Is poverty holding anyone back?

[dreamadream]

I come on here to vent occasionally because there is always a rock in the road when it comes to my life. I was born in poverty and I still am in poverty. I cannot afford to go back and forth to a job so I am out of a job. I need a job to pay for college application fees for transfer students(I'm applying in January so I need money ASAP). I feel like I was doomed from the beginning of time because I'm another statistic. If anyone have any experiences with poverty and are pre-allo, please tell me your story, there is no good or bad ending.

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[NickNaylor]

I come on here to vent occasionally because there is always a rock in the road when it comes to my life. I was born in poverty and I still am in poverty. I cannot afford to go back and forth to a job so I am out of a job. I need a job to pay for college application fees for transfer students(I'm applying in January so I need money ASAP). I feel like I was doomed from the beginning of time because I'm another statistic. If anyone have any experiences with poverty and are pre-allo, please tell me your story, there is no good or bad ending.

What do you mean you can't "afford to go back and forth to a job?" Is the cost of transportation going to be a significant amount of the total wages you would earn at said job? How about getting a work-study job on campus? Or any kind of job on campus?

I'm sure there are many people with stories like yours, but I'm guessing the thing that differentiates those that succeed from those that don't is a willingness and ability to succeed in spite of any disadvantages they have. In your case, I would suggest doing away with the defeatist attitude as a start, otherwise you will very likely end up as "another statistic." You will never muster the motivation needed to do well in school, get into medical school, and persevere through medical training if you think you're "doomed from the beginning of time."

 

[Dohnut]

Yes, yours truly here. I was born & raised in poverty, moved to the States in high school, continued to be in poverty until I became a licensed pharmacist, then paid all my student debt of 8 years off in a year then bought my own house in just another year, all thanks to the state-subsidized tuition rate of the Great State of Texas. Texas is where the American Dream is still alive. Back in college yeah poverty could very well hold me back, but now I can afford medical school all on my own.

Lastly, please let me suggest to you that signing up for the military is one of the best ways out. Risky? Of course. Life is all about taking smart risks.


Edit: I prefer the DO route so I don't really consider myself pre-allo like the OP does, although I've had a couple more allo II's than osteo II's so far. But that's irrelevant in this thread.

 

[dreamadream]

What do you mean you can't "afford to go back and forth to a job?" Is the cost of transportation going to be a significant amount of the total wages you would earn at said job? How about getting a work-study job on campus? Or any kind of job on campus?

I'm sure there are many people with stories like yours, but I'm guessing the thing that differentiates those that succeed from those that don't is a willingness and ability to succeed in spite of any disadvantages they have. In your case, I would suggest doing away with the defeatist attitude as a start, otherwise you will very likely end up as "another statistic." You will never muster the motivation needed to do well in school, get into medical school, and persevere through medical training if you think you're "doomed from the beginning of time."

It will take me $30 a day coating me $150 a week including the $20 that it cost me to get back and forth to school to school 3 days a week, plus taxes being taken out. My paycheck would have exceeded my transportation expenses.

 

[NickNaylor]

It will take me $30 a day coating me $150 a week including the $20 that it cost me to get back and forth to school to school 3 days a week, plus taxes being taken out. My paycheck would have exceeded my transportation expenses.

The only jobs available are those that require $30/day in transportation costs?

 

[Doudline]

What do you mean you can't "afford to go back and forth to a job?" Is the cost of transportation going to be a significant amount of the total wages you would earn at said job? How about getting a work-study job on campus? Or any kind of job on campus?

I'm sure there are many people with stories like yours, but I'm guessing the thing that differentiates those that succeed from those that don't is a willingness and ability to succeed in spite of any disadvantages they have. In your case, I would suggest doing away with the defeatist attitude as a start, otherwise you will very likely end up as "another statistic." You will never muster the motivation needed to do well in school, get into medical school, and persevere through medical training if you think you're "doomed from the beginning of time."

 

[ciestar]

Okay, seriously now. Pay for school with loans. You'll be in debt sure, but you'll have an education. Dont let "being in poverty" as a reason to go nowhere in life or use it as an excuse to give up. If you need a break to sort things out, then do it.

 

[ZedsDed]

I cannot afford to go back and forth to a job so I am out of a job.

What do you mean exactly? You can't afford the gas to make the trip? Do you even have a car? Is public transportation not available?

 

[dreamadream]

What do you mean exactly? You can't afford the gas to make the trip? Do you even have a car? Is public transportation not available?

Don't have a car, I have to take cabs.

 

[ZedsDed]

Don't have a car, I have to take cabs.

That is an easy way to use up all of your rent money. Public transportation is not available?

 

[ZedsDed]

i was in the same situation once man, dude if u want real answers, talk to me, smh at how condescending ppl can be...

Ya know, when I was living in extreme poverty I would've loved a few more real solutions and a few less "pats on the back." Well-wishes are easy to give.

 

[thatwouldbeanarchy]

I love how so many people on this site seem to think that real structural barriers like poverty can be overcome simply by having a positive attitude. Oh, the myth of the meritocracy. The reality is that plenty of smart, capable people who want to become doctors don't make it. You don't have to be one of those people. With that said, OP, it does kind of sound like you've already given up. It sounds like you truly have been dealt a ****ty hand but if you don't give it a shot, you'll always wonder. My advice is to set small, attainable goals for yourself and forget about the big picture for a moment. For example, you might make your first priority finding a job anywhere that you can--preferably a place that's on a bus line or within walking/biking (cheap Craigslist bike, perhaps?) distance of where you live so you can stop spending so much money on cabs. Once you've found a job, you can start setting small amounts of money aside for tuition. I know that taking out loans is scary and frustrating--especially when you know that at the present time, you can't afford to pay them back. But it's virtually impossible to become a doctor without accruing some debt. It sucks; but it may help you get where you want to be.

Don't worry about clinical experience right now--you're SUPER young and it may not seem like it, but you have plenty of time to figure that out. For now, focus on the smaller stuff like earning some money so you can afford to get your bachelor's. You can do this, OP. It may take a while but it's not a race!

 

[ruedjgtc]

Since the OP asked for stories:

Grew up obscenely poor, welfare/section 8 kid, randomly homeless in college. In high school my mom got married to my stepfather, his income alone made me ineligible for financial aid out of high school — even though my parents and I fell out at the time, they made enough that the family contribution was expected to be nearly 100%. In actuality, they were working hard just to keep afloat themselves, so I never held it against them. Anyways, it was a catch-22, because there was 0 family contribution and 0 financial aid, so until I could fill while independent I paid out of pocket for college by working multiple jobs and stayed completely independent financially. That is not to say that I didn't rack up a lot of debt, even with working I had to cover some tuition and books/supplies with credit card debt. Interestingly, even applying to medical school I was denied from financial assistance because they consider parental income regardless of independence status. It sucked, but things do get better. Time is money, in the sense that it might take you longer to get to the same endpoint than if you had more money and given the same effort. I imagine, like a lot of other people, I didn't grow up with paid academic services: tutors, no MCAT tutors/courses, and things worked out fine. However, I do think poverty is a "meat grinder" and it's silly to assume that just because a few pieces of meat make it throw unscathed that the meat grinder isn't doing its job — i.e. it's ridiculous to assume being and staying in poverty is always a personal failure. Poverty is a viscous cycle, it gives people less options. The options left over are usually pretty bad e.g. having to choose paying for school or rent, or almost predatory in nature (e.g. payday loans, furniture rental, arguably Black Friday, etc). There's a lot of pitfalls to avoid, but you're young and have a lot of opportunity ahead of you.

But there's only one way to success, and with few notable exceptions, no one is going to do the work for you. I won't blow smoke up your butt and say life is fair, or that we live in a meritocracy. I'll just say there's still 9 more holes of golf to go, you have a handicap added to your score, but if you play your butt off you can still do just fine.

People do make it out. Feel free to PM me.