Opinions from OPM friends are greatly welcomed!
I am just coming off of some long contemplation about the financial situation that my wife and I currently find ourselves in. The situation is such that we are running out of money to live off of. Back during my time in the Navy, I was able to put away a (for me) substantial amount into our savings, enough to live off of for several months sans income, and that eventually became our lifeline as we transitioned between my steady income to a not so steady military benefits paycheck. Bottom line, those benefits are meant for 1 person and we are 2, so the savings that we supplement our living with will be gone shortly. When I say supplement, I mean that we use the savings to fund living expenses during the 4-ish months out of the year when I receive no benefits.
We already have a standard of living far below the level for federally defined poverty (ie, we probably cannot realistically stretch our dollars any more than we already do), so my solution is to pause school for a little bit to build our savings back up. The thing is, because of our circumstances, working for the summer will not produce enough income to accomplish this. So I am looking at 1 semester at the least. And then comes the curveball: I may have the opportunity to take a hard-to-come-by job that would enable me to pay off every debt that we have and secure our financial future through medical school…the problem is that this job requires me to get a certain certification and then take a one year commitment.
My concern is how this might look to an adcomm. I fear that this would overall show that I have issues with committing more than a couple of years to schooling. I am sure there are other potential assumptions one could make about me that could potentially be viewed as negative, as well.
Thoughts…? Much appreciated.
Personally, I’m a “Dave Ramsey/Financial Peace” kind of girl, so if I hear that you have an opportunity like that? To have financial freedom and set yourself up for less stress and debt down the road as you embark on med school? I would take that opportunity without hesitation. What a gift that would be!!
Your situation would be easily explainable to an adcom, I would think…as long as your grades are good when you are in school, it would easy to explain the pauses. It’s not a lack of commitment, but rather a lack of funds. Commitment doesn’t pay the bills.
Who wouldn’t get that in this economy?
I know it’s hard to step away, but given the opportunity…I would do it in a heartbeat. It’s a marathon–so consider the finish line and your long term plan. Does this year of financial stockpiling help you or hurt you with that overall goal? (For both you and your wife.) To me, I think it can only help… Just jump back into school once you are able, and knock homeruns in all your classes. 
Best of luck with your decision, and congratulations on the opportunity!
I would say just do whatever you have to do as long as it helps you get to you goal. The best road for you may not be the shortest.
As far as adcom, you seem very balanced and your explanation makes a lot of sense. In fact, it makes for a great statement: Hard choices, but I didn’t give up.
I would go with your plan. I would have done the same thing. Yes you will wait a bit more, but in the end the experience will be more enjoyable.
Good luck.
Carrieliz is right. No one is going to think less of your application if you take a year off to take care of obligations and secure yourself financially. The first year of medical school requires a level of focus that leaves little room for anything else. Whatever you can do now, to reduce the amount of external stress you have to deal with then, can only help.
when the adcoms ask about the gap in your academic resume, tell them the truth. You had financial obligations for your family and that will be the end of it.
Don’t forget that the adcoms have families, financial obligations, and adult responsibilities as well. They will completely understand and will never hold it against you.
I’m in with all the others who advocate “pause” and get your finances back in shape. Med schools should find this a positive, not a negative.
Cheers,
Judy
Thank you all for the replies and encouragement. I have been thinking this through, and I have more that I would appreciate opinions on:
This opportunity I mentioned in the op is an option, but one that would leave me stranded if it didn’t follow through. So I have reasoned through it and figured another option to consider also, mostly in the interest of financial planning for the future.
I could pause my current studies and enroll in an EMT-P course back home. The course load is lighter than what I am taking right now, and would give me time to work while taking the classes. The course is 3 semesters total, would be mostly covered by the federal pell grant, but that could be up to a two year break in undergrad classes.
While this is taking place I could also potentially knock out a couple of remaining GEs to lighten the load for when I do return to my undergrad studies.
This option involves more time, and would earn me less income initially, but is much more viable than the other year-long option. Truthfully, if I had thought this through more thoroughly I would have become a paramedic right after I left the military instead of jumping right in to undergrad…hindsight.
As always, thoughts are much appreciated. This journey is long and providing for a spouse introduces a degree of complexity that I could not have known before I began.
J
Thank you all for the replies and encouragement. I have been thinking this through, and I have more that I would appreciate opinions on:
This opportunity I mentioned in the op is an option, but one that would leave me stranded if it didn’t follow through. So I have reasoned through it and figured another option to consider also, mostly in the interest of financial planning for the future.
I could pause my current studies and enroll in an EMT-P course back home. The course load is lighter than what I am taking right now, and would give me time to work while taking the classes. The course is 3 semesters total, would be covered by the federal pell grant, but that could be up to a two year break in undergrad classes.
While this is taking place I could also potentially knock out a couple of remaining GEs to lighten the load for when I do return to my undergrad studies.
This option involves more time, and would earn me less income initially, but is much more viable than the other year-long option. Truthfully, if I had thought this through more thoroughly I would have become a paramedic right after I left the military instead of jumping right in to undergrad…hindsight.
As always, thoughts are much appreciated. This journey is long and providing for a spouse introduces a degree of complexity that I could not have known before I began.
J
JFowler, you’re not alone. I have a similar situation if it makes you feel any better. I was on a fairly aggressive schedule trying to finish my prereqs, working, volunteering, studying for the MCAT, and trying to be spouse/parent. Like you, my family was living on a smaller income than we had in the past and it was a situation that was temporary. Due to finances, I was trying to cram my courses in as short of time as possible. It was working (though stressful) until I had a family emergency near the end of last semester. I took a hit on my Org Chem grade and my spouse had to stop working temporarily during the same time as the family emergency. It was a downer dealing with a family problem, scrambling to maintain financial support, and watching my Org Chem grade drop in a month’s time. Not only that, I’ve had to seek additional employment causing me to take a pause from school.
For a moment, I felt like it was just a lost cause and I was chasing an unachievable dream. Now that I’ve had some time to lick my wounds, I’m looking for a way to finish this goal. If I have to, I’ll take my last two classes online despite the risk this presents during the admissions process. I’ll also have limited MCAT prep time but I will still take the best shot I can given my situation. You’re not alone and hang in there.
I think I have come to a conclusion with all of this. Many circumstances have culminated to form this decision: I am going to withdraw from chem but finish out the semester to keep my benefits. I have applied for several jobs that directly relate to what I see myself doing as a physician, namely working with the IHS on a reservation, a local IHS clinic, and a homeless veteran’s clinic.
I plan to spend each semester I am gone from full time school to retake chem, and calc also (got a horrible grade there because I let bad advice from an advisor steer me in the wrong direction), while working full time, then find a school that suits me and my wife well for the return.
This way, I can better secure finances, keep working toward my ultimate goal by serving these communities in healthcare, and provide for my wife while she pursues her degree, not to mention be able to afford badly needed health insurance. What a long road this is turning out to be!! I wish all of the well adept young students around here would wake up and realize what an amazing opportunity they have in life, to attend a nice college with an amazing med school acceptance rate, and go straight into studying to be a physician. Alas, that is not my path, but I will persist.
In my opinion I think in your situation specifically you should take the opportunity you have an make the money that will enable you to pay off all of your debt. Not sure if you have thought about switching majors or completing a degree in anything else besides pre med which will cost you a fortune? I think it will be good to get your debt out of the way an take some time off but also to explore all of your options. Here is a good study that shows the most popular degrees that you might be interested in as well http://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=37. Personally I went into communication and did always have a desire to follow my dreams to med school but I was able to find a career that I was happy with and like your situation, its was an opportunity I could not pass up. If you’re interested, take a look at http://www.degreeincommunications.net and maybe when you decide to come back to school (if you take that offer) then you might find a program that you can afford and that is of interest to you.
Best of luck!
- gabelerman Said:
Don't forget that the adcoms have families, financial obligations, and adult responsibilities as well. They will completely understand and will never hold it against you.
Adcoms look for motivation, commitment and achievement. Its is the applicant's job to take the pieces of your application and show that pattern. To me, it shows motivation and commitment that even after being forced to stop prepping, you were still so motivated to continue when you could afford it.
- gonnif Said:
Thank you for this. I needed to read that.