@UMVoyager Congratulations on your acceptance to SIU SOM! I know you have worked hard and diligent throughout the medprep program to achieve this success!
Although the application cycle has not opened, I have a few general questions.
1. Will there be a section to upload letter of recommendations or do they have to be mailed in?
2. Were you an out-of-state applicant or in-state? Would you say there were as many out-of-state applicants as there were in-state?
3. How were you able to finance the program, if that's not too personal? Loans, scholarships, etc.?
Sorry about responding to this late. I do not have SDN hooked up to my current email (probably shouldn't as it is a big distractor during the application cycle). First and foremost I want respond to your comment on last years SIU MEDPREP 2017 cycle.
I want to confirm that yes yes and more YES's that SIU MEDPREP has an alliance with SIU School of Medicine which is such a great perk to this program. You are eligible for an automatic seat (no interview, no traveling to Springfield for the interview, no secondary fee, still need to pay the primary fee) if you meet SIU's minimum qualifications by the end the first semester of your application cycle (2.8 overall GPA, 2.8 BCPM, 498 MCAT, Illinois resident, and good standing with the MEDPREP Student Progress Committee). However, those who do not meet the alliance qualifications still do really great in the application cycle and gain multiple acceptances.
In terms of being maxed out with FAFSA, I was maxed out before I even started. A lot of students found themselves in this predicament. I paid for MEDPREP by borrowing from Sallie Mae, which has high rates so I would go with your bank or some other private loan company with lower rates if you can. Otherwise if you qualify for the MBS or MPH then that will allow access to another pool of money through FAFSA. Get into MEDPREP first then worry about that.
In response to your questions about the application cycle:
1. Recommendations will have to be mailed in along with a recommendation form filled out by the recommender. I think Mr. Stevens will actually have you do a consolidated packet with everything inside it (recommendations, reccomendation forms, any signed paper work needed, etc.)
2. I am an in-state student. However, a lot of people come from out-of-state. I would say the majority of my class was out-of-state to be honest. They were able to change their residency to Illinois after Fall semester though.
3. Like previously said I did loans from Sallie Mae. HOWEVER, another perk of MEDPREP is that if you are a traditional MEDPREP student then during the second year almost everyone qualifies for a tuition waiver. If you are a masters student then you do not qualify for a tuition waiver since they can find Teaching Assistantships to pay for tuition and receive stipends. A handful of first year students get a tuition waiver based on need since there is a cap on how many are given and priority is given to second years.
Hope this all helps!