I’m wondering if anyone can give me some advice on being able to afford to live while attending med school. I receicently graduated with a degree in business and went back to school to work on my masters degree but want to so badly return to complete my pre-reqs and go to med school.
The problem is I’m the major earner as far as pay. My wife works but doesn’t make enough for us to live on. I’m working on my EMT and thought of working nights while in med school but have read a lot of post where this is not advisable. I guess my question is was anyone else in a situation like this and what did they do?
I’ve also heard that you can take the first two years of med school part time. Does anyone know if this is true?
Thank you for any advise. I should also add that it will be a couple of years before I can even consider applying because I still need all of the pre-reqs.
Robert
- hopefuldoc Said:
The problem is I'm the major earner as far as pay. My wife works but doesn't make enough for us to live on. I'm working on my EMT and thought of working nights while in med school but have read a lot of post where this is not advisable. I guess my question is was anyone else in a situation like this and what did they do?
I've also heard that you can take the first two years of med school part time. Does anyone know if this is true?
Thank you for any advise. I should also add that it will be a couple of years before I can even consider applying because I still need all of the pre-reqs.
Robert
Hi Robert, I can see from your registration date you've been a member for quite awhile...great to see that you posted.
I wish I can give you a cut and dry suggestion, but I know that with having a family and all the associated responsibilites, it is going to be tough. Have you spoken with your wife about this very major change? Do you have her support? That is going to be a major factor in this pursuit.
You both really need to sit down and very carefully go over everything that you can now before you invest too much time and energy. Figure out what you need to run your home and what will have to be put on the backburner. Medical school is not a part-time endeavor. I know that on occasion some students are able to take a year off between years 2 and 3, but it's rare.
Working nights is tough...especially when you need to take a full-load of classes and raise a family. One thing you might want to consider, and I don't know if it is possible in any of the hospitals that you are close to...but in the hospitals by me (FL), getting your EMT and working in the ER as a tech. ERs hire around the clock, and I've seen many work 12 hr shifts...If you can afford to work just two days a week on the weekends (with your wife working as well), you can attend school for your prereqs.
I would suggest not worrying about med school until you get closer. Work to make sure that you do well on your prereqs, get a good MCAT, pay some attention to your wife who will be a major player in this goal, and get your financial health in shape.
If it is meant to be, something will work out.
Good luck!
Robert -
You are able to borrow money for living expenses while in medical school, although it’s certainly not a lot of money. All schools have to create a budget delineating all expenses (including living expenses). You can see an example of a budget here . Federal subsidized and unsubsidized loans are available to cover up to about $40K of that amount currently. If your costs exceed that amount, most students borrow additional funds from private lenders. Obviously, though, there’s a balance between borrowing what you need and what you’re going to have to pay off at the end of the road.
As for part time med school the first two years - not many med schools offer this option and if they do, I don’t think they allow it up front. It’s usually an option for people who find they are struggling with the full load once they get started to ‘decompress’. I think you’ll be hard pressed to find much info on that on various school websites, and it’s not something you would want to ask schools about at interviews.
There are a few people who work part-time during the first two years of med school, but not very many. Med school is at least equivalent to a full-time job, if not more. Its not something that I would plan on being able to do - it’s something you would have to evaluate once you started school and saw how much time you needed for studying and etc.
As Kriss said - you need to sit down with your wife and see if she is willing to support you in this endeavor. Would she be willing/able to work more if you got into medical school to help with finances? Would she be okay with reducing your standard of living/budget to live within what she could make and maybe a little additional that you borrowed? Her support in this is going to be crucial.
Hi Robert, I can see from your registration date you’ve been a member for quite awhile…great to see that you posted.
I wish I can give you a cut and dry suggestion, but I know that with having a family and all the associated responsibilites, it is going to be tough. Have you spoken with your wife about this very major change? Do you have her support? That is going to be a major factor in this pursuit.
You both really need to sit down and very carefully go over everything that you can now before you invest too much time and energy. Figure out what you need to run your home and what will have to be put on the backburner. Medical school is not a part-time endeavor. I know that on occasion some students are able to take a year off between years 2 and 3, but it’s rare.
Working nights is tough…especially when you need to take a full-load of classes and raise a family. One thing you might want to consider, and I don’t know if it is possible in any of the hospitals that you are close to…but in the hospitals by me (FL), getting your EMT and working in the ER as a tech. ERs hire around the clock, and I’ve seen many work 12 hr shifts…If you can afford to work just two days a week on the weekends (with your wife working as well), you can attend school for your prereqs.
I would suggest not worrying about med school until you get closer. Work to make sure that you do well on your prereqs, get a good MCAT, pay some attention to your wife who will be a major player in this goal, and get your financial health in shape.
If it is meant to be, something will work out.
Good luck!
Hi Krisss17 thank your for your advise. My wife and I have talked about me going to med school for a long time. She knows that going to med school is a dream that I’ve had as far back as I can remember and she is behind me 110%. I know that I am very lucky to have her support like that. Currently we don’t have children so I guess that will help out some.
We have done a budget and we know how much we would need to live on. One good thing is that I still have a couple of years before I can apply for med school so it will give use time to pay off our vehicle loan and save some money.
Thank you again for your advice and your right if its meant to be it will happen. My wife tells me that all the time.
Robert
Robert -
You are able to borrow money for living expenses while in medical school, although it’s certainly not a lot of money. All schools have to create a budget delineating all expenses (including living expenses). You can see an example of a budget here . Federal subsidized and unsubsidized loans are available to cover up to about $40K of that amount currently. If your costs exceed that amount, most students borrow additional funds from private lenders. Obviously, though, there’s a balance between borrowing what you need and what you’re going to have to pay off at the end of the road.
As for part time med school the first two years - not many med schools offer this option and if they do, I don’t think they allow it up front. It’s usually an option for people who find they are struggling with the full load once they get started to ‘decompress’. I think you’ll be hard pressed to find much info on that on various school websites, and it’s not something you would want to ask schools about at interviews.
There are a few people who work part-time during the first two years of med school, but not very many. Med school is at least equivalent to a full-time job, if not more. Its not something that I would plan on being able to do - it’s something you would have to evaluate once you started school and saw how much time you needed for studying and etc.
As Kriss said - you need to sit down with your wife and see if she is willing to support you in this endeavor. Would she be willing/able to work more if you got into medical school to help with finances? Would she be okay with reducing your standard of living/budget to live within what she could make and maybe a little additional that you borrowed? Her support in this is going to be crucial.
Hi Emergency,
Thank you for all the great advice and for posting the information on the budget. I thought that you could apply for living expenses with loans I just wasn’t sure how much you could barrow.
I don’t remember where I heard about attending med school part time the first two years. I always assumed that you had to go full time which I would definitly do to get done.
Thank you again for your advise.
Robert
- hopefuldoc Said:
Hi Emergency,
Thank you for all the great advice and for posting the information on the budget. I thought that you could apply for living expenses with loans I just wasn't sure how much you could barrow.
I don't remember where I heard about attending med school part time the first two years. I always assumed that you had to go full time which I would definitly do to get done.
Thank you again for your advise.
Robert
Every school sets up an expected budget for the school year, and that is usually how it is estimated what a student can borrow. Sometimes if a student requires extra due to child care expenses etc., they can petition for an increase of the budget.
I think that it is great that your wife is behind you...nonspousal support (in this case the emotional side) can be a cause of major stress, and going through medical school, residency, etc. is stressful enough.
Robert,
What an exciting time for you and your family, and perhaps a scary one as well! I would agree with what others have said. You are very fortunate to have a spouse who supports you–make sure you indicate often how appreciative you are for that. This is a journey you will make together.
Often on this site you will see people talk about the journey being a marathon rather than a sprint. I think this is important to keep in mind as you determine your path over the next several years from pre-med to starting residency.
With respect to taking the first two years “part-time”, I can relate the experience of people at our school. As was pointed out, this is generally an option used for students who are struggling. However, I do know of a couple people who started medical school intending to take 3 years to complete the first 2 years of basic sciences. Our school, and I believe this is true of most, has a specific number of years in which you must complete the degree (I believe ours is 7 years). Residencies often have more strict requirements for the length of time to complete medical school and require an accounting for why an applicant took more than 4.
Finally, I have seen private loans mentioned in a few recent posts and thought I would remind/comment that it has become increasingly difficult to get private loans in the current climate. Money is not as available as it once was, even for attending medical school. On the up side, several classmates of mine have families and are making ends meet using only their university financial aid without having to get additional private funds–it is possible to do.
Best of luck on your voyage!
I would add that while there are some med schools where the first two years of med school is stretched into three, this is not done to enable the student to work, but rather to give the student the chance to do well in school. You really need to assume that you will not be gainfully employed, even very part-time, during med school.
Mary
thanks for the budget link