How to afford DIY postbac classes?

[GliaLimitans]

Hello all,

I am curious about how you financed your postbac work. Do you pay out of pocket? Take out loans? If you took out loans, what kind of loans are you eligible for? I come from a very low income family, so parental help is out of the question. My PhD stipend is not enough for me to be able to pay for classes out of pocket, and the postdoc market is not particularly promising for better pay either.

Any tips or advice appreciated!

Edit to add follow-up question: Are online courses very much frowned upon? I live in a remote area, with the nearest colleges that I could even take BCMP classes as a non-degree seeking student are all 1.5-2+ hours away. I was thinking about Harvard Extension classes with online option. It's about 2 hours away, so I could do exams on campus, but it would be tough to go to every class.

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[Siromas]

1) I work full-time and my job provided financial assistance because the classes I took (med school requirements) were related to my occupation.

2) I chose classes at a local community college as they were much cheaper than taking them at closest university.

3) My school allowed me to make payments throughout the semester rather than paying the full price upfront. Maybe this option might be available to you.

 

[jujak04]

I'm working full-time so I'm taking as many at the local community college as I can and paying out of pocket. I'm 9yrs postbacc. I'm not eligible for federal loans since I'm not degree seeking, and I do not want to take out any other private loans unless I have to. Most likely for the upper level classes I plan to take at the local 4yr university if available.

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[WGSgrad]

I returned to college as a full time student (second degree seeking student). It made me eligible for federal student loans and some institutional merit scholarships.

 

[workaholic181]

Hello all,

I am curious about how you financed your postbac work. Do you pay out of pocket? Take out loans? If you took out loans, what kind of loans are you eligible for? I come from a very low income family, so parental help is out of the question. My PhD stipend is not enough for me to be able to pay for classes out of pocket, and the postdoc market is not particularly promising for better pay either.

Any tips or advice appreciated!

Edit to add follow-up question: Are online courses very much frowned upon? I live in a remote area, with the nearest colleges that I could even take BCMP classes as a non-degree seeking student are all 1.5-2+ hours away. I was thinking about Harvard Extension classes with online option. It's about 2 hours away, so I could do exams on campus, but it would be tough to go to every class.

Parents helped me and I worked while in school.

Online courses aren't as "good" as in class courses, but most med schools do accept online credits these days. They know that situations like yours exist. On both AACOMAS and AMCAS apps you have to put what kind of town you live in (like population 500k or over) so if you live in a small area it will make sense that you had to take online classes.

 

[calivianya]

I paid out of pocket every semester. I went back full time, so I probably could have taken out loans... but I wasn't the slightest bit interested in taking out loans if I didn't have to. I just worked full time the whole time I was in school.

By the end, I was having to carry my tuition as credit card debt - it just wasn't possible to totally pay everything in full multiple semesters in a row. I just got a card with a high limit and a long 0% interest period and will have it paid off before interest starts kicking in. I'm on track to pay it off before interest kicks in, but if you're still carrying debt by that time, just open up a balance transfer card that has an 18 month 0% interest introductory period. 0% credit card interest is cheaper than whatever student loan interest is these days - 3-4%? If we're talking about small amounts that can be paid off in a year or two tops, I'd go cards over student loan any day.

 

[deleted480308]

You can be broke anywhere. Move near a community college or state school and pay for your prereqs as you go. A phd won't qualify for loans for bachelor classes so you'll be writing a check unless you do an smp for which you can likely get fafsa loans

 

[GliaLimitans]

You can be broke anywhere. Move near a community college or state school and pay for your prereqs as you go. A phd won't qualify for loans for bachelor classes so you'll be writing a check unless you do an smp for which you can likely get fafsa loans

Yeah, I won't be able to move anywhere until my PhD is finished, I was hoping to start taking some classes now, but it may not be possible unless I can take them online.