Hi guys,
So, I found out with certainty that, as a Texas veteran, I qualify for the Hazelwood Act, which is basically 4 years of tuition paid at any state school – including med school.
But, I’ll have to move back and take my premed prereqs in state, likely at UT Austin, which is a major headache, since each registration period would be a gamble to get the classes I needed – a lot of them fill up super fast. And it would be super DIY, and, as ridiculous as it might seem, the prospect of returning to that monster campus after my undergrad ten years ago is not very appealing. But, of course, I could suck it up if I had to – just don’t want to get locked out of any classes and stretch out my post-bac longer than it already is.
On the other hand, I’ve gotten into two formal post-bac programs with guaranteed classes, which are obviously more expensive, and they’re also out of state, so I would basically be ruling out getting into the Texas med schools, since they all take at least 90 percent residents.
And I keep thinking that almost every med school student finishes med school with significant debt they have to pay off, and that it’s ‘normal’ and not a big deal, and I should be sure to go to a school that I really want to go to, whether that’s in Texas or somewhere else.
But, then again… free tuition. More freedom after I graduate. Less crushing debt. And maybe what med school I go to doesn’t really matter…
Even if they might not be my top schools, am I crazy to turn that down?
Tough decision. Are you competitive to get into Texas instate for med school? If not, then a gamble. If you are, then may be worth it.
Just my 2 cents.
My $0.02:
Do whatever you can to minimize your debt burden. If that means Texas then go for it.
Debt can play a very important role in your decisions in med school and if you can go to med school debt free I see absolutely no reason why you wouldn’t.
Every med student graduates with student loans, however, every med student wishes that they had less student loans. No student loans is a dream for med students!
I am in Texas also and plan to go to med school here…just curious as to why UT Austin is your only option? There are many other universities that are not as large that may work better for you.
Thanks so much for everyone’s responses. I really appreciate them.
I’m definitely leaning towards going as cheap as possible at this point – especially since I’m leaning towards primary care medicine. And free tuition is a great opportunity. Hopefully I can get in!
MelissaB, that’s a great point. I realized that as well, and have applied to some other UT schools. We’ll see how it goes.
Are you still doing your prereqs? If so, where are you doing them?
Hello db2103,
You are in a great position, to get tuition waived is great. So, you can finish your prereqs at any state school. It does not have to be in the UT system. Im not sure what area you live, but in state university.
I used my Hazelwood at a junior college for prereq, then I took upper division bio at the local state university.
Some may say, jc courses are frowned upon. But, I spoke to several admission members AT local medical schools and they are not too concern were you take your prereqs. But, if you do not have a degree in bio…I would strongly suggest taking upper division bio at the university level…
I was fortunate to get into med school, but not in Texas…So, Im biting the bullet and believing that my med school debt will not be a problem.
Also, if you are going into primary care, there are tuition forgiveness programs for up to $170K for 5years of service in a critical area…
I was selected to participate in summer research program at a local medical school. In one of the seminars a MD/PHD instructor, who also sits on the admission committee, told us do not worry about the debt accumulation, you will not have any problems paying it back. That’s the least of your worries…
Getting accepted is the challenging part…