Does anyone else feel sick to their stomach because of $

[badasshairday]

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I hate it. I hate paying so much money just to apply to schools. Within the past 48hours I have spent ~400$ just to submit 4 secondary appications. I HATE SCHOOLS THAT HAVE ~100$ FEES FOR SECONDARIES! FREAKIN A!

 

[OncDoc19]

I am also sick to my stomach. My mom had me draw up a "worst case scenario" cost worksheet (aka an nterview everywhere - and before anyone yells at me, I would be grateful to receive an interview everywhere it would just cost a ridiculous amount). Anyway, worst case scenario for me ~12000 dollars. Boo MSTP long interviews. Boo living in the middle of nowhere! And I'm only applying to 13 schools....

 

[doctortobe2012]

I am also sick to my stomach. My mom had me draw up a "worst case scenario" cost worksheet (aka an nterview everywhere - and before anyone yells at me, I would be grateful to receive an interview everywhere it would just cost a ridiculous amount). Anyway, worst case scenario for me ~12000 dollars. Boo MSTP long interviews. Boo living in the middle of nowhere! And I'm only applying to 13 schools....

don't they pay for your interview expenses for MSTP?

 

[etf]

I hate it. I hate paying so much money just to apply to schools. Within the past 48hours I have spent ~400$ just to submit 4 secondary appications. I HATE SCHOOLS THAT HAVE ~100$ FEES FOR SECONDARIES! FREAKIN A!

yeah these schools that are charging $100+ seem to be a little greedy. i'm starting to think that they are using it as a weed-out mechanism, but it seems like they would be weeding out the same "disadvantaged" students that they claim to want to attract. especially ridiculous are those schools that will not honor amcas fee waivers.

 

[Wanna_B_Scutty]

yeah these schools that are charging $100+ seem to be a little greedy. i'm starting to think that they are using it as a weed-out mechanism, but it seems like they would be weeding out the same "disadvantaged" students that they claim to want to attract. especially ridiculous are those schools that will not honor amcas fee waivers.

YES. Shame on those rat-b@st@rds. And, for the record, I was not eligible for fee waiver.

The worst part is that you know they'll spend a good portion of their public health block instructional time wringing their hands about disparities and URMs. Whatta buncha hypocrites.

 

[muireinin]

i know! i feel like i'm hemorrhaging $$. i don't even get excited when payday comes around anymore...i know i've already spent it on secondaries. 🙁

 

[badasshairday]

i know! i feel like i'm hemorrhaging $$. i don't even get excited when payday comes around anymore...i know i've already spent it on secondaries. 🙁

I know what you mean. I just picked up my monthly pay check, and it was for 1000$, but I already know the money has been used on secondaries. LOL, I have this summer internship in a genetics lab and so far this summer my income has been negative thanks to the application process. 😡

 

[Dr JPH]

I hate it. I hate paying so much money just to apply to schools. Within the past 48hours I have spent ~400$ just to submit 4 secondary appications. I HATE SCHOOLS THAT HAVE ~100$ FEES FOR SECONDARIES! FREAKIN A!

Wait til you graduate and look at your student loan debt. 😱

 

[UCDavisdude]

try having to work, pay for med schools apps, rent, bills and coming up short almost every month. i had to sell may baby today just to have a little extra money for my bills and osteopathic secondaries. and by baby, i mean my z28 camaro.

 

[TheRealMD]

I am also sick to my stomach. My mom had me draw up a "worst case scenario" cost worksheet (aka an nterview everywhere - and before anyone yells at me, I would be grateful to receive an interview everywhere it would just cost a ridiculous amount). Anyway, worst case scenario for me ~12000 dollars. Boo MSTP long interviews. Boo living in the middle of nowhere! And I'm only applying to 13 schools....

Schools actually take care of their MSTPs and pay for everything. Of course, getting an interview is MUCH harder than even normal MD programs.

 

[HailMary]

To avoid credit card debt, I picked up my old waitressing job on top of the full-time study coordinator job that I already have... Working 60 hour weeks and trying to get secondaries out the door is KILLING me!

 

[OncDoc19]

Schools actually take care of their MSTPs and pay for everything. Of course, getting an interview is MUCH harder than even normal MD programs.

This is not the case at every school and is becoming less common. Of the schools I applied to only one pays for the interview trip - WashU. The rest say specifically that they don't pay - although some will provide you with a student host.

 

[mvenus929]

Wait til you graduate and look at your student loan debt. 😱

But you aren't paying that out of pocket right away. You have loans for that sort of thing. I'd say at least a good chunk of us applying are doing so out of pocket.

 

[ADeadLois]

But you aren't paying that out of pocket right away. You have loans for that sort of thing. I'd say at least a good chunk of us applying are doing so out of pocket.

I'd rather pay $1000 now as opposed to $240,000 later. Sadly, we have to both.

 

[inaminute]

Wait til you graduate and look at your student loan debt. 😱

but then you already know you get the MD

right now we're tossing money and praying

 

[87138]

but then you already know you get the MD

right now we're tossing money and praying

Exactly. The thought of throwing in all this money (when I'm pretty much broke and so are my parents) without any guaranteed return (read: acceptance) is extremely unnerving.

 

[ADeadLois]

Exactly. The thought of throwing in all this money (when I'm pretty much broke and so are my parents) without any guaranteed return (read: acceptance) is extremely unnerving.

More unnerving than taking gen chem, orgo, calc, physics, bio, the MCAT, getting LORs and writing a PS without a guaranteed return?

 

[Mister Pie]

try having to work, pay for med schools apps, rent, bills and coming up short almost every month. i had to sell may baby today just to have a little extra money for my bills and osteopathic secondaries. and by baby, i mean my z28 camaro.

Yeah man, I'm barely breaking even. And the stupid thing is, having a full-time job right now might hurt me for financial aid.

 

[badasshairday]

I applied to 29 schools...... I think its too many. I'm not sure if I could afford it anymore.

 

[Jolie South]

I applied to 29 schools...... I think its too many. I'm not sure if I could afford it anymore.

I was planning on applying to 25 total. I think I've sent in 15 and I'm done for sure.

 

[imamom]

I'd rather pay $1000 now as opposed to $240,000 later. Sadly, we have to both.

Relax, read the threads from previous years. Absolutely, the secondary application process is a racket--do the math--universities racking up a bundle on apps. The real -itch is the ones who take your money & your secondary & don't EVEN give you the courtesy of saying, "No, thanks...we're not interviewing you." You will get those.

Money for interviews? It's an investment...in your future! Do it as inexpensively as you can. Take advantage of student hosts or priceline.com a hotel room, airfare, whatever. Hit up every "grown-up" relative you know & ask them if they have airline miles they'd like to contribute to the cause. Be creative.

Med School $240k in debt? You bet! Again, investment in your future. Most people spend that and more to buy a business with less guarantee of future income than you'll have. So stop stressing. Do you believe in yourself?? Then your investment is safe!!

And no, a full-time job will not impact your financial aid--you get to borrow the federal max. limit, like everyone else. Most med. schools have little money to give, especially if you're not an URM. That said, do some homework on which schools (if you're applying private) are well-endowed & if you're fortunate enough to get accepted, work with their Fin. Aid office to up your scholarship/grant amount.

 

[TeaKae]

I'm still in the hole from last year's application cycle, and this year I'm applying to 18 schools. I had to pay for my post-bac classes out of pocket (wasn't eligible for finacial aid), and I am not working full-time, so I have to pay for health insurance, too. Oh, plus there's rent, car payments, car insurance, renter's insurance, and credit card payments. AND I am getting married in July 2008, so I am paying a lot for that as well.

EEEK. I feel you all, this sucks. I just don't know what I'll do if I don't get into school this year...I don't think I can afford another application cycle, so it's kind of class of 2012 or bust...

 

[shadowclaws]

I got a credit card with a 1-yr interest free thing and maxxed it out with primaries, mcat, secondaries, interview fees, and other stuff.

Also I started using my mom's business expense card to pay for hotels, air plane tickets.

 

[DropkickMurphy]

Wait til you graduate and look at your student loan debt. 😱

Damn JP, you steal all my fun.......

 

[mdm2fly]

The only thing hindering me from sending in a lot of my secondaries right now is the fee. It sucks to be sitting on secondaries, waiting for my paycheck so that I can pay off part of my credit card bill so that I can max it out again on fees that don't guarantee anything except that my application HOPEFULLY will be looked at seriously.

Thank god I have parents who are able/willing to help me out, or else I'd have about ten more secondaries that I'd be sitting on right now. I'm seriously considering asking them again, but my darn stubborness and "need for independence" is holding me back...I guess that can be one of my answers to the "weaknesses" question that comes up at interviews (referring to another thread), although I have already received a lot of help from them, so I guess I should overturn my weaknesses to whatever the opposite of stubborn is and to dependency and being needy, haha.

Good luck to those of you who don't have that parental safety net.

omg, a fly just landed on my lamp and burned to death. It smells like burnt fish in my room now.

 

[Summer Sweet]

One of the reason's I'm delaying applying for another year is to save up money--enough for applications, secondaries, interviews (hopefully) and maybe a little sight-seeing if I have an extra day at some locations. When I found out how much some of my friends spent on the whole process, I almost died and decided to start a savings account that I will only use for applications and maybe getting ready for med school.

I wish I was lying about this one, but I'm not:
So I knew this guy who took a pricey prep course, did his MCAT, spent several months on his application--the whole deal. The problem was that he took a late MCAT and was so meticulous that he didn't end up submitting until September/October (~30 schools). He didn't get in ANYWHERE (or at least, anywhere he wanted to go). Then he taught prep courses and got a research job for a year, and applied again. The following year, I think he retook the April MCAT with a different prep method, and paid for one of those "admissions advice" services that helped him piece together the "perfect" application. Applied to ~45 schools early, and ended up getting accepted to really great schools. His TOTAL cost break down, including travel and lodging for interviews, MCAT prep, admissions books and services, and applications--a little over $40,000.

So yeah, at that point, I decided I better start saving

 

[DropkickMurphy]

and by baby, i mean my z28 camaro.

I feel for you man, I really do....... 🙁

 

[radi0headfan]

try having to work, pay for med schools apps, rent, bills and coming up short almost every month. i had to sell may baby today just to have a little extra money for my bills and osteopathic secondaries. and by baby, i mean my z28 camaro.

sad story 🙁

i don't know if i'd ever be able to do that to my trans am...i'm too attached ...had it for 7 yrs now!!...and selling it probably wouldn't be worth much either..camaros and firebirds depreciate like crazy!! 😱

 

[Phoenix.]

I hate it. I hate paying so much money just to apply to schools. Within the past 48hours I have spent ~400$ just to submit 4 secondary appications. I HATE SCHOOLS THAT HAVE ~100$ FEES FOR SECONDARIES! FREAKIN A!

Yeah, but you do tend to forgive and forget fairly quickly once you get an invite from them. I was pretty miffed with GWU's $125 secondary fee until I got an invite. Now it's just warm fuzzy feelings.

Then again, every time I contemplate that my job is actually temporary and could end anywhere from 1 month from now to next August, I definitely feel sick to my stomach. This is a helluva expensive process. And being without kibble just won't cut it. Getting interviews is great, but dayum, airfare & hotels get expensive fast, and make secondary fees look like a drop in the bucket. It's $125 to apply to GWU, but close to $500 for flight & hotel. Yeesh. But whenever I start to worry about it, I just think of what a drop in the chasm this will all be compared to med school debt. *knock on wood*

 

[jochi1543]

My parents are paying for a good chunk of it, but it's not exactly helping our relationship.🙄 I could wallpaper my entire house with hysterical e-mails from my father ("WHAT KIND OF IDIOT APPLIES TO 30 SCHOOLS!? WHY DON'T YOU APPLY TO ALL OF THEM THEN!?" - he doesn't understand how the process works, of course - he himself applied to ONE undergrad).

 

[mvenus929]

he doesn't understand how the process works, of course - he himself applied to ONE undergrad).

Well, I only applied to 4 undergrad schools, and three of them I only applied to because they waived application fees for online submission. I got accepted to all four. Of course, there are lots more undergrads than there are medical schools. Just tell him that.

My dad waivers. He's like 'oh, you have to do really well to be accepted, and you need near perfect GPA and MCAT, but after that, you're set'. Then a week later, he'll be all 'oh, you'll get in everywhere, don't sweat it'.

 

[maxflash04]

Well, I only applied to 4 undergrad schools, and three of them I only applied to because they waived application fees for online submission. I got accepted to all four. Of course, there are lots more undergrads than there are medical schools. Just tell him that.

My dad waivers. He's like 'oh, you have to do really well to be accepted, and you need near perfect GPA and MCAT, but after that, you're set'. Then a week later, he'll be all 'oh, you'll get in everywhere, don't sweat it'.

Undergad application process != Medical school application process

Don't get it twisted.

Any semi-intelligent person should know that.

 

[mvenus929]

Undergad application process != Medical school application process

Don't get it twisted.

Any semi-intelligent person should know that.

Did I ever say it was the same? She brought up that her dad didn't understand it because he only applied to one undergrad, and so I made that comment. Notice that I said...Of course, there are lots more undergrads than there are medical schools. Just tell him that. That fundamentally makes the process different.

 

[sunset823]

One of the reason's I'm delaying applying for another year is to save up money--enough for applications, secondaries, interviews (hopefully) and maybe a little sight-seeing if I have an extra day at some locations. When I found out how much some of my friends spent on the whole process, I almost died and decided to start a savings account that I will only use for applications and maybe getting ready for med school.

I wish I was lying about this one, but I'm not:
So I knew this guy who took a pricey prep course, did his MCAT, spent several months on his application--the whole deal. The problem was that he took a late MCAT and was so meticulous that he didn't end up submitting until September/October (~30 schools). He didn't get in ANYWHERE (or at least, anywhere he wanted to go). Then he taught prep courses and got a research job for a year, and applied again. The following year, I think he retook the April MCAT with a different prep method, and paid for one of those "admissions advice" services that helped him piece together the "perfect" application. Applied to ~45 schools early, and ended up getting accepted to really great schools. His TOTAL cost break down, including travel and lodging for interviews, MCAT prep, admissions books and services, and applications--a little over $40,000.

So yeah, at that point, I decided I better start saving

I hear ya, I made the same decision, to put off a year, get a decently well-paying full time job, and put 50% of that to paying off current debt and another 20% to the application cycle, while living like a hermit on the last 30%...sad, huh?

 

[maxflash04]

Did I ever say it was the same? She brought up that her dad didn't understand it because he only applied to one undergrad, and so I made that comment. Notice that I said...Of course, there are lots more undergrads than there are medical schools. Just tell him that. That fundamentally makes the process different.

No correlation whatsoever. I don't see how that's relevant to anything. Do you think his/her parent's are going to understand after a statement like that?

I'm thinking ... no.

 

[jochi1543]

Can we stop arguing about my parents? Please and thank you.

 

[badasshairday]

My parents are paying for a good chunk of it, but it's not exactly helping our relationship.🙄 I could wallpaper my entire house with hysterical e-mails from my father ("WHAT KIND OF IDIOT APPLIES TO 30 SCHOOLS!? WHY DON'T YOU APPLY TO ALL OF THEM THEN!?" - he doesn't understand how the process works, of course - he himself applied to ONE undergrad).

OMG!

 

[booswim542]

Just you guys WAIT till you get your loan package....

No, but I know the feeling. If you go to a bunch of interviews, the whole process including suit, travel, good briefcase thingy, etc. will cost around 6-7000. Ouch.

Just be prepared and think about this before attending all your interviews. I wish I had been more selective.

 

[badasshairday]

Just be prepared and think about this before attending all your interviews. I wish I had been more selective.

What do you mean? You wish you went to less interviews?

 

[jochi1543]

What do you mean? You wish you went to less interviews?

Getting lots of interviews doesn't guarantee an acceptance, though. I've come across MDapps profiles here where people had 5-8 interviews and not a single acceptance. So while it may be a good idea to decline some interviews once you already have an acceptance in hand, it can really backfire if you start doing it before getting an offer somewhere.

 

[booswim542]

I agree with you that an interview does not guaruntee an acceptance. And yes, it can backfire if you decline interviews without an acceptance. All the same, if you are on a tight budget, interviews are a major expense, and if you have an interview that you feel very confident with, then you could possibly turn down one at a school that you are not so sure you really want to attend.

 

[psipsina]

To avoid credit card debt, I picked up my old waitressing job on top of the full-time study coordinator job that I already have... Working 60 hour weeks and trying to get secondaries out the door is KILLING me!

Lol, this is exactly what I did back when I was applying, I was a zombie by the end of my waitress shift at 3am when I'd started at the hospital at 7 am the day before, and then the few days I didn't wait tables at night I had to write friggin essays!! I feel your pain but when you get that first acceptance letter you'll know it was worth it, and you'll know you really earned it. . . and then that glorious day that you walk out of your waitress job never to return will feel fabulous (if you hate waiting tables anywhere near as much as I did, lol).

Keep your head up all y'all who are strugglin to pay for your apps, and get used to seeing the money fly thru your fingers . . .even though it seems like it will be less painful when its just loans, I can't tell you how much the interest accumulated statements hurt every time they come in the mail!

As to greedy medschools, I lost my home to Katrina right in the midst of my secondary h*ll and I had to use my secondary fund to live on . . . so I contacted the few schools where I hadn't submitted yet for fee-waivers, most were truly awesome and waived the fee no problem, but one certain school refused! I was amazed that they could be that money grubbing, I was homeless and they wouldn't waive my fee!!

 

[jochi1543]

As to greedy medschools, I lost my home to Katrina right in the midst of my secondary h*ll and I had to use my secondary fund to live on . . . so I contacted the few schools where I hadn't submitted yet for fee-waivers, most were truly awesome and waived the fee no problem, but one certain school refused! I was amazed that they could be that money grubbing, I was homeless and they wouldn't waive my fee!!

Wow, you should've brought it to the attention of the AAMC, and if they didn't care, to the newspaper. I'm sure that school, like all others, has some BS on their website about how they are looking to "actively recruit underrepresented minorities and disadvantaged individuals from underserved areas." It's about time they put their money where their big mouth is!