Here I explain the 4 things I definitely wish I'd done differently, financially, before school started. I thought I was being smart when I was going to pay off my credit card with my school loans, but I was utterly shocked and disappointed when I discovered it was not possible. Learn from my mistakes, be smart with your money, save it up, get rid of any outstanding debts you may have. I quickly learned after my first semester how REAL it can get when your financial aid does not even cover the bare essentials of your living expenses.

I am not one who is living a luxurious life, my car is the cheapest you can buy. My rent, car bill, gas, car insurance, phone bill, and health insurance are all relatively affordable and on the cheaper side. What is draining my financial aid is my monthly CC payments, an old personal loan I took out, and food costs.

Here's what I wish I'd done differently:
1) SAVE MORE MONEY--I spent a lot of what I had saved on applications, vacations, and moving expenses. Not to mention, some of that I had partially racked up on a credit card (CC), too.
2) Get rid of your extra payments per month: They are stressing me out beyond belief. My financial situation right now is FUBAR. I can't afford my monthly payments based on financial aid alone. Might have to start selling more than plasma....
3) Don't apply to 20+ schools. This is how I racked up A LOT of the debt on my CC. Between CASPA, taking GRE/sending GRE scores, and supplemental application fees, I screwed myself over.
4) Most importantly: DO YOUR RESEARCH ABOUT COST OF ATTENDANCE (COA). This was by far the biggest wakeup call when it came to financial aid. If your COA is LOW, you will not get as much money after tuition is deducted. I learned this the hard way....don't be like me!

In general, I am pretty responsible with my money, but not understanding the COA thing really screwed me over. Do your research! Take your time applying to PA school. Take a gap year if you have extra loans/bills to pay down. The academic aspect of physician assistant/associate school is challenging, but the financial aspect I have come to find out is what is killing my morale the most.

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