<p>curm is much more knowledgeable about this than me. I think I first learned about the unit loan and a link to a web page showing this number from him. But I remember the $100K+ number mostly because of our own experience.</p>
<p>As a parent, I am also concerned about the stress level that DS has to be under on a regular basis. Just recently, I heard he needed to go through a grueling 15 hours day plus a couple of hours of commute to and from another city. What is more demanding is that the hours are sometimes at night and the sleep pattern is disrupted by these “grave yard shifts.” He even has not been in the more demanding residency years yet. A good question to ask is: Is there any med school/residency program that is somewhat “easier”? I once heard that UTMB in Texas and UCLA in California are rumored to the “happier” ones. A physician (who were trained at two places in Manhattan area as a resident and as a med school student when he was young) also told DS at one time that the teaching hospital associated with NYU (or NYU as a med school? not sure here) is also a “happier” one. Somehow I “feel” that U. of Chicago could be a happier one than, say, NW (the evidence: their respective STEP-1 scores and their school’s mission. The school’s average STEP-1 score may be the “miserable index” of the school. LOL. But the preclinical years are not very important as they are generally not very stressful. ) Well…I have side-tracked.</p>