Texas A&M Accepted for Class of 2013

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I had a few questions? I am going over a projected budget for next year, and living expenses + tuition, fees, etc are going to be greater that A&M's "cost of attendance". I spoke to the financial aid office and they said that their cost of attendance does not take family costs into account.

I am married with three children and I am going to Temple for 4. My wife stays home with the kids. The cheapest rent that I have found for a large enough place is $900/month. We don't have a car note, but we might need to buy another car soon. I can see how the cost of attendance is much larger than what a single student would need, but it is falling short for what my family of 5 requires.

Is there anyone with a family that can comment on this? I know that there are some private loans available, but are they the kiss of death. What options do I have?

Feel free to post here or PM me?

Please post on here and not PM b/c I have a similar situation. Only we have 1 child but are planning for one soon. My wife will stay home also and I am thinking how slim the "cost of attendance" is for us, especially when it comes down to health insurance, as the family's insurance can't be covered by student loans, like mine is.
 
I had a few questions? I am going over a projected budget for next year, and living expenses + tuition, fees, etc are going to be greater that A&M's "cost of attendance". I spoke to the financial aid office and they said that their cost of attendance does not take family costs into account.

I am married with three children and I am going to Temple for 4. My wife stays home with the kids. The cheapest rent that I have found for a large enough place is $900/month. We don't have a car note, but we might need to buy another car soon. I can see how the cost of attendance is much larger than what a single student would need, but it is falling short for what my family of 5 requires.

Is there anyone with a family that can comment on this? I know that there are some private loans available, but are they the kiss of death. What options do I have?

Feel free to post here or PM me?

They are going to allow you the option of taking a little over 30K per year. Take away about 10 for tuition, and that gives you 20k for 9 months. You will also have options to make money over the summer. There are a couple people in my class with this situation and they have made it work. I know of at least one who signed up with the military to pay for his tuition and got a large stipend. If you need more than this, private loans wouldnt be too bad if you were conservative with your estimate.
 
I had a few questions? I am going over a projected budget for next year, and living expenses + tuition, fees, etc are going to be greater that A&M's "cost of attendance". I spoke to the financial aid office and they said that their cost of attendance does not take family costs into account.

I am married with three children and I am going to Temple for 4. My wife stays home with the kids. The cheapest rent that I have found for a large enough place is $900/month. We don't have a car note, but we might need to buy another car soon. I can see how the cost of attendance is much larger than what a single student would need, but it is falling short for what my family of 5 requires.

Is there anyone with a family that can comment on this? I know that there are some private loans available, but are they the kiss of death. What options do I have?

Feel free to post here or PM me?

What I am going to suggest may sound odd...buy a house. Seriously. There are some cute little houses in Temple in the 60-70k range. I live in one. My house is tiny, not suitable for a family of 5 (although my neighbors say at one time there were 8 people living here!), and I paid $63k for it. Because of some unbelievable financing, my current payment is *gulp* about $200/month + insurance (about $50) + taxes (about $100). You won't be able to do that, but you can do better than $900.

The area I live in is in the 76504 zip code, about 10 blocks from S&W. It is a very working-class neighborhood, but I do not feel unsafe at all. These neighborhoods are kind of on a block-by-block basis, and some houses need more work than others (mine needed a few cosmetics - as yet undone, and a roof). As I reasoned with myself and others when we bought this house, I won't make money on a $63,000 house, but I won't lose money either.

For me, I was giving up a decent salary, and establishing a second household (if you don't know my story, my husband and two teenagers live in San Antonio). We're looking at the necessity of buying another vehicle next year (and adding a 16-year-old male to the car insurance 😱), so the money thing is always an issue, but I don't know anyone who has had to quit school because of money. Don't let that stand in your way, even if you have to do the private loan route. It's not the end of the world. Giving up your dream is. Been there, done that.

One more point on buying a house...the government wants you to. As I'm not currently doing taxes (aw, shucks!), I don't know the specific details, but there is a tax credit available for 2009 (and you can claim it for 2008) for first-time home buyers. It is 10% of the purchas price of the house, up to $8000. More info here: http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=205416,00.html
 
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What I am going to suggest may sound odd...buy a house. Seriously. There are some cute little houses in Temple in the 60-70k range. I live in one. My house is tiny, not suitable for a family of 5 (although my neighbors say at one time there were 8 people living here!), and I paid $63k for it. Because of some unbelievable financing, my current payment is *gulp* about $200/month + insurance (about $50) + taxes (about $100). You won't be able to do that, but you can do better than $900.

The area I live in is in the 76504 zip code, about 10 blocks from S&W. It is a very working-class neighborhood, but I do not feel unsafe at all. These neighborhoods are kind of on a block-by-block basis, and some houses need more work than others (mine needed a few cosmetics - as yet undone, and a roof). As I reasoned with myself and others when we bought this house, I won't make money on a $63,000 house, but I won't lose money either.

For me, I was giving up a decent salary, and establishing a second household (if you don't know my story, my husband and two teenagers live in San Antonio). We're looking at the necessity of buying another vehicle next year (and adding a 16-year-old male to the car insurance 😱), so the money thing is always an issue, but I don't know anyone who has had to quit school because of money. Don't let that stand in your way, even if you have to do the private loan route. It's not the end of the world. Giving up your dream is. Been there, done that.

One more point on buying a house...the government wants you to. As I'm not currently doing taxes (aw, shucks!), I don't know the specific details, but there is a tax credit available for 2009 (and you can claim it for 2008) for first-time home buyers. It is 10% of the purchas price of the house, up to $8000. More info here: http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=205416,00.html

We have actually looked into buying a house, but as I do not have an income, and my wife stays home with the kids, how can I get a loan?

Also, according to the M1 COA for last year tuition is 8950, fees are 2281, and books and instruments are 4400. Is that a realistic assessment? What books and instruments are necessary for purchase and what is available for use in the LRC? Does that 4400 include the purchase of the cursed tablet?

Speaking of the tablet, I know it has been beaten to death, but the financial aid lady brought it up. I have a new macbook (that I bought before I got the tablet email), that I run windows on side-by-side with Mac OS. Am I going to run into problems with professors, and the like? Are people that matter going to be asking me where my tablet is. Will I need it for clinical training, rotations, etc? Bottom line, how do they enforce the tablet rule or do they enforce it at all.

I know some of these have been addressed before, but I hope you understand, as we get closer, the anxiety builds up.

Cheers.
 
We have actually looked into buying a house, but as I do not have an income, and my wife stays home with the kids, how can I get a loan?

Also, according to the M1 COA for last year tuition is 8950, fees are 2281, and books and instruments are 4400. Is that a realistic assessment? What books and instruments are necessary for purchase and what is available for use in the LRC? Does that 4400 include the purchase of the cursed tablet?

Speaking of the tablet, I know it has been beaten to death, but the financial aid lady brought it up. I have a new macbook (that I bought before I got the tablet email), that I run windows on side-by-side with Mac OS. Am I going to run into problems with professors, and the like? Are people that matter going to be asking me where my tablet is. Will I need it for clinical training, rotations, etc? Bottom line, how do they enforce the tablet rule or do they enforce it at all.

I know some of these have been addressed before, but I hope you understand, as we get closer, the anxiety builds up.

Cheers.

Talk to your bank...you may be surprised. I huge number of my classmates have bought houses. Is there a family member who would be able to cosign if needed? It may take some creativity, but don't discount it...a little bit of research may go a long way.

The money for equipment and books...all of the books are available in the LRC, and all of the informaton you really need is in the handouts from the lecturers. Books can come in handy, but they are not totally necessary for the most part (except for Netter's, which you can get for free). Older editions of texts work just fine, and there are ALWAYS people trying to unload libraries full of books on us. Around Christmas, you will need to buy your doctor stuff, and that is pretty expensive. I bought mine on eBay, and it was around $500. Key word: CHRISTMAS (hints for your friends and family!). You could get by without it for the first year, although they say you can't. You will need it by your second year, though, and it can save you lots of trips to the doctor for ear infections. 😉

Macbook - just fine. There is no enforcement of the "rules". I seriously doubt they will change that for next year, and if so, deal with it then. I bought my brand-new Gateway tablet (with warranty) on eBay *there she goes again with that eBay stuff 🙄* for $900. You definitely will NOT need it for rotations.

Feel free to pm me, email me, or friend me on FB (I think I've lost my anonymity at this point!)
 
I had a few questions? I am going over a projected budget for next year, and living expenses + tuition, fees, etc are going to be greater that A&M's "cost of attendance". I spoke to the financial aid office and they said that their cost of attendance does not take family costs into account.

I am married with three children and I am going to Temple for 4. My wife stays home with the kids. The cheapest rent that I have found for a large enough place is $900/month. We don't have a car note, but we might need to buy another car soon. I can see how the cost of attendance is much larger than what a single student would need, but it is falling short for what my family of 5 requires.

Is there anyone with a family that can comment on this? I know that there are some private loans available, but are they the kiss of death. What options do I have?

Feel free to post here or PM me?

Uh, I don't mean to step on anyone's toes, but I'd have to caution you about using loan debt to fund a mortgage. That's swapping debt for debt, and given that
1) You'll only be here 4 years
2) You'll probably need to do a 30 year finance to make the monthly payment reasonable thus you'll be doing nothing but mostly paying interest, and who knows if you'll be able to sell it for what you bought it for?
3) The market is crap right now and who knows when it will get better
4) The market here is small and when we were looking to buy the houses for sale on the blocks we were looking at were on the market around 6-8 months, do you REALLY want to be paying two housing payments as a resident?
I would urge you to see how you can cut costs or get loans through a credit union or something similar and just find the cheapest rent place that you can. Not accusing you of doing this, but med school isn't the time for nice apartments, new cars, or big TVs (again, I know you aren't doing this, but I see people go down this path). Just my $0.02 though.
Have you looked into rental homes? I bet you could find a good deal there.
Also, is there any way you could get help with babysitting from local family/friends or church? That would free your wife up to secure part-time work. Can she work from home? Just bouncing ideas.
 
Uh, I don't mean to step on anyone's toes, but I'd have to caution you about using loan debt to fund a mortgage. That's swapping debt for debt, and given that
1) You'll only be here 4 years
2) You'll probably need to do a 30 year finance to make the monthly payment reasonable thus you'll be doing nothing but mostly paying interest, and who knows if you'll be able to sell it for what you bought it for?
3) The market is crap right now and who knows when it will get better
4) The market here is small and when we were looking to buy the houses for sale on the blocks we were looking at were on the market around 6-8 months, do you REALLY want to be paying two housing payments as a resident?
I would urge you to see how you can cut costs or get loans through a credit union or something similar and just find the cheapest rent place that you can. Not accusing you of doing this, but med school isn't the time for nice apartments, new cars, or big TVs (again, I know you aren't doing this, but I see people go down this path). Just my $0.02 though.
Have you looked into rental homes? I bet you could find a good deal there.
Also, is there any way you could get help with babysitting from local family/friends or church? That would free your wife up to secure part-time work. Can she work from home? Just bouncing ideas.

Just a question is .02 dollars the same as .02 cents? Thanks for the ideas. My wife is considering taking in a few kids for babysitting. If anyone needs daycare PM me.
 
Just a question is .02 dollars the same as .02 cents? Thanks for the ideas. My wife is considering taking in a few kids for babysitting. If anyone needs daycare PM me.

Sorry, we're on the other end of that game nowdays - with other kids' kids!😀 Don't miss those days!
 
As someone mentioned, private loans, though not ideal, are a common option for people in such a situation. I remember at my Tech interview they said their to-date school record for debt upon graduation was $350k+, for a single parent with three kids. They took on private loans to make up the difference. (and hopefully matched into plastics!) Not an ideal situation, but that cost of attendance junk isn't tailored toward folks with one (disappearing) income and several children. As I understand it, private loans are one way for single parents, or for no-income families, to make the up the remainder of the budget.
 
Just got off the phone with financial aid and it looks like all OOS students will be getting the 1000 dollar scholarship that will knock down the tuition to in-state level this year. This is going to make my decision very difficult
 
As someone mentioned, private loans, though not ideal, are a common option for people in such a situation. I remember at my Tech interview they said their to-date school record for debt upon graduation was $350k+, for a single parent with three kids. They took on private loans to make up the difference. (and hopefully matched into plastics!) Not an ideal situation, but that cost of attendance junk isn't tailored toward folks with one (disappearing) income and several children. As I understand it, private loans are one way for single parents, or for no-income families, to make the up the remainder of the budget.

The problem is that I am having a problem finding lenders that will offer private loans that do not require school certification. With, school certified loans, you can only borrow up to the COA. The only one I have found so far is Wells Fargo. Has anyone found any others?

The non certified WF loan is the education connect loan
https://www.wellsfargo.com/student/graduate/education/
 
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The problem is that I am having a problem finding lenders that will offer private loans that do not require school certification. With, school certified loans, you can only borrow up to the COA. The only one I have found so far is Wells Fargo. Has anyone found any others?

The non certified WF loan is the education connect loan
https://www.wellsfargo.com/student/graduate/education/

So get private loans covering the cost of attendance from the banks, and use the loan from A&M to pay for everything else. Print off a copy of your statement before the school loans hit your account. Wells Fargo is my lender and I've been happy with them (I don't use them for private loans, they're just sponsoring my educational loans)
 
A question about the Temple campus. Where do students "live", I mean is there a place where you can keep books, study materials, scrubs, etc. Are there lockers? Offices? I do research in a lab and I have gotten used to having all my books and junk on campus. It is so nice to not have to lug around a ton of books, notes, etc from place to place.
 
A question about the Temple campus. Where do students "live", I mean is there a place where you can keep books, study materials, scrubs, etc. Are there lockers? Offices? I do research in a lab and I have gotten used to having all my books and junk on campus. It is so nice to not have to lug around a ton of books, notes, etc from place to place.

We have lockers in the student lounge and in the Medical Research Building (where the labs are). There are study rooms in the Learning Resources Center, and a lot of people spend much of their time there. Mostly, we lug around what we need on a daily basis - I usually just have my laptop and one book with me, depending on the day.
 
Another question. Does the curriculum contain any pbl?
 
Another question. Does the curriculum contain any pbl?

Not enough to count (4 hours worth for the year). As we've said, apparently they're revamping the curriculum for next year, so who knows.
 
So I'm looking at the cost of attendance from last year to try and figure out my budget http://www.tamhsc.edu/education/finaid/forms1/cost-of-attendance/coa-com.pdf, and it looks like I'll have to cut back in one of the categories listed.

Can any current student comment on which category looks high and/or is the easiest to cut back on.

I'm thinking books/instruments looks awful large, and I could buy my books oh half.com or something to pinch some pennies. Any help is appreciated
 
So I'm looking at the cost of attendance from last year to try and figure out my budget http://www.tamhsc.edu/education/finaid/forms1/cost-of-attendance/coa-com.pdf, and it looks like I'll have to cut back in one of the categories listed.

Can any current student comment on which category looks high and/or is the easiest to cut back on.

I'm thinking books/instruments looks awful large, and I could buy my books oh half.com or something to pinch some pennies. Any help is appreciated
Books is way high - you will buy very few books, and I don't know that I've bought any of them new. Your equipment (around Christmas) will run $500-$1100, but I've spent way less than that on books. You really won't even use the books that much, as so much is available online (including a bunch of the books).
 
So I'm looking at the cost of attendance from last year to try and figure out my budget http://www.tamhsc.edu/education/finaid/forms1/cost-of-attendance/coa-com.pdf, and it looks like I'll have to cut back in one of the categories listed.

Can any current student comment on which category looks high and/or is the easiest to cut back on.

I'm thinking books/instruments looks awful large, and I could buy my books oh half.com or something to pinch some pennies. Any help is appreciated

You need these books:

1. Atlas of Human Anatomy by Frank Netter
1a. Color Atlas of Anatomy by Rohen (more of a luxury than a necessity, but to me it's very much worth it)
2. Illustrated Review of Biochemistry by Lippincott
3. BRS Physiology by Costanzo

Don't let them tell you anything different. This is akin to the tablet fiasco.
Also, the LRU/LRC keeps a copy of any book you could want, including Marks' Biochemistry, Moore's Clinical Anatomy (which has all the Blue Box Quiz material in it...you'll understand later. DON'T buy this book just for quiz info, you can go to the library to read it/make copies. Handouts are ALL you need for anatomy (plus Netter's, duh)), etc.

You can get a Netter's atlas by joining some organization free. Get on Amazon to find Rohen, Lippincott, and Costanzo for cheap. I can't overemphasize how important books 1, 2, and 3 are, the latter two being great (from what I'm told) for USMLE preparation.

And yes, used books on Amazon and Half are your friend. Resist the urge to buy new books!
 
Does anyone use the Thieme atlases? I like the fact that their images are much sharper than Netter, and that there's text explaining important details that can't be done with pictures alone.
 
You need these books:

1. Atlas of Human Anatomy by Frank Netter
1a. Color Atlas of Anatomy by Rohen (more of a luxury than a necessity, but to me it's very much worth it)
2. Illustrated Review of Biochemistry by Lippincott
3. BRS Physiology by Costanzo

Don't let them tell you anything different. This is akin to the tablet fiasco.
Also, the LRU/LRC keeps a copy of any book you could want, including Marks' Biochemistry, Moore's Clinical Anatomy (which has all the Blue Box Quiz material in it...you'll understand later. DON'T buy this book just for quiz info, you can go to the library to read it/make copies. Handouts are ALL you need for anatomy (plus Netter's, duh)), etc.

You can get a Netter's atlas by joining some organization free. Get on Amazon to find Rohen, Lippincott, and Costanzo for cheap. I can't overemphasize how important books 1, 2, and 3 are, the latter two being great (from what I'm told) for USMLE preparation.

And yes, used books on Amazon and Half are your friend. Resist the urge to buy new books!

What Organizations?
 
What Organizations?

It was a credit card offer for one of the organizations. You don't have to activate the card, just fill out the application. Most of the books will be available immediately, so it's not like there is a delay in waiting for the books.

Also, don't worry about having the latest and greatest edition of the book. For most things (particularly anatomy), 10 years old, 3 editions ago, falling apart and smells like goo is just perfect. I also like eBay for books - just be careful on the shipping from international sources!
 
Does anyone use the Thieme atlases? I like the fact that their images are much sharper than Netter, and that there's text explaining important details that can't be done with pictures alone.

Never heard of it. The Moore book they tell you to get has text, too. The text won't necessarily help you that much.

Netter's is a MUST. Mine is sitting open next to me for neuro.😉
 
I guess if it's free there's no point in not having it. I studied for my pelvic anatomy exam a few weeks ago using the thieme atlas almost exclusively.

There's three of them, one for neuro, one for muscles and one for internal organs. If you look at one of the pictures you'll see what I mean about sharpness. Then you'll go back to Netter's and all those brush marks will start to annoy you...
 
Does anybody supplement the first year with First Aide? I've read a lot about it, but didn't know if we needed to get that now, or if we should just wait until the second year.
 
Netters is available used on Amazon for 12 dollars.
 
Ok folks I have a question:

I've been looking over the brochure that they sent out regarding the student health insurace and maybe I'm reading it wrong but it looks like to insure the student annually it will cost roughly $2000. To include a spouse on the same plan in addition to the student will cost $9000/yr. Is this right? My future spouse hasn't yet found a job so we can't count on being covered through her employer yet. Does anyone have suggestions for cheaper, adequate coverage for me and my future wife?

Thanks!
 
Ok folks I have a question:

I've been looking over the brochure that they sent out regarding the student health insurace and maybe I'm reading it wrong but it looks like to insure the student annually it will cost roughly $2000. To include a spouse on the same plan in addition to the student will cost $9000/yr. Is this right? My future spouse hasn't yet found a job so we can't count on being covered through her employer yet. Does anyone have suggestions for cheaper, adequate coverage for me and my future wife?

Thanks!

ehealthinsurance.com - even an "old" student like me can get insured for <$200 a month.
 
ive never actually dealt with health insurance directly.... what's the process and how long does it take for you to be covered? im a typical college grad
 
ive never actually dealt with health insurance directly.... what's the process and how long does it take for you to be covered? im a typical college grad

You fill out a health questionnaire, then a nurse comes to your home/business. Assuming your health is good you could be covered in as little as a few days to a week. Very simple process. I'd recommend ehealthinsurance because they deal with all the major insurance companies and can get you the best deal for your circumstances.
 
I'm sure a lot of you have heard this, especially the Temple students, but S&W just announced a merger with one of the other hospitals in town. This is a fairly large facility and they are talking about turning it into a children's hospital, and potentially partnering up with Cook Children's hospital. This is a pretty big deal...there are no other facilities like this between Dallas and San Antonio. This hospital is on a steady path to becoming one of the premier facilities in the nation.
 
i was just talking to a friend about his graduate school and he reminded me how some schools ask for a deposit to save your seat. do we have to do that? or will we?
 
So I heard that the class size for this year was suppose to be 170 but they reduced it to 150. How many of the 150 will be in Temple next year? Thanks
 
i was just talking to a friend about his graduate school and he reminded me how some schools ask for a deposit to save your seat. do we have to do that? or will we?

Nope.

So I heard that the class size for this year was suppose to be 170 but they reduced it to 150. How many of the 150 will be in Temple next year? Thanks

I think it will be 100/50. There is still some hope that the legislature will come through with some budget funds (yeah, right), and they'll open up the other 20 seats. Don't hold your breath, though!
 
I think it will be 100/50. There is still some hope that the legislature will come through with some budget funds (yeah, right), and they'll open up the other 20 seats. Don't hold your breath, though!

This year in time for EY '09? I wish.
 
I'm sure a lot of you have heard this, especially the Temple students, but S&W just announced a merger with one of the other hospitals in town. This is a fairly large facility and they are talking about turning it into a children's hospital, and potentially partnering up with Cook Children's hospital. This is a pretty big deal...there are no other facilities like this between Dallas and San Antonio. This hospital is on a steady path to becoming one of the premier facilities in the nation.

👍

We also have already added Methodist in Houston, and we are close to announcing a merger with MD Anderson. This would allow for immediate 4th year home elective rotations and eventual third year experience. Exciting times.
 
I think it will be 100/50. There is still some hope that the legislature will come through with some budget funds (yeah, right), and they'll open up the other 20 seats. Don't hold your breath, though!

👍 100/50
 
👍

We also have already added Methodist in Houston, and we are close to announcing a merger with MD Anderson. This would allow for immediate 4th year home elective rotations and eventual third year experience. Exciting times.

👍 100/50

Sweet!

Mulls, know anything about the waitlist goings-on these days? Any chance there's a real shot at those additional 20 seats?
 
wow, only 100 people in CS? number seems so small when you think about it. oh well, better chance i get youtube airtime in an a&m video 😎

p.s. gl exi, been a lurker here but hopefully you get your spot :luck:
 
👍

We also have already added Methodist in Houston, and we are close to announcing a merger with MD Anderson. This would allow for immediate 4th year home elective rotations and eventual third year experience. Exciting times.

woooo!

and i just noticed this page
 
woooo!

and i just noticed this page


Also announced yesterday was S&W's taking over 80% ownership of Hillcrest Hospital in Waco. This is a BRAND NEW facility that opened a few months ago I think. All of this is bad for a competetive market, but great for all of us who get to utilize these places!
 
Also announced yesterday was S&W's taking over 80% ownership of Hillcrest Hospital in Waco. This is a BRAND NEW facility that opened a few months ago I think. All of this is bad for a competetive market, but great for all of us who get to utilize these places!

Actually I don't think it opens until tomorrow.
 
Following an amazing run in the Big 12 tourney and the NIT, I was wondering if there are any other Baylor Bears out there going to College Station this summer.
 
Following an amazing run in the Big 12 tourney and the NIT, I was wondering if there are any other Baylor Bears out there going to College Station this summer.

I graduated from Baylor last May!! Sic'em!! But I'm doing the Temple/RR track!
 
presidio vs. royal oaks garden... any thoughts? my priorities are being in a quiet complex with fairly responsive management

thanks!
 
how close should a person be to campus?
 
how close should a person be to campus?
really doesn't matter. We have people who are 3 minutes away, and people who are an hour away. Third year it might make more difference, but for now, it's whatever you're comfortable with.
 
So in going over the stuff in my packet (which finally came in the mail) my checklist says that I have to submit my financial aid application by the 13th. I go to that website and there's no application for the '09-'10 school session. Also, I remember reading somewhere on their site that we weren't required to submit one.

Anyone know the real story about the application? I did FAFSA thinking that was all was needed. Thanks
 
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