So I've been casually looking into some materials that are frequently recommended for the pre-clinical years, and they do not appear affordable. I was wondering if these subscriptions are included in tuition at most schools? And if not, any idea how much money I might need to come up with?
FYI talking about things like Sketchy, Pathoma, etc
You're correct that you could spend a small fortune on all of the study aids and supplements available to med students--on top of an already alarming amount of money required for classroom-assigned texts and materials.
Some key points to remember:
- As many have already mentioned, you will not typically have to "come up with" the money for such supplies from savings, a side job, begging parents, etc. Schools typically do a good job of approving you for enough money from government-issued student loans to pay for your tuition, reasonable room and board, and necessary textbooks, equipment, and study aids. So you will have the money when the time comes.
- That said, it is NEVER too early to start thinking about loan repayment and minimizing the amount of money you are spending during med school. By the time current students are done with residency, most will likely have somewhere in the $250-350k range of total student loans (just form med school) to pay back--sometimes more for private schools or if one lives in an expensive city. If you refinance that after starting your first job (to a 4-5% interest rate over 10 years, for example), that will mean you're paying back about $2.5-3k per month in student loan repayments over that period. Even making a typical physician's salary, that is a lot of money. And you will quickly grow to resent having to pay that out each month. So remember that every dollar you spend while in med school is going to cost you 2-3 times that (after interest and your higher tax rate on the back end) during repayment.
- Moral of the above story is to evaluate study aids carefully. I definitely fell victim to the FOMO mentality at times during med school, purchasing far more reading materials than I would ever have time to actually read in preparation for USMLE, shelf exams, anatomy class, etc. Figure out what types of materials work best for your study habits, be realistic when assessing how much time you actually plan to devote to studying for a specific exam or course, and purchase accordingly. Don't just buy everything under the sun "just in case" it might be helpful. Also realize that your school library may have materials available for borrowing--and you can always make arrangements with classmates to share books.
Good luck!
