I open this topic to cover several issues at once. Thanks in advance for your help.
One first question:
Anyone have ballpark figures on how much money you spent so far up to the point of being admitted to Med School?
- Cesar Said:
Anyone have ballpark figures on how much money you spent so far up to the point of being admitted to Med School?
Are you looking for the cost of applying to med school, the cost of undergraduate education, the cost of any post-bac/SMP pre-med coursework, or a combined total of all of these costs?
I mean cost incurred per individual applicant. The total cost, including, cost of living, tuition spent to fulfill pre-reqs, decals, books, fees, airplane tickets to attend interviews, gentlemen: did you buy a special suit, tie? ladies: any fancy channel? shoes? etc. Special training, if taken, such as Kaplan and so forth.
Has any one kept tallies? If so, does anyone have a ballpark figure he/she might want to share?
It is understood these figures will vary widely per person because everyone is different, but would be interesting to know even in retrospect.
Kaplan: ~$1500
MCAT: ~$250
New Suit(s): ~$400
AAMAS: ~$500
AACOMAS: ~$400
Each secondary: $75-$110 each
Then you have the cost of flights, hotels, etc. for interviews.
I will now return to the medical floors…no more Percocet for you.
gabelerman,
Thanks for your input. If only Percocet helped with the pain 
, but rest assure doc, I am fine, relaxed so far. Just starting to walk the talk…
Regards,
Ok, I have a much scarier total, which is closer to $40,000…might be a bit more. That includes tuition at a pretty expensive post-bacc program, and living expenses for the year as well as cost of testing/applying/intervie wing, etc. In retrospect, the post-bacc was the most expensive part of the whole deal. I think sending out the secondary applications ran me around $950 (for 12). I’d estimate each interview averaged $200 (I drove, but needed gas, food, and a hotel room). Hope that helps a bit.
Kate
Kate,
Thank you for the information, it is very valuable. It surely will help me prepare better financially, having an idea of how much it could cost, just for the pre-med portion.
We know that medical school implies huge debt.
In the end, we must see it as the best investment of our lives, not only monetarily but for the huge spiritual and emotional rewards it surely will bring.
Best for you in your studies, keep us posted as you go forward.
I know I spent about $6,000 in tuition for my informal post-bacc, ca. $2,000 on MCAT plus ExamKrackers books plus AMCAS plus interviewing (I applied to only one program, which I DO NOT RECOMMEND in almost any circumstances). Probably another $600 on required textbooks. I made my suit, which cost about $75, and then found a great Ann Taylor suit for residency interviews at a thrift store for $10. Neither suit was black, by the way.
samenewme,
Thank you very much. Your input adds lots of value.
BTW, I lived in Milwaukee when I was 1 yr old, my father was attending U of W, Milwaukee for his Master’s in Education, needless to say I have only flashes of memory. Impressed that you made your own suit, tells a lot about your creativity.Best,
Brainstorming about the optimal strategy, an idea came up, perhaps a silly idea.
What about courses on-line? or better, a whole Bachelor’s online?, will it be looked down at or even be an app killer? Any experience to report?
It might have been discussed somewhere else in the forum, if so please show me the link.
As always your take on this is always appreciated.
The search function is not my best friend tonight, so I’ll just say yes, it’s been discussed and admissions committees are not crazy about it. At least take your prereqs in person, with the exception of freshman English composition.
In my small opinion professional programs, such as PA and medical schools, will often attach a ‘stigma’ to some undergraduate training. For example I was told by a PA adcom that taking A & P at a community college would be considered highly undesirable.
Along that line, when I take on line courses, I take them from schools where they will appear on my transcript as grades received in attendance. For example, if I lived in Maine, I would not take UNC online courses, which I find to be of good quality, because everyone is going to be aware that they were online. I would, however, take classes online at U of Maine if they otherwise met my needs.
The way I look at the CC vs 4 year vs online issue that has been fully debated is that I will do what I have to do (60 hours of CC like nutrition and intro to philosophy) but will take the ‘key’ courses (Bio, Physics, Orgo, Anatomy, etc) at the 4 year.
Regardless of the issues of cost and quality I have enough things to flag me as potentially less than ideal with an adcom, age being the common one here. Why give them any other excuse to pass me over?
Just a thought.
Crepitus
samenewme and Crepitus,
Very thoughtful thanks, surely will take that into account. Something I have always suspected but had to ask anyway.
Crepitus,
I like it, take whatever is not essential regarding pre-reqs at the CC and the ‘heavy’ courses at the 4-yr institution.
Here it goes another question:
What about the mechanics of shadowing?
Any advice on how to get one?
Thanks in advance,
Generally speaking, med schools look at shadowing as “exposure” rather than clinical “experience.” Some schools don’t even “count” shadowing as being useful, FWIW. On the AMCAS application, in the Experiences section, it is classified as “other,” not as “volunteer - clinical.”
Cheers,
Judy
Thanks Judy,
Regarding that point, today I went to a local Community Clinic looking for opportunities for volunteering and asked for if the could let me know about shadowing with one of their physicians. They told me that only current med students were allowed to do shadowing. I did not want to push the matter as my main interest was volunteering, shadowing there being only an opportunity target, but I think the lady is confused.
On a personal note, it felt good to finally having the courage to admit I do want to compete for admission to Medical School. Because one thing is to dream privately and quietly, and the other to go out to the world and voice it loud and clear.
Best,
In order to report research, do grades obtained in for example Honors Research or the Research hours in Graduate School count for the adcom.
Any one have had experience with this.
Thank you very much in advance,
As far as shadowing goes you should just be able to call an office and ask. Most Docs I shadowed were really open to the idea, and the clinic I volunteered at actually pushes me to do more shadowing. I dont think anyone that I have expressed my desire to go into medicine have really been negative about it, at least not from the your to old standpoint.
As far as cost goes:
Prolly around $16000 in post bacc tuition
Around 2500 for MCAT and Prep
Around 2000 for Primary and Secondary Apps
Around 6000 for interview expenses (clothes, travel ect.)
But as I say, “If you ain’t spending wads of cash to get into medical school, you ain’t doin it right.”
- Cesar Said:
In order to report research, do grades obtained in for example Honors Research or the Research hours in Graduate School count for the adcom.
Any one have had experience with this.
Thank you very much in advance,
If the grade appears on a transcript it gets considered. No exceptions. The example above will fall into the graduate GPA line on the AMCAS.
- BaileyPup Said:
As far as cost goes:
Prolly around $16000 in post bacc tuition
Around 2500 for MCAT and Prep
Around 2000 for Primary and Secondary Apps
Around 6000 for interview expenses (clothes, travel ect.)
But as I say, "If you ain't spending wads of cash to get into medical school, you ain't doin it right."
BaileyPup,
I guess you are right...thanks much,
Best,