KCOM class of 2006

[ral]

hey, I know this topic has probably been done before, but I was just curious as to who has been accepted/going to KCOM? Another question for current students: What is the furthest distance of someone you know commuting? My wife is in Vet. School at MU and we are going to live in Moberly(50 miles from K'ville). I know it will be difficult, but I believe it is possible. Thanks.

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[Justin]

I'm going to KCOM; it's a great school.
Hey, don't worry about the drive, you have to do what is in the best interest for your family. You shall see, everything will work out. Think about it this way, it will give you time alone to go over some material while driving.

 

[andrea]

Hi guys! Can't wait to meet you in the fall. I'm very excited to start at KCOM. Have you got any paperwork yet on financial aid? It's probably too early, but I wish I could get started on all that. Anyway, take care and talk to you later.

 

[dctrben]

Hi all,

I, too, will be going there in the fall. I am extremely excited to be finally going to medical school, it will be great. My wife and I are planning on living in K'ville and I am not a big fan of commuting (one of the many reasons KCOM stood out above other schools). I look forward to meeting you in the fall.

Andrea, I called the FA office on Friday and they said that as soon as they get your FAFSA, they will send you a report.

Ben

 

[mmpp]

Hi,
I'm going to KCOM too. very excited.
Have you guys completed your FAFSA yet? I started to but it seems that it would be much simpler and more accurate to wait until I get my tax return (and my parents, which some loans require). Is it okay to wait or should I estimate? Any other hints or suggestions?
It's been a while since I filled out a FAFSA and I was a dependent then.
thanks.

 

[JoshD]

Glad to see some of my future classmates posting on SDN! I too will be going to KCOM this August and am really getting excited about it.

I am sort of in a different boat in regards to financial aid. Instead of filling out FAFSA and taking out loans to pay for med school, I opted to apply for a scholarship from the U.S. Navy. I am happy to say that I received this scholarship and, in fact, just went through my commissioning ceremony this past weekend. Now I don't have to worry at all about the cost of school and being in so much debt after graduation.

Congratulations to all those planning on attending KCOM this August. I look forward to meeting you all!!

Josh

 

[UWM01]

hey, i'll be attending KCOM in august too! great school with some great faculty members. it'll be real exciting come august, right now i just want to drink some beers and vacation. good luck to all of ya and see ya in august.

 

[andrea]

How cool to see our class coming together! We will definitely have to hang out before classes start. As for the FAFSA, I'll probably just wait til I do my taxes before I start on all that. Keep in touch and party hard before the fall.

 

[dctrben]

My wife and I are definately gonna do some serious relaxing. We plan on spending about a week in the Tetons this summer before relagating ourselves to the "mountains" (glorified hills, really) of MO.

I just wish I could speed up time to make classes get here sooner. Hope I still feel like that next year at this time. Enjoy yourselves, I am definately looking forward to meeting you all.

Ben

 

[JoshD]

As far as relaxation goes before school starts, I am planning to take a month off of work to backpack a section of the Appalachian Trail. I will probably start in mid-March and hike as far as I can. Probably about 350 miles or so. After that, I will come back to work for a while until I have to leave in June for Officer Indoctrination School for the Navy. After that I plan on relaxing until I have to move to the Big K sometime early in August. Like Andrea said, we will all have to get together before the hustle and bustle of classes start. Take care and I will see you all soon...

 

[mmpp]

Cheers to us. See you all in August.

GO RAMS!

 

[Hskermdic]

JoshD,
I would still fill out a fafsa and apply for financial aid. You never know when you might need a little money or qualify for a scholarship and you won't get any without a fafsa. As well if you decide to tutor work in the library or the gym etc the money comes from work study and you need to have done the financial aid paperwork for that too.

 

[Hskermdic]

Ral,
Look at commuting from Moberly this way. You will have an hour drive each way. Not that much longer than if you lived in Kansas City etc and lived on the outskirts of town. I think driving that much takes away from the benefits of being in the small town but you have to out weigh the benefits.
I chose to go home most day during the lunch hours just to get a break from school. Sometimes you really need that after a test etc. Living in K'ville it is easy to go home and do some things and then come back. It makes it nice to go home and eat etc then come back for classes and studying.
Some may say the weather is a concern with that long of a drive but that doesn't happen that often. I would just prepare to spend the night with a friend the night before a test if the weather looks bad. (In some classes if you miss at test, for any reason, even if you are in the hospital, you will get a much harder essay test that is almost impossible to pass). But really the weather hasn't been bad here the last 2 1/2 years but that could change.

 

[Sweaty Paul]

Congratulations to all of you for your acceptances to KCOM. You have all made a great decision to pursue your medical career here.

If you have any questions let me know.



Sweaty Paul

P.S. dctrbn, I know that I owe you some information, and I'll get it to you.

Sweaty

 

[dctrben]

No worries Paul.

Paul, are there any of your classmates that I can talk to about the NHSC Scholarship? I have looked at just about all of the threads here, but what I am wondering is how much do they give you for their nebulous 'necessary expenses.' I would appreciate any help anyone can give me on that one. Thank you.

It is actually snowing here in southeastern AZ, but I checked and no pigs were flying nor did any monkeys jump out of my rear. Anyone know if hell is frozen, too?? Just curious.

Take care all.

Ben

 

[Sweaty Paul]

dctrbn,

I'll talk to a couple of my classmates who have the NHSC, I am sure that someone will be able to help you.

Sweaty

 

[Monkey]

Hey kids, congratulations on your acceptance. You are very lucky to have the app. process over and done with--now enjoy your next few months and do something memorable....

I'm a first year (from St. Louis, so I know a lot about Missouri's offerings besides Kirksville. Particularly the outdoors and STL of course--if you're curious) and I visit this site now and again. Feel free to ask any questions. See you next year.

And remember, do nothing unless it is fun in the next 8 months.

Rams 33
Patriots 16

 

[mmpp]

Hey Monkey, I'm from STL too (live and work here now). Just curious...how has your transition to Kirksville been? Do you make it back to STL much?

 

[UWM01]

what is the story with the whole financial aid application for KCOM? i forgot who i need to contact down there at KCOM.

 

[nebaker]

Hi all,

I am really glad to hear that you have chosen KCOM. It's a wonderful choice. I'm in the class of 2005 and am very excited to meet you next august!

If you have any questions let me know and I would be happy to help you out.

nicole

 

[nebaker]

Hey, it's me again!

I forgot to tell you all that I am from St. Louis and went to undergrad in Kirksville before attending KCOM. So, if you want any info on Missouri, St. Louis, or Kirksville, let me know!

nicole

 

[Monkey]

Transition to Kirksville--for me it has been very easy. I love small town life (grew up in Union, MO and Iowa) and besides, school is so demanding that you rarely have a chance to realize you're in a small town.

It's been much tougher for my wife--she's a "city-girl" and not having a mall around is tough on her. But, she doesn't live here during the week, she's still in STL. She comes up on weekends. (other '05ers know who Monkey is now)

If you've gotta have great Italian restaurants and a rockin' night scene then your weekend life might need a little adjusting when you get here.

That being said, we still find ways to kick it live now and then (Thursday night--$5 all-you-can-drink) and all in all, I don't think anyone really HATES living here, they know it's only temporary.

I don't get back to STL that often, b/c my wife comes up here. Besides, I'd rather stay here.

The financial aid question. Any questions can be directed to Steve Jorden ([email protected] or 660-626-2529). He's the director of Student Financial Assistance and expert on Aldi's and other assorted "tips on how to save money". Get your taxes done, do the FAFSA online first. There's really no rush, so don't sweat it. I didn't complete my FA stuff until mid-July.

Borrow as little as you might need, you can always ask for more later. Besides, it's sorta cheap here.

Rams 33
Pats 16

 

[John DO]

I don't know, MonkeyBoy, I would have to disagree. I suggest to borrow all they offer and pay back what you don't use, unless you don't trust yourself or you're worried about maxing out too quick. I have found that it is difficult to squeeze more out of them when you need it. They offered it freely and I declined, but then when i needed it, i had to jump through all kinds of hoops. This is especially true for those of you on scholarship (military, etc) bc subsidized loans don't accrue interest, so borrowing max subsidized, putting it in savings and only touching the interest is a very sly move. You will still have the capital to pay back the loan later, but you earned all that interest, investment free! The trick is figuring out how to do it without making the FA people mad at you!

Another suggestion--don't buy any books, etc, until you get here and classes start! It won't kill you to start without them if need be and you can buy them much cheaper from MS2's (us) and online (www.half.com or <a href="http://www.walmart.com" target="_blank">www.walmart.com</a> are both good choices, as well as <a href="http://www.amazon.com)!" target="_blank">www.amazon.com)!</a> You will save a fortune by avoiding the bookstore if at all possible!

 

[deebird]

Hey!
I'll just go ahead and ditto the sentiments of radiant joy expressed about matriculating at KCOM. Now the the euphoria is wearing off (only slightly, though... there's champagne to be enjoyed) I'm wondering if anyone has any suggestions for fin aid resources... I've investigated the standards (fastweb, gov grants/loans, etc.) and have elected not to do the military/NHSC route for now. Any tips would be heartily appreciated.
Thanks!
PS. I can't wait! August seems soooo far away!

 

[David Munday]

Hello class-of-2006,

Congratulations on all of your acceptances to KCOM. Your hard work has paid off. I am currently a second year that will be moving away for my third and fourth year rotations around the 1st of August, and my wife and I are planning on selling our home. For those of you who are interested in buying a home instead of renting drop me an e-mail. I can also help clear up any questions you have on the process of buying home since we were first timers just a year and a half ago. Our house is a newly remodeled three bedroom, one bath home with a one car attached garage and carport that is about a half mile from school. Feel free to e-mail or post any questions.

David Munday, MSII
[email protected]

 

[LoanGrl]

I couldn't resist posting in reply to the "to borrow or not to borrow" dilemma. There are different schools of thought on that subject, and a lot of it depends on who you talk to. I'm with NOWLoans, and we focus a lot on debt management, for two reasons: student debt is higher than it's ever been, and medical students need to borrow so much more to finance their education. The bottom line is that MOST people end up spending what they borrow. Only the most disciplined are strong enough to save and not dip into it. The next thing you know you've spent it and you're borrowed to the hilt! The interest you accrue in savings is nominal, only 2-3% right now, so you aren't earning enough in interest to make it worth it. Plus you need to read the fine print; sometimes lenders will penalize you or charge you interest for not paying the money back within a certain period of time. (Not everyone's as easy to get along with as we are! HA HA)It never hurts to check your options, because knowledge is power after all, but your SAFEST bet is still to only borrow what you need, budget your money, and pay back what you don't use. When you go into repayment later, you'll be glad you did. Good luck to everybody! :wink:

 

[double elle]

I just wanted to let the incoming 2006'ers know of a cute little house for sale on north side of Kville. It's out by the Woodwind's condos. It is 2 bedroom with a furnished, really cool basement. I am not sure on price, but the seller is a good friend of ours. If you are interested, let me know and you can arrange to see the place when you come here to find housing. I am not sure if realtor fees will be involved or not.

 

[OldManDave]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by UWM01:
•what is the story with the whole financial aid application for KCOM? i forgot who i need to contact down there at KCOM.•••••E-mail Steve Jorden ([email protected]) -- he's the Dir of FA and will be happy to help you -- at least he always has been with me.

 

[Wifty]

Hey all!
I am Rebecca, KCOM Spouse 2006, and I tend to pop up alot.
Next year....I will be the redhead drinking coffee at the one coffee shop.

I am really looking forward to Kirksville because it will be different. I am a West-coast gal but hubby is from a little, tiny Montana town....so will probably get nervous at the big city of K'ville. LOL (that was to inspire him to post!).

Anyways, I think you 2006ers are the only ones still on the pre-osteo part. I know that we have paid that big down payment, and so feel that there is nothing 'pre' about us anymore! Maybe someone can move you guys?

Good luck....have fun.....we are going down the coast, thru disneyland, over to Vegas, and back up thru Yosemite as our last hurrah!

Rebecca aka Wifty