Which would you choose?

[OzzyIV]

I have been accepted to 2 different programs and I am having trouble deciding which to accept. I have four children (ages 8 mos to 13) to support and my wife stays home to take care of the children.

1. Med School - I have been accepted to a med school in the midwest that I would have to obviously take student loans out for and would have about $300K in debt upon graduation

2. Post-Bacc program - I have been accepted to a post-bacc program at USUHS which, if I maintain a B average would accept me into their med school program the following year. This would pay me about $75K a year as well as tuition free. I am prior service (Marine Corps) so I am well aware of what the military is all about including deployments and time away from family.

Do I take the sure thing and deal with the loans or do I take the 5 yr program with no loans and a steady paycheck?

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[Gastrapathy]

Some random thoughts in no particular order:
MD or DO school? Does this matter to you based on specialty interest? (I'm not trying to get into an MD or DO debate, but there is no question that competitive allopathic residencies are harder for DOs to snag).

You also need to think about the cost of the lost year of income that making med school 5 years takes away.

Its not 4 years of poverty, its more like 7-10 so the 13 year old will be impacted the most.

What about HPSP? At least then you'll be paid well as a resident, plus you can get a pension more quickly with your prior service (and if its a DO school, this really overcomes the anti-DO bias).

Any chance USUHS will bring you in off their waitlist?

When you factor in the loans you'll have to take for the post-bacc year and the lost year of earning, is USUHS really a good deal?

Oh, and I think cross-posting is annoying.

 

[OzzyIV]

It's a MD school; I was not accepted into the HPSP program (I did apply) and it doesn't pay nearly enough to support a family; military residencies pay more than than civilian

The post-bacc was offered in lieu of an outright denial and I won't need to take any loans for the post-bacc year.

 

[Jet915]

Go to the MD school and do a 3 year HPSP. Unless, you are the single earner in the family or are sure you want to do 20 years in the military. The postbacc is not always a sure thing while an exceptance to an MD school is.

 

[NavyFP]

It's a MD school; I was not accepted into the HPSP program (I did apply) and it doesn't pay nearly enough to support a family; military residencies pay more than than civilian

The post-bacc was offered in lieu of an outright denial and I won't need to take any loans for the post-bacc year.

I find it troubling that you were not accepted into HPSP. Prior service, acceptance to an allopathic school all should equal an easy entry into (Navy at least) HPSP. Any clue as to why they said no?

 

[glamqueen]

I find it troubling that you were not accepted into HPSP. Prior service, acceptance to an allopathic school all should equal an easy entry into (Navy at least) HPSP. Any clue as to why they said no?

Did you just apply too late for HPSP for the four-year? If so, definitely consider a three-year. If it was an outright rejection - I agree - this would surprise me, because I know of a few people with fairly low stats at less competitive osteopathic schools (no offense to anyone meant here - the few people I am referring to even described their elation in being accepted due to their stats) that were accepted, but I think they applied fairly early on in the year. The paperwork can take a very long time, and this is actually why a friend of mine ended up with a three-year instead of a four-year scholarship.

Also, have you considered all three branches? The Army is the easiest to snag a scholarship, because I believe they have the most to hand out while Navy and AF have less (AF has the least from my understanding).

Good luck, and I would definitely take the MD acceptance.

Oh, and for what it is worth, if you aren't living in a pricey area or lifestyle, you really can live off the stipend. I have a friend with a wife and a child who is doing just that, and they live in a very very nice apartment complex still. You just have to live pretty simple from what he told me.

 

[Perrotfish]

It's a MD school; I was not accepted into the HPSP program (I did apply) and it doesn't pay nearly enough to support a family; military residencies pay more than than civilian

The post-bacc was offered in lieu of an outright denial and I won't need to take any loans for the post-bacc year.

Did you apply to all 3 HPSP programs? If not, is it too late to apply to the other 2?

Two of my friends in medical school are supporting a family mostly on an HPSP scholarship: one with 4 children and one with 6. Both take out private loans to help with living expenses. It's rough but definitely doable.

Anyway, my instinct is not to sign up for any program that 'may' get you into medical school if you already have an acceptance in hand.