Hello,
Anyone have any information about when tuition is due and when we are supposed to receive financial aid money. I know that orientation starts on the 6th, but that's about all the information I have. I'm feeling like there should be more info for the incoming students...Thanks.
I know you feel like you're out of the loop, but most of it is already taken care of when you get here. Tuition is automatically deducted from your finaid (depending on how much you receive). You'll likely receive your finaid refunds a couple of days before orientation starts...you can call the office to find out when.
Don't worry about being late paying for tuition...they won't let you.
Last year orientation started right around August 1st, and we received our refund checks on July 31st I think. You'll get a letter in your mailbox that says your refund is ready to be picked up...and then you just head to the 6th floor of the library to get it.
For those of you that are borrowing the entire cost of attendance like me, you don't have to worry about paying any school bills (you do have to pay rent, electricity and cable bills though). Tuition, health insurance, dental insurance, etc is all taken out of the check that they receive from your lender, and then they refund the rest to you. You'll get two refunds, one at the beginning of august and one around christmas break. If you're borrowing everything your refund will be around 9,500-10,000 dollars (I can't remember what it is exactly).
I live in a 2-bedroom in barringer and feel like i live reasonably comfortably. Probably spend around 1100-1200 dollars a month, depending on how often i go out and stuff. I usually have nearly a 1000 dollars left over at the end of a semester. You can either give that money back to the lender, save it, or blow it all in a few weeks of craziness which is usually what i end up doing. Although for spring semester I saved what I could and then used that money to pay some of my rent during the summer...yeah they don't give you any money for the summer. But don't worry about it, there are a lot of options.
You've probably realized that you can't borrow the total cost of attendance from staffords. I use the Federal Grad plus loan to borrow the rest, i think it's the best option. If you need more than the COA, then you have to borrow privately.
If you've taken care of all your finaid stuff then really all you need to do is worry about moving in which can be something of an adventure. Orlowitz and Barringer each have one freight elevator...keep that in mind if you're moving in on a popular day for moving.
Ikea, Target, Lowes and all that stuff is on S. Columbus Blvd. there is a Kmart and a CVS/Rite aid 2 blocks away.
Parking is expensive in the city. But when you are moving in you can get a pass to park behind barringer or next to Orlowitz.
If your parents want to take you to a mid-range decent meal after you move in I would recommend Jones on 7th and Chestnut.
Getting your internet working was a bit troublesome last year, our IT department isn't amazingly on the ball. You have to go to the department and they set your computer up for you. the earlier you do it, the better.
The reason this post is so long is that I remember being a bit confused about what I should be doing when I was in your place, and I'm hoping this will make you feel a bit better.
and finally...get excited! First year is hard but it's fun. Hit the ground running in anatomy and you'll be fine.