**2016-2017 URM Medical School Application Thread**

Started by WhittyPsyche
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Sigh none of my acceptances will tell me my financial package until after may 1 . So they all want me to commit to a particular school first which is stupid because money is such a important deciding factor
 
Chelsea FC said:
Sigh none of my acceptances will tell me my financial package until after may 1 . So they all want me to commit to a particular school first which is stupid because money is such a important deciding factor
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That's the biggest load of crap I've ever heard. It seemed to me that a lot of schools are trying to get at least preliminary packages before the April 30th deadline. Have you reached out to them expressing this? Or is this just their general timeline?


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Chelsea FC said:
Sigh none of my acceptances will tell me my financial package until after may 1 . So they all want me to commit to a particular school first which is stupid because money is such a important deciding factor
Click to expand...

WhittyPsyche said:
That's the biggest los of crap I've ever heard. It seemed to me that a lot of schools are trying to get at least preliminary packages before the April 30th deadline. Have you reached out to them expressing this? Or is this just their general timeline?


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Click to expand...
I second @WhittyPsyche. Email them expressing the fact that an essential part of your decision is financial.
 
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WhittyPsyche said:
That's the biggest load of crap I've ever heard. It seemed to me that a lot of schools are trying to get at least preliminary packages before the April 30th deadline. Have you reached out to them expressing this? Or is this just their general timeline?


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile
Click to expand...

O.T.I. said:
I second @WhittyPsyche. Email them expressing the fact that an essential part of your decision is financial.
Click to expand...
I have been reaching out to them, they all said they would give me a ballpark estimate of the aid I would be receiving so thats something . I guess I just wanted to have more info like a concrete number to work with and not some estimate
 
Chelsea FC said:
I have been reaching out to them, they all said they would give me a ballpark estimate of the aid I would be receiving so thats something . I guess I just wanted to have more info like a concrete number to work with and not some estimate
Click to expand...

Usually the ball park is actually very detailed. They can't actually called it an official financial offer until they use their budget accordingly to the dollar sign. Before that, they give you a break down of the federal loans/grants available with the max cap for each, and if applicable, the institutional level loans/grants. And then give you the amount that is expected to be out of pocket.


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WhittyPsyche said:
Usually the ball park is actually very detailed. They can't actually called it an official financial offer until they use their budget accordingly to the dollar sign. Before that, they give you a break down of the federal loans/grants available with the max cap for each, and if applicable, the institutional level loans/grants. And then give you the amount that is expected to be out of pocket.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile
Click to expand...
Sounds great!
 
Chelsea FC said:
Sigh none of my acceptances will tell me my financial package until after may 1 . So they all want me to commit to a particular school first which is stupid because money is such a important deciding factor
Click to expand...
Wtf that's terrible, did you contact each school directly, or did they tell approach you? I haven't heard anything regarding fin aid from my acceptances, I'm curious how this process works
 
Chelsea FC said:
I have been reaching out to them, they all said they would give me a ballpark estimate of the aid I would be receiving so thats something . I guess I just wanted to have more info like a concrete number to work with and not some estimate
Click to expand...
Ahh I guess I skipped this answer sorry!
 
fizzle_22 said:
Do any of you ever kinda worry about feeling out of place in med school as a URM? I'm not really sure why this is even remotely a concern since I went to a very diverse HS and college but it has been in the back of my mind for a while.


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Yeah. Especially since I was the only Latino male at my interviews and the only one I could see on-campus while doing the tours (at UCF and FAU).

Well, I wouldn't say that I worry about how I will be treated IF and when I'm a student. I'm just worried that being a URM doesn't really make a difference to admissions committees and they just say it does so that it meets whatever image of diversity they are trying to portray.
 
fizzle_22 said:
Do any of you ever kinda worry about feeling out of place in med school as a URM? I'm not really sure why this is even remotely a concern since I went to a very diverse HS and college but it has been in the back of my mind for a while.


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Click to expand...

A little bit. I think I'm more concerned about not being able to realllyyyyyyy shoot the shiznit with people who aren't URM, you know? Like we all know how to be professional, and put on our best "Hi, I'm ____, soon to be medical school matriculant, blah blah" face. But what about the face that listens to trap music, or needs to talk about curly hair products, or needs to vent about the social justice climate..? I'm just a teensy concerned I won't be able to really let my hair down.
 
SValley said:
A little bit. I think I'm more concerned about not being able to realllyyyyyyy shoot the shiznit with people who aren't URM, you know? Like we all know how to be professional, and put on our best "Hi, I'm ____, soon to be medical school matriculant, blah blah" face. But what about the face that listens to trap music, or needs to talk about curly hair products, or needs to vent about the social justice climate..? I'm just a teensy concerned I won't be able to really let my hair down.
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THIS! Sums it all up perfectly. I just don't want to feel weird and hope I can make a good connection with people to have a genuine support system going.


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SValley said:
A little bit. I think I'm more concerned about not being able to realllyyyyyyy shoot the shiznit with people who aren't URM, you know? Like we all know how to be professional, and put on our best "Hi, I'm ____, soon to be medical school matriculant, blah blah" face. But what about the face that listens to trap music, or needs to talk about curly hair products, or needs to vent about the social justice climate..? I'm just a teensy concerned I won't be able to really let my hair down.
Click to expand...

@fizzle_22

it really depends on you. I'm kind of dealing with the same thing. I comfortably went to an HBCU for undergad. Like SValley said, I can put on my "face" and I don't want to say that I'm necessarily "too black" but the culture is definitely different. The jokes are different, the nuances are different, the vibe is just different. I'm cool with all of my classmates but sometimes it does feel like there's a barrier that's up; as if they don't know how to approach me. I had one chick tell me straight up that I was intimidating. I have a few riders that make my experience tolerable and my school is pretty diverse relatively speaking but it's really just the nature of the beast in the professional world. I assume you learn to cope haha.

With all of that being said, don't limit your social experience with your class because you never know who you'll vibe with. You'll eventually find your few that you're really cool with despite differing backgrounds; the others, don't sweat it so much. Keep it cordial (pretty much hi and bye lol); most of these folks you won't see much at all past your first two years. Also important, don't neglect your non-med friends and your family. They'll keep you grounded.

Also seek out your school's chapter of Student National Medical Association (SNMA) - tends to draw the URMs together at most schools - and become familiar with your diversity office.
 
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fizzle_22 said:
Do any of you ever kinda worry about feeling out of place in med school as a URM? I'm not really sure why this is even remotely a concern since I went to a very diverse HS and college but it has been in the back of my mind for a while.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile
Click to expand...
Get used to it.... statistically speaking there are not a lot of us. But with that being said it presents an opportunity for us to be role models and show people that URMs belong in medical school and clinics everywhere. I'll get off this soapbox now.
 
Kgizzle said:
Did they give you some of that sweet financial aid?
Click to expand...

They haven't released that yet. It says they determine individual and the class together I guess to make sure they can give everyone something. With the additional degree I can see how that makes sense.


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It's so cool to see you all excel. I was in your shoes a year ago (I had just heard back Feb 3rd). When you get out to a year from now, you'll look back in awe at how much your life has changed in a year's time haha.

I hope that you guys stay relatively involved with the site when you start medical school.

For those awaiting to hear back, don't lose hope. Half of my classmates didn't hear back until March, almost April so there's still time. With that being said, embrace the idea of a plan B; start looking at ways to improve you application. Set yourself up for success so you can reach your goals as quickly and as assuredly as possible. Also don't be afraid to find passion in another profession. Find what makes you happy; it doesn't have to be becoming a doctor.
 
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