Official: UTSW Class of 2008 Thread

[soonerpillow]

No financial aid for me yet.

12 days til graduation!
112 days til med skool!

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[ndi_amaka]

112 days til med skool!

No counting down!

 

[G_Eagle]

I didn't receive anything today either. This is my last week of school, and I'm counting down to medical school too! I can't wait!

 

[Bad Mojo]

How's everyone doing?

Yea, so I'm getting anxious to see how much I'll be owing in loans. Here's to living off of borrowed money. I sent in my transcripts yesterday, now if I could just remember to fill out that immunization sheet.

On a side note, I'm very pleased with how the Cowboys handled the draft. I watched a few hours up until their first pick. I't would've been great to get Jackson, but before they traded I figured Parcells would try something.

 

[ndi_amaka]

Do we find out if we were given a scholarship??

 

[soonerpillow]

How's everyone doing?

Yea, so I'm getting anxious to see how much I'll be owing in loans. Here's to living off of borrowed money. I sent in my transcripts yesterday, now if I could just remember to fill out that immunization sheet.

On a side note, I'm very pleased with how the Cowboys handled the draft. I watched a few hours up until their first pick. I't would've been great to get Jackson, but before they traded I figured Parcells would try something.

You're happy with the Cowboys picks? Bleh. Who did they get??? They picked 0 Sooners. Jerry Jones always tries to get a bargain, hoping someone turns out to be good (see Quincy Carter for how well that works). I think if he could get away with it, he would trade out of the first round every time just to avoid having to pay out the big bucks.

 

[G_Eagle]

I didn't get anything in the mail today. Perhaps scholarship information would arrive with the financial aid package. As for the Cowboys, I was hoping we would get a good running back. I hope that this pays off for next year...

 

[NitoVerde]

Anyone know the numbers for the financial aid people? I know I have it somewhere, but I'm too lazy and typing this is easier. Thanks! (3 essays, 1 exam left before the end of undergrad!!!!!)

 

[wilco57]

Hey, is anybody doing research up at UTSW this summer?
I've been trying to set something up, but every mentor I write is already booked. Anyway, I'm sure I'll find one sooner or later.

Still no financial aid package for me today. They had said they were sending them out at the end of last week, so I don't know what the story on that is. Oh well, I guess either which way I'm going to be in some debt. Oh yeah, the financial aid office number is 214-648-3611 for whoever just asked.

 

[wilco57]

Just talked with the financial aid folk, and they said they still haven't awarded everything yet. They're waiting on the Southwestern Endownment to award all of those scholarships and they really don't know when that will happen. She said hopefully by next week, so it doesn't look like we should be seeing any packages in the mail anytime soon.

 

[sunkists]

haha. i just wanted to say that i feel like i'm in great and fun company with this utsw SDN thread going on. i'm thankful that the people are chatty and not scary. i will freely admit that i wanted to go to baylor at first but after comparing the two school's class of 2008 threads on SDN, the baylor-2008 thread is a bit stale. haha no offense to anyone on that other thread though because the 5 people posting can't possibly be representative of the class. and i guess if i were to be completely objective, the 15 people posting on this thread can't be representative either... but whatever.

anyway. i'm excited. here are some of my plans before i move and settle down in dallas....

wait for fin-aid.
buy a 15'' powerbook.
finish my sr thesis.
take gov't (haha)
vacation up north
read books
sell furniture
move
buy furniture and new apartment stuff

happy times...

 

[Bad Mojo]

Is it wrong to see the Baylor official thread and feel a need to try to keep ours forever longer than theirs? We are in the teens, so we have a comfortable lead. On a side note, a bunch of my friends and I played dodgeball Monday night. It isn't a regular occurance, but it was incredibly fun. The next day I had a really sad thought. I thought, "What if that's the last time I play dodgeball?" I almost cried. Then I remembered that UTSW has intramural dodgeball. That made me very happy.

 

[ndi_amaka]

Wouldn't it be interesting if we kept this thread alive even after med school started?? I mean imagine it being March 2008 and we're all posting about our MAatch Day fears and stuff? That would be awesome. I bet it would be on page 3000 by then.

 

[G_Eagle]

Ha ha ha, you guys are great. I yearn for an opportunity for all of us to hang out again before school actually starts. Each one of you seems like an awesome person to get to know (and I plan to do just that, as much as schoolwork permits). This thread is indeed fun, though I don't think you can really compare the nature of threads on here. Of course, nothing can replace the quality of human interaction.

It would be great to keep up on student doctor, but I would hope we would be doing that in class as well. The thought had crossed my mind that we probably won't need to discuss class issues online because we can do it in person. Then again, there will likely be times when people will want to voice their opinions on here without the risk of being overheard by other students outsideo of UTSW SDNers.

I am finishing up my last week of school before exams begin. When I get back from working at camp in the beginning of July, I will try to get us all together to at least go out for dinner to truly begin our friendships.

It is very exciting to think about how close the future is in our grasp and about the quality of our peers. If you all can't tell, I still haven't come off the high of Feb. 1st and the rush of meeting everyone at MS0 weekend!

 

[NitoVerde]

I just finished my Religion major capstone course research paper, and it kicks a**! Tommorrow/(Thursday) is my last day of undergrad!!!!! Only 1 exam (adv. biochem) & 3 essays to write left!!! Summer relaxin', here I come!

 

[No Egrets]

Hey guys! So here's the news--I just got into Baylor off the waitlist. If you've been following my drama, you know how excited I am to have gotten in!!! I have a place reserved at UTSW, but now I guess I have, what, about 2 weeks to make the final decision. I love the people on this thread and if I were picking schools based only on SDN (is there really any other way?) I would be going UTSW hands-down! Ugh, so much decision-making to do... If anyone else is in this situation and wants to discuss, PM me!

 

[curlycity]

haha. i just wanted to say that i feel like i'm in great and fun company with this utsw SDN thread going on. i'm thankful that the people are chatty and not scary. i will freely admit that i wanted to go to baylor at first but after comparing the two school's class of 2008 threads on SDN, the baylor-2008 thread is a bit stale. haha no offense to anyone on that other thread though because the 5 people posting can't possibly be representative of the class. and i guess if i were to be completely objective, the 15 people posting on this thread can't be representative either... but whatever.

So, what is up with Baylor making such a poor first impression? When I went there to interview, I was totally pumped, but the crowd interviewing with me seemed a little, uh, square? or something. Not sure how to describe it. And the students I met weren't clickin' with me. But when I went to revisit wknd, I had SUCH a blast, it was CRAZY! I'm not trying to intrude on your thread SW'ers, because I'm going to Baylor...I was just agreeing that sometimes Baylor makes a funny first impression. SW is the same - when I interviewed there, I was so impressed with the students that greeted us, but when SW came to UT, the people they brought weren't that exciting and I was expecting more of the same.

Good luck to everyone...please don't hate me for posting on your thread but I intend to seduce No Egrets away from you, mwa ha ha HA HA!!!!!!!

 

[G_Eagle]

curlycity, you aren't intruding at all. This is a public forum, and I'm glad you spoke up. I know you all read this thread (because I read most of the other threads too, even when I don't post). You are absolutely right that the schools make widely varying impressions, probably based on people's personalities. I had a wonderful time at Baylor, likely my favorite interview day, but I knew that UTSW was where I wanted to go. Rather than this being a source of rivalry or inner conflict to compare our differing experiences, I look at this as a way to build my excitement at the quality of classmates that each of us will have. Ultimately, all graduating MD's are our peers, and I am thrilled to see the quality of individuals I have been asked to join.

Please do not hesitate to post in this thread, as I think we'll have some good thoughts to share, and I wish you the best of luck at Baylor. By the way, I have a feeling you'll successfully seduce No Egrets (she isn't easy, just in love; I can tell).

 

[Giving My .02]

Okay, I am going to be the non-political one here. Lets just say every crow thinks her crow is the darkest. Therefore, whatever school you want to go to is the school you are going to think is the best. Good luck in whatever school you go to.

 

[NitoVerde]

Today, I received a letter from "Office of Student Financial Aid" stating that my file was complete and that letters will be mailed out "in late Spring". I had also received an email earlier this week from June regarding some question she had regarding my FASFA (when i submitted it, i labeled myself dependent, even though we are now independent for med school). someday, we'll get the real letters!

In other news, I picked up my cap n' gown yesterday!!!!!! Up this week: lots of free dinners from professors! Geez, im gonna miss my undergrad school.

 

[ndi_amaka]

*drums fingers*

No news?

 

[G_Eagle]

Nothing....<sigh>....

 

[soonerpillow]

Nothing....<sigh>....

Nuthin here either...

 

[Giving My .02]

Four more finals this week, besides that NOTHING.

 

[soonerpillow]

Four more finals this week, besides that NOTHING.

1 more final here!!!! YEEEEEEEEHHAAAAAAAAAAW!

 

[sunkists]

how many of you guys are living in the medpark apartment complex? or rather... what percentage of the class do you all think will live there?

 

[Bad Mojo]

I had a chance to live there but passed it up. It seems your paying mostly for convenience. So I'm probably heading further north with a buddy. This means negotiating traffic on the Tollway, Inwood, or Harry Hines. So, I could become one of the classes MIA. I can't guess percentages, but it seems people without Dallas connections/roots are more likely to live in Medpark.

 

[ndi_amaka]

Hi guys, I called the financial aid office and they said my letter is going out in the mail today so expect it by Saturday or Monday. I don't know if everyone's is going out or if they are doing it by alphabet (my last initial is C)but do expect your letters in the mail by early next week!

 

[G_Eagle]

Thanks for the info, I have four exams left and then graduate! Time is flying by....

 

[soonerpillow]

Hi guys, I called the financial aid office and they said my letter is going out in the mail today so expect it by Saturday or Monday. I don't know if everyone's is going out or if they are doing it by alphabet (my last initial is C)but do expect your letters in the mail by early next week!

cool! I'm going apartment hunting in a couple of weeks and need to know what I can afford!

 

[sunkists]

scholarship awards are being called out by dr. wright today... and tomorrow.

 

[G_Eagle]

Did anyone here get one? If so, congratulations!

 

[G_Eagle]

Got my financial aid package in the mail. It wasn't exactly what I wanted, but who am I to turn it down?

 

[Bad Mojo]

What do you mean it wasn't what you wanted? More loans than grants and scholarships? It would be nice to get free money but its highly unlikely, so I'll know how you feel in a few days.

 

[G_Eagle]

Yeah, I guess I was secretly hoping for tons of free money. I mainly got loans...and because I had money saved up, they are expecting me to use most of it for med school, draining my resources already in the first year. I would kind of like to maintain some savings while in school. I would rather not depend on a new loan each time I have an emergency.

But yeah, I know it was wishful thinking. I really can't complain. They did give me money....huzzah for money!

 

[Bad Mojo]

You just answered the one question that I was waiting to be answered by my package. Do they spread out private savings over 4 years or you spend it gradually? I was hoping for the gradual thing, but I guess it makes more sense to spend it early. I think I lowballed my personal assets on the FAFSA in order to give myself some breathing room.

 

[G_Eagle]

I don't think they'll make me spend all of it, but it will probably be quite a bit. By living at home this first year, that will be great savings. I guess I was hoping for a chance to save up more then that as I don't expect to live at home for all four years.

 

[sunkists]

still waiting on mine... what does a typical package look like anyway? (if there even is such a thing as a "typical" package...)

 

[G_Eagle]

I have one more exam at 2pm in Western Political Thought, and then I will have completed my college education! It's about time! Of course, I still have to go through the painful moving out process. Is anyone else a fan of moving? I hate it....

As for the financial package, I am not sure what the standard is. It seems that they take your assets/income and subtract it from about 25,000. What remains is what they offer you as a combination of grants and loans. In my case, I had some savings so they did not offer a full 25,000, expecting me to make up the difference in personal savings. Now I need to sit down and work out a budget so I can decide how much I will be spending this year...

 

[ndi_amaka]

How much is tuition at UTSW?? I read somewhere that it was $7000....does that include fees and books?

And is that number per semester or per year??

 

[G_Eagle]

Here is a good website for financial aid information. Unfortunately, some of its links are broken, but it really helped me understand it better. UTSW Financial Aid

Go to the Meeting College Expenses guide and click on Table A: Student Budgets. According to this, last year's MS1 tuition/books/fees for the entire year was $14,057. I have to believe that this includes the laptop because tuition drops off to about 10,000 for MS2-MS4. This table shows how much they expect you to be spending and on what areas. Therefore, the 25,000 they think you will spend is school-related and lifestyle-related.

 

[Giving My .02]

Graduated last weekend, it feels great to be finished! At least for undergrad.

 

[G_Eagle]

I have completed all my exams, and graduation is Saturday!!!!

I called the UTSW Financial Aid office this morning, and they were very helpful (spoke with June Perry).

Here is the information that I picked up:
-First set of financial aid lasts 9 months, Aug.-May (8-16 to 5-27); then, there is a few month gap until MS2 begins (8-11) so plan accordingly
-If you have any surplus aid money that hasn't been spent, you may put it in a checking account or money market; odds are you won't have much extra, but they naturally do not want you to invest it and risk losing it
-This will be paid in two installments on 8-13 and 1-3 (possibly 12-27)
-For Stafford loans you have to pick a private lending institution, June said to focus on the backend benefits for your choice (for example, THE (Total Higher Education ) has 1% savings from the start of loan repayment and Access Group has 2% after 48 payments)
-Loan Consolidation, they will have a talk with us about it right before we graduate; at this time, it is advisable to consolidate all loans after graduation; you might want to consolidate your undergraduate loans (talk to June more about that)
-If you filled out a FAFSA and received 8,500 in subsidized Stafford Loans, then you will probably receive this maximum each year as long as your EFC stays below a certain level (such as 13,000?)
-Finally, here are the numbers that they use to create your total package for '04-05:
Tuition $9,707
Room and Board $3,723
Books $5,050 (includes extra loan for laptop)
Travel $1,709
Misc. $4,581
Total Expenditures (9 months) $25,334

They take this total and subtract your EFC, and the result is your financial package offer. If you need more than this, they can offer you it in the form of an unsubsidized Stafford.

I hope this gives you all some answers. Please post if you have questions answered so we don't all swamp the financial aid office. They were extremely helpful and very polite. I could tell that want you to have the best they can offer and good service.

 

[G_Eagle]

I have been scanning the internet to see what the private lenders offer for Stafford Loans. I probably will end up calling a few of them this week to see what kind of deal they might make. So far, it seems that THE is the best. I will keep you all posted to tell you which private lender I end up choosing and why. If any of you follow through on this yourselves, please post the same. That way, we can all maximize our money!

 

[sunkists]

anyone know average board scores for utsw? know where to find this info? haha i want to find out how badly i'm going to get pummelled by all of you academic hotshots...

 

[BaylorLion]

Howdy. Not going to be joining y'all at Southwestern, but I am working here (at least until the end of this week), so I thought I'd pass along the news. Dean Alpern is leaving Southwestern to become the new Dean and chief administrative officer of Yale Med. Dr. Gilman's going to be the interim dean - Gilman's awesome, surprised they didn't just name him permanent Dean.

Probably doesn't affect you, but I thought it was interesting news...

 

[G_Eagle]

Is there wireless internet access in the student study carrols? I thought I had read that there is in the library. The reason I ask is because I have a wireless internet card for my laptop and would rather not get another ethernet card for it.

 

[Giving My .02]

Thanks G_Eagle; Got my financial package in the mail and it looks like LOANS, but hey, I got in, and hopefully will be able to pay those off after residency. Looks like I will be graduating with $100,000+ debt from both Med & Undergrad.

 

[TongueInCheek]

Thought y'all might find this useful, here's the Match List for the Class of 2003.

 

[Giving My .02]

TongueInCheek, do you have the one from this year?