Penn

[scienceGal]

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I feel all of your complaints on not being able to make plans for the future while waiting for penn.

I just graduated my Bachelors at CMU this December and moved back to miami 3 weeks ago. I am now working full time as a tech in an emergency clinic. But everyday when I get home from work I run to the mailbox/email to see if I got a penn interview.

I called and apparently my app is still "up for consideration"?

but i'm staying hopeful!!!! 😛

 

[banditalfi]

Emily's right, they say live like a student now and you can live like a professional later. Live like a professional now and you'll have to live like a student later.

That being said, Emily is in-state, and while the initial difference doesn't seem that substantial, all in-state people are given a general grant every year (about 4200?) so it makes it actually cheaper than it looks. I am out-of-state (from NJ, which doesn't even have contract seats after McGreevy ruined the state financially), so my stafford loans leave me very little money after tuition. My parents are helping me out this year, but I think I'm going to have to take out more loans for next year. There are of course scholarships you can get, like the sweet one Emily got ($3000/yr for all 4 years) so keep on top of that stuff. There's also the Perkins loan ($6000) and another loan (I forgot the name of it, I think it's $3000) that you apply for with your stafford loan, but there are limited funds for it so it's given to students with high need. And by high need, I mean you have to give them all of your parents' financial information since they are "expected" to contribute a certain amount based on their financial status. I'm pretty sure that you have to give them your parents' information regardless of your age, but someone else has to fill in the gaps here.

So pretty much you get your nice $3000 scholarships each year if you're lucky, but everything else is loans/mooching off the parents? This sounds wonderful...

 

[Emio]

oh yeah. the only people that get scholarships with their acceptance are PhDs, and those people that the interviewers truly don't want to go to any other vet school (i.e., rare). or so we say, anyway, that's completely unofficial. but seeing as i didn't get a scholarship with my acceptance, that must be how it's done 😉

hope you're good at being in debt.

 

[Angie09]

oh yeah. the only people that get scholarships with their acceptance are PhDs, and those people that the interviewers truly don't want to go to any other vet school (i.e., rare). or so we say, anyway, that's completely unofficial. but seeing as i didn't get a scholarship with my acceptance, that must be how it's done 😉

hope you're good at being in debt.

Hey Emily -- Cyrille said "so stay on top of that" when talking about the scholarship you got. Are there scholarships you can apply for during 1st year? Penn-based, independent agencies, both? You sound like yours wasn't an automatic, in-your-acceptance-letter type of thing.

Hello again, BTW! 🙂 I think we're probably sort of neighbors, if you walk to school! How's your year going?

 

[Angie09]

I'm pretty sure that you have to give them your parents' information regardless of your age, but someone else has to fill in the gaps here.

UGH -- that is so infuriatingly true! I called the financial aid office to ask if they really need my dad's info, since I've been 100% financially independent for the last..........what, 8 years? And am (as those 8 years imply) way too old to be considered anyone's dependent. And am truly, honestly, swear-on-my-life 100% on my own when it comes to paying for vet school. And they totally didn't care -- they made it sounds like you could be 75, own a house, have children, have grandchildren, and as long as you have a surviving parent, they want that info.

But, like you said, that's for the need-based stuff. For Staffords they don't need it.

 

[winglessflight]

Hey, despite lurking for awhile, I just joined 🙂. Anyways, I was on Penn's website earlier today and saw that the FAFSA was due on the fifteenth, but I thought it was due on March 1st 🙁 Since they're closed right now and I am worrying, I was wondering if anyone knows how strict they are on the deadline? I really love Penn and don't want to not be able to go because of not getting aid.

Thanks

 

[Pennvet]

A word of advice to anyone feeling uneasy about going into debt:

Each time that you take out a loan, take a little bit extra out and buy something nice for yourself. I usually opt to pick up a new piece of music gear...a guitar here, a microphone there, maybe a mixer or a new amp. Whatever your interests are, just make sure it's something of quality...something that you could never afford in "real life". If your a girly girl, go hit up prada or louis vitton...if you're "one of the guys", maybe a new plasm screen to watch football or "king of queens" or whatever you people watch. If you are actually into animals or "veterinary medicine", then go buy yourself a panda or something. My point is just that this doesn't have to be so stressful!

Don't let Sallie mae get you nervous: Make her your sugar mama!

So instead of worrying about how you are going to repay your loans in the future, think about what you are going to buy next time you get to sign your next promissory note. I can't wait to get further in debt!

 

[Moonpaw]

A word of advice to anyone feeling uneasy about going into debt:

Each time that you take out a loan, take a little bit extra out and buy something nice for yourself. I usually opt to pick up a new piece of music gear...a guitar here, a microphone there, maybe a mixer or a new amp. Whatever your interests are, just make sure it's something of quality...something that you could never afford in "real life". If your a girly girl, go hit up prada or louis vitton...if you're "one of the guys", maybe a new plasm screen to watch football or "king of queens" or whatever you people watch. If you are actually into animals or "veterinary medicine", then go buy yourself a panda or something. My point is just that this doesn't have to be so stressful!

Don't let Sallie mae get you nervous: Make her your sugar mama!

So instead of worrying about how you are going to repay your loans in the future, think about what you are going to buy next time you get to sign your next promissory note. I can't wait to get further in debt!

I want to think you're joking, but I kind of get the feeling that you're not. I have no idea how this is good advice.

 

[PiddlingFish]

A word of advice to anyone feeling uneasy about going into debt:

Each time that you take out a loan, take a little bit extra out and buy something nice for yourself. I usually opt to pick up a new piece of music gear...a guitar here, a microphone there, maybe a mixer or a new amp. Whatever your interests are, just make sure it's something of quality...something that you could never afford in "real life". If your a girly girl, go hit up prada or louis vitton...if you're "one of the guys", maybe a new plasm screen to watch football or "king of queens" or whatever you people watch. If you are actually into animals or "veterinary medicine", then go buy yourself a panda or something. My point is just that this doesn't have to be so stressful!

Don't let Sallie mae get you nervous: Make her your sugar mama!

So instead of worrying about how you are going to repay your loans in the future, think about what you are going to buy next time you get to sign your next promissory note. I can't wait to get further in debt!

Buying my dog's food is as extravagant as I can get. 🙁

 

[tapir]

But, like you said, that's for the need-based stuff. For Staffords they don't need it.

To clarify, it also doesn't affect any of the scholarships. Basically, if you don't feel the need to apply for perkins/health prof loans over-and-above staffords, you can just submit the FAFSA (with no parental info).

 

[BobDog]

Of course it won't hurt to submit parental info, right? You never know how the numbers work out.

As for the spending your loan money on extravagant items, that is financially unwise and also illegal. But we will just assume you were joking. =o)

 

[Moonpaw]

Of course it won't hurt to submit parental info, right? You never know how the numbers work out.

Actually, it sometimes does for need-based money, because that generally raises the "EFC" (expected family contribution), which doesn't take into account whether that family contribution actually happens or not.

 

[VAgirl]

Actually, it sometimes does for need-based money, because that generally raises the "EFC" (expected family contribution), which doesn't take into account whether that family contribution actually happens or not.

What BobDog is getting at is that they don't look at your parents information for anything other than the HPSL, even if you include it on your FAFSA. This is true even for need-based loans (other than HPSL) such as subsidized Staffords, etc. This is because we're all technically independent due to the grad student rule.

This is what I've been told by a financial aid officer, so I have no reason to doubt the truth of it.

 

[Angie09]

What BobDog is getting at is that they don't look at your parents information for anything other than the HPSL, even if you include it on your FAFSA.

I was under the impression that Penn looked at EFC for everything other than Staffords, including some merit scholarships which have a need-based component. Am I mistaken? (Please say yes) 🙂

 

[VAgirl]

I was under the impression that Penn looked at EFC for everything other than Staffords, including some merit scholarships which have a need-based component. Am I mistaken? (Please say yes) 🙂

I have no idea about Penn. I was just talking in general (my info came from an Iowa State financial aid guy). But I can't imagine schools look at federal loans stuff differently...that wouldn't make sense since it's federal money allocated by federal rules.

I don't know about scholarships (that seems like it would depend based upon the school) but my assumption is a school will figure EFC two ways...one for the HPSL with an assumed parental contribution and one for all other Federal loans without an expected parental contribution (i.e. just our own and any spouse financial info). I'm not 100% sure about how they do it, though. But I was reassured that putting my parents info on my FAFSA wouldn't be looked at for anything other than the HPSL. Otherwise I would certainly not have included that info.

And if you want to be completely sure about how Penn does things, though, I'd call their financial aid office and ask to speak to someone familiar with vet school funding.

 

[runnerDC]

This wouldn't surprise me (schools wanting parental info for any money other than fed money that clearly stipulates not needing it). i know that Tufts considers parental info for any institutional aid, HOWEVER, they also have a process where you can apply for a waiver of that requirement. Tufts excludes the parental info requirement if you can prove (via tax returns) that you've been financially indep for at least the five years prior to matriculation.
check with Penn to see if they have a similar waiver process. asking for parental info from people who've been indep for a number of years makes no sense at all. i would think most places have some mechanism in place to waive this.

I was under the impression that Penn looked at EFC for everything other than Staffords, including some merit scholarships which have a need-based component. Am I mistaken? (Please say yes) 🙂

 

[VAgirl]

asking for parental info from people who've been indep for a number of years makes no sense at all. i would think most places have some mechanism in place to waive this.

It does make no sense. Unfortunately, it's also a requirement by the US Department of Health and Human Services to qualify for the Health Professions Student Loan. Since HHS is the govt agency that runs this loan and it's their money, they get to make the rules. You don't provide parental information, they will not consider you for this loan. Period.

 

[alliecat44]

Anybody know what the max is for the HPL? I've tried looking it up online to no avail. I'm trying to decide if it's worth my actually asking my poor mom for her income/tax information.

 

[VAgirl]

Anybody know what the max is for the HPL? I'm trying to decide if it's worth my actually asking my poor mom for her income/tax information.

I couldn't figure that out. But I think it varies by school because on the website http://bhpr.hrsa.gov/DSA/sfag/health_professions/2hpslcom-01.htm they talk about the process by which schools apply for and are allocated HPSL money. Maybe someone else knows, but after 2 hours of reading the above website, I gave up. 🙂

 

[alliecat44]

I couldn't figure that out. But I think it varies by school because on the website http://bhpr.hrsa.gov/DSA/sfag/health_professions/2hpslcom-01.htm they talk about the process by which schools apply for and are allocated HPSL money. Maybe someone else knows, but after 2 hours of reading the above website, I gave up. 🙂

Thanks--I had seen that, too, and couldn't make any sense of it either! If anyone has any info, please please share! actually, I think I'll post a new thread...

 

[pika8]

Hey-

I know that HPL differs for every school. Each university receives a bundle of money for all of their health professions (MD, dental, pharmacy, vet) from Health and Human Services and it gets divided up. So each school has a different amount of HPL to dispense.

As for declaring yourself independent, each school is different there, too. If you want HPL, you must include parental info. Tufts is annoying about the whole parental thing (I'm filling out the affidavit of independence form they require, so if you have questions, feel free to ask), while schools like Minnesota consider you independent when you apply no matter how old you are or when you last lived with your parents (but if you want HPL, you have to include parental info).

Hope this helps, but it might be a senseless ramble.

 

[Angie09]

check with Penn to see if they have a similar waiver process. asking for parental info from people who've been indep for a number of years makes no sense at all. i would think most places have some mechanism in place to waive this.

Oh, I discussed this at some length with Penn's FA office last year -- they definitely require parental info no matter what. As I said before, you could be 80 years old and have grandkids, and as long as one of your parents was still alive, they'd require their info (not for Staffords, of course). I would easily qualify for the parental waiver at any of the schools that have one; Penn is unfortunately not one of them.

Oh, well! Not the end of the world. 🙂

 

[Emio]

Hey Emily -- Cyrille said "so stay on top of that" when talking about the scholarship you got. Are there scholarships you can apply for during 1st year? Penn-based, independent agencies, both? You sound like yours wasn't an automatic, in-your-acceptance-letter type of thing.

Hello again, BTW! 🙂 I think we're probably sort of neighbors, if you walk to school! How's your year going?

hey there... yep, there's an "opportunity scholarship" available to first years (3k/year for four years) in the fall semester... they make a pretty big deal about applying, so you're unlikely to miss the ten thousand flyers they put in your mailbox during the month of november.

scholarship opportunities rise with your year. i.e., third and fourth years often have scholarships designed just for them.

year is fan****intastic! cory's gonna make fun of me, but i love vet school 🙂

 

[Angie09]

hey there... yep, there's an "opportunity scholarship" available to first years ...... year is fan****intastic! cory's gonna make fun of me, but i love vet school 🙂

Sweet, on both counts. 🙂

 

[tapir]

I was under the impression that Penn looked at EFC for everything other than Staffords, including some merit scholarships which have a need-based component. Am I mistaken? (Please say yes) 🙂

I was confused about that too, but I was specifically told that just submitting the FAFSA rather than the full aid application affects only Perkins and health prof. loans at Penn, and doesn't affect scholarships in any way, shape, or form.

 

[cyrille104]

year is fan****intastic! cory's gonna make fun of me, but i love vet school 🙂

Why would I make fun of you? I love vet school - it's been study hard, party harder. The problem is only when you mix the two. And by problem I mean solution.

 

[wi girl]

glad to know things don't change once we get to vet school 🙂

 

[Emio]

i lol'd.

 

[TractorKid]

Bringing the Penn thread back to the top.

Would any of the LA interviewees, or current Penn students, like to share their thoughts on New Bolton Center? What did you see on your tour there? I've never been to NBC, but I want to do a mixed animal track, so I would like to hear some first hand accounts of the facilities.

Thanks for the input!! 🙂

PS: I am currently checking out the website, but I appreciate hearing other people's personal opinions too!!

 

[UVA Wahoo]

This coming week and next week are the last weeks for interview invites to be sent out, correct? Good luck to everyone who is still waiting! Sure hope to hear from Penn soon... 🙂

 

[carrbear21]

This coming week and next week are the last weeks for interview invites to be sent out, correct? Good luck to everyone who is still waiting! Sure hope to hear from Penn soon... 🙂

Good luck to those still hoping (including myself)!!

 

[wi girl]

Not to burst the bubble, but if they invite appox. two weeks early, and the last interviews are March 21 and 28, isn't that next week and the week after for invites (starting march 3)? I hope I'm wrong, I want all of you to hear good things soon!

 

[UVA Wahoo]

I think that IS what they have been doing in the past... but there was a post a while back from someone who called admissions, and they said they were not sending out invites during the past two weeks... But would resume doing so this week and the next. Maybe it has something to do with their spring break? I'm not sure.

 

[wi girl]

Maybe -- they DO have sb from the 3rd to the 15th i think i saw -- yay early info for you all! I need to call them tomorrow ASAP now!

 

[PAThbrd]

Bringing the Penn thread back to the top.

Would any of the LA interviewees, or current Penn students, like to share their thoughts on New Bolton Center? What did you see on your tour there? I've never been to NBC, but I want to do a mixed animal track, so I would like to hear some first hand accounts of the facilities.

Thanks for the input!! 🙂

PS: I am currently checking out the website, but I appreciate hearing other people's personal opinions too!!

If you can hang on a couple days, we're smack in the middle of midterms, but after that Im sure Ill find my sanity enough to tell you about NBC, or Em will, or Cory, or one of the other penn-we's.

 

[TractorKid]

If you can hang on a couple days, we're smack in the middle of midterms, but after that Im sure Ill find my sanity enough to tell you about NBC, or Em will, or Cory, or one of the other penn-we's.

No Worries, take all the time you need. I'm just SUPER excited about getting in to Penn!!

 

[cattygirl]

so is it really only this week and next week that interview notifications are sent out? so if i don't hear by end of next week should i assume that i've been rejected..i marked SA on my supp card.😕

 

[CalpardNY]

so is it really only this week and next week that interview notifications are sent out? so if i don't hear by end of next week should i assume that i've been rejected..i marked SA on my supp card.😕

I have no idea, but thats what it seems liek from what people are saying. But lets try to think positive thoughts...im gonna go with the positiveness (not that its worked too well for me so far!)😛

 

[CalpardNY]

So this is probably going to be highly unhelpful and confuse people (and especially because I tend to make things more confusing)...but i just called Penn for an update (I didnt want to bombard them but I was also asking if there was anything we could do to show we were really still interested - he said at this point there isn't anything we can do to help our applications!).

He basically conveyed to me that they haven't figured anything out for sure. That the way it seems they are having at least one interview day and they aren't sure when they are going to let people know because they are figuring it out right now. He expressed that they of course would give you two weeks notice. So a bit fuzzy but id still go with hearing sometime in the few weeks as we have been discussing.

He said however that they would send out final notifications in April!

FWIW thats what i got from their office. So lets keep it positive and hope we hear soon!

 

[shuvball1]

Thanks Calpard! It's really too bad that they can't give us more insightful information. It's really hard to just be in limbo with a school like this. I understand that they have a lot of applications to go through, but it's pretty hard to be patient when you haven't heard from a school since November (I think that's when we got the postcards?).

Wishing good luck to all! 🙂

 

[CalpardNY]

Thanks Calpard! It's really too bad that they can't give us more insightful information. It's really hard to just be in limbo with a school like this. I understand that they have a lot of applications to go through, but it's pretty hard to be patient when you haven't heard from a school since November (I think that's when we got the postcards?).

Wishing good luck to all! 🙂

I totally agree but as much as this process sucks...i know if they did it like every other school i would have been rejected b/c of my low gpa. So even if i don't get an interview we at least have a better chance of getting one - at least i keep telling myself that 😛.

 

[DaNNo]

but it's pretty hard to be patient when you haven't heard from a school since November (I think that's when we got the postcards?).

That's more contact than Tenn has made 🙄

 

[SweeTeaPie]

I totally agree but as much as this process sucks...i know if they did it like every other school i would have been rejected b/c of my low gpa. So even if i don't get an interview we at least have a better chance of getting one - at least i keep telling myself that 😛.

Out of curiosity, what makes you say that? I just mean, what is different about Penn's selection process other than the fact that they apparently drag it out forever? Only asking 'cause I don't know...

 

[CalpardNY]

Out of curiosity, what makes you say that? I just mean, what is different about Penn's selection process other than the fact that they apparently drag it out forever? Only asking 'cause I don't know...

As far as I can figure out they do a rolling interview style. So they have their general rejection batch in december or so like most schools. But then instead of splitting what remains to interview and no interview they go through the pile. So if they get a lot of people who don't interview well or who turn them down they reach deeper into their pile. They start with what they perceive to be their best candidates, so those with maybe lower GPAs or lower GREs or something may come to the top of the pile, just later on, as opposed to being rejected in like january. If i remember correctly someone posted that about 8 people from the last interview day last year were accepted.

Someone can correct me if i got something wrong, but this was just the impression i got - maybe its me trying to be optimistic about something - who knows!

 

[wi girl]

Nope, calpard, that all seems 100% correct from what i've read. good luck to everyone still waiting!!

 

[shemari]

I must be WAYYY down at the bottom of the pile😛. Good luck to those still waiting! Hopefully we'll hear this week or next week.

 

[BobDog]

As far as I can figure out they do a rolling interview style. So they have their general rejection batch in december or so like most schools. But then instead of splitting what remains to interview and no interview they go through the pile. So if they get a lot of people who don't interview well or who turn them down they reach deeper into their pile. They start with what they perceive to be their best candidates, so those with maybe lower GPAs or lower GREs or something may come to the top of the pile, just later on, as opposed to being rejected in like january. If i remember correctly someone posted that about 8 people from the last interview day last year were accepted.

Someone can correct me if i got something wrong, but this was just the impression i got - maybe its me trying to be optimistic about something - who knows!

I don't think anyone REALLY knows, but I heard that the order of interviews wasn't based on any sort of ranking. There has to be some way that they order interviews, but I heard it isn't by stats. So that the ones interviewed early were just as likely to get accepted as those who interviewed later (i.e. those who interviewed early had similar stats, etc... as those who interviewed late). Who really knows though??? 😀 😱 🙄

 

[CalpardNY]

I don't think anyone REALLY knows, but I heard that the order of interviews wasn't based on any sort of ranking. There has to be some way that they order interviews, but I heard it isn't by stats. So that the ones interviewed early were just as likely to get accepted as those who interviewed later (i.e. those who interviewed early had similar stats, etc... as those who interviewed late). Who really knows though??? 😀 😱 🙄

Well that blows my reasoning in my head for why I hadn't gotten an interview - but i guess your right...who really knows?!

Lets hope what you say about likelihood of getting accepted is true and lots of us hopeful SDNers get interviews....

(Can you tell im procrastinating reading genetics by obsessively checking SDN! 😀)

 

[SweeTeaPie]

I don't think anyone REALLY knows, but I heard that the order of interviews wasn't based on any sort of ranking. There has to be some way that they order interviews, but I heard it isn't by stats. So that the ones interviewed early were just as likely to get accepted as those who interviewed later (i.e. those who interviewed early had similar stats, etc... as those who interviewed late). Who really knows though??? 😀 😱 🙄

That's the impression that I had gotten as well. I have to hope that at least anyway, 'cause my GPA was 3.7! If not, it means my application has already been tossed...

 

[BigGreenVet]

They start with what they perceive to be their best candidates, so those with maybe lower GPAs or lower GREs or something may come to the top of the pile, just later on, as opposed to being rejected in like january. If i remember correctly someone posted that about 8 people from the last interview day last year were accepted.

Someone can correct me if i got something wrong, but this was just the impression i got - maybe its me trying to be optimistic about something - who knows!

Didn't they say in the letter that they sent out with the postcard that they interview the less academically qualified candidates first?