Regalia rental $$$!?!?!

[Jadeite]

Hi guys! I wanted to do a little price comparison here for the other Class of '07-ers! (You know, we've already compared MCATs and USMLEs, so why not...)

I just found out today that TO RENT our cap and gown will be $200!!! If we wanted to buy it (which I had kind of hoped to do so I could be one of those creepy alumna that always shows up to graduation) it's $867!?!?! Is this crazy or is this what it normally costs? Please give me a case to build my riot around. I mean, this is unfair, of course everyone is going to go and has to have a gown... so they have us right where they want us! Argh!

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[menaniac]

I'm not sure about med school costuming, but when my husband had to buy his robes for graduating from grad school (he's a professor and needs them every year for graduation) they were $750.00 (and that was 7 years ago). Renting wasn't an option because it was over a hundred a pop to rent every year, so I'd say yeah...the prices are outrageous, but not that different than any other school's robes. Over a barrel indeed... !

 

[deleted77919]

Heck, the only med school robes I have seen up really close were from UVa . . . they basically looked like normal robes with three green stripes across each arm. I could make one for less than $10 using my old high school robe and some felt that I cut out. No one further away than 5 feet would be able to tell the difference . . .

 

[Jadeite]

Heck, the only med school robes I have seen up really closer were from UVa . . . they basically looked like normal robes with three green stripes across each arm. I could make one for less than $10 using my old high school robe and some felt that I cut out. No one further away than 5 feet would be able to tell the difference . . .

This is exactly what I was thinking! I do costume (undergrad, for the yearly medical school production) If I could only get a picture of what ours look like....

Also, in the costuming world, if you're going to spend that much on a costume, it better be a period gown with corset, petticoat, etc. It's ridiculous to spend that much on some polyester sewn in malaysia! (Well, unless they could say it was not made in a sweat shop, which would be good, cost more, but it shouldn't cost THIS much...)

 

[Bitsy3221]

Our school initially charged us around $175 dollars for the rental, but eventually knocked about $50 off since there was a big stink raised about some of the decision making that went into choosing the rental company. The school, although making the allowance for us, said that this rental fee was about average.

 

[turkleton]

175 bucks for something that looks funky and you're only going to wear for an hour is pretty outrageous. But, as a med student you have to learn to pick your battles with the nonsense they slap on tuition statements. Our bill is littered with mysterious fees and charges, repeated background checks fees, ridiculous beeper charges etc etc... they beat you with so many of these I became resigned to the graduation costs... I'm too feeble to fight anymore.

 

[Bitsy3221]

175 bucks for something that looks funky and you're only going to wear for an hour is pretty outrageous. But, as a med student you have to learn to pick your battles with the nonsense they slap on tuition statements. Our bill is littered with mysterious fees and charges, repeated background checks fees, ridiculous beeper charges etc etc... they beat you with so many of these I became resigned to the graduation costs... I'm too feeble to fight anymore.

The rental fee hurt, no doubt about it, but one thing about my school is despite the relatively high in state tuition, it does not seem to cover many of those expenses. The graduation regalia, beeper fee, "disability" insurance fee, class dues, etc etc etc, all had to be paid out of our pocket. It hurts having to cough up this money all the time since they don't slap it on the tuition bill. All this while the financial aid people drone on and on about not running up our credit card bills. Ummm...ok, then quit charging me an obscene amount to rent a black bathrobe with colored felt glued to the shoulders. THAT is why we chose to raise a stink...after spending an ungodly amount of money on exterships, interviews, plane tickets to get to those interviews, fancy duds to wear to those interviews being hit with that fee was a pain in the a$$! So I totally feel for you, OP!!

 

[dpmd]

The med school alumni organization at my school pays for the rental for us, so thankfully I have no idea how much it costs (they pay for our white coats and the white coat ceremony too). Go trojans!

 

[Bitsy3221]

<<<<< jealous of USC students

 

[turkleton]

The rental fee hurt, no doubt about it, but one thing about my school is despite the relatively high in state tuition, it does not seem to cover many of those expenses. The graduation regalia, beeper fee, "disability" insurance fee, class dues, etc etc etc, all had to be paid out of our pocket. It hurts having to cough up this money all the time since they don't slap it on the tuition bill. All this while the financial aid people drone on and on about not running up our credit card bills. Ummm...ok, then quit charging me an obscene amount to rent a black bathrobe with colored felt glued to the shoulders. THAT is why we chose to raise a stink...after spending an ungodly amount of money on exterships, interviews, plane tickets to get to those interviews, fancy duds to wear to those interviews being hit with that fee was a pain in the a$$! So I totally feel for you, OP!!

Damn, that's rough. In this case I would rather be stabbed from behind. After a while I just stopped caring with all the tuition jacks as long as they only bug me for money only once a semester. Your situation absolutely blows and I don't blame you for raising hell. Still, the bright side is that you're getting shalacked for your graduation robe as a 4th year and not your new short white coat as a 1st year... poor bastards.

 

[GATC]

Ours are $60 and I thought that was steep. Seems like some of you are getting ripped off.

 

[Samoa]

I have a regalia-related question.

MD/PhD people, is it the usual practice to wear the PhD hood to your MD graduation?

 

[DropkickMurphy]

Holy crap.....you all are getting ripped off....just one more reason I plan on finding an excuse to not attend my graduation (once I get into med school of course) even if it requires me to find an apiary and stick my arm in a hive full of bees and then go to the ED to do it.

 

[deleted109597]

Our school foots ours too.
But still, it's not like I'm going to rock it out at the club after graduation either.