Survivng Drexel ACE - advice pls!

Hi, I have a question for the current Acer's. After searching drexel posts I noticed that it's not much concrete information about any scholarships that are given to students...Has Anyone in the ace program recieved ANY scholarships directly from drexel? And did anyone have any difficulty in getting private loans. I am getting nervous as the fall approaches because I don't have a cosigner and is scared that I would not be able to secure the loans I need to start in the fall...Any info will help please!

They said in the info session in no uncertain terms that all their scholarship and grant money is reserved for first time undergraduates only so you get nothing for the ACE program. That leaves federal and private loans and any private scholarships you are lucky enough to receive. I don't have my private loans yet, but I've been dragging my feet a bit, plus I have bad credit (I do have a cosignor though but it is looking like it will still be hard for me).

Hello,

Several classmates received scholarships based on minority status (male, non-white) totaling $10,000 each. These were awarded after being enrolled for several weeks and the window to apply was short (literally days). Drexel does not award grants for this ACE program.

As for loans, I went through my undergrad lender (VSAC in Vermont) and maxed out government loans. I hope this helps. Just remember, there are always many routes to get where you are going.

Best of luck!

Thanks for the replies it's appreciated! I think the scholarship is from the robert woods foundation, I came across it on the internet the other day. I hope I can apply. I'm just really worried about not having a cosigner, The only person that could possibly co-sign gave me a flat out NO today. I have been searching for scholarships but have not had much luck...All I can do now is to improve my credit as much as I can before I apply for the loan.. I'm praying that my time, money, effort into completing prequisites doesn't go down the drain just because I don't have the funds to go to school...

Hello!

Don't get discouraged as the time invested in classes will not be wasted. You probably have researched many opportunities.
As an fyi, UPenn offers financial assistance to their post-bac program. However, their program is much longer
and the application process very bs laden! There may be other opps. such as theirs.

I know that Drexel's shortened time frame is attractive but one has to consider if the extra money taken out in loans
is worth it in this bad economy. I may be graduating, if I do not fail any classes, to find my self un/underemployed.
I do not know if you would be moving to come to school as well. Philly is very expensive.

Honestly, I think that if you do not get the funds to come, your local community college
will be a great bargain. I also think that your class room education will probably be better (smaller classes).
I have also heard that in the short run, the BSN will not give you much of a boost in earning power,
although it will in the long run.

If you do get the FA to come, the best part of Drexel are the highly driven students. They have some incredible backgrounds!

Sincerely,
Me.

The scholarship is from Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and it's specifically designed for minorities in the accelerated programs. Last year, Fall 2009, Drexel awarded 10 of scholarships, and in addition to the money, they offer workshops such as test prep, sim man, and once a quarter, you get together, meet and discuss if everything is going okay. Supposedly, they will also help finding jobs in the area...

A classmate of mine actually showed me something toward the beginning of the program, it's from UPenn, they offer you a contract. They will pay for your entire ACE program fees but you have to keep a 3.5 (I think it's that) GPA, and once you graduate you have to work for them (I think three years). I don't know if they still offered that this fall, as it wasn't general knowledge even among my classmates.

Just keep in mind, most people pick Drexel because it is so short. But, being short has its problems, I don't know about my fellow ACErs, I often find myself short of time to do anything. Truly, it really is awful around exam times, especially when the grades aren't posted.

Choose well, and good luck.

I would have to second that sentiment. I am not the best crammer in the world and it seems
that managing the exhaustion level of juggling clinicals and commuting have gotten the best of me. Still, I think if your are good at memorizing lots of powerpoints you should be fine and you may excel. There are lots of clinical assignments that are really time consuming but realize that the vast majority of those assignments are P/F.

I think the contract from UPenn was 3 years in the OR. Not sure if they're still offering it, but we got an e-mail about it in August.

As far as getting through the program and doing well, I guess it depends on your learning style, but what's worked for me has been to avoid the cramming and rote memorization, and just learn the material. Keep up with the work, do NCLEX questions (bonus is that you'll be studying for HESI & NCLEX all along), talk out the pathophys with classmates.

During clinicals, ask your professor questions, find out why your pt is or isn't presenting with certain symptoms or why one treatment was chosen over another. Let your professor know what you're interested in or what you're having trouble with - if the opportunity is there, they'll give you those pts or let you do those skills/procedures. Ask the nurses, respiratory therapists, and doctors to explain something or let you watch something. Basically, take every chance you can to integrate all the info together, and you'll be "studying" the whole time.

In response to the OP, Drexel does not offer any direct scholarships for the ACE program. The financial aid info I got from open houses before applying were very clear, but I still made the mistake of not securing complete funding before starting. Don't make the same mistake!
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Scholarships were a godsend, I got one of them, and the application was actually included in our orientation packets, then the deadline was postponed and they were offered again, so the window was actually weeks, not days.
Drexel does allow students to finance the balance of their bill through a company called HES (higher education services), they have a website. The catch is that the length of the financing contract is set in stone, your bill is split into 10 payments, from September to May, then the entire bill is reverted back to Drexel and due in full before summer quarter starts, otherwise you are on financial hold and cannot register. Basically, the payment schedule is based on traditional semesters, while our schedule is in quarters.

Can you tell me about the Robert Wood application process? What sort of info and materials did you have to provide? I've seen the scholarship listed online before but didn't realize Drexel offered it.