can request a temporary one for admissions, which will take a week or two. 

Yes, the equivalence is based on your GPA.

I'm pretty sure they look at unweighted, but I'm not 100% sure because my school only had unweighted and no weighted average. They get your gpa from your high school transcript, so whatever is written on there, they'll use. 

They might give you a higher score since you took AP classes. BTW though, they always subtract a lot of points when they do the equivalencies. Something about Pakistan exams being harder than other countries. But its not that important.

Oh and btw they will give two certificates. One called SSC: Secondary School Certificate, which for US is grades 9-10, and HSSC: Higher Secondary School Certificate, grades 11-12. They look like this: http://bizpointonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/olevel.jpg and this https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/...KXybIMEwFjazBpzoO_V4Z9CszsyHaWd7V1huqW5YgZuig

Its no problem if you have questions ask away, you are a famous sports reporter anyways.


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## hav.k (Nov 5, 2018)

I am an international student from Mauritius.Can anyone help how to apply for mbbs at good universities for this year intake?


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## nidarasul (Sep 23, 2013)

stephenasmith said:


> Hey Guys!
> 
> I am currently a senior in high school. I am from the USA. I planning to go to medical college in Pakistan but plan to do residency back here.
> 
> ...


Your order is exactly right. Aku, Shifa and DIMC. Check their websites for application process and deadlines.


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## stephenasmith (Oct 30, 2018)

Hey dfsff,

What was your SAT scores and SAT II scores when you applied to Aga Khan, and how was the interview process?

Additionally, the residency question is to a certain extent bothering me. I heard people from Aga Khan usually match very easily, and while not placing into derm, they place relatively high up.

Is this just a rumor or the truth?

By the way how is the research and the professors in AKU, as well as other facilities?

Thanks


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## maryam_81 (Apr 13, 2015)

Getying residency in the US is the second step first you should get admission in any good medical college and perform well in all classes. Don’t worry about residency right now. Focus on your grades and Sat tests.


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## stephenasmith (Oct 30, 2018)

It was only a concern that I had.

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I was wondering dfsff what was your sat score I when you go accepted by Aga Khan for the interview as well as your SAT II scores.

Additionally, anyone else who get accepted by Aga Khan or Shifa: what did you get in terms of the SAT and SAT II scores.


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## dfsff (Aug 31, 2018)

stephenasmith said:


> It was only a concern that I had.
> 
> - - - Updated - - -
> 
> ...


Oh there seems to be a misunderstanding. I was shortlisted for the interview, but I cancelled the interview shortly afterwards. They specifically told me (by email) that I was chosen for the interview because of good gpa and good SAT I (2090/2400). I cancelled since I wanted to stay in the U.S and didn't like Karachi. 
Yes derm is extremely difficult for any foreign grad to get, but for Aga Khan graduates the prospects (in most specialties) are a bit better than other colleges in Pakistan. Specialties like Orthopedics, Derm, Radiology, Urology, Ophthalmology, among others are difficult for IMGs to get. Those that do manage have lots of research and a connection with the hospital usually. The specialties most open for IMGs include Pathology, Family medicine, Internal medicine and general surgery (this one's a bit harder w/o research and good scores but is doable).
One of the most famous grads from AKU, Dr. Adil Haider, is a renowned trauma surgeon at Brigham and Woman's Hospital (one of the hospitals affiliated with Harvard). He is known for his extensive research in inequality in Trauma (blacks/ African Americans have lower survival rates than whites after trauma, etc.) among other things. AKU does give its students access to research many Medical Colleges in Pakistan won't. It seems Dow also is good in the research department (as far as I know).


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## stephenasmith (Oct 30, 2018)

Okay. 

I have 2 questions:

Do you know the cutoff score for Aga Khan for SAT I?

I have heard internal medicine is a decent specialty because you can spend 2 years after w/ a fellowship and become a cardiologist, which are one of the highest paid specialties. Does this have any credence?


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## dfsff (Aug 31, 2018)

stephenasmith said:


> Okay.
> 
> I have 2 questions:
> 
> ...


I have no idea about any cuttoff score, but I guess if you get around my score in the new SAT thats a good sign. I honestly don't have a clue about AKU admissions since I did that last year and forgot all about it. 

Yeah internal medicine is great in that you can go into what are called fellowships after the Internal Medicine residency, and there are a lot to choose from. On top of that, most will allow you to further subspecialize by doing another fellowship (about a year or two). So you can do internal medicine residency for 3 years and then do a cardiology fellowship for another 3 years, and do another fellowship in Interventional cardiology for 1-2 years. Yes you heard right, Cardiologists are one of the highest paid doctors and they get paid more than a lot of surgical specialities. Basically the more time you spend in training the higher your compensation/salary.


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## Plore (Nov 27, 2018)

stephenasmith said:


> Okay.
> 
> I have 2 questions:
> 
> ...


I got shortlisted, the cutoff was 1380 this year


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## dfsff (Aug 31, 2018)

Plore said:


> I got shortlisted, the cutoff was 1380 this year


Makes sense my score when converted to the new sat is 1460 apparently.


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## stephenasmith (Oct 30, 2018)

Plore said:


> I got shortlisted, the cutoff was 1380 this year


Hey Plore,

Do you mind sharing your SAT scores or/and IBCC Equivalence, GPA.

Also how do you know the cutoff score?

Thanks


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