Pacific Class of 2008 Thread

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dental pilot said:
This may have been discussed before, but does anyone know which computer we're getting? Just curious.
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I'm curious about the computers too. Anyone with the inside scoop out there?
 
Im from So CA too, if any of you LA/OC/SD people want to get together sometime, maybe we can meet up somewhere and grab a bite to eat or a drink.
 
mgreenmun said:
I'm curious about the computers too. Anyone with the inside scoop out there?
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Hi guys, I picked up a packet that UOP was sending on Fri and it contains info on the notebook computer. It's a Dell Latitude D610, 1.86Ghz Pentium M w/Centrino, 14.1 SXGA+, 60 gig HD, 1GB RAM, DVD+/-RW, Dell TrueMobile 1450 WLAN mini PCI card, 64 mb USB flash device, T-Lite Delux Backpack, and 3 year service plan.
 
JavadiCavity said:
Well, I take some comfort in knowing that I'm not the only one who hasn't heard about the loans yet.

Also, I got a 3-bd apt in the Presidio through the lottery, but I turned it down because we found a place in Marin. So, hopefully, that opened up some spots for any of you who were hoping to get a place out in the Presidio.
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Thanks for the apt. Kathy called me friday to let me know there was a 3 bedroom open and I took it. Woohoo, I have a place to live.
 
xxdakinexx said:
Thanks for the apt. Kathy called me friday to let me know there was a 3 bedroom open and I took it. Woohoo, I have a place to live.
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I was suppose to get that apartment too, but I turned it down. Presidio is too far from school for me. Im holding out for something closer.
 
whats up everyone,

just wondering if anyone here is from the east coast? thanks.
 
Hey guys,
When is the Federal stafford loan master prommissary note, Loan request form, and the acceptance letter for the financial aid package offer due?
 
tavloolove said:
Hey guys,
When is the Federal stafford loan master prommissary note, Loan request form, and the acceptance letter for the financial aid package offer due?
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I dont know when its due, Im gonna call today because I dont know which lender to choose. Im trying to figure out LIBOR and prime and what is cheaper. Maybe Javadi knows. Does anyone know which lender to stay away from and which one has a solid reputation?
 
I imagine they are all reputable banks/lenders. However, with that being said, some will charge you more for the loans in the form of origination fees, etc. So, if possible, I'd find a lender that will give you the loan with no fees attached. That means you get the full amount of the loan, instead of the loan minus fees.

To answer your second question about LIBOR vs. Prime. Originally, the prime rate was the rate banks offered to the their best credit risks (the people with the best credit/ability to repay). Today, it loosely means the same thing, except that prime rate plus a couple of percentage points is usually offered on short-term loans to everyone. The prime rate is based on the Fed Funds rate, which is the rate charged to banks by the Federal Reserve to borrow money overnight. Banks use this rate to help set the prime rate. The prime rate will always be higher than the Fed Funds rate.

The LIBOR is the London InterBank Offered Rate. It is essentially the UK's equivalent to our Fed Funds rate. That means it is generally lower than the Prime rate. Over the last 24 years, the LIBOR has been roughly 2% lower at anytime than the Prime rate.

Both rates are very volatile and will move and up and down quickly depending on economic conditions.

I haven't recieved the Financial Aid package from Pacific yet. I called yesterday and they said they sent it to me last Friday. So, I haven't been able to look over the details. Hence, I won't be able to tell you what I am doing yet.

My inclination is to go with the lower rate (LIBOR). But, I wonder if the prime rate + interest vs. LIBOR + interest will be equivalent. I'll need to do my homework when I get the package.

Check out my blog. I'll put a link to a useful article about the differences between those two rates.
 
So i called and there isn't really a due date for the financial aid stuff, they just told me to do it as soon as i can so that there is time to process it and everything. as for the LIBOR and prime, the choices they gave us seem to be pretty close depending on your credit rating. seemed like most were around 6%, LIBOR + 2.65-3.6% or prime +0-2.5%.
 
Just as I thought...both the offered rates are equivalent. So, it really doesn't matter so much which one you pick. Both economies (UK's and ours) are fairly similar and tied together.
 
One thing I also noticed is to look out for is how often they capitalize the interest (convert your prinicipal + interest owed into principle). All the lenders will do this at least once, but from my preliminary research, it looks like the private banks tend to do this more often. T.H.E/NorthStar says they only do this once, when you first start repaying the loans. Some will capitallize yearly...which sucks! If you check out he SDN financial aid forum, a lot of people seem to like THE. I'm thinking to either go with them or Access Group.
 
Is there anyone here that didn't get housing that is also looking for a roommate? If any of you are interested feel free to contact me because I have an oppurtunity to rent a two bedroom, one bath and two parking spaces apartment five blocks from school in Pacific Heights.

I'm pretty easy going, organized and outgoing if it matters, or if you have any other questions about my living habits feel free to contact me. By the way my name is Colin Au.
 
I received a HUGE packet from Pacific today including:

Info on Matriculation Day, the Computer Orientation, and the first day of Classes
Info on the Big Brother/Big Sister Program
Info on the computer
Housing Info - a lot! (a map, a booklet, a yahoo group for finding housing and roomates Pacific Housing Class08 )

It's funny how excited I get about all of this stuff!

They definitely mention the dress code a lot - I think I need to do some business casual shopping this weekend!
 
Jess_SB said:
I received a HUGE packet from Pacific today including:

Info on Matriculation Day, the Computer Orientation, and the first day of Classes
Info on the Big Brother/Big Sister Program
Info on the computer
Housing Info - a lot! (a map, a booklet, a yahoo group for finding housing and roomates Pacific Housing Class08 )

It's funny how excited I get about all of this stuff!

They definitely mention the dress code a lot - I think I need to do some business casual shopping this weekend!
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Yeah, that was a fun packet to get. Getting the schedule for the first weekend makes it seem a lot sooner and a lot more real.

Does anybody know exactly what the limitations are on the "business casual" dress code?
 
"Business Casual" means a button shirt without a tie, a belt, slacks, and dress shoes. The button shirt can essentially be any color or have a conservative print (that fact and the lack of a tie is what distinguishes it as "casual").
 
I am no authority on busineses casual, esp for women, so I tried to find some guidelines. This link seemed pretty good: Business Casual Apparently, it can vary a lot by region and workplace. I'm hoping we're on the more casual side of it - we are in San Francisco afterall! I'm going to be sad to leave my socal style behind 😎
 
Thanks, that's about what I thought, but I was also hoping we'd be more on the casual side of it... polo shirts, etc., just no jeans and t-shirts. I guess it's usually a little cold in SF for short sleeves anyway.

Think I'd get kicked out if I wore a Speedo to the first day of class?
 
I think Pacific's business casual means Khaki pants with button shirts. At least that's what I remember most of the students wear when I visited there. I think slacks might be at the dressier side then their definition of business casual.
 
Jess_SB said:
I am no authority on busineses casual, esp for women, so I tried to find some guidelines. This link seemed pretty good: Business Casual Apparently, it can vary a lot by region and workplace. I'm hoping we're on the more casual side of it - we are in San Francisco afterall! I'm going to be sad to leave my socal style behind 😎
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Great link. Thanks Jessica.
 
i was wondering of those that went to pacific, how many did a post-bacc program and which one. thanks. or if anyone know what schools did students from the ucsf post bacc program end up going to.
 
I finally got the financial aid package. After taking a look at it for couple of hours and making some phone calls to the lenders I've decided to go with Key Bank for the private loans and T.H.E on the federal loans. After I graduate, I'm going to consolidate the federal loans with UHEAA.

I did amortization tables for the different lenders, and I decided I like Key banks longer grace period, incentive, and low interest rate.

And, just in case anyone was wondering how T.H.E's incentive works, here is how:

At the end of each month, they take 1.3% of your loan balance, divide that amount by 12 and post that as a credit to your account. For example, if your loan balance was 100,000 at the end of the month the credit would be figured like this:

Step 1: $100,000 * .013 = $1,300
Step 2: $1,300 / 12 = $108 (rounded)

So, you'd have a $108 dollar additional credit which would reduce your principal.

If anyone wants to know the details of my analysis, send me a PM. I don't want to bore everyone with the details.
 
Hey guys,

I have read this thread for awhile, but I have never actually posted 😳 . I am going to be joining you all pretty soon this June, and wanted to say hi. I also wanted to say that I used to take comfort in knowing that JavadiCavity (and i am sure a few others) had not received their financial aid packets, but now, I do believe that I might be one of THE last ones without a packet. So much for the end of the April on those things 😀 . I will give them another call tomorrow.

*finger crossed for getting it before the end of this week*
 
Sariz I thought I was the last person to recieve it. They got my address wrong, so they had to send it to me again. They sent me an email asking me if my address had changed. It turns out they had sent it to my permanent address instead of my mailing address. I'd definitely call them and find out when it is going to be sent out.

Oh, and welcome to the forums!
 
I'm embarrassed to do this, but I've changed my mind about which private lender to use. I made the assumption that Citibank's, AccessGroup's and Wells Fargo's repayment incentives were roughly equivalent to Key Bank's. But, I forgot to figure in the .25% interest rate auto-pay reduction for the other banks. As a result, assuming I borrowed $100,000 at base rate of 7% (before incentives reduce the rate)in private monies I'd spend nearly $112,000 on interest with Access Group, Citibank or Wells Fargo, but with Key Bank I'd spend $133,000 on interest.

I honestly can't believe I overlooked that little fact, and I apologize if I confused anyone. With a savings of nearly $20,000, I couldn't in good conscience not fess up to my mistake. I hope this new information helps some of you. Although, I'd make sure to check my numbers with somebody else. :laugh:

So, since Access Group has the lower rate while in-school, I'm leaning towards them. But, I want to call them first and ask a couple of questions.
 
I called Student Loan Xpress (aka Bank of America) to ask them about their loan. When I asked the details of their repayment incentive program, the guy said he had no idea what I was talking about. He said he'd never heard of such a program and gave me another phone number to call. Big red flag for me. He also said that they capitalize the interest at graduation versus at the end of the grace period.
 
Yeah, I noticed that all my financial aid information was being sent home to my permanent address awhile ago, and changed it. I called in today and I was told that my packet is in the mail. I hope it is not lost in the mail 🙄 , but it sounds like I will be getting it soon. I am concerned because I am not too financially aware and need a lot of time to figure out what I need to do 😀.

Just think, the forums are changing, everyone is getting ready to apply. Remember all the knots in your stomach around this time last year? A lot of decisions to make, letters of rec., volunteering, the DAT. It feels good to have a real direction, and a school to attend (even if the price tag is a little intimidating at times, guess there is always something to keep you on your toes) 🙂 .
 
hey javadi don't people usually consolidate their loans once they finish school anyways meaning that it is just best to try to take the loan that is lowest while in school. It seems to me that the repayment options might not matter as much if this is the case. (problem is I don't really know anything about this stuff) maybe thats what you meant in your post anyways, just checking
 
juggamynugga said:
hey javadi don't people usually consolidate their loans once they finish school anyways meaning that it is just best to try to take the loan that is lowest while in school. It seems to me that the repayment options might not matter as much if this is the case. (problem is I don't really know anything about this stuff) maybe thats what you meant in your post anyways, just checking
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You're right about consolidating if you have other student loans with a different lender. However, most people are locking in the low interest rates right now (2.875%). Not many would want to consolidate these loans into a higher interest rate later on. Sometimes lenders will do a weighted average of the two interest rates (the lower rate from 2005 and the higer rate from 2008) when students consolidate.

If you plan to consolidate, then the current repayment incentives won't apply. But, if you don't plan to consolidate, the repayment incentives will apply. For me, I may consolidate my dental school stafford loans with my undergrad stafford loans. My lender will allow me to do a weighted average interest rate. But, I haven't decided that this will be the best option. As for private loans, my dental school loans will be the only private loans I have. I could take these loans to another lender after I graduate and consolidate, but then I forfeit the grace period and any repayment incentives. It's still a long time down the road, but it might pay off to keep your options open with whichever lender you use. So, that's why I took a careful look at the repayment options. In the event that I decide to stay with the lender during repayment, I wanted to have the least expensive lender.

As an aside, the total difference in cost between the lenders during school is a couple hundred dollars the first year, a little more than second, and a little more the third. Without doing any math, I'm guessing the overall difference is about $3000 over the 3 years between the lenders. But the overall difference between the lenders during repayment can be huge. So, I didn't spend too much time thinking about which loan would cost me the most during dental school.
 
good luck pacific c/o 2k8!!

i'll be saying good luck to as many classes representing on sdn as i can, but pacific is my first post of this kind b/c of two very special people that are in your class (initials sz and ej)!

good luck you guys!
 
have those of you who did get the housing receive the lease and deposit info yet? i got a call saying i got housing but haven't heard back again. I'll prob just call later but if no one else has received it then i'll just wait.

thanks
 
juggamynugga said:
have those of you who did get the housing receive the lease and deposit info yet? i got a call saying i got housing but haven't heard back again. I'll prob just call later but if no one else has received it then i'll just wait.

thanks
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I called housing today to verify my mailing address and they were finalizing all of the packages. They said that the packages will be going out in tomorrow's mail...so we should receive them shortly.
 
tavloolove said:
I called housing today to verify my mailing address and they were finalizing all of the packages. They said that the packages will be going out in tomorrow's mail...so we should receive them shortly.
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I got my housing packet yesterday. We have to send back the paperwork along with a security deposit check.
 
I called Dentists and Oral Surgeons the other day about collecting teeth. Most of the dentists said they didn't do extractions or, if they did, they were already collecting teeth for other students. Finally, I had some good luck and I was able to get 3 dental offices and 1 oral surgeons office to help me out. I said I'd pick up the jars in 3 weeks. I hope that's enough time to collect an adequate number of teeth. Anyone heard how many we should collect?
 
JavadiCavity said:
I called Dentists and Oral Surgeons the other day about collecting teeth. Most of the dentists said they didn't do extractions or, if they did, they were already collecting teeth for other students. Finally, I had some good luck and I was able to get 3 dental offices and 1 oral surgeons office to help me out. I said I'd pick up the jars in 3 weeks. I hope that's enough time to collect an adequate number of teeth. Anyone heard how many we should collect?
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I'm not sure how many we need exactly, but I went by the lab last month when they were doing endo. Everyone had like a pickle jar full, so I would say at least a hundred.
 
Hey Guys!

Just got another packet from Pacific, this one is from the Class of 2007. It's got some good stuff in it - including the dress code which states that ladies have to wear hosiery with skirts - blah! that sucks. There's also some info about activities and clubs, policies and procedures and intros to some faculty members. And the best part - a student life section.

Anyways, we're almost there! Has anyone been doing anything interesting lately? I'm just about to finish up (less than 3 weeks) but I'm definitely starting to feel a little sad about leaving Santa Barbara. Thank god our school is in such an awesome city though, we're going to have so much fun!
 
crazy_sherm said:
I'm not sure how many we need exactly, but I went by the lab last month when they were doing endo. Everyone had like a pickle jar full, so I would say at least a hundred.
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I just talked to a 1st year about his endo class. He said they each collected about 100 teeth but the minimum you need are 5 GOOD teeth. More if you mess up. He didn't have any good ones in his jar, so he ended up using extras other people had at his station. He advised me to collect as many as possible because the majority of them are not usable for class.
 
KellyHeetland said:
3 more weeks? Is SB on a quarter system? I finished last week so here's my
schedule 'til July 6th (I'm waiting until the last minute to move):
Golf as much as possible
Sleep as much as possible
Take a cruise out of Seattle to Alaska
Going away party over July 4th
Peruse around my wife's dental clinic/lab in last attempt to learn a thing or two before school

Went to a bachelor party this past weekend in AZ, that was fun.
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Yup, quarter system. That's awesome that you're going to Alaska, I went last summer and had so much fun. I didn't do a cruise though, I went through Backroads and did a multisport tour - biking, rafting, kayaking. It was great even though I never saw a bear! But I did get to see Denali without any cloud cover - beautiful! Have a great time 😀

The only trip I'm going on is a rafting trip with my boyfriend and the folks, and I'm going to try to do as much lounging around the pool as I can - oh yeah and buy some hose...

Also - I'm going to Havasu this weekend - this is a little strange for me, but I thought I should try to live up my last few weeks of undergrad - but I'm definitely staying away from the pasties! :laugh:
 
How much does the quarter system suck! All my friends in semester schools have graduated! Yup, this is my last set of finals in my last quarter at ucsb, now I only have 12-14 more sets of finals and quarters left for dental school. Man, I hate the quarter system.


Wow, since Ill be your rival across the city I probably shouldn't post on this thread. Anyone up for some cross town sportathons? I'm good for Basketball, golf, tennis or baseball. I guess there's time to set up rivalry events (if there is even a rivalry) later on. 😛
 
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