DORMS

UPDATES:  A LOT OF THE DORMS JUST RAISED THEIR PRICES, expect a php 1,000+ increase on the prices you see here. Although you can still find some pretty cheap rooms, they're gonna be pretty hard to come by now.

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hey guys, just reposting this since most weren't able to view it in the tab at the top of my blog. :))


Okie dokie, so 2013 is coming up, and I know a lot of you are starting to narrow down your choice of schools, or have already chosen one. 

And for those who chose DLSHSI College of Medicine.... CONGRATS AND WELCOME!!!! :) 

When I was choosing a med school to get into, one of the factors I considered were the availability of dorms, or at least accessibility to public transpo when I did want to go home.

So for those of you who are already dorm hunting, here's a short list of places you can check out. :)

1) VILLA NICASIA

This place is about a 5 minute walk away from the school. Its just a village of dorms where a lot of students, interns, doctors, and even professors stay. 

Dorm room rates vary from dorm to dorm and whether its going to be a single room or you're gonna share it with 2-4 people. 

For single rooms, average cost is about Php 5,000/month, excluding your electric bill, and sometimes water.

For rooms good for 2 people, its about Php3,500/person, you can look for your own roomie, or you can just let the caretaker know that you're open to having a room mate. 

Within Villa Nicasia, there are eateries (Asuncion, Frying Pan, Ninja Gohan), laundry shops, sari-sari stores, and its just a walk away from 7-11 and the school. :)


2) DEERLAND/ ANTLERS

Deerland is located right across the school, it has two entrances: the one right in front of 7-11, and another beside Starbucks. Its the one that looks like a forest. HAHAHAHAHAHA

It might look creepy, but based on feedback from classmates, its a pretty good place to look for a dorm since they are really cheap. 

One of the reasons they also call this place Deerland is that inside, there's a pen with around 6-8 deer, another pen of pigs (i am not joking. :))  

Antlers Hotel is located at the Starbucks side of this area, this one is a bit pricier than Nicasia since its set up very much like a hotel, but its totally safe, airy, you get to use the pool there. 

Single Rooms cost around Php 6,000/month, includes a bed, cabinet, cr--just the basics, you;re not allowed to cook, but I think you can heat your food there (there's a common microwave i think). 

Rooms good for 2 people cost around Php 4,000. 


For Deerland (yes, they're considered separate, but they're owned by the same people), its located at the 7-11 side of the area. As my friend put it, the dorms here look a bit like the GK houses, and it might look a little scary, but the prices make up for it. HAHAHAHAHAHA

The rooms here are pretty big, with Single Rooms averaging about Php 3k (and also depending whether the room is tiled or not) a month, exclusive of electricity. It also contains the basics .

Rooms for 2 average around Php 2,500/person.

There's also the Deerland Extension, located beside the hospital, near a row of eateries. As the name suggests, its an extension of deer land, with the same type of dorms and is pretty secure. For over night stays (just in case your mom, sister, brother, family member wants to stay), there is a Php 500 fee.

NOTE: Its better if you have your name listed for reservations, a lot of people are looking for dorms at Deerland since its cheap, and the waiting list is pretty long.

Security is pretty good here, a bit dark at night though, but overall, its pretty good. :)


3) VILLA ISABEL

From Villa Nicasia, its another 5-10 minute walk, its entrance is near the Korean Grocery Store. The dorms are nearly the same price as Nicasia's, there are eateries and sari-sari stores too. 

The village is huge, and not too many dorms have been set up there, its more of a residential type of village unlike Nicasia. 

4) DORMBUILT

Located behind the Wang Building near the Animo Center.

Its much more expensive than Nicasia, Deerland, and Isabel, and stricter in terms of the accommodations. 

Girls are separated from boys, I just forgot which side they are placed in. There is a lobby where the students can study or just get together, the soccer field/ track is located behind it, has a curfew, and you can't wash your own clothes (do your own laundry inside), or cook. But if you're pretty busy, this wont really matter since you would just have all your clothes laundered or you can buy your own food outside.

Prices for rooms vary, but based on classmates, Single Room costs around Php5-6,000, while rooms for 2 cost around Php3,500-4,000 each exclusive of electricity. It also has the basics, and you can request for cleaning service here. 

Waiting lists for Dormbuilt are also pretty long, since its location is pretty good, being right inside the school.


So these are just some of the options for dorms, feel free to ask about anything else. :)


DORM LIFE MUST HAVES

Dorm Life Must Haves

I apologize in advance for the rumble jumble tumble way of a blog this is. I realized that I kept posting things in random and it might be hard for you readers to actually find certain blogs and keep a certain sense of continuity if all my posts just jump from one subject to another.

But, what the hell, that's how my brain operates. In short, sabog.HAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Aaaaaaanywaaaaaaaaaaays, since finding a dorm and the first day of classes are coming up, I suddenly found myself scrambling for more stuff to lug into the car and shove into my dorm.

The first trip to the dorm where I moved in all my stuff, it took two people and me to bring up all that stuff within a span of 2 hours. Mind you, I was located on the 2nd floor, and its not fun carrying 5 boxes of clothes, kitchen utensils, and whatnot up the stairs.

That was the night before the LOAD or orientation for freshies, so I spent the night there. And I found things to be...lacking. There was a lot of stuff that I forgot to bring, and a lot of stuff I forgot to buy. I don't know if I have become something short of hoarder because of the sheer volume of stuff I brought in, but there was still a lot of stuff I lacked.

So for first time dormers like me who have no sense of what should be inside a dorm, and the necessities that would make my med life more comfortable, here's a list of things that you should bring when you're moving in:

FOR THE KITCHEN (or if lacking one, foodie must haves)
(yes, as you may have gathered, I'm a food person, and my sole focus of comfort is food, hence, putting kitchen necessities first)

1. water. I had everything in my ref, and I forgot to buy water. facepalm.
2. biscuits, cookies, anything that's ready to eat.
3. candy.
4. coffee/tea/juice- if you're particular with that sort of thing when you're studying
5. pots/pans- to fry an egg, cook some instant noodles or something, make a homey meal
6. water heater/ kettle- for those late night coffee trips
7. toaster/microwave- anything to heat up the cold, lifeless meal that you intend to eat

FOR THE CABINET/CLOSET

1. hangers- you dont want to spend hours ironing out wrinkles in clothes that could have otherwise been wrinkle free if you just used a hanger
2. baskets/hampers- especially the mesh types, these come in handy for separating your dirty clothes with the new ones
3. shoe rack- if you're a bit prissy on the supposed order of shoes, you need one. For me, I just threw them all in a pile at the bottom of the cabinet.
4. Storage boxes or karts- in case you have a little space, or no cabinet at all, storage boxes are ideal. buy 3-4 of them and you are ready to go, makes moving in a lot easier too. 

FOR YOUR BED

1. Your own pillow- you wouldn't want to cozy up to dorm given pillow that has already been slobbered on by a gazillion different people
2. Mattress- just in case your dorm doesnt provide one, or their mat is as hard as rock. IF you are using one that is already provided by the dorm and its not new, give the mattress a spray over with insect killer like Baygon to rid it of any bed bugs/bed mites lurking around. Air it out for a few minutes or an hour, and you are good to go.
3. Blankets.

FOR YOUR DESK

1. Organizers- you can hang these up or prop them against your desk to keep your overflowing stock of highlighters
2. Bookends- to prop those heavy textbooks up

Here's a few cool DIY organizers that you might like to try:

ADDITIONAL STUFF

• Laundry detergent and bleach- for your white uniforms, you wouldn't want the local laundry shop screwing with your expensive immaculate uniform
• Scissors, sewing kit, manicure set, tape, super glue
• Your own lamp
• Fan

ONE MORE MONTH!!!

I havent blogged as much as before because...well...nothing much is happening yet. HAHAHAHAHA

Just waiting for enrollment time at DLSHSI, and looking back on it now, I'm pretty happy with my decision. I took my mom and dad to go see the school and submit a few requirements for their scholarship program. It was really funny, and melted my heart when I saw my dad just walking around the campus in awe. He had no idea that the school was this pretty. Here's a link from a forum, just a few pictures of the school:

DLSHSI CAMPUS PHOTOS

My dad just came home from Dubai where he had been working for several years, and twice a year for two weeks each, he gets to come home and just be with family. Seeing him after 6 months just made me happy and sad at the same time since he would be extending his stay there just to pay for Med School. So by the time I graduate, he would be retiring. And the sad thing is, my parents might be retiring with no savings at all because of my studies. Its not like I wont be studying my ass off to make it all worthwhile, but it really pains me to see them both growing old so fast. They're approaching their 60s, and I always thought that by this time, they would just be relaxing, playing with their grandchildren or something, and not having to worry about anything; and that my sisters/brother and I will be the ones to take care of them.

Anyways, going back to the short tour around the school, my dad was pretty happy with everything, he was so excited about it all that he already checked the dorm located within the campus called DormBuilt. The prices were pretty steep so I told him that we would just check Villa Nicasia ( a village of dorms located right beside the school).

My dad went door to door, talking to the other students about the best dorm in the area, it was really sweet and funny because all the students had this look like *idk, you're creepy man*, and when they saw that I was right behind my dad, with little sister in tow, they eased up and pointed me towards several other dorms.

Well, after two hours in the scorching heat, we finally did find the perfect dorm. The price was a bit steep, but justifiable enough because it was biiiig. My parents told me to just rent a single room because things will be a lot harder if I had someone else in the room with me. You know, annoying people, people who'd mess with your stuff, etc. In mom's words, "mahirap pakisamahan". At least, this room was all mine, own toilet, fully furnished, just needed a new coat of paint and a little cleaning up, but it was all good. I think the room was about 30sqm or bigger, so, not bad at all. You just had to pay additional for water (php100), and electricity. If you wanted internet access, you just had to add Php300, and cable was at Php50.

Well, I just hope that I get the full scholarship so that my dad wouldnt have to worry about all the expenses, because, after some computations of the expenses, for my first year in med, they would actually be spending about Php300,000+. Seriously??

Please Lord, please let me get this scholarship. T_T