older non-trad with class questions....

[gertie1]

Wondering if anyone else has any experience with this issue....I talked with someone in admissions at the university yesterday to find out about financial aid and admission to the university. She told me that if I am only seeking to take my pre-req's for a PA program, then I would not qualify for financial aid because I would not be considered a "degree seeking" student. She recommended that I put on the FAFSA that I am degree-seeking, even though this is technically not the case....and, apparently, FAFSA is none the wiser. She said many students do this and it's never been an issue. Is this true? I've never been in this position before. Would I be able to qualify as a pre-med student, seeing as how I need to take all of the pre-req's for that major anyway for admission to a PA program (minus physics and calculus).....thereby I would then be considered a degree-seeking student?

There's no way that I can pursue this path without financial aid assistance. My job requires me to travel for months at a time away from home, which means I'd have to quit working in order to attend school. My plan is to obtain some employment at a local hospital while I attend school, but it won't pay for much of my living expenses so I will be dependent on loans in order to accomplish my goal. I am really looking forward to going back to school and have wanted to do this for a long time, but was not able to do so for various reasons until now.

Also, I plan to take a full courseload over the next year or so to get all of my pre-req's out of the way. I need to take all of my science courses, obviously, since psych and criminal justice majors don't have much need for chemistry, biochem, orgo, pathophysiology, anatomy, physiology, etc... I've reviewed some of the chemistry courses and I have the choice between taking a chemistry survey course for gen chem and orgo. If I take the survey courses, it's only one class (with lab), but if I take the "regular" chemistry courses it's two courses (with lab)......are the survey courses considered more difficult or faster paced? After looking through the course catalog, I know that I can get all of these classes done within a year's time.....even though I know it will be time-consuming and difficult...and then apply to my choice PA schools, and hopefully, get accepted.

Thanks for any info people can offer......

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[familyaerospace]

I had a situation like that last year and I was told by Agnes Scott College that if I were to put degree seeking when I was not just to get the aid (even though it was a certificate program), if the government found out I could be charged with trying to defraud the federal government. That is the reason that I did not attend that school.

 

[LifeTake2]

I did just this. I'm enrolled at a State Univ as a 2nd degree student with a declared major in Chem. This was the recommendation from the Registrar. She pointed out that people drop out everyday so taking a few classes and never finishing the degree is nothing abnormal.

 

[mauberley]

I had a situation like that last year and I was told by Agnes Scott College that if I were to put degree seeking when I was not just to get the aid (even though it was a certificate program), if the government found out I could be charged with trying to defraud the federal government. That is the reason that I did not attend that school.

Interesting. At the school where I took my post-bacc courses, if you were enrolled in the postbaccalaureate pre-medical certificate program, you qualified for financial aid.

 

[mauberley]

Also, I plan to take a full courseload over the next year or so to get all of my pre-req's out of the way. I need to take all of my science courses, obviously, since psych and criminal justice majors don't have much need for chemistry, biochem, orgo, pathophysiology, anatomy, physiology, etc... I've reviewed some of the chemistry courses and I have the choice between taking a chemistry survey course for gen chem and orgo. If I take the survey courses, it's only one class (with lab), but if I take the "regular" chemistry courses it's two courses (with lab)......are the survey courses considered more difficult or faster paced? After looking through the course catalog, I know that I can get all of these classes done within a year's time.....even though I know it will be time-consuming and difficult...and then apply to my choice PA schools, and hopefully, get accepted.

Thanks for any info people can offer......

You should inquire with the PA programs you're interested in to find out whether the survey courses would fulfill their prerequisites. If they do, I should think the survey courses would be the easier route, as, in my experience, they tend not to go into as much depth as the "regular" courses.

 

[familyaerospace]

Interesting. At the school where I took my post-bacc courses, if you were enrolled in the postbaccalaureate pre-medical certificate program, you qualified for financial aid.

That particular college has flip-flopped on the so called "rules" for financial aid so much that it's sick. Another reason that I don't consider them the most trustworthy group of people.

 

[MCAT guy]

Simple.

1. Find a degree you like and pursue it while taking pre-reqs.
2. Finish pre-reqs and drop out. (or actually get the degree

You may be surprised to find some science degrees that only require a semester or two more of classes. Sometimes the extra courses are all medical school relevant.

 

[gertie1]

Thanks for the info. I figured lots of other people have done it, so probaby not much to worry about. I do plan to look into their pre-PA program and see what classes are required and go from there. The thing is that I've already got a bachelor and master's degree, and I don't really want to repeat taking all of the gen ed credits....thus, spending 4 years getting a degree when all I really need is a year or so to complete pre-req's. I plan on attending their Pa info session, so hopefully I'll be able to talk to people then about it.