Boston College Masters Entry Program 2010

nic27 · Apr 21, 2010

Does anyone have advice on which CPR training course to sign-up for? It sounds like BC recommends either the Red Cross "CPR for Rescue Professionals" or American Heart Association "BLS for Health Care Professional." I'm hoping to take the course in MA sometime in June. Any recommendations?

lrc13 · Apr 21, 2010

I am doing the Red Cross Professional Rescuer course in Waltham on May 22nd if anyone else wants to join! I am not too pumped about spending my whole Saturday there :eek: but I heard this course was good and you get a pocket mask and training book.

micronerd · Apr 21, 2010

Oh yeah, I should probably do some research myself. June is probably the best time for me to do it as well -- if anyone has any suggestions or wants to take a course with me, let me know! :)

Ag02143 · Apr 30, 2010

Hey!

I'll be in the FNP track at BC next year--can't wait to meet you all! I'm working in Boston and taking pre-reqs now. Is anyone else taking Biochem at Harvard Extension this summer?

I just read someone's post about Micro at Bunker Hill... I'm also taking it this semester--what lab section are you in?

For housing, I live in Inman Sq. in Somerville and hope to stay in the neighborhood. One of my roommates and I are moving to a smaller space, but our wonderful 4 bdrm/2bath will be available 9/1. I love the neighborhood and there's a bus that'll get you close to BC without taking the Green Line.

I'd love to get together before school starts--maybe we can plan something in the next few months!

Dgrimm · May 6, 2010

Hey All-

How are people dealing with financial aid? I just finished my Masters in Public Health so since I already have a Masters under my belt, I think I'm limited in the federal funding I can get for this BC program. The estimated cost for 2010-2011 according to my financial aid letter is ~$50K, but the only federal loans on there add up to $26K. I've completely gotten the run around from the BC financial aid department and am confused and concerned I won't be able to go! I called financial aid and they told me the nursing school handles additional loans; I called them and they acted like I had 12 heads asking about loans through the nursing school. I don't know a lot about loans and am scared about going to a private bank asking for money because I don't have a lot of income to base it on...I just don't know what I"m doing! Any thoughts or can someone please share their experiences?

Thanks!

micronerd · May 6, 2010

Wait, dgrimm, did you get a physical letter from BC about financial aid? :-\ I didn't know awards were out until I happened to log into the portal and saw something listed under my financial aid. I was surprised because I thought I missed some deadline or something.

I called the finaid office because it listed my expected date of graduation said Spring of 2014 and I was nervous about that, and they mentioned to me that all loans offered on the letter are assumed to be accepted unless you tell them otherwise. Aside from that, they didn't offer any more information about outside loans. I do know that our summer session of 2011 isn't on our financial aid letter because that session applies to next year's FAFSA. Does that help you at all? I think the estimated cost on the letter includes that summer.

Sorry I might be confusing. I'm a little concerned too... :-\ If anyone else can chime in with more information, it'd be appreciated! :)

micronerd · May 6, 2010

Oh yeah, I haven't had time to think about much school stuff because I'm getting married towards the end of this month, but have any of you gotten any information about registration yet?

I just wanted to be sure I haven't missed something important since the last email we got about immunizations/CPR...

I've gotten the pre-reqs done, am looking into CPR courses, and plan on doing the bloodwork needed. Is there anything else I'm missing?

Thanks in advance!

Dgrimm · May 6, 2010

Hi Micronerd,

Same here! I called financial aid b/c I hadn't heard anything and they were like, "oh we sent it to your BC email address" which of course I hadn't bothered to check at all haha. So it wasn't mailed to me or anything, but I saw it on the portal. I think that you're allotted a set amount of federal loan money and since I needed that for my MPH I don't have enough left to cover the full cost of this program so I need to get alternative loans. I just get worried that I've missed a deadline or something and then will be screwed later on. I emailed Marybeth last week asking when we would hear more information in terms of what else we need to get/do (equipment, uniforms, register etc) and she said they will be sending out an email at the end of this month or the beginning of June outlining more information on what we're going to need! :nurse:

lrc13 · May 6, 2010

Hi All,

So I was confused about fin aid too and actually went to campus for a meeting. I can't say it was terribly helpful but I do feel better about things. First of all, I learned that I could decline my work study because I would rather be able to borrow that money, I don't think we will have much time to do anything other than study. Basically, the total cost of attendance is the most money we can borrow federally. Some of that was already awarded to us by BC in the form of low interest Stafford and Perkins loans as well as work study. These amounts should be on everyone's award letters. Now, subtract this amount from your total cost of attendance and what you are left with is how much more you can borrow to pay for rent, books, food etc. I am going to take out a GRAD PLUS federal loan so I have more options with deferment and my rate is locked in (8.5%) however people could choose to go with a private lender (Sallie Mae, etc.) or a bank. All the money you borrow goes directly to BC. Once your tuition and fees are paid you can request a check or direct deposit for the rest so you have that money in your bank account to pay for living expenses. Hopefully this is helpful.

Good Luck! I am so excited to meet everyone =)

And congratulations on your wedding micronerd!

nic27 · May 6, 2010

Hi there, I'm still trying to figure out financial aid stuff as well so I don't think I can be much help. One thing, though, is that I believe they included an estimate of living expenses (even if you're living off campus) in the $50K cost of attendance figure. I was nervous, too, because when you multiply the cost per credit by the approx. number of credits, it comes out to $33K or so- about $20K less than it says on our financial aid notification. Definitely worth calling to confirm, but that was my understanding when I asked.

Micronerd- I haven't received any other info since that original email either. I hope we hear from them again soon- would be nice to have a sense of what to expect in the fall!

micronerd · May 6, 2010

Haha, well whew! I'm glad I didn't miss something huge in all this frenzy. I don't have another Masters and if it helps, my financial aid is almost the same as yours, so I don't know how it works. My fiance will be helping with the housing expenses and stuff, so I'm hoping that will help us out some, but I don't know how the heck we can cover everything else... if you find anything else out, please let me know. :)

micronerd · May 6, 2010

Thanks lrc13!!! I'm going nuts right now because I tend to procrastinate on this stuff, so I'm frantically trying to get stuff done in the short time I have left!

And hello to everyone else! I was typing my response to dgrimm and when i hit post, i saw all these other replies! Looking forward to meeting everyone! We should start a group or something outside of this forum so we can get to know each other better (I have no idea how though). I just moved to Boston not long ago, and I feel like I don't know anyone... :-\ It'll be nice to actually meet new people soon. :)