Not me. A close friend of mine is applying.
UQ-Ochsner 2016
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There must be if there are still interview spots available.
Yep....I just know they offer more interviews than spots, obviously, knowing some people will turn down their acceptance offers!
I've discussed this rather extensively a few times. Look through my comment history if you are interested.
I believe this is the case. The Canadians have a very tough time getting back to Canada for residency. For them coming to the US is typically easier.
A good short read re: IBR/PAYE and PSLF.
Also, I am still working out the details but it seems that the person who helped me out initially was in error when it comes to the monthly payment for my loans. I am planning on recertifying things and clarifying exactly the lowest monthly cost I can get, but it seems I will probably have to pay somewhere around $200/mo towards my loans. Still, that's not a bad deal overall and certainly worth paying.
Also, I am still working out the details but it seems that the person who helped me out initially was in error when it comes to the monthly payment for my loans. I am planning on recertifying things and clarifying exactly the lowest monthly cost I can get, but it seems I will probably have to pay somewhere around $200/mo towards my loans. Still, that's not a bad deal overall and certainly worth paying.
So I think I have finally figured it out. It is not quite as good as I had thought (should have known better than to get overly excited about what the person on the phone told me >:-o) but still an amazingly good option.
The one thing that screws me a bit is the fact that a few of my loans (the minority) don't qualify for the "New Borrower" status which allows you to pay only 10% of your income rather than 15%. To qualify:
"You are a new borrower for the IBR Plan if (1) you have no outstanding balance on a Direct Loan or FFEL Program loan as of July 1, 2014 or (2) have no outstanding balance on a Direct Loan or FFEL Program loan when you obtain a new loan on or after July 1, 2014."
And it has to be all or nothing, since you are effectively doing the IBR/PAYE option against all loans and breaking it up into 10% vs 15% makes no sense since it is based on your income, not the loan amount. So I am stuck paying the 15%.
It is in fact 15% (or 10%) off of the discretionary income which is calculated by subtracting 150% of the poverty guideline for the state you live in (refer here, but it is the same for all states except Alaska and Hawaii) based on the family size you list from your adjusted gross income (AGI). So for me, the poverty guideline becomes $23,895. My AGI gets calculated at $49,753.60 (those are the big bucks you get to enjoy as a resident; and actually Ochsner offers a very competitive salary). The other thing that I had gotten wrong was that they calculate your payment off of your entire W-2 (which is why I thought it should be off of half my salary rather than the full). They do it based on providing a pay stub, which is why they did it off my full salary. This doesn't negate the fact that you can get the first 12 payments for $0 based on the initial certification though now I am thinking it may be a clever loophole to get those to count towards the PSLF, unless they decide to retroactively decide that those payments don't count. I think it should be fine, but my next step over the coming weeks will be to send in the "PSLF check" request so I'll let you know if that is any different.
Anyways, there are ways to drive down your AGI which is something that should certainly be aggressively done, though the only one that seems to be worthwhile would be to put as much towards your Roth IRA. The bind of course is that the more you pay there, the less cash you have on hand to pay your towards your loan (which, incidentally cannot be done via credit card but must be done from direct debit of your bank account).
So as of now my payments would work out to:
$49,753 - $23,895 = $25,858 * 0.15 = $3,878.70 / 12 = $323.23 per month.
Had I qualified for the 10% plan, it would be $215.48 per month.
Now, when you recertify every year you need to submit a new pay stub only if you have had a "significant change" in your income. That definition is a little bit loose and vague though, so it seems reasonable that the pay raises you get each year during residency would not count. So that means my payments are fixed for a couple of years at least.
Here is some more info about IBR stuff that people will find helpful.
In doing more reading and research it seems that the real downside of going after this IBR/PSLF thing is you have to shoot the moon; in other words you need to do your best to finish out those 120 payments of PSLF. The reason is this: to qualify for an IBR type repayment plan you have to show partial hardship which is defined as having a loan payment that is greater than 15% of your discretionary income. So in my case, that means anything less than an income of $344,000 per year (this number will vary based upon how much loans you actually ended up taking out and the interest rates). To put that in perspective the median income for pulmonary critical care (which is what I want to do) is ~$385k. Once you no longer qualify, whatever interest you accrued while on IBR gets re-capitalized on the principle. So if you were to not qualify for the PSLF forgiveness you'd have a lot more to ultimately pay off.
The good side of this is that once you are in the IBR you cannot be disqualified from being able to make payments towards PSLF regardless of your income. It just means you'll have to pay the full amount per month. If you do make them as PSLF qualifying payments then you pay a lot less. If they don't count, however, then there are two ways to get the rest of your loans forgiven. You either pay them off entirely (which is still dumb) or you pay out the total number of years of IBR sans PSLF. Which, depending on exactly which plan you'd done will be either 20 or 25 years.
So to run a few example numbers (using my actual numbers as best as I can predict them.
So my first 12 payments were $0 (and should count but I'll have to double check that).
Next 24 payments will be at $323 = $7,752
From there I am planning on taking a year and working as a hospitalist to make money for a variety of reasons. I anticipate I can make somewhere between $162k and $252k depending on exactly what kind of gigs I can get and how much I can make myself work like a miserable nocturnal slave. So let's split the diff at $210k. I'd still qualify for everything and end up paying 15% of basically $200k which is $30k towards the loans. Here it will get a little messy for my because I only plan on working part of the year and can't be certain that I'll be able to have it qualify towards PSLF but let's assume worst case scenario that they don't.
Next will be fellowship. Looking at the resident/fellow salary report you can see that all the way out to PGY-8 the salary is only about $66k. Let's overestimate and make things easier and assume that all of the subsequent 5 years of my training will be at that rate and will qualify for PSLF (which it should).
So that is 60 payments at $526.25 = $31,575
So by 96 qualifying payments in (so not counting the year between residency and fellowship) I'll have paid ~$70k towards the loans.
Now let's assume that I finish after PGY-8 and make a salary that caps me out to my normal payment which will be different than currently, but should be roughly in the ballpark of $4,500 per month. At 24 payments left that totals $108k for a grand total of $178k paid.
Let's say that I instead managed to to out to PGY-10 and got those last 24 payments at that rate it would be a total of $85k paid. Of course, the difference is I would still have less total money in my pocket since I won't have that attending salary.
Either way, that is still a lot off the loans. Assuming the interest didn't accrue that would still save me personally (at least) $242k (and bring my total loan repayment down to what the average US med student takes out in loans). However, interest does accrue which means that over the course of the whole forgiveness it will actually save a minimum of $600k. Which is mind boggling to think about. Basically ~ 2 years of pre-tax income saved on loans over their lifetime.
For those curious about the calculation the interest accrues on your loans while in IBR just like they do while you are in school. It is a simple interest rather than compound. Then when you no longer qualify for the IBR payments the interest gets recapitalized on principle (that's what compounding is). This also happens when you transition from school to paying back your loans. My loans are currently at $418k (after all applicable re-caps to this point) and at an average rate of 7.75%. So I cut a couple of corners and did interest on $418k for 8 years, re-capped it, and then did 2 more years of interest.
If you don't finish the PSLF and have to do the 20 year repayment then obviously you'll end up paying somewhere around $450k more towards the loan before it is forgiven, which will basically only end up saving around $100k or so. Still better than nothing, but yeah. I have a lot of incentive to train longer and not get legally married. LOL.
I'll tell you though - this stuff is confusing. That is why I am writing out the process as I fumble my way through it here. I figure that it will not only help me understand it better but also help others as well. Also makes it shareable to anyone else anyone knows who may find it useful.
If anyone has anything else to add, corrections to make, or pro-tips you may have picked up, please share. I am sure we could all find it helpful.
The one thing that screws me a bit is the fact that a few of my loans (the minority) don't qualify for the "New Borrower" status which allows you to pay only 10% of your income rather than 15%. To qualify:
"You are a new borrower for the IBR Plan if (1) you have no outstanding balance on a Direct Loan or FFEL Program loan as of July 1, 2014 or (2) have no outstanding balance on a Direct Loan or FFEL Program loan when you obtain a new loan on or after July 1, 2014."
And it has to be all or nothing, since you are effectively doing the IBR/PAYE option against all loans and breaking it up into 10% vs 15% makes no sense since it is based on your income, not the loan amount. So I am stuck paying the 15%.
It is in fact 15% (or 10%) off of the discretionary income which is calculated by subtracting 150% of the poverty guideline for the state you live in (refer here, but it is the same for all states except Alaska and Hawaii) based on the family size you list from your adjusted gross income (AGI). So for me, the poverty guideline becomes $23,895. My AGI gets calculated at $49,753.60 (those are the big bucks you get to enjoy as a resident; and actually Ochsner offers a very competitive salary). The other thing that I had gotten wrong was that they calculate your payment off of your entire W-2 (which is why I thought it should be off of half my salary rather than the full). They do it based on providing a pay stub, which is why they did it off my full salary. This doesn't negate the fact that you can get the first 12 payments for $0 based on the initial certification though now I am thinking it may be a clever loophole to get those to count towards the PSLF, unless they decide to retroactively decide that those payments don't count. I think it should be fine, but my next step over the coming weeks will be to send in the "PSLF check" request so I'll let you know if that is any different.
Anyways, there are ways to drive down your AGI which is something that should certainly be aggressively done, though the only one that seems to be worthwhile would be to put as much towards your Roth IRA. The bind of course is that the more you pay there, the less cash you have on hand to pay your towards your loan (which, incidentally cannot be done via credit card but must be done from direct debit of your bank account).
So as of now my payments would work out to:
$49,753 - $23,895 = $25,858 * 0.15 = $3,878.70 / 12 = $323.23 per month.
Had I qualified for the 10% plan, it would be $215.48 per month.
Now, when you recertify every year you need to submit a new pay stub only if you have had a "significant change" in your income. That definition is a little bit loose and vague though, so it seems reasonable that the pay raises you get each year during residency would not count. So that means my payments are fixed for a couple of years at least.
Here is some more info about IBR stuff that people will find helpful.
In doing more reading and research it seems that the real downside of going after this IBR/PSLF thing is you have to shoot the moon; in other words you need to do your best to finish out those 120 payments of PSLF. The reason is this: to qualify for an IBR type repayment plan you have to show partial hardship which is defined as having a loan payment that is greater than 15% of your discretionary income. So in my case, that means anything less than an income of $344,000 per year (this number will vary based upon how much loans you actually ended up taking out and the interest rates). To put that in perspective the median income for pulmonary critical care (which is what I want to do) is ~$385k. Once you no longer qualify, whatever interest you accrued while on IBR gets re-capitalized on the principle. So if you were to not qualify for the PSLF forgiveness you'd have a lot more to ultimately pay off.
The good side of this is that once you are in the IBR you cannot be disqualified from being able to make payments towards PSLF regardless of your income. It just means you'll have to pay the full amount per month. If you do make them as PSLF qualifying payments then you pay a lot less. If they don't count, however, then there are two ways to get the rest of your loans forgiven. You either pay them off entirely (which is still dumb) or you pay out the total number of years of IBR sans PSLF. Which, depending on exactly which plan you'd done will be either 20 or 25 years.
So to run a few example numbers (using my actual numbers as best as I can predict them.
So my first 12 payments were $0 (and should count but I'll have to double check that).
Next 24 payments will be at $323 = $7,752
From there I am planning on taking a year and working as a hospitalist to make money for a variety of reasons. I anticipate I can make somewhere between $162k and $252k depending on exactly what kind of gigs I can get and how much I can make myself work like a miserable nocturnal slave. So let's split the diff at $210k. I'd still qualify for everything and end up paying 15% of basically $200k which is $30k towards the loans. Here it will get a little messy for my because I only plan on working part of the year and can't be certain that I'll be able to have it qualify towards PSLF but let's assume worst case scenario that they don't.
Next will be fellowship. Looking at the resident/fellow salary report you can see that all the way out to PGY-8 the salary is only about $66k. Let's overestimate and make things easier and assume that all of the subsequent 5 years of my training will be at that rate and will qualify for PSLF (which it should).
So that is 60 payments at $526.25 = $31,575
So by 96 qualifying payments in (so not counting the year between residency and fellowship) I'll have paid ~$70k towards the loans.
Now let's assume that I finish after PGY-8 and make a salary that caps me out to my normal payment which will be different than currently, but should be roughly in the ballpark of $4,500 per month. At 24 payments left that totals $108k for a grand total of $178k paid.
Let's say that I instead managed to to out to PGY-10 and got those last 24 payments at that rate it would be a total of $85k paid. Of course, the difference is I would still have less total money in my pocket since I won't have that attending salary.
Either way, that is still a lot off the loans. Assuming the interest didn't accrue that would still save me personally (at least) $242k (and bring my total loan repayment down to what the average US med student takes out in loans). However, interest does accrue which means that over the course of the whole forgiveness it will actually save a minimum of $600k. Which is mind boggling to think about. Basically ~ 2 years of pre-tax income saved on loans over their lifetime.
For those curious about the calculation the interest accrues on your loans while in IBR just like they do while you are in school. It is a simple interest rather than compound. Then when you no longer qualify for the IBR payments the interest gets recapitalized on principle (that's what compounding is). This also happens when you transition from school to paying back your loans. My loans are currently at $418k (after all applicable re-caps to this point) and at an average rate of 7.75%. So I cut a couple of corners and did interest on $418k for 8 years, re-capped it, and then did 2 more years of interest.
If you don't finish the PSLF and have to do the 20 year repayment then obviously you'll end up paying somewhere around $450k more towards the loan before it is forgiven, which will basically only end up saving around $100k or so. Still better than nothing, but yeah. I have a lot of incentive to train longer and not get legally married. LOL.
I'll tell you though - this stuff is confusing. That is why I am writing out the process as I fumble my way through it here. I figure that it will not only help me understand it better but also help others as well. Also makes it shareable to anyone else anyone knows who may find it useful.
If anyone has anything else to add, corrections to make, or pro-tips you may have picked up, please share. I am sure we could all find it helpful.
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deleted158872
Why are you on IBR (15%) but not PAYE (10%)?
Let's say if I have unpaid undergrad loans before 2014 in the amount of $50k, then that $50k won't qualify for PAYE+PSLF, but the loans that I borrow after 2014 will ??
Because I don't qualify for PAYE for the same reason I don't qualify for the 10% IBR: I don't meet the criteria for "new borrower."
My understanding so far is that it is all or nothing. You can't have part of your loans qualify and the other not. Either all do or none. So in your case I think you would also not qualify and have to pay the 15%.
The only loophole I can see would be if you managed to no longer have that previous loan prior to getting your first med school loan, either by paying it off or consolidating it over to a different company so that your FedLoan account reads it as zero at the time you get that first med school loan. The trick there is that doing so might disqualify you from being grandfathered into the PSLF thing in the first place. I think that since the proposed legislation hasn't passed yet it might be possible to have your cake and eat it too, but you'd have to do some serious legwork and maybe even ask an attorney for advice on the matter. And you'd have to do it before January. So probably a bit much to take on, but it could potentially be worth an extra 1/3 less total payments over the life of your med school loans. In my case that would be ~$45k.
This is very helpful. However, considering the cap of around $57K of the forgiven amount for new borrowers - those who get their loans for med school 2016 entry, the outcome will be very different. The forgiven amount will be much less than half of the accrued interest amount.
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deleted158872
Yes! However, 14 years from now when it is about the time for the 2016 new borrowers to get some forgiven amount, the cap can be even less. Among all kinds of loans, student loans carry the highest or near highest interest rates - it is one of the few areas that the fed government actually makes money from. The policies towards students in the US are pretty hostile compared to other developed countries.the $57k cap is just a proposal.
we should try NOT to help it pass
For example, the fed student loan in Canada is interest free, and the general tuition costs in colleges are ridiculously low compared to what US colleges charge. In Europe, most college educations are simply free for their own citizens.
Only in the US, students are under greatest pressure of debt that lasts the majority of their working life. Therefore, I am not very optimistic about major policy change to make students life meaningfully better in the next 14 years. Obama's policy has been "pretty good" for students, but he can't do what he fully wanted. Soon a new president will be in the White House. In the best case scenario, the new president will have a policy as good as Obama's. In other words, the other 50% of the chances will give us a worse policy, i.e., a worse cap in the forgiven amount can be possible.
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deleted158872
that's because we Americans have kept electing leaders who don't represent us
we should start making it right by 2016 presidential election! (Vote for Bernie Sanders!
)
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deleted158872
how large were previous American class sizes at UQ-O?
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Sanders hasn't a hope in hell -- swing voters don't vote socialist.that's because we Americans have kept electing leaders who don't represent us
we should start making it right by 2016 presidential election! (Vote for Bernie Sanders!
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deleted158872
Some questions for current/former UQ-O students:
How are the rotations structured? What is your role on the wards? Do you have a clear role? Do you get your "hands dirty" a lot, or is it a lot of shadowing? How is Ochsner health system/hospital? How are medical students protected from scut?
How are the rotations structured? What is your role on the wards? Do you have a clear role? Do you get your "hands dirty" a lot, or is it a lot of shadowing? How is Ochsner health system/hospital? How are medical students protected from scut?
For now, at least, the IBR/PSLF is written into the contract you sign for the loans. To the best of my knowledge the government can't legally change those terms. And if it tries I whole bunch of us will likely file suit. But yes, you are right that I may be amongst the last few years to be able to pull this off.
As for the rest... agreed for the most part. I don't think this topic is immune to social pressure. And we as a profession have a lot of clout and finances. If it gets particularly bad, I believe there is a decent possibility there could be policy changing backlash of some sort. But maybe I'm just an optimist.
And it is a shame that Bernie Sanders is the underdog.
Depends on the rotation. Each field and each service is different. Your role will change, sometimes day to day. Usually week to week. Rarely more than a month.
Depends on your team and your resident. You should be proactive in this regard. Your residents and interns are busy and stressed. We can forget you are around and need to be taught because we are struggling ourselves. And have much more responsibility. That doesn't mean we should shirk our duties. But it does mean you should try and make it easier for us to do so. And even then, some residents/teams suck. But the vast majority are overall excellent at Ochsner.
You get your hands dirty plenty. By the time I graduated I had done 2 paracentesis, 1 LP, 18 central lines (IJ, subclavian, and femoral), 20+ art lines (radial, femoral), delivered 4 babies, closed more surgical cases than I could count, was primary surgeon on a bilateral hemicraniotomy for subdural hematoma evacuation, 1st assist on an emergent ACDF for traumatic C2 fracture, co-surgeon on a few laminectomies, intubations, and so on. But you have to demonstrate not only competence but interest. Know your stuff and be proactive.
Not sure what that question means. How is Ochsner? That's very vague. I guess you could say it's nice. Was there something specific you had in mind?
It varies. In general there isn't much scut. Scut is varyingly connoted to mean "deliberate punishment with crap busywork" or "the crap busywork that is part of the practice of medicine." In the former sense there is very little of that at Ochsner. But of course, it isn't non-existent. In the latter, that is just a facet of practicing medicine. If your resident is doing something you can't because you are a student and something else more menial also needs to be done, it isn't "scut" to do that; it is simply being part of the team. As for being protected... if something is unduly punitive rather than part of a truly educational or functional aspect of the team then you can deal with it any number of ways. There is plenty of support for students at Ochsner.
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deleted390966
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To the best of my understanding that is correct. If your income becomes high enough that 15% exceeds your standard payment then you cap out at whatever that is. Which, based on what my proposed monthly payment would have been means $344k per year. However, there is a clause in there that to qualify for IBR you have to demonstrate "partial financial hardship" which had some nebulous language and I imagine that once you make well past 6 figures you won't qualify and be paying the full amount anyways. Now if you have a family, kids, mortgage, retirement fund, etc then perhaps you still would qualify but I am not sure how that would work out exactly.
And as of right now the tax bomb is specifically addressed and not applicable. I think that may be changeable, though the fundamental option of PSLF w/ IBR shouldn't be. In any case, even if you do get a tax bomb, it will still end up saving you a lot of money on the loans. For me, assuming worst case scenario and paying the full tax bomb it would still save me around $250k on the loans. But at that point I'll be highly motivated to pay a very, very good tax attorney to figure out the best way to minimize tax liability.
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deleted158872
are the rotations at Ochsner done in a hospital with residents who are also doing their training there? in other words, do Ochsner rotations have GME?
how much of the curriculum is PBL and how much is lecture-based?
how much of the curriculum is PBL and how much is lecture-based?
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deleted158872
does anyone know:
- the passing grade for each class at UQ?
- whether exams are multiple-choice or short-answer or essays?
- whether they dismiss you for failing a class?
- the passing grade for each class at UQ?
- whether exams are multiple-choice or short-answer or essays?
- whether they dismiss you for failing a class?
The answer to all of these questions is easily discoverable merely by searching the web. Or asking MEP for their informational materials. Going to the Ochsner, UQ, and MEP websites and perusing them. It seems that someone interested in a program would at least minimally acquaint themselves with basic information about it. Brochure-type info.
Just noticed your sig @PhoenixFire - one of my favorite sites/blogs out there. I've written for them in the past and continue to do some behind the scenes stuff as well.
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deleted158872
i did check their websites. i know the curriculum is integrated but idk how much of what components we have. i guess i can't tell until i actually experience it
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deleted390966
Thanks. "Science-based Medicine" is a philosophy I adhere to
Thrilled to know you've contributed to the site i did check their websites. i know the curriculum is integrated but idk how much of what components we have. i guess i can't tell until i actually experience it
Then you need to up your researching and reading skills. The answer to all your questions are laid out exactly where one would expect them.
For example "do they dismiss you for failing a class" is directly answered in the UQ MD program rules PDF:
Or "how much of the curriculum is PBL vs lecture" can be found on the MEP website here:
Where you would have also learned the format is CBL rather than PBL. Asking about what exactly passing grades are and whether the exams are short answer, MCQ, or essay is, IMHO, rather pointless. It is almost universally the case that all schools have some combination of all and the exact mix is rather irrelevant. But if you for some reason found it to be something useful to you, then you could just scroll down to the bottom of the page I linked above and see all the courses you will take with links to the course profile. For example Clinical Science 1 (MEDI7111):
If you were really wanting much more detail than that, the full Electronic Course Profile (ECP) is listed here. With detailed explanations of the exact grading involved by simply clicking on the assessments tab.
That same page has detailed explanations of precisely what each component of the assessment is as well. For example:
As for whether Ochsner rotations have GME... well, you could just quickly compare the list of residencies and fellowships Ochsner offers to the list of M3 and M4 core rotations. (Or the shortened version of the list on the clinical school profile page).
So yes, you can tell prior to experiencing it. It just requires a little bit of self motivation and effort to spend 15 minutes on Google and find the relevant resources.
It is good to ask questions. But if you ask questions that have answers easily found on the internet, particularly rather mundane ones, it doesn't leave you in the best light.
Thanks. "Science-based Medicine" is a philosophy I adhere to
Same here. In fact I am in regular communication with David Gorski and have had the privilege of having dinner with Harriet Hall before. I know, nerd cred but whatever. I have been trying to put together a piece on evolutionary theory and medicine, at the urging of some of the editors and commenters, but have just been too busy between work and life to swing it. Eventually I'll get it done though.
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deleted158872
I wonder if UQ gives us the USMLE books or just lends them to us... http://mededpath.org/usmleoverview.html
when it says "Copy of First Aid for the USMLE Step 1 (Year 1)", does it mean that they'll only give it to us for 1 year?
when it says "Copy of First Aid for the USMLE Step 1 (Year 1)", does it mean that they'll only give it to us for 1 year?
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That probably just means they give it to you then (in year 1).
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deleted158872
also, as most people say that courses at UQ usually are insufficient... so could you please share what study materials you used to study on your own to gain a thorough understanding of Medicine? Much appreciated
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1/ pretty high. I feel that my interview was not good but I got accepted.
2/ about 2 weeks for me.
3/ Watch the video they emailed you about the interview; that's basically everything!
There is no "default". You go online and sign up and pick either Skype or in-person interview.
@Maruko and @UncomfortablyNumb they haven't emailed me any video about the interview or any list of questions! The only thing I have is a FAQs hyperlink about the interview saying that it tests 5 domains, i.e. resilience, professionalism, motivation to study medicine, etc but no actual questions.
So what do you think would be the best way to prep for it?
I went on the online scheduler and scheduled an interview but there was no separate scheduler for Skype vs. in person.
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deleted158872
here is the link to Skype interview info: http://mededpath.org/skype_private.html
after you sign up, just follow the steps indicated on that link.
this is the only video you need to watch:
focus on those 5 domains said in the videos ("i.e. resilience, professionalism, motivation to study medicine").
sorry i can't say more due to confidentiality agreement...
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Ok thanks. Except the second link you sent me is just another link to the Skype instructions. Still don't see a video.
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deleted158872
oops! problem with copy & paste function *edited*
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Looks like they've added another interview date for october 1,2 so maybe thats good news and that the class still has some spots.
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deleted158872
This definition of "new borrower" is different from what is written here: https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/repay-loans/understand/plans/income-driven
Current PAYE qualification is that you're a new borrower as of 2007 with loan disbursement after 2011.
The REPAYE program is coming and removes disbursement date & income limitations. This is still politics, as opposed to policy.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/15/y...gram-will-reduce-student-loan-repayments.html
http://www.wsj.com/articles/educati...ded-student-loan-repayment-program-1436300209
Hmmm... perhaps the rule is different for PAYE vs IBR. Because it is clearly the case that for IBR it is what I said, since that is precisely what it says in the link your provided:
However later in the same document they say:
Now, considering that I most definitely do not meet the "new borrower" definition under the IBR plan, maybe that means it would be better for me to switch to PAYE. I'll explore that option and update when I figure that out.
As for the REPAYE thing... not sure that this matters much. It is basically the exact same thing except that it is easier to qualify for eligibility. Which is a completely moot point for us. It matters only to people who have relatively small amounts of loans, in the low tens of thousands, making them eligible for PAYE.
Hi all- first time poster here. Thanks to all the current and former UQ-Ochsner students who have posted here. It has been super helpful!
I am interested in the MD/MPH track. Can anyone familiar with the program touch on their perception and past students' experiences with the MD/MPH track? thanks
I am interested in the MD/MPH track. Can anyone familiar with the program touch on their perception and past students' experiences with the MD/MPH track? thanks
A few of us have done it. I don't know too much about it, but a friend did it. Seemed rather straightforward. It was one year between M2 and M3 years. I don't know if he has an SDN account but if you PM me I can at least try and get you two in touch.
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deleted158872
I'd like to know if UQ-O lists attrition rate for the American cohort (including those who quit due to personal reasons)....
Once again, Google is your friend.
In the time you took to pose the question you could have already had it answered.
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I have heard that we had at least one person fail already and has to either repeat the year if they wish to continue.
One thing I have felt is that the lack of prerequisites for the program is a double edged sword. On the one hand I personally know people who I think are (going to be) excellent physicians without the pre-reqs and who would have been significantly hindered if they really were required. However on the flip side I have also seen many people without the requisite science background struggle mightily and they are the ones that are much more likely to fail or otherwise do poorly. Those of my friends and classmates that didn't have the pre-reqs and still have done well also worked their a$$ses off to get there. Almost invariably those that didn't make it were those that weren't willing or able to put in that much work to make up for their lack of science background. Medical school, even with a science background, is hard and takes a lot of study and work. If you have to make up for never having actually taken ochem or biochem, it makes it significantly more difficult.
I think that overall, the lack of pre-reqs is probably acceptable, except that I think it lulls some people into a false sense of ability to perform in medical school. If you have an honest and objective assessment of your knowledge and abilities it can be a great opportunity for you. However, I think that most people however don't know what they don't know (and tend to be subject to the Dunning-Kruger effect) and so misjudge their ability to succeed in medical school as a result.
From what I have seen the people that fail usually are either unprepared for the rigors of medical school for the above reasons or have other serious personality issues. Some people have had genuinely extenuating circumstances but they are a distinct minority.
I also happen to be of the belief that medicine needs to be very firmly rooted in science and that physicians should actually understand and use the bench and basic sciences in the practice of medicine. I think that a lot of our failings in medical care involves not understanding how science works, study design, and the fundamentals of non-medical sciences that are necessary to inform medical practice. And this is demonstrated by plenty of data showing how physicians don't actually understand study design, what a p-value actually means, and ignore the basic sciences when critically appraising trial data.
So I guess this is just a long winded way of saying that the attrition rates at UQ-O are not something I would be overly concerned about. Not only is it not high, but from what I do know (which is a fair bit on this topic, specifically and in general) those who fail or otherwise have an undesirable outcome cannot reasonably blame anyone but themselves for it. If you go into this program understanding what your own abilities are and what the specific peculiarities of this program are* then you should not be worrying about the attrition rate.
*Every program has specific peculiarities which may or may not matter for specific applicants
I think that overall, the lack of pre-reqs is probably acceptable, except that I think it lulls some people into a false sense of ability to perform in medical school. If you have an honest and objective assessment of your knowledge and abilities it can be a great opportunity for you. However, I think that most people however don't know what they don't know (and tend to be subject to the Dunning-Kruger effect) and so misjudge their ability to succeed in medical school as a result.
From what I have seen the people that fail usually are either unprepared for the rigors of medical school for the above reasons or have other serious personality issues. Some people have had genuinely extenuating circumstances but they are a distinct minority.
I also happen to be of the belief that medicine needs to be very firmly rooted in science and that physicians should actually understand and use the bench and basic sciences in the practice of medicine. I think that a lot of our failings in medical care involves not understanding how science works, study design, and the fundamentals of non-medical sciences that are necessary to inform medical practice. And this is demonstrated by plenty of data showing how physicians don't actually understand study design, what a p-value actually means, and ignore the basic sciences when critically appraising trial data.
So I guess this is just a long winded way of saying that the attrition rates at UQ-O are not something I would be overly concerned about. Not only is it not high, but from what I do know (which is a fair bit on this topic, specifically and in general) those who fail or otherwise have an undesirable outcome cannot reasonably blame anyone but themselves for it. If you go into this program understanding what your own abilities are and what the specific peculiarities of this program are* then you should not be worrying about the attrition rate.
*Every program has specific peculiarities which may or may not matter for specific applicants
Could anyone give some advice on where and how to get a First Aid Certificate (including CPR) that is required by UQ-Ochsner prior to the beginning of the school? Will any first aid certificate from US Red Cross meet the requirements? Is it better to get it in the US or wait until after arrival in Australia? Thanks!
A president is not able to make that much difference because there are resistence from the other parties and from the congress, and also from many influencial sectors in the society who treat education as a commercial endeavor. Regardless of who is the next president, it is almost guaranteed that there will be no dramatic change for the better - there might be slight improvements to make it look better politically, but not enough to counter the rise of interest rates and its compounding. Student loan interest is a major income generator for the government, and the government needs money more than anything else.that's because we Americans have kept electing leaders who don't represent us
we should start making it right by 2016 presidential election! (Vote for Bernie Sanders!
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Just out of curiosity, has anyone on here spoken to MedEdPath recently regarding how many spots are left in the 2016 class? Is it finally full? Are they waitlisting yet?
Fresh from my interview-they were tight lipped about remaining seats. But since there is another interview slot in October, safe to say some seats are still available.
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Its possible that them having another interview date in october is only for them to hedge against attrition from people dropping out when they get into U.S. schools etc in the fall. I've also heard that they are planning on opening the 2017 cycle up in january so fall interviews may be used for the following year.
