pre-health advisors = useless? (frustration!)

[Kneecoal]

so, i'm graduating in may. i plan on getting a masters to help me out, but i have to take a gap year. during that gap year, i am planning on working full time to save up some money. however, parents dearest are going to make me be a ft student at night as well, in order to hold on to my health insurance and stave off those great undergrad loans. so basically, go to the nearby cc at night and just take enough credits to qualify as ft.

now, how would that little transcript factor in to a ds application, if at all? should i just take bull classes for easy grades, or something that could be potentially useful (and if so, what? science? business? it's a cc.) how much will those grades matter? if i'm going to be working 8 hours a day and going to a 3-4 hour class at night, who knows how well i'll do.

i tried asking my predent advisor, but she was basically useless. couldn't tell me anything of value. never has been able to. i know it's not entirely her fault, but i blame her and the department for my floundering for not educating me on these things earlier in undergrad. why are they so useless??? what are they there for, anyway??

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[supraman]

My advisor is not very efficient either. She told me to email her my PS and she replied to me 4 weeks later and often was clueless on some important questions I had. They are there to just send in the LORs/ Health Committee Letters to AADSAS and that's probably it, I only saw her 3-4 times.

To be honest, I would NOT take any further classes assuming your graduating GPA is good. I believe any post classes will count as just post-bacc classes with no meaning really. It wouldn't look too good telling schools you took these classes just as a means to avoid health insurance/loans.
I took a year off and am matriculating this Fall. I have a full time job and I have health insurance through them that is cheap and I am paying off monthly my loans until I have to defer them again until after graduation. It's not bad and I'm making a lot of money actually, and I get to enjoy not having to go to school for a while. With that said, I suggest to consider both sides and see what's good for you. Post what you decide you're going to do...

 

[BillytheEchidna]

I am pretty sure that you only need to be enrolled in a minimum of 6 credits to defer your loans... I speak from experience. Not sure about how that would affect your health insurance status, though. You should be eligible for COBRA if you lose your eligibility for going below full-time student status.

Insurance isn't going to do you any good if you kill yourself with being too busy and burn out. Does your parents' insurance even cover hospitalizations for nervous breakdowns? If you are working full-time, you ought to be eligible for your own health insurance, and you are certainly going to be making enough to make your minimum student loan payment after your 6 months of post-graduation deferral are up.

This is probably outside the scope of a pre-health advisor.

 

[bjhath]

I am pretty sure that you only need to be enrolled in a minimum of 6 credits to defer your loans... I speak from experience.

I concur, from experience.

 

[bri0216]

you can also defer loans if you are working under 30 hours. i am paying my loans, and the minimum is $129 a month (i was out of state), which is managable for someone like myself who works less than 30 hrs/week. as for health insurance, you could do what i did and get the most basic plan just for emergencies, and then go back on your parents when you start school. and i also suggest not taking any classes if you do not need them. this year off has been a nice breather, and i'm ready for the work to start in august (though i will be kicking myself in the butt next year for ever saying that haha).

 

[supraman]

you can also defer loans if you are working under 30 hours. i am paying my loans, and the minimum is $129 a month (i was out of state), which is managable for someone like myself who works less than 30 hrs/week. as for health insurance, you could do what i did and get the most basic plan just for emergencies, and then go back on your parents when you start school. and i also suggest not taking any classes if you do not need them. this year off has been a nice breather, and i'm ready for the work to start in august (though i will be kicking myself in the butt next year for ever saying that haha).

this girl knows what shes talking about!

 

[Waitlisted2009]

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[thethethe]

hahaha, I actually called my advisor today, and she told me to call back again when she gets her appointment book. For them not to have the appointment book handy, that is obsured.

 

[Kneecoal]

I am pretty sure that you only need to be enrolled in a minimum of 6 credits to defer your loans... I speak from experience. Not sure about how that would affect your health insurance status, though. You should be eligible for COBRA if you lose your eligibility for going below full-time student status.

Insurance isn't going to do you any good if you kill yourself with being too busy and burn out. Does your parents' insurance even cover hospitalizations for nervous breakdowns? If you are working full-time, you ought to be eligible for your own health insurance, and you are certainly going to be making enough to make your minimum student loan payment after your 6 months of post-graduation deferral are up.

This is probably outside the scope of a pre-health advisor.

Thanks. What's COBRA - and is that pertaining to loans or health? And can you tell me where to find such information that only 6 credits are needed? I know that if I get a full-time job I should be able to get my own health insurance, but my dad is a the-end-of-the-world-is-imminent kind of guy, and doubts I'll be able to find a FT job because of the economy and whatnot. It's going to be hard to convince them, because personally I'm terrified of the thought of working all day and going to classes all night, and somehow maintaining my grades in between, though I know some people do it (but I don't know how!). Not to mention I'll be living at home with them, which when all three are put together, a nervous breakdown is surely in the cards for me, hah.

you can also defer loans if you are working under 30 hours. i am paying my loans, and the minimum is $129 a month (i was out of state), which is managable for someone like myself who works less than 30 hrs/week. as for health insurance, you could do what i did and get the most basic plan just for emergencies, and then go back on your parents when you start school. and i also suggest not taking any classes if you do not need them. this year off has been a nice breather, and i'm ready for the work to start in august (though i will be kicking myself in the butt next year for ever saying that haha).

Thanks for the 30 hours info! Can you tell me where to find this as well? I'm out of state too. I doubt my parents would let me get insurance for only emergencies, though... that might be hard to get past them. I know health plans are different for most people, but I didn't know you can actually go back on your parents' plan after coming off it. Can this work for everyone?


Thanks for all of these answers, everyone. Keep em' coming! I need to create an arsenal so the 'rents don't make me do this.

 

[BillytheEchidna]

Thanks. What's COBRA - and is that pertaining to loans or health? And can you tell me where to find such information that only 6 credits are needed? I know that if I get a full-time job I should be able to get my own health insurance, but my dad is a the-end-of-the-world-is-imminent kind of guy, and doubts I'll be able to find a FT job because of the economy and whatnot. It's going to be hard to convince them, because personally I'm terrified of the thought of working all day and going to classes all night, and somehow maintaining my grades in between, though I know some people do it (but I don't know how!). Not to mention I'll be living at home with them, which when all three are put together, a nervous breakdown is surely in the cards for me, hah.

I think the 6 credit minimum thing would come from your school's financial aid department... It's considered "half time" enrollment. I forget what the acronym is, but COBRA is a continuation of your health insurance benefits. When someone loses their coverage (loss of job, etc.), oftentimes they will want to continue their coverage if they have a medical history, so their next insurer can't refuse their coverage due to some "pre-existing condition," which they can do if there is a gap in their coverage or if they haven't been continuously insured for 18 months. I work in HR and we are required by law to offer COBRA to dependents who are "overage." It's basically the chance for you to buy the identical insurance you had when you were on your parents' plan, without (unfortunately) the employer contribution. Depending on whether your plan is an HMO or PPO, the price could vary a lot, but it'll likely be pretty hefty. Single coverage at my company for COBRA is around $300-350 per month. But it's probably a lot cheaper than incurring thousands of dollars more in unnecessary tuition debt, which will undoubtedly increase a bunch over the course of the next years you are in school, just for the sake of deferring your loans (which are gathering interest, every second). It just seems like such a convoluted way for your parents to look at it! You would be able to go back on their insurance if your COBRA ended.

I had to come off my mom's insurance when I graduated. From age 22 to 28, my "insurance" was to look both ways when I crossed the street.

 

[206127]

Take whatever they say with a grain of salt... a pre-health advisor at my school told me I would never get into D-school... SDN told me otherwise and guess what... I got in!

 

[hookem224]

so, i'm graduating in may. i plan on getting a masters to help me out, but i have to take a gap year. during that gap year, i am planning on working full time to save up some money. however, parents dearest are going to make me be a ft student at night as well, in order to hold on to my health insurance and stave off those great undergrad loans. so basically, go to the nearby cc at night and just take enough credits to qualify as ft.

now, how would that little transcript factor in to a ds application, if at all? should i just take bull classes for easy grades, or something that could be potentially useful (and if so, what? science? business? it's a cc.) how much will those grades matter? if i'm going to be working 8 hours a day and going to a 3-4 hour class at night, who knows how well i'll do.

i tried asking my predent advisor, but she was basically useless. couldn't tell me anything of value. never has been able to. i know it's not entirely her fault, but i blame her and the department for my floundering for not educating me on these things earlier in undergrad. why are they so useless??? what are they there for, anyway??

as far as your loans are concerned...if you don't consolidate and your monthly payment is more than 20% of your monthly income, you qualify for loan forbearance..which you might consider.

I spoke to a pre-dent advisor once.

 

[bri0216]

Thanks for the 30 hours info! Can you tell me where to find this as well? I'm out of state too. I doubt my parents would let me get insurance for only emergencies, though... that might be hard to get past them. I know health plans are different for most people, but I didn't know you can actually go back on your parents' plan after coming off it. Can this work for everyone?


Thanks for all of these answers, everyone. Keep em' coming! I need to create an arsenal so the 'rents don't make me do this.[/quote]


1. https://www.dl.ed.gov/borrower/QctrHelpIndex.do?SectionId=FAQU&APageID=QctrFaquA011

It describes the types of deferment you can have. There is also a link on there to print out a deferment form. Most likely you can defer your loans for the year. As for how much you will be paying, you should be receiving things in the mail soon. You won't even have to begin to pay your loans until November 2009 (thanks to the grace period), so you have time to figure this out!

2. Well, it's for more than just emergencies. The copayment is just pretty high, and doesn't cover medications or anything. It's an EPO-basic and essential health care services plan through Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield (I'm from NJ). I know a lot of Medical Groups don't take it (I worked at one for a summer), but it has decent coverage otherwise. I know that I can go back on my mom's insurance until I am 25 as long as I am in school, so talk that one over with your rents. You might be in the same luck.