Hello everyone. I’ve been reading this forum for a couple of weeks now and have finally decided to join up. This is a great site/forum and I’ve learned a lot of useful information by coming here.
A little background on me: I’m 26, have a BS in accounting and an MBA. Four years of working in business/accounting has made me realize just how much I do not want to work in this field any longer than I have to. I have always been interested in science and medicine, but have never pursued it because it was not a part of my accounting curriculum, and because I was truly a lazier person in my early years and saw business as taking the easy way out 
I am now looking to follow what I believe to be my true calling and get into med school.
I am woefully short on science hours and am going to take the premed courses at a local university while continuing to work part time. What kind of financial assistance would be available for this type of scenario? I could not conceivably work enough hours to support myself and my family and pay for the courses that I’m going to take. I was informed that Federal financial aid is not an option since I’m technically not a degree-seeking student at the university I will attend. Ouch. Besides premed bridge programs, are there any other options? The only option under consideration is private loans, but I’m turned off by the higher interest rates and repayment schedules. And that is assuming I could even get them. Any thoughts/comments would be greatly appreciated.
Hi Dave!
From my experience, this is what I’ve found:
As a post-bacc you can take $10.5k in Stafford loans for a period of one year. After that, unless you are enrolled in either a degree or certificate granting program you’re not eligible for any additional loans. In my case, I petitioned the biology department at my university and got approval of a second bachelors degree. That’s not to say I intend on finishing this degree, but for now I bought myself some time to continue on. From what I’ve seen I’m not the only one taking this route.
A word of caution: you might want to check and see what your current loan balances are. My first bachelor’s degree was from an expensive private school so I am just about maxed out on undergrad loans. I won’t have enough money to cover next year (which is my last post-bacc year) and will be having to pay out of pocket to bridge the gap.
Good luck to you!
Dave,
I did the same thing as nnylacire. I told the school what I needed to do and they enrolled me for a 2nd BS degree that I’ll never complete. I was able to get the government loans for all my post-baccalaureate coursework.
Dave P.
I’m officially now pursuing a Chemistry degree which I will never finish. I wasn’t aware you could declare a major that you and your adviser know damn well you will never finish. But now I know better! With federal loans, a scholarship I will hopefully be getting, and still doing some part-time work in the accounting world, I should be able to complete my prereqs in two years. All the pieces are in place; it is all up to me now 
Thanks for the helpful responses.
- dpicklesimer Said:
I did the same thing as nnylacire. I told the school what I needed to do and they enrolled me for a 2nd BS degree that I'll never complete. I was able to get the government loans for all my post-baccalaureate coursework.
Dave P.
I may have to do this some day if I am to have any chance of getting started on this journey. Could you folks relate your experiences -- is this practice frowned upon or discouraged? Or do the schools and student advisors not care either way? Also, I'll browse other threads on financial aid, but wondering if living expenses would be covered via financial aid or is it just the academic expenses.
Have you looked into the HPSP (Health Professions Scholarship Program)? All 3 forces are participants in the scholarship program – with varying degree of selectivity… Hope it helps.
http://www.airforce.com/opportunities/healthc are/e…
http://www.med.navy.mil/sites/navmedmpte/acce ssion…
http://www.goarmy.com/amedd/hpsp.jsp