Financing the pre-med/post-bacc years

[little_late_MD]

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I've decided to finally take the plunge, and begin my post-bacc work this spring. Between my fiance and I, we make a little over $100,000 per year. However, we live in South Florida, one of the most expensive areas of the country. If I were to stop working and go to school full time, our income would fall by half, and our lifestyle would be radically altered. However, if I were to continue working (which is not in the medical field) it would take longer to get through the courses, and I most likely would come out with no real clinical experience to speak of.

Any suggestions/experiences from those who have walked or are walking this path?

 

[Nasrudin]

Well my wife and i survive on roughly half of that in san francisco, even though i'm still working full time so my position is basically do as much as you can with what you've got. Your lifestyle will change on this path regardless...you're likely to spend most of your time studying anyway...so if you can make the finances workout and your spouse is behind you then drop the work and go for it!

Note: Spend as much quiet time with your spouse that you can. Eat together with the t.v. off and talk with them before you go to sleep. Sounds like i'm getting too personal but i wish i would have done more in the beginning b/c i nearly got divorced during the adjustment phase. We're doing great now...but make no mistake...its a huge family adjustment no matter how you toss it. Good luck!

 

[notdeadyet]

Any suggestions/experiences from those who have walked or are walking this path?

I was making a big income before taking time off to go back to school. You and your wife can get by on $50K in South Florida (or anywhere) if you're willing to make lifestyle adjustments. Also, if you prefer to live the good life, you can take out loans. I was approved to take out $45K in loans had I wanted it (granted, most of that was private and high interest).

Take the time off. I've heard repeatedly that it is much preferable to do your coursework all at once than piecemeal. Aside from applying earlier, it also shows that you can still hack it in an academic environment. I took some classes part time while working and it was much easier than taking a full load of premed classes.

 

[blee]

You can live on half the income. You probably won't even notice the changes after a little while. We've done something similar in the DC area, and we're still eating more than we should and buying things that we don't really need.