101 Ways to Bleed Premeds and Other $ Q's...

[MDgonnabe]

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Hi everyone!

Long time no post! I see lots has been going on with people getting accepted etc. Congrats to those who're in and best wishes to all who're still waiting/interviewing. I'm still in the interviewing boat, but I've gotten in somewhere.

I thought I'd post and ask about this since I've only gotten in to one school. The school (Temple) is asking for a $100 fee for me to reserve my place in the 2002 class. To add to the grief, it's nonrefundable. Does every school ask for as high a fee? I mean if Temple's the only place I get into I'm going, hands down. But in the event that I choose not to go there, well, that's $100 down the drain. And if I get in anywhere else and decide not to go there but still pay the fee to reserve my place, even more money flushed. 🙁 Just some rants. I suppose $100 is a drop in the bucket compared to, oh, $100K in debt. 😀

On a totally unrelated note, how're you guys handling the FAFSA thing? I have no idea which schools are going to interview me-- let alone accept me-- in the next few months (I submitted AMCAS fairly late). What happens if I submit FAFSA and get another interview and possibly even get accepted? Does FAFSA let you add schools past their deadline?

Thanks for any feedback. I'm a psych major and without the help of a real premed advisor I'm a little slow at learning about these application things.

Oooh! Time for Scrubs! 😀

 

[Nikki]

If I'm not mistaken most schools refund the deposit before May 15th if you decide not to go. That sucks that Tulane won't give you your money back.

 

[kafshar]

My experience with most schools is that wither dont ask for a deposit until May 15th or if they do.... they will refund before May 15th. But... your right.....$100 compared to 100K is miniscule.

 

[Amy B]

At my interview at VCU/MCV the financial aid officer explained the FAFSA to us. She said you can add ALL the schools you are interested in attending on the form. You don't have to have an acceptance from them in order to place them on your application. She also said the sooner the better so you can be assured of receiving all the money you need.

 

[none]

Yep, nearly all want around $100. It's refundable at some, not refundable at others. Generally...it's refundable at the more competitive schools, but not always. Just be glad you're not having to make a deposit for osteopathic school. I've read that some of those want like $2,000 and it's usually non-refundable. You DEFINITELY need to send them the money! It's your ONLY acceptance for the moment and med school admissions can extremely tricky!

 

[THE instiGATOR]

Yeah, the FAFSA is annoying me. My parts can be completed easily. I've held one job this year, have no investments, no dependents, etc... My parents, however, are telling me it is going to take a couple months before they can add their info. At my USA interview, I was told aid is issued on a first come first served basis. I realize that I don't NEED my parents' info, but I do hope to qualify for need-based aid (which requires parent info). What stresses me is that my parents act like there is no rush. My father thinks that I'll bee ok as long as he completes his part by April! They are probably not going to be providing assistance as previously planned while I'm in med school, so they've really got nothing to lose/gain.

I don't know what to do! If I get a free moment, I guess I should call the financial aid office at USA.


MDgonnabe: That $100 will not be wasted. You never know, they might grant you a significant scholarship that will make attending their school more profitable than attending another.