<p>Curm,
"Miami. I think GAMOM’s kid is hoping for a need based package at some of her more generous schools. </p>
<p>As to my kid and her choices, I just watch in amazement… and sometimes a little bit of horror. But, we’ll see how this goes. "</p>
<p>-I did not know that “need based” existed at Med. School. But some are getting great Merit packages.
As to your kid, she will come on top, no doubt, she seem to know what she wants and sticks to it.<br>
They are all different.<br>
My D. sometime comments about some very “intense” people in her class. But she admits that it works for them, while her own approach and personality is very different.</p>
<p>Miami-</p>
<p>when I refer to son evaluating all his financial aid packages last year, most of them were “need based” while just a few had “merit” based components.</p>
<p>The “unit” loan referred to by the ivies and some other schools varied with how much in loans vs. grants. Some schools had merit and need-based aid together, while others were all merit.</p>
<p>He also had some outside scholarships and while some schools would accept the outside in conjunction with their own aid other schools said it was either or. In other words, the awards were not stackable. He could take the outside but none from the school or just the schools’ and he needed to turn down the outside awards.</p>
<p>Made it crazy for decision time. Since he is totally responsible for paying for med school on his own, the financial aspect weighed heavily in his decision.</p>
<p>Kat</p>
<p>Sounds great, katwkittens!
Mine did not have to decide based on financial, she did not get any scholarships, but small amount at one school. That afforded her opportunity to decide based on what program she liked the best. And even that was not easy. She was able to reach decision only after Second Look events at each Med. School under consideration.<br>
I am sure, eventually your S will be at his best place.</p>
<p>I’m pretty sure he’s already there Miami.</p>
<p>He had put himself in great position to take advantage of his choices, Kat. The boy has it all headed in the right direction. ;)</p>
<p>
It does at a few schools. I don’t know the exact number but maybe 10 or 15 is my guess.</p>
<p>For what it’s worth, my school offers need-based grants and scholarships, which tend to be more generous than the merit-based ones. They’re unrelated to FAFSA, and students apply each year using my school’s application. Some awards are 4yrs, some are more specific (ie, “available to an exceptional incoming M1 student, renewable for up to 4 more years,” “available to an M2 student from this geographic area who shows financial need” “available to an M3 or M4 student who is part of the rural track”)</p>
<p>I attended an MD Primary Care Update Seminar today (and will have day 2 tomorrow). I was so excited for my son who will be starting his career in Medicine in the fall as a Med student. Really exciting stuff happening and it made me feel very encouraged about the future. Having been a licensed nurse (and later degreed RN) since I was 19, it just never gets old. God bless all you medical professionals out there. Keep up the great work. And keep encouraging your kids the way you do. The future looks bright, no matter what you read in the papers. :)</p>
<p>I wonder how “need based” is awarded if every Med. student in exactly the same situation - they do not work and have zero income and they are considered independant. Then the same and equal amount of “need based” should be awarded to each student. Where I am wrong?
In regard to future and reading the newspapers. I do not read them, most of them do not tell the truth. However, to have great medicine under government “watch”, government must have tons of $$. It is just common sense. There is no money, huge negative amount as everybody is aware without reading newspapers. So, where is bright future for medicine is coming from? Again, where I am wrong?</p>
<p>@Miami–need-based awards (other than loans) at most schools require parental financial info as well as the student’s.</p>
<p>Even at our state school (which does not require parental financial info) requires students applying for need-based scholarships/grants to supply parental financial data.</p>
<p>WOWMom: Ditto, we had to provide parental financials as well.</p>
<p>Miami: I understand. As for “papers” I should have just left it as “what you read”. The encouraging part is that physicians are taking a more active role in the changing healthcare (as well they should) given the politics surrounding it, as most at the legislative tables have never practiced nor work in healthcare directly, and if they have, they represent one entity or another. Everyone needs to let their voices be heard. Change must happen and it will happen most successfully with the best information being provided. We can’t turn back the clocks and we can’t sustain what is happening. Looking for the brighter spots hopefully will help the transitioning. I think our kids are up to the task. I guess listening to another fabulous keynote speaker today who works directly in the thick of it was helpful. She did not offer doom and gloom, nor complaining, just how this needs to get done and how to navigate an area that has become so politicized. It is a challenging time for sure.</p>
<p>WOWMom and CapeCod, that’s the deal for me too. But all reporting said info involved was checking a box, not reporting exact figures. For what it’s worth :)</p>
<p>CapeCodLady8,
no voices will change current law, period. Only votes will do. Current situation is not looking good from regular person prospective. Government run care has never worked and never will and I have unfortunate experiences with this kind. I understand though that most people do not see it this way as they lack this experience. It is nice to hear about ideals though despite of fact that in reality the direction is opposite. Dreams are to make us happy at least temporarily before we face reality. We should keep on dreaming…depression is much worse alternative.</p>
<p>Actually, I feel it’s quite to the contrary, Miami. The only way that the right things get into the laws is by physicians letting their voices be heard. The only way any legislator knows what to write, what to include, what the red flags are (in terms of the impacts to the practice of medicine) is to hear from the practitioners. Voting one way or another in an election won’t suffice. I’m not in favor of the government dictating healthcare management by any stretch (nor do I personally favor any European or Canadian models). That said, we are in this mess for a reason, which dates back several decades, even though some think this has just happened with the current administration. A review of the history, from prior to Managed Care Initiatives to the current state is helpful to see what has happened and why, and what direction is needed in the future, and even with that, sometimes things seem like fantastic ideas, but a half a decade later have to be abandoned due to the realities of what happens when put into practice.</p>
<p>Thankfully there are incredibly hardworking physicians and others willing to (and excited by) getting into that nitty gritty and sometimes terribly tedious thousands of pages of legalese to try to work together to ensure the goal of providing the best possible care to patients and remain its primary focus moving forward.</p>
<p>Living in Massachusetts I’ve been able to see first hand the pros and cons of such things as mandated insurance, etc. The financial woes are quite real, but the statistics are also bearing up some good news in terms of coverage (especially of children) and how more people are actually using their primary care MDs and not just heading to the ER with every little complaint. It’s important to look at all the data, the good and the bad. Not just try to go back to “the way we were”. It just won’t happen, no matter how we wish it were possible. If the Supreme Court does end up repealing “Obamacare”, that doesn’t necessarily mean that it might not be good for individual states to adopt their own practices. But rather than go into a discussion on Universal Healthcare here on this thread (probably better served up in the Cafe 
, I’ll just say that I went into this week with much the same bleak outlook for the future, but came out of it more informed, and more encouraged. I don’t think I’m just dreaming, and if so, it’s not so bad ;)</p>
<p>But my bleak outlook is based on decades of experience. No talk will change that. But I agree that it is not for this thread. However, I say what I know to those who are willing to hear and more so many times over to my Medical Student D. So that she know what to expect, although she will not fully understand that…but one of grandmother died, she never had a chance to meet her, so this is mentioned many times along with other not so rosy stories…</p>
<p>Hooray!!! The decision has been made. For those of you who followed, it is school “C.” She is happy, I am happy, everything is great in the world. :)</p>
<p>Congrats to your D! She had so many excellent choices, I can only imagine which one she ended up choosing.</p>
<p>Wonderful news! Congrats to her!! (And you for supporting her thru the process.)</p>
<p>Wishing her great success.</p>
<p>As you may remember, my D loved school C, too. Made her shortlist. The setting, the community, the whole thing. Just loved it and would have been very happy to attend.</p>
<p>Of course, school A must have been hard to pass on (but my D didn’t have to worry about that one ;)). </p>
<p>BTW, I never figured out who B was. Hmmmmm.</p>
<p>lol</p>
<p>Big, big congrats. I’ll pass the news on to my D. She’ll be thrilled for yours.</p>
<p>Thank you everybody for your help over the years! </p>
<p>Curm, school A was difficult to pass on, but the location would not give her access to friends during a meltdown! I had to LOL when she told me that she thought it would be wierd to be land locked in the middle of the USA. School B would have put her in my hometown. As much as I would have LOVED it, I don’t think it was the school for her. </p>
<p>At school C she will have many friends for a support system within a bus ride to Boston, NYC or Amherst. The outdoor activities that she will have access to there will be a plus for her.</p>
<p>Did ya’ll hear the big sigh I just let out in relief?</p>
<p>Congrats!
It took my D. long time also, and her decision flipped after Second look. She also discovered that beautiful city means absolutely nothing for her, she likes grass and trees…and having a car.</p>