2021-2022 Low SES Support Thread

[BioPsychotic]

Hello everyone,

I have not seen any threads like this and thought we could go ahead and start one. Applying to medical school as a disadvantaged applicant is a challenging journey, and I think we'd all benefit a lot from supporting each other.

I'll start! I'm working part-time in the PACU while living with family + getting fee assistance, which is the only way I'm able to apply. I'm really interested in getting a dual medicine + public health degree and examining how lack of access to education and health care affects vulnerable communities.

What about everyone else?

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[xDNA]

Low SES + Disadvantaged upbringing. Low MCAT + GPA. Wishing for the best

Working full-time in the NICU, Husband and father of 2 children.
Interested in community outreach and hopefully mentoring future URM Low SES pre-meds to help foster a more diverse physician workforce.

 

[MD-PhD-NonTrad]

Low SES background + First Gen. Did the bootstraps thing and made something of myself academically and professionally in adulthood.

First Gen is very uncommon in MD/PhD (like 9% of matriculants), particularly those who didn’t discover it until later in college such as myself. In undergrad I did mentor ship, tutoring, and application assistance for first Gen and non-trad students. I hope to continue encouraging first-Gen initiatives for MD/PhD students once I *hopefully* matriculate!

 

[Princeton Medical Student]

Surprised this thread isn't bigger

Im not. Barely anyone with parents making less then 100k/year makes it to this point.

 

[star-lily]

I'm currently a bit too burnt out to chime in 😅 I can edit this later.

 

[Blueprint Med School]

I love that this is a thing. If there are questions about how to study or apply or interview on a budget I hope they make their way here because wisdom of a crowd is so valuable.

Good luck guys and gals!


David D MD - USMLE and MCAT Tutor
Med School Tutors

 

[BioPsychotic]

Glad to see everyone sharing their stories!

Resilience is an important component of a career in medicine, and I believe that this is where disadvantaged applicants truly shine. I hope we can make this a space where we support each other in our goals and show the next generation that nothing will hold them back.

I've got my first MD interview next week! I am excited because this school cares deeply about ensuring student success, and many of its research and community outreach initiatives center around ensuring equity in healthcare access.


On an unrelated note, I've got (mostly untouched) Kaplan books available for MCAT prep if you or any other disadvantaged applicant needs them!

 

[Alexxxxx]

Surprised this thread isn't bigger -- being low SES is arguably the most significant obstacle one can face on the path to medicine.

Rooting for you guys.

Agreed!

 

[Alexxxxx]

Im not. Barely anyone with parents making less then 100k/year makes it to this point.

I made it!!!! And I am grateful that I did!

 

[LunaOri]

Former disadvantaged applicant (now attending physician) cheering you all on!

 

[Aspiring MD-PhD]

Im not. Barely anyone with parents making less then 100k/year makes it to this point.

I agree :/
And that's something I hope we can all help change in the future.

I am super proud of everyone here for making it this far and would love to cheer each other on this cycle! <3

 

[Aspiring MD-PhD]

Former disadvantaged applicant (now attending physician) cheering you all on!

That's amazing -- many congrats to you! Do you have any tidbits of advice or just thoughts on the application process in general for disadvantaged applicants that you could share with us?

 

[LunaOri]

Have a few people read over your application. Make use of all the free resources here (like Goro’s guides). Keep close contact with your school’s premed advising office, and take advantage of everything they offer, such as practice interviews and application assistance.
I did it all totally without guidance—but that was a long time ago, when good free resources weren’t available.

 

[Blueprint Med School]

Have a few people read over your application. Make use of all the free resources here (like Goro’s guides). Keep close contact with your school’s premed advising office, and take advantage of everything they offer, such as practice interviews and application assistance.
I did it all totally without guidance—but that was a long time ago, when good free resources weren’t available.

So much this.

There are a lot of latent resources out there that students and applicants don't consider because the whole landscape is so vast and confusing. Free Open Access education like Khan Academy and YouTube really changed the game in making sure almost everyone has access to a baseline level of knowledge.

One other thing that I think students both pre-med and med don't take into consideration enough is how slowly things change in the basic sciences and how much money can be saved by just getting the same resource a year or two older or used. Large scale companies keep putting out new additions of both MCAT and Step study resources every year or so not because anatomy and physiology changed that much or even the test has changed that much but because they know premed and med students have a lot of anxiety and neurosis that cause them to buy new additions every year.

If you've ever listened to Dave Ramsey on buying a car (look for value in a used car a few years old) it translates almost everywhere else in life, including your study materials and that's one place where I remember being lazy and inefficient.

Crowd source, look for value, take advantage of everything your school offers.


David D MD - USMLE and MCAT Tutor
Med School Tutors

 

[Princeton Medical Student]

Honestly financially MCAT resources suck but aren't that awful. I think my total costs for MCAT were:
Kaplan - free 🏴‍☠️
UWorld - 230
Test itself - 130
Altius on sale - 100

Opportunity cost of not working for four months was staggering though.

 

[xDNA]

Honestly financially MCAT resources suck but aren't that awful. I think my total costs for MCAT were:
Kaplan - free 🏴‍☠️
UWorld - 230
Test itself - 130
Altius on sale - 100

Opportunity cost of not working for four months was staggering though.

My first MCAT I used:
Kaplan 2018 bookset (Free)
AAMC material: $130
Khan Academy: Free

Scored poorly, So for my re-take I decided to try BLUEPRINT. I thought maybe I needed more structure.
Second MCAT
AAMC: $130
Blueprint material: $1,600

Although I did have SIGNIFICANT improvement to my mcat score. I cannot say for sure whether it was due to Blueprint or me not juggling so many obligations. Ultimately, I would NOT recommend Blueprint. I think if I had to redo it again I would've used my same study materials and just fixed my study habits.

 

[LunaOri]

I'll second David D's point that you don't need to use brand-new resources to study for the MCAT. Study materials that are a couple of years old will work just fine.

 

[Dogruffle01]

Thought I'm not necessarily advocating for using non-purchased copyrighted material.

I know of some methods to make studying for the MCAT easier financially,

Content Review:
Khan Academy ( Free)
Organic Chemistry Tutor ( Free)
Chad's Prep (Free for physics and chem)
Jack Westin ( Free, Cars)
2018 Kaplan Book ( Not telling you to look, but word on the well-known street is that the pdfs can be found on reddit. Chemistry and Biology hasn't changed in 3 years).
Anki decks ( Useful for psych / soc)


Cost:
AAMC ($130 or free if you get the FAP)
Uworld $230 ( I'm not telling you to do this but.... the $230 version comes with a reset I think, and there would be nothing stopping a friend from "accidentally" resetting your Uworld when your done with all the questions and doing them themselves and paying you half for your inconvenience)

For a minimum cost of $115 or a maximum of $360, this prep is more than enough to get a 515+ if one has 4 months of free time.

 

[Blueprint Med School]

Also a lot of value in passing down materials over time. If you're currently a student see what pre-med groups are around maybe there's a stash of books that could be borrowed. Or if you have any friends who are rising first years, inquire about if they would be willing to pass down one or two of their old resources for a beer or something of the like.

David D MD - USMLE and MCAT Tutor
Med School Tutors

 

[Aspiring MD-PhD]

Thought I'm not necessarily advocating for using non-purchased copyrighted material.

I know of some methods to make studying for the MCAT easier financially,

Content Review:
Khan Academy ( Free)
Organic Chemistry Tutor ( Free)
Chad's Prep (Free for physics and chem)
Jack Westin ( Free, Cars)
2018 Kaplan Book ( Not telling you to look, but word on the well-known street is that the pdfs can be found on reddit. Chemistry and Biology hasn't changed in 3 years).
Anki decks ( Useful for psych / soc)


Cost:
AAMC ($130 or free if you get the FAP)
Uworld $230 ( I'm not telling you to do this but.... the $230 version comes with a reset I think, and there would be nothing stopping a friend from "accidentally" resetting your Uworld when your done with all the questions and doing them themselves and paying you half for your inconvenience)

For a minimum cost of $115 or a maximum of $360, this prep is more than enough to get a 515+ if one has 4 months of free time.

I second most of this! I used Khan Academy (free) + Anki (free) + mix of various free practice tests + AAMC materials (free with FAP), along with UWorld (costs $ but it seemed like a worthwhile investment and I was lucky to be able to afford it -- second the friend idea above if you're able! I think it certainly helped me solidify my understanding, cover areas I was weak on, and get lots of practice, but I don't think it's necessarily essential. Just the AAMC and Khan Academy practice materials alone are a lot!)

Main point I wanted to add is that if you are working/in school full time, it's also very possible to spread your MCAT studying over an extended period of time without taking any time off for full time studying to do well. I think that is a luxury that not everyone is able to take (and perhaps overly promoted on premed forums in my honest opinion to the point that it can be discouraging to those who do not have that privilege...) and by no means necessary to do well. It took a lot of self discipline but it all worked out pretty well for me in the end! Would be most happy to share further advice with fellow low-income students

For now, onto tackling more secondaries for me! Good luck to everyone else on this thread who's currently applying!

 

[Proudfather94]

1st time I took the MCAT I used the rest of my student loans to pay almost 3k for the Kaplan course and books and got a low score

Second time I got Uworld and studied the Kaplan books and got a way better score.

 

[eeehjbai18]

My family makes $35k a year, and while I am fortunate to go to an undergrad that offers a lot of financial assistance, it is frightening to know that most of my pre-med friends come from much wealthier families ($100k+). I'm also an underrepresented minority who lives in a pretty rough neighborhood (occasional shooting, dangerous at night, etc.) Wealthier pre-meds have many experiences and connections with doctors for shadowing that I have no access to because clinics have turned me down due to COVID, so having that direct personal connection with a doctor helps a ton.

Being low SES definitely feels isolating as a premed because we're competing with people who have glistening applications that may or may not have been due to the fact that they could afford to gain access to some of their experiences that made them stand out. There were many summer programs I was interested in - only to find out that successful applicants have to pay for housing themselves. I've only been able to gain clinical experience through volunteering because I can't afford CNA or EMT training courses. I hope clinical volunteering doesn't make me look like a worse applicant in comparison to an applicant who worked in a clinical setting. I'll probably have to take a gap year to acquire more clinical hours since COVID set me back in terms of access to clinical experiences since my hospital halted their volunteer program and I was ghosted by my local hospice center. I'm glad I can relate to you guys though, I don't feel so alone anymore.

 

[LunaOri]

Taking a gap year is a great idea; you can get a clinical job to get more clinical exposure. Plenty of us came from similar backgrounds and did fine in medical school. Do you have non-clinical volunteering? How are your grades? Have you taken the MCAT?

 

[MyOdyssey]

My first MCAT I used:
Kaplan 2018 bookset (Free)
AAMC material: $130
Khan Academy: Free

Scored poorly, So for my re-take I decided to try BLUEPRINT. I thought maybe I needed more structure.
Second MCAT
AAMC: $130
Blueprint material: $1,600

Although I did have SIGNIFICANT improvement to my mcat score. I cannot say for sure whether it was due to Blueprint or me not juggling so many obligations. Ultimately, I would NOT recommend Blueprint. I think if I had to redo it again I would've used my same study materials and just fixed my study habits.

What’s wrong with Blueprint?

 

[xDNA]

What’s wrong with Blueprint?

I think it was overpriced ultimately. I'm someone who prefers some structure, but not for $1,800 for SIX MONTHS. Even though they changed from NextStep, I'm not sure how NS was, but Blueprint qBanks were pretty hit or miss some of the rationales were just flat out wrong, or went against what they claimed the correct answer to be. I came across this issue too often, wasn't every question but i did have several question I had to report to blueprint. I enjoyed their videos a lot though, the videos were comprehensive so they did skip a little information, but they definitely did a great job hitting all the high yield stuff for each subjects and topics within a subject. The videos were much easier to watch than Khan Academy videos. they did a good job making the videos colorful and including quirky animations or whatever it was a little thing but it did make watching the videos a bit more enjoyable. I did have a significant issue with the book set. After each video they have about 5-10 question as a comprehension check, cool. but if you don't do well or are struggling to understand the material within the video, Blueprint tells you to refer to the book. The problem is the book is A LITERAL transcription of the video. You would think that the videos are a bit more comprehensive and if they tell you to refer to the book on things you don't understand, that the book would be a bit more in-depth and offer more. Nope, not at all, word for word transcription of the video essentially. If I didn't understand the material in the video idk why they thought "Maybe they'll understand if they read it.". It was often better for me to use outside sources to understand the material, these often came in the free form of Khan Academy or Youtube. If I'm paying THAT much for a prep course I expect my learning to be all inclusive, I don't really think I should have to rely on outside sources to get understanding.

 

[Dobermann]

Did anyone else get acceptances on Oct. 15, yet still feels completely stressed out? I want to celebrate and be grateful, but I can’t because there is still so much uncertainty without any financial aid information available yet. My nightmare scenario is that despite getting the A, I will wind up unable to attend due to financial limitations. All of my high-SES friends are relaxed and celebrating, but I feel just as worried as before getting accepted.

 

[Proudfather94]

Did anyone else get acceptances on Oct. 15, yet still feels completely stressed out? I want to celebrate and be grateful, but I can’t because there is still so much uncertainty without any financial aid information available yet. My nightmare scenario is that despite getting the A, I will wind up unable to attend due to financial limitations. All of my high-SES friends are relaxed and celebrating, but I feel just as worried as before getting accepted.

I really want to quit my stressful job and do something like instacart or door dash but I'm nervous that I won't make enough money. I know if I quit this job right before I start medical school I'll be stressed from it still and that will increase my chances of flunking out.

 

[star-lily]

Did anyone else get acceptances on Oct. 15, yet still feels completely stressed out? I want to celebrate and be grateful, but I can’t because there is still so much uncertainty without any financial aid information available yet. My nightmare scenario is that despite getting the A, I will wind up unable to attend due to financial limitations. All of my high-SES friends are relaxed and celebrating, but I feel just as worried as before getting accepted.

Still waiting on decisions, but I feel you... I'm worried about just falling short of an A at all the places I interview that are actually able to offer good financial aid.

 

[lostmed]

I really want to quit my stressful job and do something like instacart or door dash but I'm nervous that I won't make enough money. I know if I quit this job right before I start medical school I'll be stressed from it still and that will increase my chances of flunking out.

We are the same person. I am two seconds from quitting but also cannot afford to be broke.

 

[deleted1004199]

Hi all, I love the idea of this thread. I'm a first-gen, low SES applicant myself.

I have a question about being SES Disadvantage on my AMCAS. I automatically assumed that because my parents had less than high school education and <$25,000 income that I'd be considered SES Disadvantaged. However my AMCAS says 'Unknown' and they said that this is due to my dad being deceased and my parent's jobs listed as "Other" (because they were factory laborers).

Does this have any impact on how my application is viewed? I ask because I submitted a bit later (Sept-Oct) and I'm ORM so I don't know if my app will ever be reviewed. I self-reported myself as disadvantaged and am listed as first-gen though.

 

[fingerscrossed1085]

Low SES applicant myself who has supported himself for as long as I can remember. I got my first acceptance and I am beyond grateful for the opportunity! I think now I'm just worried about paying for medical school but I know loans will be the necessary move for me! Just upsetting that we have to include our parents income if they no longer support us. Wishing the best for everyone here!

 

[Proudfather94]

We are the same person. I am two seconds from quitting but also cannot afford to be broke.

I'm going to stay for the holiday pay and then run after new years. I'll do doordash and other things like that until I get in.

 

[lostmed]

I'm going to stay for the holiday pay and then run after new years. I'll do doordash and other things like that until I get in.

I may have to do something similar because I am so miserable right now.

 

[MyOdyssey]

Low SES applicant myself who has supported himself for as long as I can remember. I got my first acceptance and I am beyond grateful for the opportunity! I think now I'm just worried about paying for medical school but I know loans will be the necessary move for me! Just upsetting that we have to include our parents income if they no longer support us. Wishing the best for everyone here!

What if your parents refuse to submit financial disclosures like tax returns? What happens to your financial aid?

 

[fingerscrossed1085]

What if your parents refuse to submit financial disclosures like tax returns? What happens to your financial aid?

Good question! I’m honestly going to have to talk to someone in financial aid and get some honest answers hopefully

 

[Proudfather94]

I may have to do something similar because I am so miserable right now.

If you got in and you're waiting to start I would. Nothing would be worse than starting medical school at maximum stress levels because you just quit a job you hate, only to be stressed more with studying. Don't ruin your career over a job.

 

[Proudfather94]

What if your parents refuse to submit financial disclosures like tax returns? What happens to your financial aid?

Why won't they submit it? This is your future you are talking about, they're not willing to do one simple thing to help you get the career of your dreams? How close are you with your parents? You can try to fill out an estrangement form to get around it.

 

[Dogruffle01]

What if your parents refuse to submit financial disclosures like tax returns? What happens to your financial aid?

Have the same problem with my mother. Yale said if you can disclose non custodial or estrangement forms then they’ll only look at one parent. This seems like the trend at most schools, although there needs to be hard legit prove because, sadly, anyone’s parents could say “ I’m not giving up my taxes” just to avoid the parent contribution.

 

[Dogruffle01]

Why won't they submit it? This is your future you are talking about, they're not willing to do one simple thing to help you get the career of your dreams? How close are you with your parents? You can try to fill out an estrangement form to get around it.

That’s how it be sometimes my man. Some parents aren’t helpful no matter how successful their kid is.

 

[Proudfather94]

That’s how it be sometimes my man. Some parents aren’t helpful no matter how successful their kid is.

Yeah and then they expect you to help them out when they're older and you're established in your career. I guess the only way to move forward in this case is to tell the parent something like "I need this to get into medical school, and the only way I can get around it is by filling out an estrangement form. If I fill this out I am an honest person and will have to abide with the fact that we will be estranged. I hope you make the right choice but I am ready to do what I have to do to secure my future career and life".

 

[fingerscrossed1085]

Yeah and then they expect you to help them out when they're older and you're established in your career. I guess the only way to move forward in this case is to tell the parent something like "I need this to get into medical school, and the only way I can get around it is by filling out an estrangement form. If I fill this out I am an honest person and will have to abide with the fact that we will be estranged. I hope you make the right choice but I am ready to do what I have to do to secure my future career and life".

Probably will have to do this with my Dad sadly. I guess sometimes you just have to make that difficult choice to do what is best for your future.

 

[lostmed]

If you got in and you're waiting to start I would. Nothing would be worse than starting medical school at maximum stress levels because you just quit a job you hate, only to be stressed more with studying. Don't ruin your career over a job.

This is really true. I keep telling myself this is not my career but a job. I just needed to hear it. Thank you!

 

[Morningnight]

Hey y'all, late to the party, but just wanted to say that I'm here if anyone wants to chat and hoping that we can support each other throughout this process!

Though I was fortunate to receive some acceptances over the weekend, I'm also really struggling to celebrate this. I can't help but replay trying to navigate financial aid in undergrad all over again. Long story short, I wasn't eligible for financial aid at most of my undergrad offers since I was unable to provide financial information for one parent (my mom's been raising me by herself for as long as I can remember). Luckily one of my undergrad offers did not require both parents' financial info to receive scholarships and aid. I'm already starting to take a look at financial aid applications for the schools I received acceptances at, and my top choices at the moment are asking for both parents' info in order to be eligible for need-based aid.

 

[Dobermann]

Hey y'all, late to the party, but just wanted to say that I'm here if anyone wants to chat and hoping that we can support each other throughout this process!

Though I was fortunate to receive some acceptances over the weekend, I'm also really struggling to celebrate this. I can't help but replay trying to navigate financial aid in undergrad all over again. Long story short, I wasn't eligible for financial aid at most of my undergrad offers since I was unable to provide financial information for one parent (my mom's been raising me by herself for as long as I can remember). Luckily one of my undergrad offers did not require both parents' financial info to receive scholarships and aid. I'm already starting to take a look at financial aid applications for the schools I received acceptances at, and my top choices at the moment are asking for both parents' info in order to be eligible for need-based aid.

Congratulations on your acceptances! Unfortunately, I know how stressful it is to have the financial aid question hanging over your head. I'm in a similar situation to you. I filled out my FAFSA a few weeks ago, and I didn't provide parental financial aid information because both of my parents are deceased. In undergrad, I was able to input this information in the "dependency questions" portion of the FAFSA. Since medical students are automatically considered independent, they questions aren't available for me anymore. I spent 4 hours talking to FAFSA about it before they told me to just answer "No" to the question about whether I want to answer questions about my parents. Now, medical schools are telling me I must answer "Yes" to this question to be considered for any financial aid. So now I'm trying to correct my FAFSA, but it won't let me submit without answering certain questions about my parents that I cannot answer, because they're dead. It's so incredibly frustrating. I just spent $90 ordering copies of their death certificates from the state just so I can prove to schools that I'm an orphan. And I have no idea whether I'll end up being considered for any aid whatsoever.

 

[Morningnight]

So now I'm trying to correct my FAFSA, but it won't let me submit without answering certain questions about my parents that I cannot answer, because they're dead. It's so incredibly frustrating. I just spent $90 ordering copies of their death certificates from the state just so I can prove to schools that I'm an orphan.

I absolutely cannot believe this is something you actually have to prove. I'm sorry you had to go through all those extra steps. I'm in the odd position where I haven't been in contact with my father for over 20 years since my mom and I immigrated to the US, and no one in the family knows where to even begin to find out where he is.

I don't know how need-based financial aid will ultimately work at the schools we end up attending, but I hope we will have an opportunity to speak with the financial aid team and explain our situations.

 

[Dobermann]

I absolutely cannot believe this is something you actually have to prove. I'm sorry you had to go through all those extra steps. I'm in the odd position where I haven't been in contact with my father for over 20 years since my mom and I immigrated to the US, and no one in the family knows where to even begin to find out where he is.

I don't know how need-based financial aid will ultimately work at the schools we end up attending, but I hope we will have an opportunity to speak with the financial aid team and explain our situations.

Thank you for your kind words! It's been pretty emotionally exhausting. Back in the summer in order to fill out AMCAS, I couldn't list my parents unless I also listed where they attended high school, but I had no way of finding out this information. I ended up spending hours of internet searching and paying money to some random ancestry and yearbooks websites to find out where my parents graduated from. I don't understand why this process doesn't have simple "Not applicable" options for students with deceased or absentee parents. It's not a rare phenomenon!

FWIW in your situation, I think as long as you have one parent's information, they will evaluate you. I have a friend with an absentee father in the U.S. and she was able to apply for and receive financial aid using only her mother's information!

 

[ikauga]

first gen, low-income(<25000), (urm at some schools) MD-PhD applicant here joining the party!
glad to see everyone supporting each other, it feels really isolating when compared to peers tbh.

 

[Dobermann]

first gen, low-income(<25000), (urm at some schools) MD-PhD applicant here joining the party!
glad to see everyone supporting each other, it feels really isolating when compared to peers tbh.

Welcome to the fam!

 

[Rez_nov]

I'm super late to the thread but super glad that something like this exists. The process can be a little alienating tbh. So how are you guys doing? Does anyone know which schools tend to give out scholarships/match need-based aid? I would ask some of the upperclassmen and they would all say that even normal aid consists mainly of loans. Do loans accrue interest even while in school? Or are they like student loans that are subsidized and I don't have to worry about the interest until after graduating?

 

[Dogruffle01]

I'm super late to the thread but super glad that something like this exists. The process can be a little alienating tbh. So how are you guys doing? Does anyone know which schools tend to give out scholarships/match need-based aid? I would ask some of the upperclassmen and they would all say that even normal aid consists mainly of loans. Do loans accrue interest even while in school? Or are they like student loans that are subsidized and I don't have to worry about the interest until after graduating?

• Penn full need aid / scholarships
• Columbia full need aid
• Stanford full need aid
• Yale 15k unit loan
• UChicago full need aid
• Harvard full need aid
• Wash U 1/2 need aid / full tuition scholarships
• Michigan decent aid / scholarship
• NorthWestern full need aid
• Vanderbilt pretty good aid / full tuition scholarships
• NYU Free
• Cornell full need aid
• Emory Ok aid
• Mt. Sinai 15k unit loan
• Pittsburg decent loan
• Mayo full need based aid