LMU-DCOM Class of 2011

[dr.kicia]

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does anyone know how much the drug test is? my insurance won't cover it and no one at the doctor's office could tell me a price....

my bf was tested before and it cost like 40 bucks. But that was like a year ago.

 

[DoctorMom78]

i am making one right now...unfortunatelly here but my prayers are with me😀
Yesterday i was ready to shoot myself after orgo final. I seriously thought i failed it...my bf and my mom started to ignore my bragging about failing tests because they realized i am just paranoid.
Just like i felt down the stairs few weeks ago and nearly broke my back the first thing i said to my bf was: "OMG how am i going to study for my exam"

LOL! I meant make it to med school. (Sorry, wasn't clear in my post.) 😛 But, I do want one of those yummy espressos now.😀

 

[Cat48100]

Ok, so who has done the lab work for the matriculation packet? I spoke with my doctor today, and it's going to cost about $300 👎 for the antibody titers that we are supposed to have. 😱
Am I getting ripped off or is everyone else paying something in that area? 😕

When I originally went to my doctor to get the labwork done, they actually go through a lab agency who wanted to charge around $850 for the lab work alone. Each titer was 100-200 per titer with the drug test being $300. I ended up going to the hospital that my mother works at and getting the lab work done there. As a result we only ended up paying around $150 for all the work to be done. They gave us a substantial discount, but then again my mother knows the people who handle billing and payment, and that could have been a factor as well. BTW this is all through paying out of pocket.

 

[dr.kicia]

LOL! I meant make it to med school. (Sorry, wasn't clear in my post.) 😛 But, I do want one of those yummy espressos now.😀

i know what you meant i was just pulling a word play on you 😀 😍
When i get to DCOM (which i really optimistically belive so) I will make you one every day and bring it to class😀
But you have to provide the thermos and free rides on the Star

"free rides on the Star..."<----that sounds so poetic

 

[DoctorMom78]

i know what you meant i was just pulling a word play on you 😀 😍
When i get to DCOM (which i really optimistically belive so) I will make you one every day and bring it to class😀
But you have to provide the thermos and free rides on the Star

"free rides on the Star..."<----that sounds so poetic

LOL! OK. Deal!😀 👍

 

[Lamborghini1315]

When I originally went to my doctor to get the labwork done, they actually go through a lab agency who wanted to charge around $850 for the lab work alone. Each titer was 100-200 per titer with the drug test being $300. I ended up going to the hospital that my mother works at and getting the lab work done there. As a result we only ended up paying around $150 for all the work to be done. They gave us a substantial discount, but then again my mother knows the people who handle billing and payment, and that could have been a factor as well. BTW this is all through paying out of pocket.

Dont you guyies have medical insurance? I mean iam not trying to instigate..i just did my co-pays and it didnt cost me close to what you guyies might pay?

 

[froggiepremed]

Dont you guyies have medical insurance? I mean iam not trying to instigate..i just did my co-pays and it didnt cost me close to what you guyies might pay?

is guyies a term for the ladies and the guys?

 

[Lamborghini1315]

is guyies a term for the ladies and the guys?

yup i was trying to generalize my question...

 

[nascardoc]

I also only had to pay my co-pay. If I didn't have ins., it would have cost me around $500 for everything.

 

[Tiagao]

I wish I had insurance right now. If I go through the OSU health system, I can get it all done for about $300. However, if I just go to the health clinic, I can get all of the immunizations again for Free.

What do you guys think? 😕

 

[nascardoc]

What do you make of the "3% interest credit back to the borrower" by Chela on the Grad Plus loans?

Pretty much agree on the Stafford's...I'm looking for as much of an interest deduction as possible.

I called Chela/Nelnet today about the GradPlus loan and the 3% we get back is a principal reduction, not an IRR. So, in essence, you get your origination fee back. There is some descrepency between the lender codes b/c DCOM's website shows it as 833853 and the lady at Chela/Nelnet said they have it listed as 833953. I emailed Pat Peace about this and I will let everyone know which is the correct code.

As for right now, I will be doing Chase for the Stafford and EdAmerica for the GradPlus.

 

[nascardoc]

I called EdAm about the GradPlus and as for no payments while in school, it is done automatically. At Chase you have to request to defer thru the loan servicer before the first payment is due after disbursement, otherwise you will be required to make payments on your loan while in school.

 

[froggiepremed]

I called EdAm and as for no payments while in school, it is done automatically. At Chase you have to request to defer thru the loan servicer before the first payment is due after disbursement, otherwise you will be required to make payments on your loan while in school.

that would suck! (to make payments during school)

 

[lrobin15]

Buy Microsoft OneNote 2007 (yes, even if you don't have a tablet). You can then use a free player like audacity (google it) to speed up the lecture and resave it as an mp3 sped up. You can then print your lecture notes into onenote, drop the mp3 onto the page and as you are listening through and highlighting notes with your cursor it will sync the highlight with your mp3 lecture. Then when you are reviewing for a test and come across a concept you don't really understand, you click on the nearest highlighted portion and you instantly start listening at the point in the lecture that you made the highlight.

I thought some of you might like to have this info. I've been using Onenote for a year and had no idea that it did this!

 

[nascardoc]

I thought some of you might like to have this info. I've been using Onenote for a year and had no idea that it did this!

You read my mind, I was going to post the same thing. That is one sweet feature.

 

[Dr Jamie 151385]

Dont you guyies have medical insurance? I mean iam not trying to instigate..i just did my co-pays and it didnt cost me close to what you guyies might pay?

I do have medical insurance... and a HUGE deductible!!!

Good thing I don't get sick very often. 👍

 

[DoctorMom78]

I do have medical insurance... and a HUGE deductible!!!

Good thing I don't get sick very often. 👍

😱 That really stinks! I really love my insurance company now.

 

[froggiepremed]

never move to Houston...

1 Oil Tanker spill

2 wrecks at major exits

20 mile commute

Average Speed: 10 MPH

I should start riding my bike and lose some weight

 

[jen48]

never move to Houston...

1 Oil Tanker spill

2 wrecks at major exits

20 mile commute

Average Speed: 10 MPH

I should start riding my bike and lose some weight

I feel your pain

Chicago Traffic

Construction on every possible expressway to and from the city and suburbs
25 mile commute - 60-75 minutes/day one way
Stupid people who don't know how to drive

 

[MJB]

never move to Houston...

1 Oil Tanker spill

2 wrecks at major exits

20 mile commute

Average Speed: 10 MPH

I should start riding my bike and lose some weight

After spending some time there for a bowl game this past winter, I'm not sure there's enough money in the world to get me to move there. I liked it, and loved visiting the museums...but wouldn't want to live there. 🙂

 

[Tiagao]

I loved living in Houston, but we were on the NW side by HWY 6 and 251. It really wasn't that bad unless you had to get downtown at rush hour.

 

[MJB]

I guess living there, but living in the city and never having to drive would be a stipulation. We stayed at the Med Center area, right on the light rail line...it was nice to not have to drive.

Traffic was really bad both coming and going.

 

[DoctorMom78]

Traffic up here in upstate NY is not that bad. But, our taxes are terrible!!!! I never realized that we were getting so screwed by living in New York until i started comparing it to other places. 😛

 

[MJB]

From the "you've got to be kidding" department...

I've been trying to learn more about our new home...and while I chuckled, this shows true passion for the local favorite team... 🙂

Knoxville is also the home of the University of Tennessee's primary campus (UTK). The university's sports teams, called the "Volunteers" or "Vols," are extremely popular in the surrounding area. In recognition of this popularity, the telephone area code for Knox County and eight adjacent counties is 865 (VOL).

I think it's awesome...

 

[Dr Jamie 151385]

Doctor Mom are you planning on adding a zebra to the farm?? 😀

 

[nascardoc]

From the "you've got to be kidding" department...

I've been trying to learn more about our new home...and while I chuckled, this shows true passion for the local favorite team... 🙂





I think it's awesome...

That is just freaking awesome. It is going to be very interesting living there during football season. I'm not the biggest college football fan (too many teams and I prefer the NFL) but I am looking forward to this experience. Besides, Chicago doesn't have that diehard college team either. Illinois hasn't done much in years, Northwestern is bad - the only real team that is close is Notre Dame. BTW, Notre Dame is perhaps the most beautiful campus I have ever seen in my life. My wife and I stopped there when driving to LECOM-E for my interview there.

Also, there are updated pics on DCOM's website. It's looking really good. There are inside pics too, which are very similar to what was posted already, but there are some new ones too.

 

[nascardoc]

never move to Houston...

1 Oil Tanker spill

2 wrecks at major exits

20 mile commute

Average Speed: 10 MPH

I should start riding my bike and lose some weight

Here is a website from the Illinois Dept. of Transportation regarding a major construction project on the Dan Ryan Expressway. I think it is kind of funny, excpet when actauly driving on it, then its just a nightmare.

http://avoidtheryan.com/

 

[DoctorMom78]

Doctor Mom are you planning on adding a zebra to the farm?? 😀

LOL! Nope. Although, one of the horse adoptions had a zorse (zebra and horse). It is a long story about the zebra. I won't bore you with the details. But, I promise, no zebras. 😀

 

[DoctorMom78]

From the "you've got to be kidding" department...

I've been trying to learn more about our new home...and while I chuckled, this shows true passion for the local favorite team... 🙂





I think it's awesome...

😱 OMG!!! That is crazy!!!! 😛

 

[nascardoc]

LOL! Nope. Although, one of the horse adoptions had a zorse (zebra and horse). It is a long story about the zebra. I won't bore you with the details. But, I promise, no zebras. 😀

I understand your avatar. Creative. Of everyone, I would think the hooves you hear would always be from a horse or a goat, a fainting one of course

 

[froggiepremed]

when you hear hooves in Texas, Docmom thinks zebras!

 

[DoctorMom78]

LOL! It is actually because of DKM. I was having a conversation with him and I guess I was thinking a bit too exotic, so he told me that "when you hear hoofbeats, think horses, not zebras." I had never heard that before. But, I guess I do always hear zebras and that is just the way that I think. Actually, I don't only hear zebras. I also hear horses and goats and any other animal that has a hoofbeat. It really could be any one of them making the sound, so you have to consider all possibilities. Just because you don't expect to find a zebra there, doesn't mean that it isn't possible. Besides, if you are in Africa, you wouldn't think of horses, you would think of zebras. Hmmm....or maybe a gazelle. Horses would be an anomaly there. I guess it is all a matter of perception and every possible explanation should be considered. So, that is why I now have a zebra as my avatar.😀 👍

 

[AustinFinklea]

LOL! It is actually because of DKM. I was having a conversation with him and I guess I was thinking a bit too exotic, so he told me that "when you hear hoofbeats, think horses, not zebras." I had never heard that before. But, I guess I do always hear zebras and that is just the way that I think. Actually, I don't only hear zebras. I also hear horses and goats and any other animal that has a hoofbeat. It really could be any one of them making the sound, so you have to consider all possibilities. Just because you don't expect to find a zebra there, doesn't mean that it isn't possible. Besides, if you are in Africa, you wouldn't think of horses, you would think of zebras. Hmmm....or maybe a gazelle. Horses would be an anomaly there. I guess it is all a matter of perception and every possible explanation should be considered. So, that is why I now have a zebra as my avatar.😀 👍

Please dont tell me that in the midst of my absence, you went and bought yourself a zebra!!!!!!

 

[DoctorMom78]

Please dont tell me that in the midst of my absence, you went and bought yourself a zebra!!!!!!

LMAO!!! 😆 I promise...NO ZEBRAS!!!! 😛 😉

 

[DoctorMom78]

LOL! I am getting one of these. 😀 👍

http://medicalzebras.org/

 

[DoctorMom78]

2 Bdrm house for rent, Harrogate, washer, dryer, stove, refrigerator, central heat & air, no pets $200 security $550 month (423)869-4122 pd 5 b...from Cumberland Trading Post
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3 Bdrm/2 Bath house for rent, Gloucester Ave, Middlesboro, Ky, Available June 1st (404)545-4241 ask for Whitney Risner pd. 5 bc ...from Cumberland Trading Post
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Middlesboro: 2 BR 1 bath house, central H/A, $475/mo. 606-301-1712 or 248-5577.
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[MJB]

Thanks for all the legwork Nascar! I need to get around to choosing the loans I'd like soon.

 

[nascardoc]

Thanks for all the legwork Nascar! I need to get around to choosing the loans I'd like soon.

No problem. I'll be applying tommorow after my final 🙄 . As I said before, I will use Chase for the Staff. and EdAm for the G.P.

The wife and I have narrowed down our house search to about 15 properties. We went thru about 40 or so properties and finally picked out the ones we want to see. Most of them are new construction, so that is cool. We are so excited and are so looking forward to the trip. We will be leaving next Sunday and get back home on Thursday night. I will be making a trip to DCOM and Dr. Leo to see the building and all. Of course, I will take lots of pictures and share them with you all.

Now back to studying 👎 😴

 

[MJB]

Good luck! Hope the open house went well.

We're going to spend the weekend going through listings...and we head back down there on the 17th.

Building is coming along very nicely, as you'll see.

Make sure to check out Dr. Stowers' office!

 

[DoctorMom78]

OK guys. I am turning my modem into the cable company. No internet for a few weeks. Next time I talk to y'all, I will be a proud resident of the state of Tennessee. LOVE YOU GUYS!!!! TTYS!!!!

 

[Marthea007]

OK guys. I am turning my modem into the cable company. No internet for a few weeks. Next time I talk to y'all, I will be a proud resident of the state of Tennessee. LOVE YOU GUYS!!!! TTYS!!!!

YAY!!!!!👍 It'll be sooooo quiet without you!!

 

[MJB]

OK guys. I am turning my modem into the cable company. No internet for a few weeks. Next time I talk to y'all, I will be a proud resident of the state of Tennessee. LOVE YOU GUYS!!!! TTYS!!!!

Good luck with the move..

We'll be in K-ville looking for houses next weekend!

 

[nascardoc]

Good luck with the move..

We'll be in K-ville looking for houses next weekend!

We'll be there too. We are flying in on Sunday morning and staying until Thursday night. Our plan is to shop houses on Monday and Tuesday and put a contract on one after seeing them. Holy crap I can't believe this is all happening 😱 😀

We'll miss you Docmom!!! Good luck!!!

 

[blondydoc]

My wife and I have been looking at the loan stuff a lot over the last couple of days. Personally, I am going between Chase and EdAmerica. If someone put a gun to my head and told me to choose right now I would go with Chase for the Stafford and with EdAmerica for the GradPlus b/c I also prefer IRR rather than principal reductions. What is nice about Chase's Stafford is that the IRR's are locked in after 4 years of on-time payments. With EdAmerica, if you miss a payment (which none of us plan on 🙂 ) your rate goes back to the original rate and you have to go 2 years without a late in order to start getting IRR's again. As for the GradPlus, EdAm has a larger IRR and you don't have to request deferring your loan payments - it is done automatically from what I understand. With Chase, you will be required to start paying on the loan after disbursement unless you request, thru the loan servicer before the first payment is due, you want to defer your payments. Otherwise, you start paying back this loan while in school - yuck.

If I'm understanding you right, the only drawback with the principal reductions is that if you miss a payment then you go back to the original rate. So in actuality if you pay your payments every month, then with the chase lender for Grad plus your have a total of 4.2% reduction and with the Edamerica you only have a total of 2% reduction. I think I would use Chase for gradplus b/c I would rather have a bigger reduction total and I wouldn't mind requesting a deferal. The same goes for the Stafford but the lenders are switched. EdAmerica has a total of 3.25% reduction while Chase has a total of 2.6%.


My question is: am I missing anything here?

Thanks!

 

[nascardoc]

If I'm understanding you right, the only drawback with the principal reductions is that if you miss a payment then you go back to the original rate. So in actuality if you pay your payments every month, then with the chase lender for Grad plus your have a total of 4.2% reduction and with the Edamerica you only have a total of 2% reduction. I think I would use Chase for gradplus b/c I would rather have a bigger reduction total and I wouldn't mind requesting a deferal. The same goes for the Stafford but the lenders are switched. EdAmerica has a total of 3.25% reduction while Chase has a total of 2.6%.


My question is: am I missing anything here?

Thanks!

Unfortunately, you're missing the terminology b/c it is easy to look thru real quick and miss it. I did it a few times and that was looking at everything for a couple of days. It is a little confusing but not everything is a rate reduction. Let me break it down for you:

Stafford:

Chase
All of their incentives are interest rate reductions (IRR). I believe the standard rate is 6.8%. When repayment starts, you get your incentives and at the end of year 3 of paying, your rate is at 4.2%. After the end of year 4, if you make all of your payments on time, this rate is locked in for the remaining time of your loan, even if you make a late payment after the 4th year. THis means that your loans accrue at a lower rate making your payments smaller and the amount of interest paid smaller.
EdAmerica
There are two things you need to notice about this loan (I missed the details too). 1) Not all of their incentives are IRR. The IRR's they have total 1.25% making your interest rate 5.55%. THe other two 1% reductions you see are PRINCIPAL REDUCTIONS, not IRR's. Meaning, they will take 1% off of your loan balance or $2000 for a $200,000 loan. So after two years, they take a total of about $4000 of your balance, BUT your rate is at 5.55%. Over the long run, an interest rate of 4.2% with Chase will save you more than $4000. 2) The other kicker is that EdAm's rate is never locked in. Say you make 5 years worth of payments on time and miss one thereafter, they take away your IRR's and your rate jumps back to 6.8% (they may put the principal reductions back on as well but i am not sure). Now you have to start all over again after one year of making payments on time.

GradPlus
Chase
Again, the issue of principal reductions come into play. The 1.2% and 2.4% incentives are principal reductions not IRR's. The rate for the GradPlus is 8.5%. With Chase, your first IRR at disbursement is 0.6% making your total rate 7.9% and after an ACH IRR, the rate drops to 7.3%, which is the lowest your interest will ever be with Chase. After the first year, they take 1.2% off of your loan balance (meaning your principal balance) and in this case, 1.2% of about $10,000 is $120. After the second year, they take 2.4% off the pricipal balance and it would equal about $240. So in total, Chase takes off $360 from your balance, but your rate is at 7.3%. Again, you have to ask for deferment BEFORE your first payment is due after disbursement and if you forget, you start paying back the loan while in school. Also, after 4 years worth of payments, your rate is locked in.
EdAmerica
Here, all of their incentives are IRR's. Your first IRR after disbursement is 1.5% (more than double the total IRR with Chase) making your interest rate 7.0%. With your ACH (or auto debit) IRR, your rate drops to 6.5%. So now your are accruing interest at a much lower rate than Chase and in the long run, save more than $360. Also, you never have to ask to defer your payments, it is done automatically (one less thing to remember). Unfortunately, this rate is never locked in if you miss a payment.


I hope this helps you or anyone else out. You don't have to go with my choices, but the above reasons are why I went with the lenders I did. If you or anyone else has any questions, please ask.

 

[lrobin15]

If I'm understanding you right, the only drawback with the principal reductions is that if you miss a payment then you go back to the original rate. So in actuality if you pay your payments every month, then with the chase lender for Grad plus your have a total of 4.2% reduction and with the Edamerica you only have a total of 2% reduction. I think I would use Chase for gradplus b/c I would rather have a bigger reduction total and I wouldn't mind requesting a deferal. The same goes for the Stafford but the lenders are switched. EdAmerica has a total of 3.25% reduction while Chase has a total of 2.6%.


My question is: am I missing anything here?

Thanks!

Nascardoc really answered the big Qs, but I have one other thing to add...

Stafford:

Chase: 2.6% interest rate reduction, no guarantee fee

EdAmer: 1.25% interest rate reduction, 2% reduction on original principal balance

So here is the main catch to EdAm: They have a 2% reduction on principal, but they charge a 3% guarantee fee. So in the end, they are basically refunding 2% of the guarantee fee that you paid them to begin with. But before you get the "reduction" they charge you interest (for ~4 yrs of med school and a min of 3 yrs of residency) on the guarantee fee you paid them.


Gradloan:

I'm not taking the grad loan, so I can't help you there. But I would definately check and see if EdAm has the 3% guarantee fee like they do on the stafford.

 

[nascardoc]

Nascardoc really answered the big Qs, but I have one other thing to add...

Stafford:

Chase: 2.6% interest rate reduction, no guarantee fee

EdAmer: 1.25% interest rate reduction, 2% reduction on original principal balance

So here is the main catch to EdAm: They have a 2% reduction on principal, but they charge a 3% guarantee fee. So in the end, they are basically refunding 2% of the guarantee fee that you paid them to begin with. But before you get the "reduction" they charge you interest (for ~4 yrs of med school and a min of 3 yrs of residency) on the guarantee fee you paid them.


Gradloan:

I'm not taking the grad loan, so I can't help you there. But I would definately check and see if EdAm has the 3% guarantee fee like they do on the stafford.

I missed this in reviewing the EmAm stafford loan. Where do you find that? I saw that each loan company charges a 3% origination fee for the GradPlus, but I did not see anything for the Stafford. Is the default fee the same as the guarantee fee?

 

[slinkeyooo]

Hey everybody, I found this really neat link that SIU has for incoming medical students. Each medical school class creates a kind of info booklet which is passed down from incoming class to incoming class with bits of information, suggestions, and wisdom as kind of a tradition that I thought we might like to start for our school. It gives reviews of classes and professors, what books we actually use and which ones are worthless, what restaurants in town actually have good food and which ones spit in the medical students lunches lol,,, Heres the link and let me know what everybody thinks about this, I think it might be a really good tradition to start and it could really help out incoming classes....www.siumed.edu/students/2008cdalestudenttostudenthandbook.pdf

 

[Juneau]

I think this is a good idea, and I have seen variations of this at several medical school web sites. They have information such as how to handle certain classes and tips on quizzes and board exams. Some are broken down by course or year. This should be an easy thing to set up and I am sure the staff has probably already thought of how we will do something similar.

 

[MJB]

Nascardoc really answered the big Qs, but I have one other thing to add...

Stafford:

Chase: 2.6% interest rate reduction, no guarantee fee

EdAmer: 1.25% interest rate reduction, 2% reduction on original principal balance

So here is the main catch to EdAm: They have a 2% reduction on principal, but they charge a 3% guarantee fee. So in the end, they are basically refunding 2% of the guarantee fee that you paid them to begin with. But before you get the "reduction" they charge you interest (for ~4 yrs of med school and a min of 3 yrs of residency) on the guarantee fee you paid them.


Gradloan:

I'm not taking the grad loan, so I can't help you there. But I would definately check and see if EdAm has the 3% guarantee fee like they do on the stafford.

The way I read it...none of the lenders have origination fees for the Stafford loans, but all of them have one for the Grad plus loans...

Am I misreading something?