SHIFA COLLEGE OF MEDICINE in Islamabad, Pakistan

Majid said:

Why is Shifa college more expensive for foreigners than some other recognised universities? e.g. Ayub?

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Majid, you're right. Shifa is more expensive than other medical schools in the region, but there is a reason for that. Unlike Ayub, which is funded almost entirely by the Govt. of Pakistan, Shifa College which costs $12,000 per year, is not funded by the Govt of Pakistan at all. Being private it depends on tuition in order to raise funds to pay faculty, procure equipment for labs, and basically cover all the expenses of running a medical school.

That being said, Shifa does however have better facilities, a better student-to-microscope ratio than Govt schools, and a much more qualified faculty at its disposal. Also the fact that you'll be able to see patients under the instruction of physicians who have American and British degrees goes a long way in helping you hone your clinical sense.

As is often said, you get what you pay for. The govt schools are cheaper, but there is a difference in quality.

URGENT!

How come Shifa medical college is accepting applications right now? I heard that we have to apply during the summer to attend medical college in pakistan...at least for high school students. I am currently living in USA, and am in the 12th grade. This is my last semester and in June 2006, I'll have completed high school. I have already taken all the required classes which the medical colleges in pakistan look for...for example...Biology (in 9th grade) Chemistry (in 10th grade) and Physics (in 11th grade). Now that I am in 12th grade...I am taking AP Biology as well as Bio research since I have completed all the science courses.

I was hoping that I can apply early since I have already taken and passed the classes the Pak medical college require...however someone was telling me that I must complete 12th grade first before I apply...regardless of the fact that I might have taken the required subjects. For that reason...I am waiting till the summer of 2006 to apply. If someone can please give me any information regarding the procedure of applying that will be really helpful...much research I have already done on my own.

Also I heard that this year the rules have changed and now it has become even more competitive for foreign students. They changed the self-finance seats to only 4 for foreign students...and seats under technical assitance program are different for each college. Which one should I apply for or can I apply for? Self finance or Technical assistance? How difficult is it to get into medical colleges in Pakistan?

As for me...I don't mind which medical college I get into in Pakistan. Originally I am from Lahore so I prefer medical colleges in Lahore...but it doesn't matter it can be khi, isb, multan...whatever. So do i still just submit one application? or I gotta submit different for medical colleges in Sindh and different for medical colleges in Punjab? That's what has really been confusing me. I heard from someone that I submit only one application in which I list my top choices...but after equivilance of my marks...they will let me know which medical school I am eligiable for...whether it be in Punjab, Sindh or anywhere else. Is this true? :?:

Lolz...I am really sorry about this...I have written like an essay but this is really confusing especially since I hear so many different things from others...and different things from different websites...Also many of the medical college in Pakistan don't really have good websites...so it doesn't help much.

Plz try to answer my questions lolzz...I have written like a whole essay so i'll stop for now.
Thanks for any help

Moazzma,

I tried applying to government colleges in Pakistan before I came to Shifa. It is a long process. First of all you can't just randomly apply to any govt college in any city. There is a thing called "domicile" in Pakistan, which means that you are only allowed to apply to colleges that fall under your domicile. For instance, I wanted to apply for Khyber Medical College in Peshawar, so along with Khyber, I was allowed to apply to all other govt medical colleges in NWFP (i.e. Ayub Medical, etc.). I am not sure how they determine what a foreign student's "domicile" is, it may be your choice. I chose NWFP because that's where most of my family is...but the smarter choice would be Punjab, since it has about 100000 times more medical colleges than any other province (Pakistani government has traditionally been a Punjab-friendly govt..go figure), so your options would be greatly increased. The process of sending the applications through the Pakistani embassy in Washington DC is also a long one, so you might want to get started on that early. Good luck!

atenolol,

First of all thanks for the comment...however you confused me a little. lol I have done a lot of research on applying to med schools in Pak...and talked with many who went to Pakistan and are currently studying there...some of them I know personally and few I got in contact with through some medical websites. I have never heard of anything about the "domicile" thing. No one has mentioned that before...so I am not too clear on that. I know for sure that it's a long process...and about getting the papers from Washington DC as well...but I questioned a lot of people about my college choices. Like for example, I am originally from Lahore, so mostly I prefer medical colleges in Lahore...however I don't just wanna limit myself to KMC, FJMC, AIMC, and stuff..I also want to apply to some in Multan because I might not get accepted to ones in Lahore. You see what i mean? But someone was telling me that all I need to do is apply and they'll let me know about all the colleges that I can attend anywhere in pakistan...whether in Lahore or somewhere in Khi or wherever.
But i don't really know if that's true...I can understand that if i apply to Punjab med. colleges they'll let me know about the ones in Punjab that I can attend but what about if I wanna apply to a college in Sindh...or somewhere...JUST IN CASE i don't get into any in Punjab lol...just to be on the safe side...especially since now they limited the foreign students seats (in punjab) to only 4.
Anyway...thanks for telling me about the "domicile" thing...I'll def. try to find out about that or call up the people incharged of this whole stuff and ask them.

-If anyone else has any other information on how many govt colleges we can apply to...or if there is any limit to the amount of govt colleges we apply for ...plz let me know...
Thanks,

to whom it may concern


the most important thing before applying to any med school in pakistan is the IBCC equivalence .. u need to have atleast 660 (60% for FSc students) to be able to apply .. this is a requirement of PMDC and some colleges have increased the minimum to 70% i.e AKU ... to be able to apply to gov colleges u need to have a domiclie of the province that ur applying in . u can only get a domicile of that province that u belong to and that is determined by the address on ur NIC or POC (pak origin card) so if ur looking to apply in punjab u need a domicile from any city in punjab or the federal capital .. the application process usually starts in august or september cuz the FSc students dont get their results till late july or august ... im not sure whether they still have the entry test or not ... u cant apply at the moment cuz u cant get ur IBCC .. for that u need ur high school transcript ( to be sealed and sent to IBCC or delivered in person with seal intact) .. the best thing right now would be to register for SAT II ... my brother applied last year but he took his SAT in october and cudnt make the deadline n decided against going to pakistan ... nyways ... register for SAT II , take it asap ... as soon as u get ur transcript , apply for IBCC and then apply to shifa asap ... good luck !