Housing & Financial Aid, etc.

[Guest TimmyMax]

Hey all,

 

This may have been asked before; if so, please excuse my ignorance. I was just wondering what the housing situation was like in Kingston? What was the relative difficulty 1st years had in finding (decent) housing after the verdict in June? What is a ballpark figure in terms of rent? Thanks.

Secondly, I'm wondering about the financial aid situation for Queen's. I know UWO has its bursaries and stuff you can apply for, but does Queen's have something comparable? I don't recall this being covered that well during the info session on my interview weekend, presumably bc my interview was immediately following and I was too busy stressing out to process any of the info being thrown my way. Any clarification here is muchly appreciated! Thanks in advance!

 

Best of luck!

 

Timmy

[Guest Oz10]

I'm sure others can add to this, I'm still in post-exam haze (at least part I!). Soon as you get that letter, find a place to live! Unless you want scuzzy ghetto housing. It also depends on where you want to live. If you want to be close to campus, rent is going to be at least $650/700 for a decent place. If you want to live a bit further (if you have a car), about 10 minute drive to school, you can get nice places under $600 for one bedrooms. The Queen's accomodation listings service is your friend, check it often!

 

As for financial aid, Queen's has excellent bursuries (if you are already in debt). Some of my friends got over $10,000. If you don't have outstanding debt from OSAP and the like, you may be out of luck.

 

Hope that helps

[Guest TimmyMax]

Hey,

 

Thanks for the reply, but please excuse my further ignorance- where and when do we apply for said bursaries, etc.? Thanks again in advance!

 

Tim

[Guest Oz10]

Bursary applications are available once you start school and are due I think in Octoberish? You find out the results part way through your first semester.

[Guest RAK2005]

Timmymax,

 

Just about to write last set of exams, so I'll be brief. I got a large bursary this year, and it was awarded in January (I applied in Oct.). The avg. bursary this year was $8000 (mybe higher). It depends on your support from family, personal debt etc.

 

As for housing TRY TO GET A PLACE NEAR CAMPUS ! Everything goes on downtown, and if you live far away, it is IMPOSSIBLE to attain a campus parking pass (there is a looooooonnnng waiting list).

 

Good luck, and hopefully you'll be in my spot next year (in a pre-exam fright)

[Guest missing Manitoba]

Hi TimmyMax,

 

I'm not a med, but I have found decent 1 bedroom apartments in August each of the past two years. I've been paying in the $500 range (utilities included) for places a 20 minute walk from campus. $600-650 per month would probably get you a nice place reasonably close to campus.

 

Rentals available for students can be found here:

www.notes.queensu.ca/ALSWeb.nsf

[Guest Liana]

Yeah, I believe in the Information Session, they said that the average bursary last year was $9000, ie, average tuition was $4500. That's less than I pay for undergrad.

[Guest looking around]

I've only been in a couple of them, but you should think about those lakefront apartments east of the hospital! They look sweet!

 

I lived in Princess Towers for a while, and I have seen meds students in it, but I can't recommend it because I thought it was roach-infested and not in good condition.

[Guest TimmyMax]

Hey guys,

 

Thanks for the great responses- exactly what I was looking for!

I can echo your impression of the 'Towers there, looking, cuz I stayed there with a 1st-year buddy of mine from high school during my interview weekend and while I've seen worse, it's not exactly the greatest of digs- cool for a 1st year undergrad, though.

Any other insights are greatly helpful and welcome- thanks in advance!

Oh, and need I add...GO LEAFS GO!!!

 

Timmy

[Guest kevinlondon]

Hi.. Just a quickie

 

If you apply for bursaries in october, and get them after that, how do you pay tuition?

[Guest missing Manitoba]

I'm pretty sure this is how it works:

 

Generally, you apply for student loans first, which should hopefully cover your tuition in the fall. (You can apply for bursaries without a loan, too.) You can then pay back part of the loan with the bursary when you receive it in second term.

 

Also, I'm not sure if Queen's meds has payment deferral, but, in undergrad, it was possible to defer a portion of the year's tuition to second term by filling in some forms.

[Guest kevinlondon]

Thanks. I was asking because my student loans are almost maxed (after a couple of years of undergrad plus a whole lot of full years as a grad student (with a family), I think I may have one year of loans left.

Not sure if the banks will come through either, as I could almost buy a house with my osap

 

I guess I'll have to see...

[Guest missing Manitoba]

Hi again,

 

If you'd like to get in touch with Queen's student awards and obtain some advice and/or information, the contact information is:

 

Office Hours: 8:30-4:30 Monday-Friday

(June-August: closed noon-1:00p.m.)

Phone: (613) 533-2216

Fax: (613) 533-6409

 

Financial Inquiries: Email awards@post.queensu.ca.

 

They offer financial counselling and so should hopefully be able to help you figure things out.

 

Also, the med school itself can probably provide some information.

[Guest UWOMED2005]

Hey Kevin,

 

Check out the Bank of Montreal. Royal offers a $125,000 credit line to med students, but it includes OSAP. The Bank of Montreal, I believe, will offer ?$25,000/year? and I don't think they look at OSAP.

 

P.S. Does this mean you won't be 'TA'ing the Western meds anatomy lab next year? I was one of your students this year. . .

[Guest Another Queens Meds Lurker]

Unfortunately, you don't get to defer paying tuition until you get a bursary. Tuition has to be paid in full by September 30th.

 

Most of my classmates have gone with the line of credit. It'll cover you until your bursary comes in at the end of January. Mine was also in the $9000 range.

[Guest kevinlondon]

Hi all. Thanks for the encouragement, I'll have to look more into the line of credit..

And I will be here next year, I'm looking into apps for next year.

[Guest K]

Hi, I currently live in a 3-bedroom apartment right on the Queen's campus (just beside BioSciences complex). However, I will be going to U of T beginning in September and would like to sublet my room from Sept 1, 2003 to April 30, 2003. The two other housemates are male Masters student in Engineering (they are easy-going, not the loud and crazy type). The rent is $350 per month. So if you are a non-smoker and are interested in finding a place that is close to campus, please e-mail me at 9ykc@qlink.queensu.ca

 

Thanks!

 

(And since I will be going to U of T, I have withdrawn myself from the Queen's waiting list, so the list is getting shorter)

[Guest Lurker again]

You'll be getting this information when you get your copy of What's Up Doc in July, but here's a little early advice about where to live:

 

The majority of med students live in the 'meds ghetto', bounded by campus to the west, downtown (Princess St.) to the east, the water (Ontario St./King St.) to the south and Clergy St. to the north. It's an awesome area cause you've got everthing within a 5-10 minute walk-- both hospitals, downtown, Botterell Hall (where most first year classes are), libraries, groceries, GoodLife fitness (where many of the med students frequent)... what more could you ask for? Many of the med students who didn't live there during first year moved there right after. It's also nice to have so many of your classmates so close by.

 

Stay away from Princess Towers. I've never heard anything but horror stories from people who have lived there. The places on the water on Ontario street are really nice-- quite a few of my classmates (I'm meds 2005) live there, with more moving in to those buildings over the summer. A little pricey though, especially for a one bedroom (about $750 a month, I believe).

 

To save some cash, some of my classmates lived north of Princess. A little shadier part of town, but some good deals can be found there. That being said, a lot of those people are moving to the 'meds ghetto' area this summer.

 

Meds house is only for the extremely social. There are many downsides to living in such close confined quarters with your classmates, but you can't beat it for price. If a co-ed frat-house environment is your thing, hurry-- first year spots are limited. A surprising number of people from my class who lived in meds house last year have opted to stay.

 

Happy hunting!

[Guest cgb]

Can anyone offer advice on the following:

 

I am an OOP student (NS to be exact) and will be attending Queen's in September. I've had NS and Canada student loans before - what I'm wondering now is whether I would still apply for a NS student loan or an Ontario student loan (OSAP?).

 

Any insight would be appreciated

[Guest UWOMED2005]

Hey cgb,

 

The new brunswickers in my class at UWO are on NB student loans. . . I'm sure it's the same thing for a NSer at Queen's. Student loan eligibility is based on the province of your parent's residence, I believe.

 

good luck.

[Guest Queens Lurker]

Loans are based on what province you lived in the first time you got provincial loans. So if you've already received loans from NS, you stay with NS. But if you had never received loans from NS, you may be allowed to apply for OSAP.

 

Call the Queens Financial Aid office if you have any questions.

[Guest Thomas05]

Hi, guys

 

Congratulations on being accepted! I'm going into my 2nd yr at Queen's med, and I just want to point out some corrections for some of the comments above. All of the information you'll need will be in your student handbook, which will be mailed out in the first few weeks of July, but in case you need this information right away....

 

1) Bursary deadline is Oct 31 (you have plenty of time). In previous years, they have been dispersed approximately mid-January.

 

2) If you're receiving student loans, and if the loans are dispersed in two installments (eg. one in Sept and one in January). You can defer paying your tuition in full until you have received the second intallment. Please refer to the registration and fees guide (if you haven't received it, you will soon) for more information.

 

3) The bursaries given out last year range from $400 to ~$12,000. The average bursary is ~ $7500. In any case, they're not dispersed until mid-Jan, so you need to plan your finances accordingly, which includes making a back-up plan. As well, in order to be considered for a significant bursary, it is recommended that you first apply for a student loan and/or personal line of credit. You will get more information in the mail, as well as in September. In fact, the banks will be making a presentation to you during Orientation week. There's no hurry.

 

That's all for now. See you in the fall!

[Guest Ian Wong]

Floating to the top...

 

Ian