# Accepted DIMC Students 2008



## US_medstudent (Oct 31, 2007)

So all of us (especially from North American and Europe) the next few years in Pakistan is going to be a dramatic change so see how we can help each other.

We still have to figure out the exact date of classes starting since the school doesnt know either.

What are you taking with you?
Where are you planning to stay?

Advice from current students (dimc or otherwise), anything we should prepare for in advance?

Guys, where are you planning to stay? The girls have hostels so it'll be easier for them but the rest of us get the short end of the stick.


Near by apartments? Where do the current DMIC students reside?

I've only been to Karachi like once in my life (for two days) so I have no idea whats its really like there except from the news. So staying far from campus wouldnt be the safest of ideas.


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## Fareeha (Jun 27, 2008)

hmm ure talking abt dow i think there is a thread started may b u cd get help frm tht


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## Tarikq786 (Aug 17, 2008)

I'm in Pakistan right now for the next few days, so I'll try to answer your questions since I came here with a lot of the same questions.


*Starting Date Confusion*
Regarding the official starting date of classes, it's still quite unclear. The email said end of September, 3 weeks ago two school officials told me October 15th, when I went last week right before the email came out, they told me it would be most likely after Eid. I believe I also read a post in the original DIMC post on this forum that said the September 29th date was just an Orientation day, which would follow with classes starting after Eid.

*Stuff to Bring*
As far as stuff to bring, theres a few threads on this forum such as:
http://medstudentz.com/pakistan-medical-schools/409-what-should-i-bring-pakistan-medical-school.html
I posted a question in there before coming here, because last time I was here (3 years ago), it seemed as if not many Western products could be bought here. Within my first week of coming here, I was introduced to a few stores that we will probably all learn to love. Mackro and D-Mart. Mackro is essentially an exact clone of Costco. It's a huge warehouse that sells products in wholesale packaging. Almost anything and everything that you want is available there (Fruit, Clean meat, Mosquito killing products, Hygiene products, Frozen foods (Pizza, chicken nuggets, etc), Electronics. They even sell Generators and cars. D-mart is basically like the supermarket's we are used to. Most of the products are imported, and you will most likely be able to get what you're looking for. Both of those stores are professionally managed by overseas companies, and are *centrally air conditioned*.I believe Mackro has 3 locations, and D-mart has 8 or so.

Aside from those two stores, you might want to check this website out:
Karachi Business Directory - KarachiSnob.com
It's basically a website made for people like us. A directory of every high end/clean place in Karachi. For the past 3 weeks that I've been here in Karachi, I've used that Directory and found nothing but amazingness. The best part, the US and Canadian Dollar are strong over here.

*Living Situation: Where are us guys to go?*

Since the school closed the boys dorms (rumored to be due Political parties forming), us guys are forced to arrange our own accommodations. This all depends on your own financial situation, and if you have family in Pakistan. One issue that we cannot ignore is the fact that Karachi is not by any means a safe place. Even in wealthy areas like Defense and Clifton there is a large number of reported and unreported street crimes. The most common of these street crimes is cell phone snatching at gunpoint. It's widely understood that if you are confronted with such a situation, be prepared to give them everything you have on you. The unemployment rate in Karachi (I think) is above 35%. People are doing whatever it takes to survive, which sadly means crime is increasing. Due to the safety factor, I believe it is vital that you choose a safe place to live. Above all, if you have family in Karachi, stay with them. In my case, I do have family here, but I am trying to get an Apartment that I will hopefully be able to share with a few other guys in Clifton. The reason I chose Clifton is because as I previously stated, most of the wealth is there. There are more people like us from other parts of the world who are already here, so it will be easier for us to blend in with our surroundings. The only downside is that it's far from school (45 minutes in mild traffic) Unfortunately the area surrounding school is kinda sketchy at night, which is another reason I'm opting not to live there. There isn't much activity, and all of the amenities we are used to (KFC, McD's, Pizza hut, Bowling, Movies, etc) are at least 15-20 minutes away. Most of the current DIMC male students are staying with Family, but I can see a lot of them shifting into Apartments with our batch once we all get settled.

I'm not sure if I answered all of your questions so let me know if there's anything else I can help with.


- Tarick


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## US_medstudent (Oct 31, 2007)

Thanks for posting.

Let us know if you hear anything about a final start date for classes.

Also, are there locations in Karachi where the electricity doesnt go out? I've been watching the news on karachi and that always seems the headline always seems to be "no electricity for hours".


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## Tarikq786 (Aug 17, 2008)

Even in the wealthiest areas, electricity is a major issue. It's called "load shedding" over here. A lot of people are starting to get into the trend of UPS systems. It's basically a backup battery that can run ceiling fans and lights. The entire system costs roughly 20-25k rupees, and it will run like 3 fans and 10 light bulbs for 2-4 hours depending on load. Light usually goes away for 1-2 hours at a time, however when I got here a few weeks ago we had a day where the light was gone for 4 hours twice in the day.


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## MedGrunt (Feb 21, 2007)

Getting a UPS is a really good idea, especially since during the summer it's unbearably hot if you don't have a fan running. Even with the fan it's hot.

I'm in Islamabad and up until Ramadan started the power would go out for one hour after every three hours. It makes it hard to study at night and depending on the heat level sometimes it's even hard to sleep. So a UPS is a really good investment. Not sure how long it can work for the extended power outages, since it needs to get recharged, but for the 1 hour outages here it works great.


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## Talha89 (Sep 14, 2008)

Hi guys..I am hopefully...joining DIMC too....so then wht do u say onli bring clothes....from here?
If everything else is avaible there...I m definately...iffy about karach ias welll..


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## Tarikq786 (Aug 17, 2008)

Ya thats pretty much all I'm bringing. Clothes, laptop, and backpack. Basically everything else is available here as long as you're okay with imitations.

example: Generic branded Coco puffs and Captain crunch.


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## Talha89 (Sep 14, 2008)

Guys I have one question...for all the people going to DIMC...did u guys explore other schools in UK, and Carribeans?I know some one who got into UK and they also require.......80s...so didnt anybody consider other countires for medicine.......? And if somebody did aplly what was the outcome?? Was finance a major issue while accepting DIMC over other schools..?


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## US_medstudent (Oct 31, 2007)

I emailed Dow regarding the Dorm situation and they actually replied back saying "- Hostel room charges are Rs. 5000/- per month and Rs. 4000/- of mess."

I'm not sure what "mess" is referring to but apparently they do have seem to have some sort of arrangement. So whoever is interested should email them, I'll post any updates I receive.


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## Tarikq786 (Aug 17, 2008)

Mess is meals. Did you tell them you're a guy? I'm almost positive there's no boys housing on campus.


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## US_medstudent (Oct 31, 2007)

Tarikq786 said:


> Mess is meals. Did you tell them you're a guy? I'm almost positive there's no boys housing on campus.


I've been emailing them on a constant basis with my personal account so at this point I do hope they know I'm a guy, but knowing the level of incompetency in Pakistan, I've emailed them again just to confirm, I'll post an update as soon as they reply.


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## US_medstudent (Oct 31, 2007)

Tarikq786 said:


> Mess is meals. Did you tell them you're a guy? I'm almost positive there's no boys housing on campus.


You were right, they knew I was a guy but for some reason felt like telling me they had a dorm for girls and sent me an email with cost and stuff.

I'm already beginning to like the administration at this place...


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## Sarah08 (Jul 9, 2007)

^ lol. 
umm you might want to try the apartments right across the street from dow. (literally) they seem decent although i haven't seen them from the inside. and let me tell you this administration is soo confused at times. but then again thats just the way things work over there so we might as well get used to it! have you joined our facebook group? we talk a lot on there. im thinking dimc is trying to rush us all and get us into pakistan with our money just so they can take the money. but students there are saying that schools going to starting end of october (around the 29th) this guy i know said the same thing happened last year. its better to get there early though to adjust to everything. i can already tell the first week is going to be a rough transition!


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## US_medstudent (Oct 31, 2007)

I read somewhere that the ones across the street are for Aga Khan students, is that true?
Do we start on the new international campus when the semester begins?


I'm already on the FB group, I was like the third person to join. 

Sometimes there are to many posts on the wall unrelated to the purpose of the group so its hard to read through them all and see which ones are relevant and which ones are #confused


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## Sarah08 (Jul 9, 2007)

I'm not sure about your question relating to the apartments belonging to agha khan students, but I know that the new campus that is being built is set to be completed december 2008. however, that is definitely not happening lol they are pretty behind on construction so hopefully by next year? but the temporary setup we have is an old restored building. it's still really good though-almost new. and sorry about the posts on the group. we tend to go off in tangents. hopefully all your questions are answered though? i guess the purpose of the group is just to get to know each other and ask questions but feel free to make adjusments. i can make you admin if you're already not.


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## Maaheen (Sep 24, 2008)

I was wondering if a lot of people are already there? I won't even get there till probably a week after eid (have to spend it as a family and all). Has anyone figured out when classes start? I don't even know what subjects we will be taking when we get there or what books we will be using. I tried to look on the website but it doesn't state anything of importance in that respect. 

Also, are any of the girls living in the hostels? How are the conditions? Are they safe? Or would it be safer to live with relatives?

And what are people doing for transport? I haven't really ever traveled by public transport and I think that is the thing I will have the most trouble adjusting to. It is a really scary prospect for me especially because it's Pakistan and its not the safest of places!

Any information/comments would be greatly appreciated.


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## US_medstudent (Oct 31, 2007)

Sarah08 said:


> I'm not sure about your question relating to the apartments belonging to agha khan students, but I know that the new campus that is being built is set to be completed december 2008. however, that is definitely not happening lol they are pretty behind on construction so hopefully by next year? but the temporary setup we have is an old restored building. it's still really good though-almost new..


I think I read it somewhere on this forum that the ones right across were just for Aga Khan students, or maybe I read it on the FB group, not sure.

Do you know where the restored building is? Is it on the new campus or somewhere else? I'm having trouble figuring out which campus we're actually starting at since there seem to be a few campuses mentioned in the prospectus. Theres an OJHA campus, SMC campus, and DMC campus.


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## Sarah08 (Jul 9, 2007)

hey Maheen. to answer a few of your questions: the hostels are VERY nice and VERY safe. the campus itself is pretty secluded. living with relatives would be a hassle because 1) it creates a distraction and 2) you would have to drive to school which means getting stuck in terrible traffic and you have a greater chance of getting caught up in riots (if there were any). I'm not really sure what you mean by transport. do not use those public buses ( i mean the ones that are all decked out and have a thousand people sitting in and even on top of them). those are definitely not safe for any girl much less a foreign one. dimc does have bus service available to girls who want to go out. the dean said that we would just split up gas money. other than that there are these white radio cabs that are extremely safe so a group of girls could share the fare and ride one of those. you can get your other questions answered by joining our facebook group. it 's called DIMC-class of 2013. i hope this info helps


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## Sarah08 (Jul 9, 2007)

US_medstudent said:


> I think I read it somewhere on this forum that the ones right across were just for Aga Khan students, or maybe I read it on the FB group, not sure.
> 
> Do you know where the restored building is? Is it on the new campus or somewhere else? I'm having trouble figuring out which campus we're actually starting at since there seem to be a few campuses mentioned in the prospectus. Theres an OJHA campus, SMC campus, and DMC campus.


 
The restored building is right on the DIMC campus which I THINK would be the Ojha Campus since that's the hospital we're affiliated. But I could be totally wrong so don't quote me on that  . See the whole campus is not just DIMC, there is also a nursing school and a couple other dow facilities on site. If you go to the DIMC prospectus and look at the pictures....basicallly thats what the campus is. The restored building is the one that has the name of the departments, lecture halls, the tikki hut thing and cafeteria/the new hostels. It's all one. The new building that is being built is still on the same ground just a little further away but still walking distance. Dow has alot of land in that area. Not sure if i'm making any sense....#confused


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## ASyed (Sep 26, 2008)

Sarah08 said:


> The restored building is right on the DIMC campus which I THINK would be the Ojha Campus since that's the hospital we're affiliated. But I could be totally wrong so don't quote me on that  . See the whole campus is not just DIMC, there is also a nursing school and a couple other dow facilities on site. If you go to the DIMC prospectus and look at the pictures....basicallly thats what the campus is. The restored building is the one that has the name of the departments, lecture halls, the tikki hut thing and cafeteria/the new hostels. It's all one. The new building that is being built is still on the same ground just a little further away but still walking distance. Dow has alot of land in that area. Not sure if i'm making any sense....#confused


*

Yes, you are definitely right! We are at the Ojha Campus.* #happy


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## Sarah08 (Jul 9, 2007)

Thanks Ammar! congrats on writing your first post lol. ummm for anyone that recieved that email telling you to pay the fee asap because there are 170 applicants and only 100 seats. heres what you do: call dr. rana and just let her know when you can get the fees in by. all they want is an oral confirmation that you will be there to pay them the money. it's not a big deal so dont be worrying about it


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## ASyed (Sep 26, 2008)

Sarah08 said:


> Thanks Ammar! congrats on writing your first post lol. ummm for anyone that recieved that email telling you to pay the fee asap because there are 170 applicants and only 100 seats. heres what you do: call dr. rana and just let her know when you can get the fees in by. all they want is an oral confirmation that you will be there to pay them the money. it's not a big deal so dont be worrying about it


*

Lolz, Sarah, I am not Ammar! LOLZ!!!*


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## Sarah08 (Jul 9, 2007)

LOL sorry AQSA! not my fault you guys have the same first initial and same last name...!!!


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