Anyone applying to the Duke ABSN program for Fall 2009 (c/o 2011)?

serasarah18 · Feb 21, 2009

Congrates SFChef! I'm glad everything worked out for you. You truly deserve it!

SFChef · Feb 21, 2009

EarthyGirl, I am pretty sure that the Yahoo group is for people who have been accepted and have accepted the offer. I was sent the info to the group after I accepted the offer (although they have not yet received my deposit because it must be sent in the mail).

You know, on a positive note, I was thinking about your situation last night. You should still hold out hope, because the good sign is that they have not told you no (and they have declined some people). That means that your chances are still good. And on the Yahoo group last night, I think it said there were 57 members (but at least one is a current student and one is Melissa Ziberna). I hope you hear something soon--I know how much the waiting sucks!

Serasarah, thank you so much for your note of encouragement! It means a lot. I'm happy that we both got into very good schools. I actually feel like Duke will be a better fit for me than Hopkins would have been, so I think things worked out exactly as they should.

earthygirl · Feb 22, 2009

SFChef - Thank you! I agree that I need to be positive, which I definitely am. My motto the past few weeks has been "no news is good news", just like you said. It's just been a little tough seeing a bunch of other people (on here) finding out so soon, with the majority of people getting a "yes". I broke down and emailed Melissa the other day and she said they should be making the rest of their decisions by the end of next week/beginning of March timeframe, so fingers crossed! Congrats again!

giardiafan · Feb 23, 2009

Earthygirl --

Don't worry about the delay in receiving a delayed response from admissions. Rarely does the first round of accepted people actually end up attending. I am one of those potential students put in a tough position: I am in, but now have to figure out a way to finance the education. And I have a feeling that the Duke grants/scholarships will be much smaller than anticipated due to 'endowment shrinkage' caused by the economic downturn. I was hoping to get 50%+ tuition covered by the school one way or another, and now I'm not so sure. I may have to look at my other options....state schools with a lesser reputation, but also lower costs.

Keep your fingers crossed and be patient. Everything will turn out well.....

All the best,

GF

dakota7 · Feb 23, 2009

Giardiafan-----Did you have a high EFC? I too am worried about financing Duke. My EFC was $25,000, which is $25,000 that they will not be including in a financial aide package for me. I called the FinAid person and she said that they are looking at a budget for the year of 60something thousaund. Can you believe that? I have no idea how much financial aide they are going to offer me but I am worried about financing too. My husband is a doctor but I dont see how he can possible contribute that much money too my education when he is going to be paying our mortage and everything else. I was thinking I could keep my job and work part-time but even still I don't think its going to be enough.

You said, "I was hoping to get 50%+ tuition covered by the school one way or another, and now I'm not so sure."

Is there any reason why you think that you won't get at least 50% coverage???

SFChef · Feb 23, 2009

Dakota, I also have a high EFC number--higher than yours actually. My husband was going to quit his job and move across the country with me, but we might have to be a bi-coastal couple for awhile. If someone has a high EFC number, do you know if it is possible to cover the balance of what we need in private loans, or are they not an option either?

KarenC9485 · Feb 23, 2009

From the financial aid talk at Duke Days, they told us that your EFC is solely used for determining your eligibility for need-based aid. This includes the need-based scholarships and subsidized federal student loans. You should still be eligible for some unsubsidized federal loans meaning that the loans accrue interest while you are in school. Also, Duke does not take you EFC out of your cost of attendence. This means that you are still allowed to borrow up to the cost of attendence for the program despite what the government thinks that your expected family contribution should be. There are limits on the federal loans, but with the private loans you should be able to borrow up to the cost of attendence. Private loans are credit based so the interest rates vary from person to person based on credit history. I hope this is correct and helpful... anyone feel free to correct me if I am wrong.

dakota7 · Feb 23, 2009

Thanks Karen....

SFChef, You should be able to take out private loans but good luck with that in this credit market. I guess we just have to wait until we get our financial aid packages in April to see what other funds we need.

gtscryss · Feb 25, 2009

E - I just found out I have been wait listed... Have you heard anything yet?

gtscryss · Feb 25, 2009

Just e-mailed Melissa - she said there are only 12 people on the waiting list & they aren't adding anymore at this time. Isn't that weird? Didn't they have 60 people on the list last year?

earthygirl · Feb 25, 2009

G - sorry to hear about the waitlisting. I haven't heard anything yet....ahh. I'm assuming you got an email, right? Maybe they're going in order of interview day? Just remember that thread from last year with people withdrawing their acceptance and all those people on the waitlist that got in. That said, it's just more waiting to do, which is annoying. Best of luck with everything!

earthygirl · Feb 25, 2009

G - they def. had more than 12 people on the waitlist last year. That is really weird. I wonder if they'll add more as people drop off. Well, as odd as it sounds, congrats on the waitlist!