how did you pay for your pre-req?

[MissR6]

similar post in the bost-bacc forum, don't hate for duplicating, just wan't sure which one would be the best place to post this.

I'm wondering how people paid for their pre-req's/post bacc, and did the final cost determine the route you took? I'm currently assessing my options on which route to take, and am weighing out the different options I have. I am a “career-changer”.

This is addressed to both those who did a formal post-bacc and those who took it upon themselves to do an informal “d-i-y” post-bacc.

Some background on me:

I graduated from an International I.B. high school while my parents were stationed overseas so I never took the SAT or ACT, and since I had a 3.7 GPA for my bachelors (U.S. School) and I pursued their accelerated program I was not required to take the GRE for acceptance into my M.S. degree. That being said I know I could buy GRE test prep, study and take the GRE with no problems for the formal programs that require the test scores.

Second, I currently work full time and am well compensated for what I do; my take home is 6 figures annually, so I am worried as to how this will affect my abilities for financial aid/loans etc. I can afford to pay the entire tuition without aid, so that is an option, however I do not intend to work while completing the post-bacc so without any income during my time in a program I am hesitant to do so. I also have the post 9-11 GI bill, although my intentions were to use this to help pay for med school.

I have thought about scaling back and only working part time, or part of the year, and going to the local state school part time/part year, but I need to discuss this with option with my employer.

I have a significant amount of money in Savings, Investments, 401K etc, and I don’t have a lot of debt, really the only thing my mortgage which is < $1000 per month, but I can rent my house for between $500-$800 more that what I pay per month with no problems in the current economy. I do have a 20 pay whole life insurance policy with 15 payments left =$9000 per year, but I have funds dedicated to covering that as well.

Sorry for the longwinded post, but any thoughts or insight would be greatly appreciated.

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[Prncssbuttercup]

I paid for mine with student loans because I have none of the things you have (money, GI Bill, savings, etc)... Basically, all of the 'liquid' assets you have are taken into consideration for federal aid, and my guess is you would have to file special circumstances. Basically that you're quitting your job to take the PBPM program and won't have the income that you currently have. I am not sure why you're planning to do a specific program, unless it is because you're a career changer and want to be done with all the pre-reqs in a year??? Because you can just take them at the closest university and stay working, not sure if that's an option for you... Best of luck!

 

[MissR6]

Thanks SBB2016, yes I am a career changer, I have emailed the pre-med advisor at my local school (UNLV), but from everything I see I would be a "non-degree seeking student" so I dont have high hopes on getting into the classes there since the nevada higher education budget keeps getting slashed,a nd realistically I would rather be in smaller classes. I only live in the state now because of my job, and unfortunatly I am limited in the areas I can transfer to workwise....I work on the Nevada Test Site.

Also with my current work schedule anything short of online courses are really close to impossible, hence looking at part time/part year vs. quit and school full time.

 

[Helen Wheels]

My employer has tuition benefits so my tuition for all my post bac classes was paid for by my employer. I did have to pay fee and book expenses but went to a CC for all but one of the classes so it was pretty cheap. Now, having said this, I don't exactly recommend the CC option at this point though I do not have post bac debt so that is a plus.

 

[Prncssbuttercup]

MissR6, what happens if you apply as degree seeking? There is a whole post about it in either the non-trad or Pre-DO forum. Lots of people claim degree seeking to get financial aid and be able to register. Pre-reqs for the record can't usually be taken online, so that is out. I would think UNLV would have tons of night classes to work with? But if its like UMN they won't give out financial aid to people with bachelors degrees, I'm not sure if that's the case or not. If not, I guess I'd try the route that doesn't require you to quit your job for now, just because you're not guaranteed enrollment anywhere as soon as you graduate from the PB program...

 

[91W10]

The GI Bill and savings. I will say to all veterans to really look in to the resources available, from the Yellow Ribbon programs, to states like Ohio offering in-state tuition, and the various chapters of the GI bIll that may apply. The money is really there. By the end of my medical school career, it will have stretched from $40,000 to over $200,000 for me.

 

[spiderpete]

Student loans.

 

[MissR6]

MissR6, what happens if you apply as degree seeking? There is a whole post about it in either the non-trad or Pre-DO forum. Lots of people claim degree seeking to get financial aid and be able to register. Pre-reqs for the record can't usually be taken online, so that is out. I would think UNLV would have tons of night classes to work with? But if its like UMN they won't give out financial aid to people with bachelors degrees, I'm not sure if that's the case or not. If not, I guess I'd try the route that doesn't require you to quit your job for now, just because you're not guaranteed enrollment anywhere as soon as you graduate from the PB program...

That is something I need to look into once I get back stateside, its a little hard to do from Afghanistan. From what I've seen online I can enroll as a non-traditional student or a non-degree seeking student at UNLV...Anything else I'm afraid I'll need to speak to an advisor about.

 

[Shakespeare37]

OP- I was in a similar situation. I am a big proponent of enrolling as a degree seeking student. I enrolled as a degree seeking student to get a BS in Biology, which then qualified all my classes for the GI bill, and allowed me to get other federal aid I would not have been eligible for as a continuing education student. At my school, continuing education students also go to the back of the line (last to register) for classes, which can be a problem for the classes that fill up quick (most of the medical school pre-reqs at my school).
As far as using the GI Bill for medical school, if you PM me, I will send you the email that my VA rep sent me. Long story short, it's capped at $520 or so per credit hour, so depending on how they count, it would put between 6k-9k per semester toward medical school. I'm told, however, that the VA will be releasing something in the next few months that will explain how the budget legislation changed/or will change GI bill policies. So no one is totally sure how much the GI Bill will pay for medical school. I'm also not sure if the Yellow Ribbon program works at medical schools (it's most likely school specific).
Keep your head down and stay safe.

 

[aesposito]

Student loan, tuition reimbursement from work, and the free class I get every semester from the school I'm adjunct faculty at.

Even so, I end up forking out a few hundred dollars a semester for books, fees, etc. Plus I teach at a community college, so of course I'd like to try and avoid taking all my classes there... but a few should be OK as I already have my BS and MS from universities.

A

 

[Dzerzhinsky]

I'm wondering how people paid for their pre-req's/post bacc, and did the final cost determine the route you took? I'm currently assessing my options on which route to take, and am weighing out the different options I have. I am a “career-changer”.

Oh heck yes it did.

I wanted to go to one of the big-name post-baccs for career changers; Hopkins, specifically. I had the grades and professional success to get in, too. I wanted to quit my job, do it full-time, and be done in a year.

I also want a pony, and I'm not getting that either at this point in my life.

So instead I'm taking my prereqs at two different state four-year institutions; doing the math and a couple upper-level joke electives to get my BCPM average up through an online extension, and doing everything else in-person at night.

With regards to how I'm funding that, that's where the day job comes in. At $250 or so a credit hour, it's doable, with what I make. I thought about enrolling as degree-seeking in the hopes of getting some aid, but I wasn't going to get need-based, and most of the not-need-based is limited to those working on their first undergrad degrees... a category into which I categorically do not fall.

(I did previously work for an employer who did tuition reimbursement; they paid for a chunk of my masters', albeit not all. Now I'm at a new, smaller company, and the chances of them paying for undergrad classes unrelated to my field are very minimal. Plus, the potential career change is kind of my dirty little secret.)