How Can You Pay For Med School Apps & INTERVIEWS?

WayOutWestMom
Fri, 10 Jun 2011 12:23:37 +0000

If you are a glutton for data, try looking at the various statistics published by AMCAS regarding applicants and matriculants to get some ideas of the quantity and quality of applicants and acceptees.

https://www.aamc.org/data/facts/applicantmatriculant/

Yeppers, $250-300K in loans is not uncommon. Sobering–and one of the many reasons why we have a national shortage of primary care docs.

In preparation for my older D to start med school next month, I met with a financial planner, a broker, my lawyer and my accountant --they ALL had horror stories about clients who are well into their 40’s, 50’s and 60’s who are still paying off medical school loans. I’m grateful that D1 is likely to get out of med school with under $70K in debt.

The reason why UCONN states a preference for in-state candidates is the state subsidized the cost of a medical education via its tax dollars. (The COA difference between a state med school and a private med school can be as much as $40,000+/year.)

Last year (2010) there were 580,304 applications submitted by 42,735 applicants for just over 18,000 MS1 slots.

Merit winners? See kristin comments about her fellow applicants in post #4.

http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/pre-med-topics/1156880-hook-required.html

EDIT–I forgot to mention that some schools just don’t have the finances/funding to be able to offer much merit. At our state med school, the highest merit award is around $5000. Not that much compared to the $43,000/year COA but better than a poke in the eye…