Paying for graduate school is always a trial. Mostly the stress is in the worrying and uncertainty that goes with this big endeavor. My first semester’s bill is over fifteen thousand dollars. Now that is enough to raise a few eyebrows here and there. The biggest trouble is in navigating the system of loans and procedures. Once you go through this process in the end it all seems easy.

What I did.

Today it all came together. Finally I realized that I did not have to deal with the main financial aid office on the USC campus. Calling to the Health Science Financial Aid office is much easier than dealing with the computer phone system at the main campus. Finding a real live person on the other end of the telephone line is wonderful. Actually talking to someone really helped a lot. I did not realize that I had to MAIL the Master Promisory Note for the Stafford loan to the lender! The people down at the main financial aid office only told me to Fax it to them and they would take care of everything. Or at least that is what I heard them tell me when I finally got hold of a live voice. The person, Nana Porche was who I talked to at the Health Science Financial Aid office, was very helpful and got me all straightened out.

More loans available.

It was Nana at the HSC financial aid office that told me that I could apply for an additional $21,000.00 this year if I wanted. Really! The additional loan would be what they call a Signature Student Loan offered by Salle Mae. These monies would be divided into two semesters this first year. Now that is an idea.

I ran the second loan idea past my wife Jennifer and she just kind of looked sad before she just said no. This is a woman that does not want to get into debt for anything and would rather eat beans for two years than accrue debt. We discussed her prejudices and came up with a compromise. I think that the best thing for these student loans is to borrow only what you need and no more. So I signed up for additional monies from the Signature loan from Salle Mae that would cover the cost of the tuition that will not be paid by the Stafford loan. Originally we wanted to pay for the difference ourselves from savings. I personally would rather keep this money in savings as a reserve. I am not afraid of the student loans like my sweet wife seems to be.

For those that want to know about the Signature Loans, they are based on your credit scores and cost 3% after you graduate. The Salle Mae people tack on an additional 3% when you are done with school and begin paying the loan back. The interest rates are currently very low. This is reasonable I think. We may be able to pay off this Signature loan as a lump sum when I graduate or see if a future employer will pick it up. You never know, I have heard of several instances where employers picked up student loans as a sign on bonus. That sounds like a good plan to me. We will see about that one.

The good news is that now we can keep our money safe in its high yielding CD and only use it for emergencies. Yipeeee!

After watching “Joe Kid”, a Clint Eastwood classic, and searching for the movie posters, I started a broader search for original movie posters just to see what I could find. Hunting around for these posters of old Clint’s movies brought back the memories of what was happening in my life when these movies where first being shown.

Its strange the way these things happen. Its like hearing an old melody or song that was popular years ago bringing you right back to the feelings and sentiments that you were living at the time. Amazing the way this works. Sometimes for the good and sometimes with pain. I think we all have experienced this to one degree or another. Clint Eastwood’s Pale Rider only holds good memories for me.

The poster of Clint’s Pale Rider reminds me of this amazing movie’s ghost like quality. He really did some fine work in this film. This is one of my old favorites that I enjoy reviewing every couple of years or so. Maybe for the film snobs these movies are less than art but for me they all carried a message of truth and justice rarely found in modern cynicism.

I just received the LiveStrong Yellow armbands that I ordered from the Lance Armstrong Foundation a month ago. The armbands have been on backorder due to the very high demand for these yellow bands. The Lance Armstrong Foundation was started several years ago to support cancer research and the little yellow armbands have been a way to raise money for the cause.

If any one wants one of these armbands all they have to do is ask me and I will give one to you. Currently I have 9 left. Afterall I can always order more, right?

Speaking of give-aways, I have a couple of the G-mail email accounts if anyone wants to try it out. This is a searchable email account from Google. I have been using it for the past month or so and think its pretty cool. There isn’t any need to delete mail or sort them into different holding files. The search engine from Google will find any phrase in any of the mail before you can type it out. Works pretty well. Are there any takers of the free G-mail accounts? They are only to be had from people that have them to distribute in case you think that you will be able just to go and grab one from the Google web site. Eventurally, I believe that anyone will be able to get the Gmail account but for right now there are a limated number of accounts to give away. Still no takers, in that case I will just keep them for myself. But if you really want one just let me know.

Old movies hold a fascination for many of us. This is a quote from an old Clint Eastwood movie that was just shown of AMC this evening. I love old Clint Eastwood movie’s. Can’t remember the western Joe Kid with the Man. The final lines by Eastwood were, “Next Time I’ll knock your dam head off.”

I would like to make a list of old Clint Eastwood movies like Escape from Alcatraz and the like. all cool movies. I don’t really have a favorite. They are all good.

I have to take back that idea that I don’t have a favorite. It just might be “Tightrope”. Whats your favorite Clint Eastwood movie?

The latest from the Stafford Wives indicates that they are doing well and all of their husbands are well taken care of.

The Stafford Wives have a secret.

What they do not tell you in the movie is that there is a 3% up front charge just for giving you their service. “Explain yourself”, you exclaim. It goes like this. Everything of beauty has its price and the price of having a Federally funded Stafford Wife is a 3% service charge for all of the monies that they provide. “I am still at a loss understanding your meaning.”

Lets go back to the beginning. Going to graduate school at a private University (USC) is not a trivial undertaking financially, especially when you are not going to be working for two years. Finding the financing for the tuition has been my major goal for the past month. The living expenses I will deal with. The tuition is something that I want to defer in student loans. Seems simple enough. Stafford Wives, excuse me I mean Stafford Loan, to the rescue.

Today was spent fooling around the web fiddling with loan applications and downloading forms for the Federally funded Stafford loan program. I find out today that the funding companies (like B of A and Citi Corp et al.) make it a practice of skimming 3% off the top just because they can. I am entitled to $18,000 this year paid in two payments for the Fall and Spring semesters. What I discovered today was that USC has a Credit Union that will reimbuse back to the student 2% of the monies at the time of funding. This sounds like a better deal. With a 3% off the top and a 2% returned leaves them with 1% initiation fee. Sounds more like a bargain now. The USC Federal Credit Union is a full service organization with all of the banking services we have come to expect from these kinds of organizations.

The secret that I was alluding to earlier is now hidden in the fine print. Actually the secret is not even in the fine print. You have to snoop even further. Frankly, I lucked out and was able to talk to someone who really cared and had the right information. The service desk at the USC Credit Union was really terrific and pointed me in the right direction. There is an affiliate of the USC Credit Union that not only will give back the 2% but upon repayment of the loan will discount the percentage rate. This is not general knowledge. The Education Loan Resources (833930) group to the rescue. This is where you want to look when you are looking for an institution to fund the Federal Stafford loan.

Here is a little blurb from their web site:
“Zero Fee Stafford Loans
When borrowing the Federal Stafford Loan a 3% origination fee must be paid to the federal government. Typically, this fee is deducted from your loan proceeds, but with ELR’s ZERO FEE Stafford Loan you get the full amount because we pay the fee for you. You’ll receive more money when you need it most – right now!”

I had to download the Master Promissory Note from the ELR’s web site and fill it out along with a couple of other forms that I received from USC. These people at the USC Financial Aid office are really difficult to get hold of. They prefer that all of these forms be faxed to them rather than mailed. That’s different. Fine with me because it saves me a stamp and I keep the originals.

In the end the Stafford Wives really performed. Now we can get down to the real business and think about anesthesia. Are we excited yet?