Columbia looks to make medical school debt-free

[DelayedGratification]

With $250 Million Gift, Columbia Medical School Looks to End Student Debt

Tldr: $250 million dollar donation--> $150 million going to students on need based grants

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[de Ribas]

With $250 Million Gift, Columbia Medical School Looks to End Student Debt

Tldr: $250 million dollar donation--> $150 million going to students on need based grants

Yeah, renaming a school is expensive.

 

[altblue]

Vagelos doesn't quite have the right ring to it

 

[liquidcrawler]

Too bad the average Columbia medical student is well off enough to be able to afford tuition on their own or through family. It would have been been a real step forward to have a similar pool of money for medical application costs and not tuition. But hey, we can't let **too** many poor people into medical school, else they would low-class it up.

 

[efle]

Too bad the average Columbia medical student is well off enough to be able to afford tuition on their own or through family. It would have been been a real step forward to have a similar pool of money for medical application costs and not tuition. But hey, we can't let **too** many poor people into medical school, else they would low-class it up.

It sounds like it's earmarked for need use only (they're going "debt free" not "cost free" or "tuition free"). The poor plebs are the only ones benefiting from this.

AMCAS already has the fee waiving program for primaries and I'm pretty sure Columbia waives the secondary for those applicants as well.

 

[LizzyM]

Too bad the average Columbia medical student is well off enough to be able to afford tuition on their own or through family. It would have been been a real step forward to have a similar pool of money for medical application costs and not tuition. But hey, we can't let **too** many poor people into medical school, else they would low-class it up.

did you ever think that some people don't apply there because of the cost of attendance*. This could serve to diversify the class and provide more physicians (& surgeons) who are able to work doing what they love without student loan debt calling the tune.

*edited for clarity. I'm referring to cost of attendance, not cost of the application.

 

[calivianya]

It's awesome that they're also covering living expenses for some people with the money as well. The cost of living up there alone is enough to deter a lot of people.

 

[liquidcrawler]

did you ever think that some people don't apply there because of the cost. This could serve to diversify the class and provide more physicians (& surgeons) who are able to work doing what they love without student loan debt calling the tune.

That's exactly what I'm suggesting, but I think the prohibitive part is the application costs. If I can't even afford the ~$2500 it is to apply than I'm not even going to think about what schools I can and can't afford.

 

[LizzyM]

That's exactly what I'm suggesting, but I think the prohibitive part is the application costs. If I can't even afford the ~$2500 it is to apply than I'm not even going to think about what schools I can and can't afford.

It is $2,500 to apply to Columbia P&S?? seriously? Frankly, I have no idea what the initial fee for AMCAS is and how much Columbia's secondary is. Anyone care to enlighten me?

 

[WedgeDawg]

It is $2,500 to apply to Columbia P&S?? seriously? Frankly, I have no idea what the initial fee for AMCAS is and how much Columbia's secondary is. Anyone care to enlighten me?

The secondary fee was $100 when I applied. You can stay with a student host for free or pay $40 for your own room in the residence hall.

 

[liquidcrawler]

It is $2,500 to apply to Columbia P&S?? seriously? Frankly, I have no idea what the initial fee for AMCAS is and how much Columbia's secondary is. Anyone care to enlighten me?

I'm referring to the total cost of application assuming ~15-20 schools.

 

[ItsAMeMario007]

It is $2,500 to apply to Columbia P&S?? seriously? Frankly, I have no idea what the initial fee for AMCAS is and how much Columbia's secondary is. Anyone care to enlighten me?

For this cycle, it cost me $901 to send primaries to 20 schools through AMCAS and $1,805 to send secondaries to 19 of those schools. That is a total of $2,706 USD. Adding in taking the MCAT, MCAT prep, travel to interviews, MSAR, CASPer, interview attire, etc. can add up to well over $3,500 USD!

 

[LizzyM]

For this cycle, it cost me $901 to send primaries to 20 schools through AMCAS and $1,805 to send secondaries to 19 of those schools. That is a total of $2,706 USD. Adding in taking the MCAT, MCAT prep, travel to interviews, MSAR, CASPer, interview attire, etc. can add up to well over $3,500 USD!

That means it is about $140 per school before interview costs are factored in and these vary widely depending on a host of factors. I don't see $140 as a huge barrier for an applicant to a specific school.

That said, I could see Columbia hiking its secondary fee and being very generous with waivers (maybe for anyone who is E-01 or E-02) so it isn't inundated with 40,000 applications.

 

[efle]

That's exactly what I'm suggesting, but I think the prohibitive part is the application costs. If I can't even afford the ~$2500 it is to apply than I'm not even going to think about what schools I can and can't afford.

Fee waiver program tho

 

[liquidcrawler]

Fee waiver program tho

My understanding is that it is poorly funded and not a ton of people who need it get it.

 

[aldol16]

My understanding is that it is poorly funded and not a ton of people who need it get it.

I got my fees waived for every school I applied to since I had the AMCAS fee waiver. As long as you had the AMCAS fee waiver, schools are pretty good about automatically waiving the secondary fee.

 

[efle]

I thought the fee waiver was an extremely straightforward system where if you were below ~300% poverty line, they waived it all. That means a family of 4 making $70,000 still gets a waiver. Seems plenty reasonable ?

 

[Lucca]

Yah I think it's great that they are spending the money on aid for their students and not creating like 2 more pointless dean positions or something.

Columbia University Roy and Diana Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons doesn't exactly roll off of the tongue though lol

 

[Gilakend]

I thought the fee waiver was an extremely straightforward system where if you were below ~300% poverty line, they waived it all. That means a family of 4 making $70,000 still gets a waiver. Seems plenty reasonable ?

I think it also takes into account financial aid? I'm not sure, I'm just assuming because I applied for it and with their bracket for parent income and family size I am well in to FAP territory but it says I am not eligible, I'm assuming because of money from my job (not very much) and financial aid added up to make something higher.

EDIT: Neither of my parents claim me as a dependent as well which might mess something up.

 

[WedgeDawg]

Yah I think it's great that they are spending the money on aid for their students and not creating like 2 more pointless dean positions or something.

Columbia University Roy and Diana Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons doesn't exactly roll off of the tongue though lol

Don’t worry we still call it P&S