Cheapest Med Schools For Oos

[3dee]

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HI! I was wondering what the cheapest DO schools were for Out-of-State applicants! I am from Texas.

 

[Boner]

HI! I was wondering what the cheapest DO schools were for Out-of-State applicants! I am from Texas.

LECOM (both of them) and TCOM are both $26K per year. If you are from Texas, though, I wouldn't worry about OOS applications. You're lucky to be a resident of a state with multiple state medical schools which are dirt cheap for in-state students.

 

[scpod]

...I wouldn't worry about OOS applications. You're lucky to be a resident of a state with multiple state medical schools which are dirt cheap for in-state students.

Yes, except that...not only is it hard for OOS sudents to get into TX schools, it can be hard for in-state Texans as well. I have several friends in my class from TX who couldn't get into Texas schools and ended up here. Keep in mind that TCOM's average MCAT is about the same as all the MD schools in the state, so they can routinely turn away applicants with a 28 MCAT if they don't like them.

 

[rub1003]

that would be umdnj-som. takes like two weeks to become an nj resident, then you get in state tuition. good deal, i would say. =) though there's only around a hundred spots, so it gets competitive.

 

[Fermata]

that would be umdnj-som. takes like two weeks to become an nj resident, then you get in state tuition. good deal, i would say. =) though there's only around a hundred spots, so it gets competitive.

Agreed.

 

[DrVanNostran]

Agreed.

How is UMDNJ as a school, I have heard mixed things? I know it is a big name, but overall?

 

[Fermata]

How is UMDNJ as a school, I have heard mixed things? I know it is a big name, but overall?

I wish I could tell you but I never heard back from them after they took my secondary fee.

 

[anthroguy]

UMDNJ-SOM is the NJ state medical school that represents South Jersey and is 20 minutes from Philadelphia. The school is small in size, but gets a lot of research dollars. It also has an affiliated hospital right next door and students rotate through a network of hospitals in South Jersey and I believe there is an option to rotate through hospitals in North Jersey now as well. The school is well established and well respected and in my belief one of the most competitve osteo schools. The only downside I see that may not apply to you is that a large number of grads go into primary care, though that could have been their intentions and I remember the class last year or year before actually had 3 people out of a class <100 go into ortho.

 

[JasonUD]

Don't worry about price...go to the best medical school you get into. There's little difference between $250,000 in student loans and $300,000 in student loans when you graduate. When we're doctors they'll pay us enough to pay those bad boys down.

 

[MedStudentWanna]

Don't worry about price...go to the best medical school you get into. There's little difference between $250,000 in student loans and $300,000 in student loans when you graduate. When we're doctors they'll pay us enough to pay those bad boys down.

Have you ever been in debt? There actually is quite a bit of difference between $250,000 and $300,000. And not all doctors make enough to "pay those bad boys down" right away. Why would you want to start your professional life that deep in the hole when there are schools out there that allow you to graduate with only $100,000 in debt? I've found most often, the people who say don't worry about money (a) are heirs or heiresses and/or (b) have never had to balance their own checkbook.

 

[kimberli2002]

...I've found most often, the people who say don't worry about money (a) are heirs or heiresses and/or (b) have never had to balance their own checkbook.

Salty

 

[JasonUD]

Have you ever been in debt? There actually is quite a bit of difference between $250,000 and $300,000. And not all doctors make enough to "pay those bad boys down" right away. Why would you want to start your professional life that deep in the hole when there are schools out there that allow you to graduate with only $100,000 in debt? I've found most often, the people who say don't worry about money (a) are heirs or heiresses and/or (b) have never had to balance their own checkbook.

Because when it comes down to it, you want the best education possible since you will be making life and death decisions everyday. Its not worth going someplace that will give you a lesser education to save a buck. You want to be a doctor, then start acting like it and stop trying to make yourself sound pompous on a premed internet forum.

 

[spicedmanna]

Have you ever been in debt? There actually is quite a bit of difference between $250,000 and $300,000. And not all doctors make enough to "pay those bad boys down" right away. Why would you want to start your professional life that deep in the hole when there are schools out there that allow you to graduate with only $100,000 in debt? I've found most often, the people who say don't worry about money (a) are heirs or heiresses and/or (b) have never had to balance their own checkbook.

I would argue that worry is quite different than consideration. Worry implies a certain element of unhealthy, negative obsession with an imaginary picture of the future, or the perceived outcome of a given choice. It is rooted in fear. I think that one is served by considering the apparent cost of attendence as a factor in choosing a school to attend, but it should, in my opinion, be but one in a host of many. Unless lions are actually chasing you at this moment looking to have you for dinner, fear thoughts are mostly the result of imaginary consequences; they have a tendency to take you away from the moment. Thus, obsession over an imaginary future cost of cost can detract from the process of making a well thought out, more fulfilling choice, one that honors all of the elements that are important to a student, by inserting itself into the forefront. By allowing this domination, you give the fear of debt tremendous power over you and your life. I remember a line from Dune, "fear is the mind killer." One should not react to fear, but respond to it. The experience of attending a medical school is much more than taking out a loan to pay it's tuition. I suppose some of my argument rests on how much value, or stock, one puts on that experience.

To me, the value of the quality of the experience, or the ride, is rather high. Nevertheless, I am aware that we all have different priorities in life. I have had debt before, and in the past, it hasn't been an entirely enjoyable experience to say the least. However, I'm not going to choose based soley on the fear of it. That was then, this is now. I plan on considering cost when making choices, where it is indicated, but do not plan on allowing it to be the master of me.

 

[Lamborghini1315]

Don't worry about price...go to the best medical school you get into. There's little difference between $250,000 in student loans and $300,000 in student loans when you graduate. When we're doctors they'll pay us enough to pay those bad boys down.

I have to flat out disagree with your point, there's a tremendous difference between 250 and 300. First, it's not just the prinicpal amount you will be paying back, there's an interest which will put that 300 figure into a whole different ball park. My point is if you can avoid lets say 10-15 grand by going to a cheaper school..you will be saving a lot in the long run. Also do account the expenses that one has to put up with when living in a place like philly, long island or las vegas even. If you have a choice then go to a school that's right for you financially and academically, in today's world financial security and responsibility go hand in hand. If you dont understand the magnitude of burden one might be under when they graduate from medical school then you are clearly in denial. Loans get you through school after that you are all by yourself. In your quote of "when we are doctors" I am assuming you were refering to post residency. Listen man by then a 300 thousand debt will be even larger..a lot of people would tell you that it's stupid to wait that long to pay off your loans, esp if you intend to have a family, blah blah

 

[Lamborghini1315]

I would argue that worry is quite different than consideration. Worry implies a certain element of unhealthy, negative obsession with an imaginary picture of the future, or the perceived outcome of a given choice. It is rooted in fear. I think that one is served by considering the apparent cost of attendence as a factor in choosing a school to attend, but it should, in my opinion, be but one in a host of many. Unless lions are actually chasing you at this moment looking to have you for dinner, fear thoughts are mostly the result of imaginary consequences; they have a tendency to take you away from the moment. Thus, obsession over an imaginary future cost of cost can detract from the process of making a well thought out, more fulfilling choice, one that honors all of the elements that are important to a student, by inserting itself into the forefront. By allowing this domination, you give the fear of debt tremendous power over you and your life. I remember a line from Dune, "fear is the mind killer." One should not react to fear, but respond to it. The experience of attending a medical school is much more than taking out a loan to pay it's tuition. I suppose some of my argument rests on how much value, or stock, one puts on that experience.

To me, the value of the quality of the experience, or the ride, is rather high. Nevertheless, I am aware that we all have different priorities in life. I have had debt before, and in the past, it hasn't been an entirely enjoyable experience to say the least. However, I'm not going to choose based soley on the fear of it. That was then, this is now. I plan on considering cost when making choices, where it is indicated, but do not plan on allowing it to be the master of me.

I understand what you are saying, but it would be like saying I absolutely love a lamborghini and rather drive that over a civic let's say to reach my destination. But too bad i cant afford a lamb, should i go out of my way to get a lamb just to enjoy the ride to my destination? All I am saying is dont go to a school that is not gonna get the job done, if you think there are 2 schools A and B which can do the job..it would make sense to choose the cheaper school. It's your money..spend it wisely!

 

[spicedmanna]

I understand what you are saying, but it would be like saying I absolutely love a lamborghini and rather drive that over a civic let's say to reach my destination. But too bad i cant afford a lamb, should i go out of my way to get a lamb just to enjoy the ride to my destination? All I am saying is dont go to a school that is not gonna get the job done, if you think there are 2 schools A and B which can do the job..it would make sense to choose the cheaper school. It's your money..spend it wisely!

Well, I would tend to agree with you, if there is a difference in price between schools that is analogous to the disparity between a Lamborghini and Civic. However, it's hard to put a hard and fast rule on this kind of choice. Let's say you need to choose between a $181,000 Ferrari Testarossa and a Lamborghini Diablo at $229,900. It would be a little bit of a harder choice for me at that point, because the disparity is smaller. The price may not be the limiting factor in that case.

On the other hand, I completely agree that spending money well is definitely wise! That's one of the things I meant by considering the costs carefully.

 

[MedStudentWanna]

Because when it comes down to it, you want the best education possible since you will be making life and death decisions everyday. Its not worth going someplace that will give you a lesser education to save a buck. You want to be a doctor, then start acting like it and stop trying to make yourself sound pompous on a premed internet forum.

That's rich, coming from someone who isn't mature enough to realize the difference in debt between 250,000 dollars and 300,000. If you're going to a U.S. med school, you WILL get a quality education. Otherwise, you won't even practice medicine because you won't pass the boards. So again, when someone asks for tuition figures and they're greeted with replies like "it doesn't matter", it proves the poster who replied doesn't understand the OP DOES think it matter. That's probably the OP has actually been through debt and knows what a huge burden it can cause.

 

[JasonUD]

That's rich, coming from someone who isn't mature enough to realize the difference in debt between 250,000 dollars and 300,000. If you're going to a U.S. med school, you WILL get a quality education. Otherwise, you won't even practice medicine because you won't pass the boards. So again, when someone asks for tuition figures and they're greeted with replies like "it doesn't matter", it proves the poster who replied doesn't understand the OP DOES think it matter. That's probably the OP has actually been through debt and knows what a huge burden it can cause.

What are you, 19?

If you get into Harvard for $40k+ a year and you get into Beaver County Med for $14k a year you go to Harvard. Harvard will give you a better education.

During medical school my fellow NYCOMers survive on around $20k a year in one of the most expensive areas of the country. First year as an attending in this area you can guarantee yourself $150,000. Now, that's a big $130,000 difference (not counting taxes). Some one can double or triple what they're living on during med school and pay off the loans within a few years if you're disciplined enough. Then, a few years later, you have a Harvard education and your loans are paid off and you can start living how you want. That's why I say it doesn't matter how much a school costs. So long as someone is disciplined enough to live frugally for their first few year after residency (which most likely we will be since we endured the enormous task of getting there) you can cut out a massive chunk of those loans if not pay them completely off.

If you disagree with me that's fine, but stop adding to the ridiculous circus that this message board is turning into by making attacks against people who have a different opinion or life style than yours. Now please excuse me, I have to tip my gardener, have my house keeper balance my check book and meet up with Nikki Hilton and Fabian Basabe at my House in Bridgehampton for lunch.

 

[Orthodoc40]

I've found most often, the people who say don't worry about money (a) are heirs or heiresses and/or (b) have never had to balance their own checkbook.

Or it could come from someone who chose a very expensive school (NYCOM) and justified it by believing the quality of education he/she will be getting worth the hefty price tag. Just different priorties here. No one is necessarily right or wrong.

 

[Kateb4]

From AACOM:

http://www.aacom.org/colleges/tuition.asp

 

[scpod]

Some one can double or triple what they're living on during med school and pay off the loans within a few years if you're disciplined enough...

Except that's not how it happens because you have plenty of other bills to pay as well. You are going to buy a house and a car and furniture and other necessities of life. You won't be $300,000 in debt anymore; you'll be $750,000 in debt. Nobody lives that frugally after residency. Plus, chances are that you are going to be married with kids on the way-- if that is not already the case-- and those things get to be expensive as well. You aren't trying to live frugally at that point; you are trying to provide the things your family wants and needs.

Many doctors today say, given the chance to go back, that they would simply go to the cheapest school possible because medical education in America is pretty good anywhere. You don't have to go to Harvard to get a quality residency. Plus, the most expensive education is not necessarily the best-- not by any means. While the cost of attending Harvard is over $60,000 per year, the average graduate now has only about $110,000 in debt because of scholarship money-- not the $300,000 you'll find at some osteopathic colleges.

 

[MedStudentWanna]

Except that's not how it happens because you have plenty of other bills to pay as well. You are going to buy a house and a car and furniture and other necessities of life. You won't be $300,000 in debt anymore; you'll be $750,000 in debt. Nobody lives that frugally after residency. Plus, chances are that you are going to be married with kids on the way-- if that is not already the case-- and those things get to be expensive as well. You aren't trying to live frugally at that point; you are trying to provide the things your family wants and needs.

Many doctors today say, given the chance to go back, that they would simply go to the cheapest school possible because medical education in America is pretty good anywhere. You don't have to go to Harvard to get a quality residency. Plus, the most expensive education is not necessarily the best-- not by any means. While the cost of attending Harvard is over $60,000 per year, the average graduate now has only about $110,000 in debt because of scholarship money-- not the $300,000 you'll find at some osteopathic colleges.

I was going to say you forgot to add malpractice insurance, but then I thought don't bother. That poster obviously hasn't lived in the real world with real adults who pay for things other than student loans. He, like others who think that doctors are so rich that they can afford any price tag because they'll pay it off immediately, has no idea what he's in for or he wouldn't make such naive assertions like the one you cited. Those of us who actually have lived a life outside of school and have had careers, families, and bills know exactly what you're saying.

To the OP: if it's a United States medical school and you have a choice, go for the one with the cheapest tuition. Work your ass off and you'll get a great residency and a terrific education! Once you graduate, you can pay off your loans about 10 years earlier than your colleagues who spent $300,000 to get the same initials after their name.

 

[Lamborghini1315]

I agree with scpod and medstudentwanna. The reality of debt is a lot different then one's imagination. The growing cost of living in general adds to our skyrocketing debts, then one should factor in life decisions such as marriage, choice of speciality (can extend your period of residency) unexpected emergencies, malpractise insurance etc. Like i said before dont go to a school that you sincerely believe is going to give you a bad education. A lot of American medical schools get the job done and end of the day your board scores is what determines your future. If you are a motivated student you wont have a problem doing well in harvard or some unknown school. I am not saying dont go to harvard, if it's harvard your decision is easy..but most of us face a choice between 2 or 3 average schools that offer the same education but with varying tuition. For instance,I will be going to DCOM while i would rather go to PCOM assuming I was accepted coz in my mind PCOM's a better school. However, i chose to withdraw my offers from NYCOM, MSUCOM etc just because they were too expensive for me and i dont consider them to be superior or inferior to DCOM. So my choice was to go to a school that i thought is equally good as NYCOM, MSUCOM but is way cheaper.

 

[Orthodoc40]

To the OP: if it's a United States medical school and you have a choice, go for the one with the cheapest tuition. Work your ass off and you'll get a great residency and a terrific education! Once you graduate, you can pay off your loans about 10 years earlier than your colleagues who spent $300,000 to get the same initials after their name.

What happens if the initials will be different? I get to choose b/w DO & MD and the DO school is almost half the cost. Not a fun choice. I like both, my advisors are saying "MD at all costs" but I just don't like that price tag!

 

[JasonUD]

Except that's not how it happens because you have plenty of other bills to pay as well. You are going to buy a house and a car and furniture and other necessities of life. You won't be $300,000 in debt anymore; you'll be $750,000 in debt. Nobody lives that frugally after residency. Plus, chances are that you are going to be married with kids on the way-- if that is not already the case-- and those things get to be expensive as well. You aren't trying to live frugally at that point; you are trying to provide the things your family wants and needs.

I agree with this but you don’t need to buy a house right after residency, nor do you need a Lexus and all new furniture. Sure, that stuff is great and its tempting but if you have loans you need to do what you have to do to pay them down. You can still live in a modest apartment with your old Honda and put the money you would be spending on the other stuff towards your loans. If you’re bringing in $150,000 there’s no reason you can’t live off of $50,000 (still above the national average as far as salaries go), and put another $50,000 into your loans every year.

I agree with scpod and medstudentwanna. The reality of debt is a lot different then one's imagination. The growing cost of living in general adds to our skyrocketing debts, then one should factor in life decisions such as marriage, choice of speciality (can extend your period of residency) unexpected emergencies, malpractise insurance etc. Like i said before dont go to a school that you sincerely believe is going to give you a bad education. A lot of American medical schools get the job done and end of the day your board scores is what determines your future. If you are a motivated student you wont have a problem doing well in harvard or some unknown school. I am not saying dont go to harvard, if it's harvard your decision is easy..but most of us face a choice between 2 or 3 average schools that offer the same education but with varying tuition. For instance,I will be going to DCOM while i would rather go to PCOM assuming I was accepted coz in my mind PCOM's a better school. However, i chose to withdraw my offers from NYCOM, MSUCOM etc just because they were too expensive for me and i dont consider them to be superior or inferior to DCOM. So my choice was to go to a school that i thought is equally good as NYCOM, MSUCOM but is way cheaper.

I agree with this too, you need to go to whatever school is best for you. If money is a major factor for you then you need to take it into consideration, but equally important is reputation, academics, location, etc.... You shouldn't pick a school solely on price regardless of your financial situation; you need to weight in everything. To say "go to the cheapest school you get into" is absolutely ridiculous. There are plenty more things out there more important than money.

I was going to say you forgot to add malpractice insurance, but then I thought don't bother. That poster obviously hasn't lived in the real world with real adults who pay for things other than student loans. He, like others who think that doctors are so rich that they can afford any price tag because they'll pay it off immediately, has no idea what he's in for or he wouldn't make such naive assertions like the one you cited. Those of us who actually have lived a life outside of school and have had careers, families, and bills know exactly what you're saying.

To the OP: if it's a United States medical school and you have a choice, go for the one with the cheapest tuition. Work your ass off and you'll get a great residency and a terrific education! Once you graduate, you can pay off your loans about 10 years earlier than your colleagues who spent $300,000 to get the same initials after their name.

Your personal attacks completely invalidate you as a constructive contributor to this discussion. $150,000 is not so “rich that they can afford any price tag because they'll pay it off immediately,” nor did I ever say that. If money is the only thing that is important to you to the extent that you would gamble the quality of your life during your 4 years of medical school, that is if you get accepted anywhere, and your chances of a residency in the specialty you want in a location that is pleasing to you then you need to reevaluate some things in your own life and maybe pick another field to go into. Stop making attacks that don’t contribute to the discussion, you’re an embarrassment. Just because you have so much life experience that I miraculously don’t have doesn’t put you in a position to make these false statements about me. I’m done arguing with you, you’re too immature to bother.

 

[Just Joshin]

Your personal attacks completely invalidate you as a constructive contributor to this discussion. $150,000 is not so “rich that they can afford any price tag because they'll pay it off immediately,” nor did I ever say that. If money is the only thing that is important to you to the extent that you would gamble the quality of your life during your 4 years of medical school, that is if you get accepted anywhere, and your chances of a residency in the specialty you want in a location that is pleasing to you then you need to reevaluate some things in your own life and maybe pick another field to go into. Stop making attacks that don’t contribute to the discussion, you’re an embarrassment. Just because you have so much life experience that I miraculously don’t have doesn’t put you in a position to make these false statements about me. I’m done arguing with you, you’re too immature to bother.

Actually, MedStudentWanna is right on and I've seen nothing to indicate that money is all that's important to him or that he needs to find another field. You're the one who's being incredibly insulting by suggesting that. MSW is right. You did actually say that "they'll pay us enough to pay those bad boys down" and that there's little difference in a $300,000 debt vs. a $250,000 debt. Both those statements imply you don't know much about debt which is what MSW was pointing out.

Of course you shouldn't sacrifice quality. If you get into Harvard vs. Lake Erie College of Medicine, I would suggest the person go to Harvard. But what you said was "don't worry about price." That's so naive that it's laughable.