Political & Elections

SamuraiLandshark · Guru

RE: Update to those who don't go on CC

SamuraiLandshark · Guru

Probably, Romani.

But..what if it gets revised? Landshark girl's aid changed four times last year as an incoming freshman - all before July. In all fairness, each time it improved As more nformation came in and was verified. However, a student I know had an aid package change for the worse last year.

I think the wording that they can give you an estimate makes it pass muster. I will ask my sources, though.

romanigypsyeyes · Guru

SLS, look at this: http://www.sph.umn.edu/current/incoming/aid/

Under "already applied" it says we won't get our aid until mid-July but deposits are due in April. Is that legal because we can get an estimated FA package?

romanigypsyeyes · Guru

It's actually not that bad right now. The temperatures have been relatively mild. It's just SO SNOWY this winter. Your Cali girl is definitely getting the full Michigan experience :D

Edit: I also broke my toe a few weeks ago when I fell on the ice. I'm still sore in some places from when I fell last week. I am just SO DONE with winter. We do not get along. Ice + clumsy people = disaster. My mom and I have so many bruises from the snow.

-- Edited by romanigypsyeyes on Tuesday 26th of February 2013 09:36:34 PM

romanigypsyeyes · Guru

I got in to Columbia today- epidemiology with a certificate in Sexuality, Sexual & Reproductive Health :).

I'm sad because I really like this program but in no way can justify going in to debt after such a lucky offer from SLU.

romanigypsyeyes · Guru

It's true. It's not exactly the program I want to do but the director is pushing a dual concentration. I can either be very marketable and get a dual concentration in Epi or follow my passion and get a dual in Maternal and Child Health. The dual concentration makes it really appealing. As well as the lack of debt.

I would rather take a job I like after graduation for less than be locked in to a high paying job I hate to pay off that 100k debt >.
I'm still bouncing around happily. Feeling so grateful!

SamuraiLandshark · Guru

Smart money is on being the graduate who can take an offer to do what the love upon graduation without worrying about student loans Repayment for a decade or more.

Hope you get more amazing offers like this one!

romanigypsyeyes · Guru

Finally got my first offer!

Full tuition + stipend + health insurance for St. Louis! Yay!

The odds of me going to St. Louis just went up significantly.

A program that I'm not a huge fan of that leaves me with 0 debt > a program I'm in love with that leaves me 100k in debt.

romanigypsyeyes · Guru

Ha- that would be too easy. Getting them all at the same time. I've been on the studentdoctor.net forums and apparently last year Tulane didn't give out FA until April 15th- which is decision date everywhere else. Bahhhh

Why can't it just be easy? lol

busdriver11 · Guru

Wouldn't it be nice to just have all the acceptances and FA offers all in hand at the same time, instead of getting it piecemeal. That way you could start making plans and decisions already.

I've lived all over the US, some places with amazing weather, some with crummy weather. Maybe a small factor to consider, but definitely not one to make a decision on. You can live anywhere for a couple of years.

romanigypsyeyes · Guru

Ouch. I've never been to the south so thanks for the heads-up. I've only ever been to Florida and Myrtle Beach, both of which I don't remember being too too hot during our stay.

No FA packages yet :( (frustrating!) Right now, my top school for financial reasons is U of M. Top 3 for fit/academics are: Tulane, Emory, and U of MN (not necessarily in that order). Pitt and St. Louis are off my list unless they offer me some really pretty coins :)

I'm really waiting to hear from BU. They'd shoot up on my list. Arizona and Columbia I'm also waiting on but they're meh. GW is one I applied to where I'm hoping to get good merit from if accepted (they have some auto-scholarships which I should qualify for).

busdriver11 · Guru

Yep, ac is good. But what drives me crazy about the south is that they over aircondition everywhere! You're really hot walking around, then you go inside somewhere and it is freezing. Really? Should I have to take my jacket everywhere when it's 100 degrees outside?

Any FA packages out yet? Any short list so far?

romanigypsyeyes · Guru

Ha. I wish I had stayed in the dark.

Thanks :).

I'm not sure the heat would bug me. Seriously the warmer the better. The humidity can get to me though because of my asthma. Didn't much mind living in the rain forest for months though so I think I could take it. Plus, there's AC there :D

busdriver11 · Guru

I think I don't want to know what the beads mean. Sometimes it is better to stay in the dark.

Congratulations on another choice. I know what you mean about the heat there, though. Every time I've been there, all I can think about is the oppressing, humid weather. But then again, you probably get the summer off, right? And Tulane is a big name school.

romanigypsyeyes · Guru

I will if I choose to. I have to narrow it down to only about 3 schools that I can feasibly travel to. The admitted students days largely overlap too :( Sigh.

longprime · Guru

Congrats. Do you get a chance to meet and greet your future advisor before your final decision? You got a lot of choices.

romanigypsyeyes · Guru

Ha :).

I've never been to NOLA. My parents used to love it though. My mom used to come back with LOADS of beads, which disturbed me when I eventually found out what that meant *shiver*.

I really like Tulane. They're a leader in global medicine and they allow you to switch your concentration- which would be nice for someone as indecisive as myself.

And I mean come on, it's New Orleans!

SamuraiLandshark · Guru

But it would be really, really fun to visit you there.

romanigypsyeyes · Guru

I got in to Tulane today lol.

I want warm but I don't know if I could handle New Orleans warm. Hmmm

romanigypsyeyes · Guru

I am not a patient person. Tulane told me that I should have had a decision within two weeks and that was 4+ weeks ago. So I emailed them and they said there are notes on my file and that a decision should be coming soon- but now they have a 4 day weekend.

I'm trying to learn patience but it was not a skill I was gifted with.

I'm getting better. I swear I only check my email every 10 minutes now during the weekdays :D

SamuraiLandshark · Guru

That is possible about the scholarships. Keep me posted.

SamuraiLandshark · Guru

Unless I am missing something, they are breaking a policy by NACAC - students must receive aid packages before having to commit to attend. Some schools have housing deposits tgat can be given early, but even those are still sketchy and break the spirit of the policy. Romani, since you have my email, send me the page that describes this policy. I want to investigate it further. It sounds off. Alhletes can and often do commit to schools without a full financial aid award if they ign an National Letter of Intent, but generally everyone else is supposed to have until May 1st to decide...and aid is given before a commitment is expected.

romanigypsyeyes · Guru

I will try to find it again, SLS. That's interesting to know.

Pitt's website is annoying to navigate and I can't remember where I saw it. Sigh. Will look.

Maybe they release FA packages with just loans in March but don't give out scholarships until you commit?? I'll keep you posted.

-- Edited by romanigypsyeyes on Wednesday 30th of January 2013 08:47:49 AM

romanigypsyeyes · Guru

I just can't wrap my mind around why they would do it like this. They're a decently ranked MPH program but definitely not in the upper-crust like Johns Hopkins that can afford to lose top talent as they have a huge pool to pull from. It just seems so odd.

busdriver11 · Guru

Sounds like it's not worth your money, then!

romanigypsyeyes · Guru

bd, not that I can figure out. It's all merit-based and I don't know where I fall :/

Commit means paying the deposit by April 15th. It's either $100 or $300 can't remember.

It's definitely not a top choice, but it was an option. Not if they're going to do this though. I'm not paying a few hundred $$$ just to see if they like me or not lol.

busdriver11 · Guru

So is there a way to figure out what their typical FA package would be for your financial picture?

And what does "commit" to them entail? A signature, a financial commitment, a deposit? And large or small? Can you technically "commit" and then if their FA package isn't what you want, withdraw and get your money back? Is this a top choice for you?

SamuraiLandshark · Guru

I have never seen that before.

romanigypsyeyes · Guru

So apparently Pitt only sends out financial aid packages (including scholarships) after you've already committed to going there.

WHAT?! In what universe does that make sense?

soccerguy315 · Guru

I lived at home in grad school... saved me lots of money.

SamuraiLandshark · Guru

Commuting is always cheaper. I did this in college. Missed a lot of fun stuff, but less debt at the end of the line.

romanigypsyeyes · Guru

I'd be living at home as the commute would be much, much cheaper than paying rent on campus.

Hadn't heard that from cousin. Will inquire.

My parents want to move so they're willing to rent out the house to me as right now it'll be cheaper than selling it.

So. Many things to consider :/

SamuraiLandshark · Guru

Well, you could always move in with my girl! Word is a certain cousin is thinking about moving and finding a replacement for the lease. I never had anyone stop talking to me when I went to USC, but my sister wasn't happy it wasn't UCLA. Michiganders are intense!

romanigypsyeyes · Guru

Hahaha...

nah, not really. I mean, I was a U of M fan from birth until I made the decision to go to MSU over U of M. I've never been adamantly against U of M, I just hated it that I literally had people stop talking to me because I went to MSU over U of M. That's how petty some people are with regards to the rivalry.

U of M has a lot of perks. I'm not in love with the program by any stretch of the imagination, but I would be able to rent out my house for cheap (parents want to move elsewhere) and the in-state tuition is super attractive.

Decisions.

SamuraiLandshark · Guru

That must have torn a little piece of your soul, Romani. I bet you would look good in blue and maize.

romanigypsyeyes · Guru

Two more:

Michigan
Pittsburgh

I log in to my WolverineAccess using my MSU email. To anyone who knows about the rivalry, they will know why I laugh a little every time.

soccerguy315 · Guru

it is super cold here in DC too right now... though super cold means highs in the 20s (it's not THAT bad until the wind blows, then it's freezing, ugh)

you will get some good offers... hopefully they will be at your favorite places!

romanigypsyeyes · Guru

Very funny!

My personal favorite:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6t-EjrtD3U

SamuraiLandshark · Guru

North Dakota weather video. it made me laugh. http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=GAq1Ml3PlGc&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DGAq1Ml3PlGc

romanigypsyeyes · Guru

So as I'm playing around with the idea of going to Minneapolis over warm Atlanta, Michigan plummets in to a cold snap. It was 0 when I went to work this morning (-14 windchill). I think Michigan is trying to push me to Atlanta.

I'm listening, Michigan. I'm listening.

romanigypsyeyes · Guru

Well- I applied to GWU

SO HUZZAH YOU MIGHT NOT BE ABLE TO TAKE IT BACK (that felt appropriate)

And I do love me some ....

I'm hoping things will REALLY fall in to place when I start getting some financial aid offers. I really, *really* don't want to go an additional 60k in debt for this degree. Grumble.

soccerguy315 · Guru

good work romani...

as i was reading this thread i thought you might end up in DC with biosecurity and I was gonna say if you ever made it here the first beers would be on me. But then I read more and saw you weren't going to do that, so I am not offering! TAKE THAT! NOW YOU CANNOT TURN ME DOWN! muahahaha....

it's a good feeling when things start to fall in place for you. For me it was during grad school when I started getting the internship offers I wanted. I missed this story on CC so thanks for posting it here too =)

romanigypsyeyes · Guru

Sorry about that bd!

SLS, I knew someone had mentioned that before but I couldn't remember who. My sister's best friend was in the PeaceCorps too and had very mixed feelings about it. He felt that he wasn't doing a whole lot of anything at his placement.

SamuraiLandshark · Guru

My niece is in the Peace Corps. It has not been amazing. The stipend is small. The likelihood of her being sent home due to instability in region is huge, and the program she is doing is not what she was supposed to be doing. It has been hugely disappointing to her. Besides that, the transportation issues she has faced have been so problematic. Peace Corps also has been irresponsible on dealing with the large number of rapes against females in the last several years. If she had it to do over, she wouldn't.

romanigypsyeyes · Guru

The program I'm looking at is not Americorps. Sorry, I thought I included that in my last post but I completely missed it.

It is something I'm VERY interested in. It's for alumni of my university working with kids in low income area high schools. It's to ensure that they have college access and resources such as financial aid, applications, etc. Here's the description: "Michigan State University College Advising Corps (MSUCAC), in close partnership with the National College Advising Corps (NCAC) and the Michigan College Access Network (MCAN), is seeking to help more Michigan students pursue post secondary education. Recent Michigan State University graduates will serve as advisers in selected public high schools across Michigan, particularly those that are located in communities with low socio-economic status and low adult educational attainment rates. Working alongside school professionals, Michigan State University College Advising Corps Members (Advisers) will support students as they make the transition from high school to a post secondary institution. Advisers work full time and focus on low-income, first generation students, mentoring these students through the complex and costly steps toward college enrollment. Advisers will provide students and their families with relevant information regarding the benefits of a post secondary education, preparing for college attendance, and the admission and financial aid processes."

I would really like to give back for a year. I am a low-income, first gen, etc student who was fortunate enough to have people help me through the process and they are the reason I am where I am now. If I could do that for someone else, a year of my life would be so worth it. And it still qualifies as a Corps match program for many of my schools (ie, they'll still match the 5k).

Since it is in MI, the COL is very, very low.

It would be a one year full-time position so not able to go to school and do it.

And I know, bd, those are the factors I'm trying to balance. I'm in the dark though really until I get my financial aid packages (which, I think, will be early/mid March).

busdriver11 · Guru

Hmm...is the Americorps program you're looking at something you are really interested in? What are the possibilities of working throughout your masters program? Would that be impossible? What about stretching out the masters program to a little longer timeframe so you can work while doing it?

I guess I'm just trying to figure out what would be the way to end up with minimum debt, while getting maximum pay, finishing the masters in a reasonable amount of time, and also being able to do something and live somewhere you like.

Though I realize that is a long list!

Emeraldkity · In exile

Since the stipend is before taxes, look into the areas where you will be serving, some can be quite expensive, although some volunteers share housing. My youngest considered NCCC which sounds interesting as you travel with your team to areas of highest need.( she ultimately decided to volunteer abroad instead) They all have similar benefits for corp members although it doesn't sound as though the money has increased since oldest participated w CityYear in 2000-2001. Global health sounds interesting & I think you are wise to get a handle on expenses.

romanigypsyeyes · Guru

I have considered the Peace Corps, but I don't want to commit two+ years to them.

The Corps program I'm looking at include a 23k stipend for the year, 2k towards health insurance, and 5k for school (which is matched by almost every school I'm looking at). I haven't looked through other AmeriCorps programs yet.

These are just ideas I'm considering. Everything has happened so fast that I haven't been able to explore much of anything in depth.

Emeraldkity · In exile

Have you thought about doing the Peace Corps? Americorps only gives a small living stipend & a small education voucher to be applied toward loans, however Peace Corp might get you enough experience to get funding for grad school.

Emeraldkity · In exile

I have heard of CAN but I didnt realize it was national, the program at my daughters school was staffed by Americorps & supplemented by community volunteers. One thing the College Access Now program is doing at younger Ds high school, is continuing their support through college, for students just graduating high school. Just getting them into college isn't enough, and while schools like my oldest daughters liberal arts college had a support system w mentors for kids who were lowincome/first gen/minority, even if public schools have something in place it is always being threatened by budget cuts and it is at the larger public schools that many of these students will attend. CAN is a great program, and one of the few that was set up to include students who are first gen even if they are not on FRL or minority. My oldest daughter had a mentor in college, her first year, and for the subsequent years, she had mentees. At least one, she still is good friends with. I think that would be a very valuable experience for you romani, and its great you could help kids in your area. I'd heard about the assault cases in the Peace Corps and how they mishandled them, not to mention some of the perpetrators were Corps members! Not. good. Ive also known people who are currently or within the last ten yrs in the Peace Corps and who got much out of it, I expect much depends on a bit of luck and also on what you expect to put into it. While D's school has the 3rd most volunteers for school of that size joining the Peace Corps, I am also getting more info about mini's projects in Tamil Nadu and Africa, because that is also something she is interested in, and family communication wouldn't be so restricted.

-- Edited by Emeraldkity on Sunday 20th of January 2013 09:34:13 PM