I have been frantically researching financial aid options for this upcoming quarter. Here is what I have found so far. First, the only Ross supported student loan programs are either Sallie Mae or Wells Fargo. You cannot get federal student loans for the MERP program. I was denied funding for both of these loan programs. I have found an alternative source of funding for the MERP program, so it IS possible for me to go. Namely, I will have to take the money out of my retirement fund. I will only have the money to do this my first quarter, and then the fund will be exhausted. This means that if I do this and cannot get Federal loans in January then I will have taken a very expensive and not very fun vacation.
I called the financial aide office at Ross and they assure me that I should have no problem getting Direct and Graduate Plus loans in Jan. I did a trial application for the Federal Plus loans and was denied, but they said that if I would have a credit worthy co-signer then I could get these loans. At this point I am pretty sure that I will be able to get loans once I am in med school propper.
As another source of funding, I am considering continuing to work at my job as an online A&P instructor. (If they still have classes for me next quarter. This will bring in some extra dollars. If, at any time I feel that this is interefering with my MERP success then I will quit immediately.
I am taking a big leap here. I am mostly sure but not 100% sure that once I complete MERP I will be able to get loans for Med School.
I also think that I can save up a little bit of money between now and then to supplement my income.
So, at this point I am 90 - 95% sure that I can pay for the program this fall.
Additionally, I called a rural medicine doc in Eastern KY which is where I intend to start practice once I am done. He had gone to school in the Philippines and strongly encouraged me to go to school there. He said that I would be able to get a Medical degree with about 2k in loans. To me this seems really good, but I really DON'T want to go to the Philippines. I think that all of the hurdles I will encounter at Ross will be doubled for a Phillipine school. I do however want to maintain contact with this guy because I think it will be good to begin with the end in mind, in other words have contacts at the place I want to go after residency.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
No Dice
I applied to several different lendors this morning, Sallie Mae, Wells Fargo, 5/3 and Regions bank. All of which denied me the $30k loan to attend the MERP program. When I called Wells Fargo they said that unless I got a "parent" (doesn't have to be a parent) to get a parent loan for me where I am not the responsible party then I cannot get a loan. I think that this is the end of my Ross journey. Unless I can find a rich contributor, then I'm done.
My husband suggested I try out PA schools. I will start looking into those.
My husband suggested I try out PA schools. I will start looking into those.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Just accepted to MERP
Hi all,
I got a phone call from my admissions representative that I was offered a spot in the MERP. That stands for Medical Education Review Program. Essentially, it is a semester prior to admission for first year classes. The course is held at Freeport, Bahamas. As I understand it, the course costs $25k and you cannot get government student loans for it. I asked my admission officer how do people typically finance this and she said to check with Sallie Mae. I did my Sallie Mae application and was declined. I am not sure if it will be possible for me to afford this program. My new student coordinator said that I have been mailed a packet with all sorts of valuable information. If I want to reserve a spot I need to submit a $700 deposit. In addition to this, there are a few more costs in order to get this plane off the runway.
Here is a summary of what I have found as of now...
Deposit $700
Plane ticket (one way) $350
Books $400
First month's rent and deposit ~$900? (can't check on this yet because I can't log on to the Ross housing website until I pay the deposit)
Passport $170
=$2,520
I would like to add to this... Start of a medical school education Priceless.... (???)
IN addition to this, I read this blog post just yesterday. It is posted by a supposed person who dropped out of MERP due to an environment of harassment by the locals in Freeport. There have also been a slew of replies to this post to the contrary. As a teacher, I know that in every class there are disgruntled students. There can be many factors affecting student satisfaction some of which a school / professor can control and some that cannot be controlled.
I first must find out if I can even afford or get loans for this.
Next, I need to get together the money for deposit and start the passport process.
I am thankful to not be rejected and I do have an option now. I am thankful for this opportunity. I need to figure out the logistics of this first or whether or not this is even a possibility for me.
Has anyone out there done MERP? Has anyone gotten private loans for education recently? There used to be 'my rich uncle' but they do not seem to exist anymore.
I got a phone call from my admissions representative that I was offered a spot in the MERP. That stands for Medical Education Review Program. Essentially, it is a semester prior to admission for first year classes. The course is held at Freeport, Bahamas. As I understand it, the course costs $25k and you cannot get government student loans for it. I asked my admission officer how do people typically finance this and she said to check with Sallie Mae. I did my Sallie Mae application and was declined. I am not sure if it will be possible for me to afford this program. My new student coordinator said that I have been mailed a packet with all sorts of valuable information. If I want to reserve a spot I need to submit a $700 deposit. In addition to this, there are a few more costs in order to get this plane off the runway.
Here is a summary of what I have found as of now...
Deposit $700
Plane ticket (one way) $350
Books $400
First month's rent and deposit ~$900? (can't check on this yet because I can't log on to the Ross housing website until I pay the deposit)
Passport $170
=$2,520
I would like to add to this... Start of a medical school education Priceless.... (???)
IN addition to this, I read this blog post just yesterday. It is posted by a supposed person who dropped out of MERP due to an environment of harassment by the locals in Freeport. There have also been a slew of replies to this post to the contrary. As a teacher, I know that in every class there are disgruntled students. There can be many factors affecting student satisfaction some of which a school / professor can control and some that cannot be controlled.
I first must find out if I can even afford or get loans for this.
Next, I need to get together the money for deposit and start the passport process.
I am thankful to not be rejected and I do have an option now. I am thankful for this opportunity. I need to figure out the logistics of this first or whether or not this is even a possibility for me.
Has anyone out there done MERP? Has anyone gotten private loans for education recently? There used to be 'my rich uncle' but they do not seem to exist anymore.
Monday, May 9, 2011
What being a teacher has taught me about being a student...
I use the term "teacher" here loosely. I don't get caught up in terminology. To me, teacher=faculty=instructor. Here are a few things I learned from my teaching experiences.
First, your faculty are probably not nearly as prepared as they seem to be. When I started teaching I took on 5 separate subjects for which I had no preparation. No slides made up, hadn't even read the text. Granted I had these classes as an undergrad and so remembered some stuff, but I felt like I was "faking it" through most of my lectures.
Second, many students don't stand out. There is a much talked about 'middle of the class' for which the teacher may not have any recollection of. If you miss class, or get failing grades and I have to put you on a 'watch list' to the administration you will stand out. If you sit in front of class and answer questions or if I read your paper and I feel that you have done a good job you will also stand out. However, if you do you work at a minimum and attend class but do not raise questions or responses I may not remember you at the end of things. I feel somewhat bad about this but it is a reality of having a lot of blank faces stare at you day after day.
Third, some students are just meant to stand out. In line with rule two, a student that emails for clarification on the finer points of respiratory alkalosis, every day, may stand out. A student who sends a succession of 9 panicked emails because they got a B+ on an assignment and their average has been drug down to 98% tends to stand out. It seems invariably in each class there are one or two of these type A students. I completely understand where they are coming from. These people are sacrificing time and money to earn a degree and so want the best return on their investment. To be sure there are often misprints in test questions and sometimes the 'correct' answer has been incorrectly identified by the IT personnel who translate paper tests into electronic format. Each quarter a test is administered it gets 'better' just because more people have taken it. Also it is true that the squeaky wheel gets the grease. If a student can logically argue why they put an answer on an assessment and I agree with them I will often award points even if it is not inline with the answer I was looking for. I usually identify these students early on and only answer their emails after my various other weekly tasks are done.
As an undergrad I was a BAD student. I would often skip class or not turn in assignments. I could rectify this by doing well on tests and usually got good grades. As an instructor I feel that if I take the time to make up an assignment it is often not just for my own enjoyment but because I feel that it will help the students to master a certain subject; and as such it is sometimes a personal affront if they do not take the time to complete certain things. Lesson learned, attend class, and do assignments even if they seem stupid or a waste of time.
Don't act a fool in class. I never did this as a student, but if people are talking in class. (I went to school in a pre-texting age, but cell phones are annoying as hell). If you attend class, be attentive. If you cannot wait until after class to have a conversation / (text or other wise) please leave.
I do enjoy my students and like to feel that I am helping people leave a factory/waitress/stay at home mom occupation to make more money for their families. As many complaints as I have about a few bad apple students by biggest complaints about teaching are administration. At the schools I teach at, I am expected to take attendance, monitor dress code, police food/drink in classrooms. I feel that at the post secondary level students should be treated as adults. I feel my job as faculty is to teach. Many of the career colleges have to guarantee to their accrediting bodies that the students attend a certain percentage of classes. I am even expected to note if a student comes in 5-10 minutes late. I feel that I have better things to do than monitor this type of thing however.
In summary, I think that after being in the driver's seat I would be a much better passenger.
First, your faculty are probably not nearly as prepared as they seem to be. When I started teaching I took on 5 separate subjects for which I had no preparation. No slides made up, hadn't even read the text. Granted I had these classes as an undergrad and so remembered some stuff, but I felt like I was "faking it" through most of my lectures.
Second, many students don't stand out. There is a much talked about 'middle of the class' for which the teacher may not have any recollection of. If you miss class, or get failing grades and I have to put you on a 'watch list' to the administration you will stand out. If you sit in front of class and answer questions or if I read your paper and I feel that you have done a good job you will also stand out. However, if you do you work at a minimum and attend class but do not raise questions or responses I may not remember you at the end of things. I feel somewhat bad about this but it is a reality of having a lot of blank faces stare at you day after day.
Third, some students are just meant to stand out. In line with rule two, a student that emails for clarification on the finer points of respiratory alkalosis, every day, may stand out. A student who sends a succession of 9 panicked emails because they got a B+ on an assignment and their average has been drug down to 98% tends to stand out. It seems invariably in each class there are one or two of these type A students. I completely understand where they are coming from. These people are sacrificing time and money to earn a degree and so want the best return on their investment. To be sure there are often misprints in test questions and sometimes the 'correct' answer has been incorrectly identified by the IT personnel who translate paper tests into electronic format. Each quarter a test is administered it gets 'better' just because more people have taken it. Also it is true that the squeaky wheel gets the grease. If a student can logically argue why they put an answer on an assessment and I agree with them I will often award points even if it is not inline with the answer I was looking for. I usually identify these students early on and only answer their emails after my various other weekly tasks are done.
As an undergrad I was a BAD student. I would often skip class or not turn in assignments. I could rectify this by doing well on tests and usually got good grades. As an instructor I feel that if I take the time to make up an assignment it is often not just for my own enjoyment but because I feel that it will help the students to master a certain subject; and as such it is sometimes a personal affront if they do not take the time to complete certain things. Lesson learned, attend class, and do assignments even if they seem stupid or a waste of time.
Don't act a fool in class. I never did this as a student, but if people are talking in class. (I went to school in a pre-texting age, but cell phones are annoying as hell). If you attend class, be attentive. If you cannot wait until after class to have a conversation / (text or other wise) please leave.
I do enjoy my students and like to feel that I am helping people leave a factory/waitress/stay at home mom occupation to make more money for their families. As many complaints as I have about a few bad apple students by biggest complaints about teaching are administration. At the schools I teach at, I am expected to take attendance, monitor dress code, police food/drink in classrooms. I feel that at the post secondary level students should be treated as adults. I feel my job as faculty is to teach. Many of the career colleges have to guarantee to their accrediting bodies that the students attend a certain percentage of classes. I am even expected to note if a student comes in 5-10 minutes late. I feel that I have better things to do than monitor this type of thing however.
In summary, I think that after being in the driver's seat I would be a much better passenger.
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Still no news....
I've been waiting about 5 weeks since my interview. I emailed my admissions representative and she said that due to the semester/quarter break that the admissions committee had 2 weeks off, so I should be waiting an additional 2 weeks.
I have to admit that I have been reading a lot of blogs online that caution against Ross. Some say that they have a high failure rate (60%?), and some cite safety on campus. It makes me caution possibly leaving my quiet suburban life with a somewhat cushy (although low paying) job to seek out my dream. Should I just accept that I am not going to be a doctor and seek a Ph.D. and then become a 'real' professor and not just one at a local career college? Should I look into a counseling degree? I understand that things published online must be taken with a grain of salt and could be completely fictitious.
Besides these blogs/websites I have had a less than ideal experience from Ross so far just in my application process. First, when I submitted my application the office staff wanted a court order as proof of my name change due to marriage. No other school (or employer) has asked for this and it seems to me that most organizations take it for granted that a female would change her last name at some point. I don't have a court order per se, just a marriage license. I suppose someone could pay someone with the same first name (and social security number???) to provide transcripts to get in to school but how would that help you in the classroom?
The next strange thing to me was that one of my letters of recommendation was submitted directly to interfolio via word document and was not on official letter head. They said that the admissions committee could not look at that LOR without it being on a letter head. I have submitted 5 LORs to the committee (separate because my undergrad institution does not have a pre med committee). I am just going to assume that they can use the other 4 for official LORs.
The third thing that has upset me about the school is the long wait time for the committee to make a decision.
These ARE minor things, but I have heard things like Ross changing the syllabus for a class the day before a final. I have heard that Ross accepts way too many students with the intention that most will drop out. I want to go to med school, not Seal training school. If I make this big break with my day to day life and incur lots of debt I want to have somewhat of an assurance that if I do my part (study, dedication, etc...) that the school will be honest and not throw up a bunch of technicality hurdles. If they are so hinky about name change / letterheads what else might they be hinky about? If I don't dot my "I" on the final exam will they throw it out? Will the syllabus for a class change last minute meaning that I might fail a class?
These are just a few things I am considering now.
I have to admit that I have been reading a lot of blogs online that caution against Ross. Some say that they have a high failure rate (60%?), and some cite safety on campus. It makes me caution possibly leaving my quiet suburban life with a somewhat cushy (although low paying) job to seek out my dream. Should I just accept that I am not going to be a doctor and seek a Ph.D. and then become a 'real' professor and not just one at a local career college? Should I look into a counseling degree? I understand that things published online must be taken with a grain of salt and could be completely fictitious.
Besides these blogs/websites I have had a less than ideal experience from Ross so far just in my application process. First, when I submitted my application the office staff wanted a court order as proof of my name change due to marriage. No other school (or employer) has asked for this and it seems to me that most organizations take it for granted that a female would change her last name at some point. I don't have a court order per se, just a marriage license. I suppose someone could pay someone with the same first name (and social security number???) to provide transcripts to get in to school but how would that help you in the classroom?
The next strange thing to me was that one of my letters of recommendation was submitted directly to interfolio via word document and was not on official letter head. They said that the admissions committee could not look at that LOR without it being on a letter head. I have submitted 5 LORs to the committee (separate because my undergrad institution does not have a pre med committee). I am just going to assume that they can use the other 4 for official LORs.
The third thing that has upset me about the school is the long wait time for the committee to make a decision.
These ARE minor things, but I have heard things like Ross changing the syllabus for a class the day before a final. I have heard that Ross accepts way too many students with the intention that most will drop out. I want to go to med school, not Seal training school. If I make this big break with my day to day life and incur lots of debt I want to have somewhat of an assurance that if I do my part (study, dedication, etc...) that the school will be honest and not throw up a bunch of technicality hurdles. If they are so hinky about name change / letterheads what else might they be hinky about? If I don't dot my "I" on the final exam will they throw it out? Will the syllabus for a class change last minute meaning that I might fail a class?
These are just a few things I am considering now.
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