Anyone with a lot of debt and trying to go to school to do pre-reqs?

I have what I call “good” and “bad” debt right now: good…well, I guess there really isn’t good debt. But bad being, of course, credit cards, a car payment, depending on how much and how long it’s financed for(down to a year and a half to go), student loans, etc. Any of you had to deal with having to put off taking a course or two for maybe one or two semesters, thus prolonging your pre-med journey? I set my goal of when I would hope to enter med school, but thought about what if I had to postpone that goal for another year due to a) limited class availability due to having to work a lot and b) eliminating debt with a balance(minus federal aid) before resuming the pre-med route. My goal was to have all evil debts zeroed before med school either way.

Boy do I hear you…I had unfortunately reached my undergraduate limit for borrowing, so now whiule I am working on the remainder of my prereqs and my bachelors degree, I am going to have to pay out of pocket. I’m also working full-time as I am my sole source of support.


As I want to make sure that I have a high BCPM (right initials?) GPA, I’m only going to take O.Chem and Physics next year, and then I will work on the remainder of my bachelors. If it means that I have to put off medical school for another year, then so be it.


Unfortunately, you will see as you get older, the amount of personal debt has a habit of increasing. Hopefully, I will be able to get some tuition reimbursement as I work towards this goal.

Yeah I hear ya but take a different approach. I mentally started this path 10 years ago but “this” had to be right and then “that” had to be right and then it turned into not believing in myself and blah blah blah.


I would say never take time off. If it’s all you can do to take at least 1 course then do that but never go cold turkey for a second. Life has a way of sneaking up on you and that debt you pay down today will spring up tomorrow. Case in point, paid off car…thing died a few months later.


There’s always going to be something. Simplify your life by getting rid of as much stupid debt as you can but not to the detriment of not taking classes. One semester turns into two…two turns into three…three turns into four…

Ok, so I am half-way done with applying into a local 4-yr school to start on my post-bac. Just waiting on my app to be looked at and get my UG transcript in. Taking Biology I this summer if it doesn’t fill up in the next couple of weeks. It’s been 9 years almost since I’ve had the course so I know the material has changed a little since, so it’s a good idea for me to take it in order to be ready for the MCAT. I aced Biology II last summer while taking 8 other hrs at a graduate level(B in one, IP with the other), so I can’t imagine this class being difficult.

Why bio1 if you took bio2 last summer?

Because dependent on the school, you don’t need to take Bio 1 before Bio 2. Bio 1 dealt more with the micro end, genetics, dna, etc., while Bio 2 dealt with the macro end, covering evolution and the Kingdoms and their respective classes, etc. That’s of course, how it was set up in my college. It really didn’t matter.

What about post-bacc loans? Would I be able to find such wonderful loans? Something that would pay off my existing loans and living expenses while attending a post-bacc program? I live in Los Angeles, rent is in the thousands for a one bedroom. So like 14,000 a year for rent alone.