lost about financial aid

[Hobbes01]

I'm applying to med school this year and I'm pretty lost in terms of what I need to do to apply for financial aid to pay for med school, especially since I've already graduated from college and don't have workshops and counselors to go to. I know everything takes time so I want to start applying as soon as I can for financial help but I don't know where to begin.
I was going to apply for the fee waiver for the applications themselves but I was told that since it's so late already, it could cause my applications to be held back by the time things are approved (or not). Since I didn't want that to happen, I decided not to pay for the fee waiver. I know I can pay for the primary application and so I'm just working hard now to save up for secondaries and beyond.
So I guess I have two main things I would like advice on:
First, in terms of the fee waiver for applications, is it wise just to go ahead and apply to schools and try to pay for everything on my own so my application won't be delayed?
And second, can someone please help me with what I need to be doing now to apply for loans for med school?
Thank you sooo much everyone!

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[paean]

You get financial aid through the school you matriculate at, including loans. When you interview, they will tell you what forms to fill out. The only universal form is the FAFSA, which you can submit in January 2003 <www.fafsa.ed.gov>
As to fee waivers, if you can prove that you, your spouse (if you are married) and your parents (regardless of how long you have been independant) are poor, some schools will waive secondary application fees. It's fairly easy if you are in school, I don't know how they will have you do it since you are out. Look through the rest of the financial aid threads for more info on the process of applying.

 

[KyGrlDr2B]

You don't need to worry too much right now about loans for school. For now, focus on applying. Once you get acceptances/waitlists, you will get information from the school about what to do. For example, in January, the school I plan to attend had a financial aid seminar with TONS of information and checklists. Also, the financial aid advisor can help you one-on-one, whether through email, phone, or in person. This forum is relatively new, but just search some earlier posts and you might find info.