NYCOM c/o 2013

[Semicolon]

Hey SemiColon & Eudjinn,

I'm excited to hear we're in the same boat! I'm looking forward to meeting you all! Would anyone be interested in a Brooklyn meetup?

I just found a parking garage near my apartment. It's expensive but less soul-crushingly so than I'd imagined. I'm trying to think of what I should do to prepare for the beginning of the year.

I hear that laptops are exceptionally useful. I'm a Mac fan, and one of the sales people at the Apple store was showing me how to switch between OSX and Windows. Does anyone use a Mac to stream the lectures? Are there any PC/Mac compatibility issues at NYCOM to look out for?

FlyinTiger, I got the impression from the student I talked to during my visit that they were not fans of the neuro unit. What is it that makes it so un-appealling? Honestly, as an excited incoming student it all sounds dreamy. Skin pathology? I say bring it on! So I'm very curious about the day to day life of a NYCOM student as it's actually lived.

I'd be interested in a Brooklyn meet-up. Join the facebook group and let's see if we can bring some others out.

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[Eudjinn]

neuro was awesome compared to heme/immuno IMO

if you are tech savvy, you will have little to no problems using a Mac to do everything that you need (as long as you can run Windows on it parallel to OSX)... plenty of people have macs

being excited before you get here is normal. enjoy the feeling before you get jaded and beaten down from the rollercoaster 2-3 week crazy study/relax/repeat schedule, as mentioned by flyin...

don't try to prepare because I will laugh at you for wasting your time

 

[shockadvised]

Hiiii
There has been little action on this board as of late but I wanted to add that I just got my acceptance and will be attending!
Wanted to meet some people before we start.
I live in Northern Virginia (DC area) and I'm from NJ. I will be moving to NY sometime in late July/Early August but have no idea where or how I'll live. What's the general consensus for housing in the area? How to most NYCOM students live?

 

[Semicolon]

Hiiii
There has been little action on this board as of late but I wanted to add that I just got my acceptance and will be attending!
Wanted to meet some people before we start.
I live in Northern Virginia (DC area) and I'm from NJ. I will be moving to NY sometime in late July/Early August but have no idea where or how I'll live. What's the general consensus for housing in the area? How to most NYCOM students live?

Congrats on your acceptance shockadvised! Glad you'll be joining us.

Generally, most students live in housing within a few miles of NYCOM; the majority of them live in Glen Cove and the surrounding areas. It's a bit early to start actively looking, but you can search around that area to get a good idea of where it is.

 

[trackxxx]

hey
i know of available housing
4 bedroom house in westbury, ny. about 10-15 min drive to nycom, within 3 miles of the source mall, roosevelt field mall, lots of major hospitals, walmart, pharmacy ,etc. rent is 550 a month, and does not cover utilities. cable/internet is obviously separate and split between roomates. there is available parking on the street and also on a driveway. house is in a quiet neighborhood which is a quarter mile from major highway exits also. house is also quiet and currently there is a surgical intern and me (4th year nycom student)

 

[Semicolon]

Just got the financial aid packet in the mail today. Anyone get the chance to look through it yet?

For the most part it all makes sense, but I am confused about a few things. Plain and simple, what's the best way to find lenders for the loans? Also, the booklet states many different methods of repaying the loans (such as monthly payments), but I thought that we only start repaying AFTER we graduate. Or was it referring to that and I'm just confused?

I'm trying not to be clueless about this process. If anything, I'll ask the Office of Fin Aid.

 

[tourniquet1963]

yea, i got the financial aid packet, but i honestly dont understand any of it.. i never had to take out loans. is it possible to avoid grad plus loans? i really want to minimize my debt, (well, unnecessary debt).

also do we need to fill out TAP? I filled out FAFSA but not TAP.

 

[Semicolon]

yea, i got the financial aid packet, but i honestly dont understand any of it.. i never had to take out loans. is it possible to avoid grad plus loans? i really want to minimize my debt, (well, unnecessary debt).

also do we need to fill out TAP? I filled out FAFSA but not TAP.

Yeah, this whole thing is complicated; you should check out the Financial Aid forum on SDN for some answers. I can help you out a bit, though.

You cannot avoid Grad PLUS loans simply because the Stafford loans will not be sufficient to pay for our education, especially since NYCOM is so darn expensive. As according to the fin aid package they sent, we'll have a limit of $42,722 in Stafford loans (both subsidized and unsubsidized), which is not enough to pay for everything, so we will HAVE to take out Grad PLUS loans. NYCOM estimated that we would need to take out an extra $29,514 in Grad PLUS loans in order to finish paying all the institutional fees and allow us to have money for living expenses and other things (you would probably take out considerably less if you decided to live with parents). The $42,722 and $29,514 together makes up our calculated Cost of Attendance (I believe), which is the limit that we can borrow in total. You have the option of requesting less than the COA, but most students opt to borrow up to the COA.

No, you do not need to fill out the TAP; that is completely optional and can give you a maximum of $500 a year (I think).

Hope that helps!

 

[Mystery]

Is the financial aid packet you guys are referring to the forms to finalize our applications for FA? This whole FA process is gonna kill me I don't even know where to start with choosing a lender

 

[Semicolon]

Is the financial aid packet you guys are referring to the forms to finalize our applications for FA? This whole FA process is gonna kill me I don't even know where to start with choosing a lender

Yes, the forms are what I'm talking about.

Don't worry; you're hardly alone in this and everyone gets it done one way or another.

 

[tourniquet1963]

for the authorization statement that came with the financial aid forms, what do we write? grant? or deny?.. what are the "other institutional charges" that they are talking about?

thanks!

 

[Mystery]

As per Title IV form...
Federal student financial aid can only cover "institutional charges" as defined by the U.S. Department of Education. This definition includes current year charges for tuition and fees and on campus room and bord. It also includes other fees such as; lab fees, workshop, university registration fees, facilities usage fees and other specialized departmental or college fees associated directly with taking a class.
noninstitutional charges are listed as; parking, fines, library fines, breakage fees or any charges not directly associated with taking a class.
I'm guessing we should just accept, they do say you can change your decision later.

 

[Semicolon]

for the authorization statement that came with the financial aid forms, what do we write? grant? or deny?.. what are the "other institutional charges" that they are talking about?

thanks!

Mystery answered it pretty well. Yeah, I agree, I believe everyone just grants it because...well, you need to pay for those institutional charges with your loan money whether you want to or not.

I filled out the forms except for the preliminary application because I still didn't find a lender to put down. However, I don't think we should rush...I'm sure there's quite a bit of time. They didn't even put up financial aid info for our class on their site yet.

 

[countthestars]

Just to let you guys know, NYCOM increased its tuition to $42,090, plus fees. I would say if any of you have offers at schools that cost less take them. This is just plain BS. Most of your money isn't even going to the medical school. I suspect a hunge chunk of it is going to NYIT. Who in turn are using the money to fund their own projects in Manhattan. I'm really steamed about this.

Edit: According to the Fin Aid office that just sent out another email detailing all the expenses.

Total cost with parent $ 69,073.00
Total cost with out parent $ 77,524.00

and thats just for a YEAR. Just fantastic!

 

[Semicolon]

Just to let you guys know, NYCOM increased its tuition to $42,090, plus fees. I would say if any of you have offers at schools that cost less take them. This is just plain BS. Most of your money isn't even going to the medical school. I suspect a hunge chunk of it is going to NYIT. Who in turn are using the money to fund their own projects in Manhattan. I'm really steamed about this.

Edit: According to the Fin Aid office that just sent out another email detailing all the expenses.

Total cost with parent $ 69,073.00
Total cost with out parent $ 77,524.00

and thats just for a YEAR. Just fantastic!

Good thing I declined my two other offers of admission back in December.

Damn. How are we going to pay off all of that?!

 

[tourniquet1963]

Good thing I declined my two other offers of admission back in December.

Damn. How are we going to pay off all of that?!

i'm scared!!

 

[tourniquet1963]

ok, im back and a bit under control, haha. So what are you putting down from number 8 on the preliminary application form? which Stafford Lender, and which Grad Plus lender?

Also, are we meeting with the finanacial aid office prior to matriculation? I'm not going to be in the states for june and july so i really need this to be taken care of before i leave.

Thanks for the help!!

 

[Semicolon]

ok, im back and a bit under control, haha. So what are you putting down from number 8 on the preliminary application form? which Stafford Lender, and which Grad Plus lender?

Also, are we meeting with the finanacial aid office prior to matriculation? I'm not going to be in the states for june and july so i really need this to be taken care of before i leave.

Thanks for the help!!

You can just email fin aid or simply go visit them in person whenever you want; I don't think we have any scheduled meetings with them. You can choose any lender you want, so just research a bit. People posted some very useful info on the FB group, so check that out.

Personally, I'm pretty sure I'm going to go with Discover.

 

[tourniquet1963]

You can just email fin aid or simply go visit them in person whenever you want; I don't think we have any scheduled meetings with them. You can choose any lender you want, so just research a bit. People posted some very useful info on the FB group, so check that out.

Personally, I'm pretty sure I'm going to go with Discover.

why discover if supposedly they are all the same?

 

[Semicolon]

why discover if supposedly they are all the same?

Check 'em out yourself; go to each lender's website and see what their benefits are. Discover seems to be the only lender now that offers to waive the origination/default fee on the Stafford loan and has a fixed rate of 8.25% (instead of 8.5% fixed) on the Grad PLUS loans.

 

[tourniquet1963]

Well Chase seems to have a loan program for med school students specifically.. that's pretty interesting. I think i'll go and speak to a representative and see what they say. Thanks for your help Semi!

EDIT: Hmm, i see what you're saying about Discover:
<<We have a low interest rate of 8.25% and an extra 0.25% interest rate credit when payments are set up for automatic debit from a bank account.>>
How interesting, looking in to it now! : )

EDIT #2: I see that chase also has this .25% interest rate reduction. lol.

 

[Semicolon]

Well Chase seems to have a loan program for med school students specifically.. that's pretty interesting. I think i'll go and speak to a representative and see what they say. Thanks for your help Semi!

EDIT: Hmm, i see what you're saying about Discover:
<<We have a low interest rate of 8.25% and an extra 0.25% interest rate credit when payments are set up for automatic debit from a bank account.>>
How interesting, looking in to it now! : )

Everyone has a "loan program specifically for medical students" because the Stafford loans and Grad PLUS loans that med students get are different from other graduate students (as in we borrow a hell of a lot more). If it's a private loan, don't do it!

And no problem.

 

[totter48]

Does it make a difference in terms of choosing a lender if you already have other accounts with a certain lender? I'm leaning towards Discover because it definitely seems to be the best deal in terms of fees and interest rates, but if I already have an account with Citibank or Chase, does it make sense to choose one of them as my lender instead? I clearly have no idea how this stuff works!

Thanks!

 

[em73837]

for those paying for school with loans .. what are allowing yourself for rent/utilities each month? any reasonable ideas?

 

[tourniquet1963]

Does it make a difference in terms of choosing a lender if you already have other accounts with a certain lender? I'm leaning towards Discover because it definitely seems to be the best deal in terms of fees and interest rates, but if I already have an account with Citibank or Chase, does it make sense to choose one of them as my lender instead? I clearly have no idea how this stuff works!

Thanks!

yes, that's what i was thinking as well. i've had an account with chase for many many years. im going to go and talk to them and see what they say.

check their website for info. From what it seems, chase seems to have the same deal as Discover. i printed the info of from the discover and chase website and I plan to take that with me when i go and speak to a chase representative. If its truly the same, im going to stick with Chase.

 

[Semicolon]

Does it make a difference in terms of choosing a lender if you already have other accounts with a certain lender? I'm leaning towards Discover because it definitely seems to be the best deal in terms of fees and interest rates, but if I already have an account with Citibank or Chase, does it make sense to choose one of them as my lender instead? I clearly have no idea how this stuff works!

Thanks!

It makes absolutely no difference if you've had an account with any lenders. This is a completely different endeavor and has nothing to do with any account you may already have.

for those paying for school with loans .. what are allowing yourself for rent/utilities each month? any reasonable ideas?

Once you fill out all of the financial aid forms and send them to NYCOM, they will process and send you out an "award letter", which specifies the amount they're giving you for each expense, including housing and its associated costs.

yes, that's what i was thinking as well. i've had an account with chase for many many years. im going to go and talk to them and see what they say.

check their website for info. From what it seems, chase seems to have the same deal as Discover. i printed the info of from the discover and chase website and I plan to take that with me when i go and speak to a chase representative. If its truly the same, im going to stick with Chase.

I'm interested where you saw the same benefits with Chase; I didn't see them anywhere. As far as I saw, they only had the 0.25% reduction from direct debit; they didn't have the waiver of fees and the fixed 0.25% reduction for Grad PLUS loans. I have an account with Chase as well, but it doesn't make any difference if you choose them as your lender too. But hey, it doesn't hurt to ask, so tell us if you hear anything useful/interesting!

And just to be sure...you're not talking about a private loan, right?

 

[tourniquet1963]

So, im probably going to go with the discover loan. no originator fees is good... except that it doesnt apply for Grad plus loans which are required to charge a 3% fee. filling out the application now!

 

[tourniquet1963]

also, are people going to pay the interest while they are in school? is that the norm?

 

[Semicolon]

also, are people going to pay the interest while they are in school? is that the norm?

I believe that most people do not pay the interest during deferment; it does not make much difference whether you pay it during school or just let it capitalize once school ends. In my opinion, I'd rather use the money for something more productive, since you'll be paying about the same in the end anyway.

And good choice.

 

[Mystery]

So, im probably going to go with the discover loan. no originator fees is good... except that it doesnt apply for Grad plus loans which are required to charge a 3% fee. filling out the application now!

Are we supposed to fill out the loan applications before or after we receive our FA packet from NYCOM?

 

[tourniquet1963]

Are we supposed to fill out the loan applications before or after we receive our FA packet from NYCOM?

After.. they will send you 4 forms that need to be filled out, one of them asks for which lenders you are choosing, which is where you indicate chase, discover, etc.

 

[slight365]

Just to let you guys know, NYCOM increased its tuition to $42,090, plus fees. I would say if any of you have offers at schools that cost less take them. This is just plain BS. Most of your money isn't even going to the medical school. I suspect a hunge chunk of it is going to NYIT. Who in turn are using the money to fund their own projects in Manhattan. I'm really steamed about this.

Edit: According to the Fin Aid office that just sent out another email detailing all the expenses.

Total cost with parent $ 69,073.00
Total cost with out parent $ 77,524.00

and thats just for a YEAR. Just fantastic!

I can't believe they got up that high.

The fact of the matter is you are correct. NYIT has had money troubles and mismanagement for decades and NYCOM has always subsidized NYIT as a whole, even after they did some restructuring a few years back and sold off some assets. Manhattan is a big investment, but they still have lots of back-debt.

Really, I'm astounded and the price now. No wonder people were bailing in their first year, or not having their financial aid come through after they accepted.

NYIT's "fees" have always been a scam they used to butter themselves up with, yet still never got their books in order.

Lots of other schools out there...

...they also know that this is one of the stops down, and the next stop might be the islands. While cheaper, people are paying for the fact that they will come out of a US school.

 

[sox2]

While I completely agree that $42k is an incredible sum, it is in the same ballpark as most private medical schools. Also, NYCOM/NYIT is certainly not the only school to use money from a graduate program to fund other projects. Students in the MFA programs at Columbia have placed stickers in the bathrooms with pictures of the School of the Arts "Cash Cow" being milked to fund the rest of the university.

Yes, private education is absurdly expensive in the US. It totally sucks. And don't get me started on the cost of professional school as it relates to issues of social stratification. But $42k for med school doesn't seem so expensive compared to $40k for an MFA in studio art of $33k for Film Studies. True, its a little bleaker since there are so few scholarships for us, and it's nearly impossible to hold down a job while in school. Banks know this and that's why they are happy to offer lending products geared towards med students.

 

[sox2]

I believe that most people do not pay the interest during deferment; it does not make much difference whether you pay it during school or just let it capitalize once school ends. In my opinion, I'd rather use the money for something more productive, since you'll be paying about the same in the end anyway.

And good choice.

You can save a lot of money by paying off the interest rather than having it capitalized. That's part of the catch with compound interest - as the amount you've borrowed grows, you're paying interest on a larger and larger sum. If you can pay off your interest (or find a very generous person to do it for you) you save much more than the interest itself in the long run.

Of course, if you know of some investment that pays more than 8.5% that's another story. In that case, please share!

 

[Semicolon]

You can save a lot of money by paying off the interest rather than having it capitalized. That's part of the catch with compound interest - as the amount you've borrowed grows, you're paying interest on a larger and larger sum. If you can pay off your interest (or find a very generous person to do it for you) you save much more than the interest itself in the long run.

Of course, if you know of some investment that pays more than 8.5% that's another story. In that case, please share!

You may be right. How much would you actually save by doing this, though?

I already sent in the forms and signed the MPNs...I have no idea if I can change the option of paying or not, but I guess I'll have to see...

 

[em73837]

this may be a ridiculous question but do you have any idea of how much the interest would be per month if you were to pay it off during school?

 

[Semicolon]

this may be a ridiculous question but do you have any idea of how much the interest would be per month if you were to pay it off during school?

That's a good question; I'd like to know the figure myself. I would think it's a few hundred per month...

Just looking at the total debt we'll have at the end of these four years, I can't imagine how it's even possible to pay it off using a 10-year plan. We would be having insane monthly payments right after graduation since we can't even defer the loans through residency anymore; it's horrible. That said, do med students usually decide to do the extended repayment plan (25 years)? Or consolidate the federal loans and repay in 30 years?

This is all a bit hard to swallow in one sitting, lol.

 

[SynEffect]

Hey guys, I'm new to the SDN network and I'll be in the 2013 class with you all. Just wanted to digress from talking about financial aid and ask you guys about something else that's coming up soon. When do they give all of us info. on orientation and does NYCOM have a white coat ceremony for 1st years? Anyway, hope everyone has a relaxing summer and good luck with the apartment searches.

 

[Semicolon]

Hey guys, I'm new to the SDN network and I'll be in the 2013 class with you all. Just wanted to digress from talking about financial aid and ask you guys about something else that's coming up soon. When do they give all of us info. on orientation and does NYCOM have a white coat ceremony for 1st years? Anyway, hope everyone has a relaxing summer and good luck with the apartment searches.

Join the Facebook group in my sig; the date for orientation and the first day of classes is there (14th and 17th of August), and a bunch of other useful info.

NYCOM has a white coat ceremony at the end of the second year, during which they present us with personalized white coats. During the first two years we're just given regular NYCOM coats to wear.

Congrats on the acceptance!

 

[Eudjinn]

Join the Facebook group in my sig; the date for orientation and the first day of classes is there (14th and 17th of August), and a bunch of other useful info.

NYCOM has a white coat ceremony at the end of the second year, during which they present us with personalized white coats. During the first two years we're just given regular NYCOM coats to wear.

Congrats on the acceptance!

the official white coat ceremony is at the end of 2nd year.

you will, however, have something called "convocation" some time in september (probably before a test so it's going to piss you off) which will be an unofficial entry level white coat ceremony, but it will also be for PA students, PT, etc... you will actually get a voucher to get your white coat at the bookstore the first or second day of orientation.

 

[caspace9]

Hi everyone I just joined SDN and will most likely be going NYCOM in august. Question on loans: Can we use the fed as a lender through Direct loans?

 

[deskjet812]

deleted

 

[Semicolon]

What do we put for Graduate PLUS Requested Amount?

The blue sheet that came with our financial aid forms states $29,514 as the estimated Grad PLUS request amount.

 

[tourniquet1963]

just bumping it!

 

[Doc23]

One bedroom available in a 3 bedroom apartment for rent in Sea Cliff, 10 minutes from NYCOM. The two other rooms are occupied by 2nd year NYCOM students. Looking for females only!

Apartment Includes: full bath, specious living room, big kitchen, dining area with sliding doors to the deck.

Room comes with a garage.

Rent: $800
Everything included in the rent – electricity, gas, cable and internet, central air conditioning and telephone!


Contact:
Ray Gilmore
646-321-0237
Valentina Gilmore
917-517-4121
[email protected]

 

[Semicolon]

Anybody get their award letter yet? I have no idea what to do about mine; I want to take out less, but I have no idea how much I need! Ugh NYCOM, why can't you give me a breakdown of the costs?!

 

[deskjet812]

deleted

 

[Semicolon]

When did you get your award letter?

I got it this past Tuesday. I applied for my loans in mid-April.

 

[Gem2]

Hey anyone kno what we use as our username and pw for the talk.nyit.edu site?? I can't seem to access the Class of 2013 Handbook.

Btw cant wait to see you all in August!

 

[Semicolon]

Hey anyone kno what we use as our username and pw for the talk.nyit.edu site?? I can't seem to access the Class of 2013 Handbook.

Btw cant wait to see you all in August!

I believe it's "Classof2013" and "admitme". They said it on the letter they sent out about the webboard.