First-Gen Undergrads --> Med School?

[ashway]

Hey guys!

So I'm a first gen college student (grew up in what my home country classified as relative poverty rate for most of my life), came to US for college, graduated a couple weeks ago, and now off to med school in a couple of months. Every first gens experience is different, but are there any other first gen ugrad/med school students who could speak a bit about their experiences? Also, if anyone has any stats on the % of first gens in med school that would be great. Thank you 🙂

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[Dr. Stalker]

Fellow 1st Gen-er here.

It ain't easy.

And there's very few of us - most of my classmates routinely call a professor or doctor we work with "mom or dad!!!" at the hospital cause they're all children of academic professionals. Approximately 70% of my class has a physician or PhD professor, 25% have higher education professional parents (pharmacy, MBA, etc.). Maybe 0.005% are first-gen.

Pros: People (classmates and faculty) have tons of respect for you. A lot of faculty think I'm kidding when I tell them my dad is a janitor. Then I show them photos of me and him (selfies at work, he's a janitor at a hospital), and then they kind of get this quizzical expression on their face as they realize my I'm going to be a doctor.

-Comes with perspective. I'm not about being cheap or frugal, but I am economical. I don't know how my rich classmates can spend $80+ 4-6 times a week drinking alone. I like to think having this perspective will keep me in a better financial situation as I progress to make more money.

-Hard work ethic: coming from nothing makes me proud to have achieved everything I have today. I don't have doctor parents or professors who can go to bat for me at the ad-com, or are on admissions themselves. I don't rely on them to fix my problems. Instead, I try to be the best mature adult I can be and go out to solve them myself. Some of the issues I've dealt with are foreign to my classmates who just have their parents handle/coddle them

 

[ashway]

Fellow 1st Gen-er here.

It ain't easy.

And there's very few of us - most of my classmates routinely call a professor or doctor we work with "mom or dad!!!" at the hospital cause they're all children of academic professionals. Approximately 70% of my class has a physician or PhD professor, 25% have higher education professional parents (pharmacy, MBA, etc.). Maybe 0.005% are first-gen.

Pros: People (classmates and faculty) have tons of respect for you. A lot of faculty think I'm kidding when I tell them my dad is a janitor. Then I show them photos of me and him (selfies at work, he's a janitor at a hospital), and then they kind of get this quizzical expression on their face as they realize my I'm going to be a doctor.

-Comes with perspective. I'm not about being cheap or frugal, but I am economical. I don't know how my rich classmates can spend $80+ 4-6 times a week drinking alone. I like to think having this perspective will keep me in a better financial situation as I progress to make more money.

-Hard work ethic: coming from nothing makes me proud to have achieved everything I have today. I don't have doctor parents or professors who can go to bat for me at the ad-com, or are on admissions themselves. I don't rely on them to fix my problems. Instead, I try to be the best mature adult I can be and go out to solve them myself. Some of the issues I've dealt with are foreign to my classmates who just have their parents handle/coddle them

Fellow 1st Gen-er here.

It ain't easy.

And there's very few of us - most of my classmates routinely call a professor or doctor we work with "mom or dad!!!" at the hospital cause they're all children of academic professionals. Approximately 70% of my class has a physician or PhD professor, 25% have higher education professional parents (pharmacy, MBA, etc.). Maybe 0.005% are first-gen.

Pros: People (classmates and faculty) have tons of respect for you. A lot of faculty think I'm kidding when I tell them my dad is a janitor. Then I show them photos of me and him (selfies at work, he's a janitor at a hospital), and then they kind of get this quizzical expression on their face as they realize my I'm going to be a doctor.

-Comes with perspective. I'm not about being cheap or frugal, but I am economical. I don't know how my rich classmates can spend $80+ 4-6 times a week drinking alone. I like to think having this perspective will keep me in a better financial situation as I progress to make more money.

-Hard work ethic: coming from nothing makes me proud to have achieved everything I have today. I don't have doctor parents or professors who can go to bat for me at the ad-com, or are on admissions themselves. I don't rely on them to fix my problems. Instead, I try to be the best mature adult I can be and go out to solve them myself. Some of the issues I've dealt with are foreign to my classmates who just have their parents handle/coddle them

Thank you!! I got some funny looks when I said my mom works at a campground and my dad is a delivery driver when asked on interview day lol. I’m a little scared but excited and I definitely agree with you on the hard work ethic thing, too.

 

[efle]

Be ready for a bunch of rich kids to judge you if you talk about financial considerations for choosing medicine or choice of specialty

 

[Rogue42]

Don't know exactly what you are looking for here since you also specified undergrad. But yeah, I am also a first generation college student. Neither of my parents went to college, had me in their teens, and I lived in the projects on food stamps until I was four. My parents were extremely hard workers, and gave me the best life they could, and we eventually moved out and moved up. My parents were working on their savings when my mom got extremely ill and had to stop working, and now due to the medical bills piling up, there is no savings and my dad will never be able to retire.

I got into Ugrad on a full scholarship, and knew medicine was generally where I wanted to go. 1. because of my mom and 2. I want to provide a better life for my children and hopefully help my dad retire when the time comes - after all he did do so much for me.

It has been tough navigating everything with no help. My parents had no clue what I was doing and why. Questioned me every step of the way, and likewise I had no one to ask for help. I did have a couple of friends who were kids of physicians who wanted to be doctors and they either didn't have the work ethic or made 4.0s and high MCATs. They also had a really great connections on shadowing and getting LORs.

Undoubtedly, being first-gen and taking this path is rough and there are a lot more hurdles than others, but we are proof in the pudding that it can be done.

 

[Gilakend]

First-gen college, low-SES, rural. I’m starting next month, I don’t know what the percentages are for my class, but I know the last class only 5% were first gen college. T20 in the Midwest.

Beginning of college was rough. Barely graduated high school, went to low-tier public UG. College was the first time I ever studied in my life. Just grinded it out and slowly got better and more efficient.

Before I started I was looking for work study jobs and just applying to literally anything, janitors (I was essentially a janitor is HS), drivers, IT. Every advisor told me not to work especially given my previous academic history (failed a few HS classes, barely had enough credits to graduate) Ended up having a professor offer me a lab assistant job. Worked for him for a year, did research with him the year after, then got published. I don’t think I would’ve gotten that opportunity had I not worked for him first. Pretty funny way the world works. Worked all through college and graduated in 3.5 years. Had a lot of fun along the way.

After my first semester and getting my study habits down I think I had a pretty normal experience, clubs, work, research, social life, etc. The transition was just rough for me. From essentially a 0% effort burn out student to a full on pre-med in a research lab overnight.

Overall, I’m really thankful for my background. It’s been a good ride.

 

[PursuingHappy]

First gen here as well 🙂

I basically agree with everyone's posts from above. Been poor forever. I'm still helping my mom and pop pay for things (MD/PHD so I technically have a job). Its a little difficult feeling like I'm alone, but my school has a first generation and low income group. Maybe your school has one as well, or if not, hopefully you could start one.

 

[Dr. Stalker]

The guaranteed 200K+ salary had nothing to do with why I pursued medicine!!

Real talk though, nothing wrong with wanting financial stability and an upper middle class life

100% Agreed.

Someone can be a competent, caring, compassionate, and phenomenal physician AND enjoy the guaranteed employment+salary. It's a mentally stimulating field, that pays well (cue the rich kids doctor's parents to b*tch about "well in the 70s I was making $5000+ per consult...now its only $250 :-(") and is unlike any other profession.

Nothing at all wrong with it, and its sickening when rich kids judge you on that; sorry, I didn't go skiing in Aspen every other weekend, and I'M the jerk in medicine for thinking about salary/employment/worthwhile things? smh

 

[ashway]

It’ll be nice to be able to afford to pay off my loans but that’s about it as far as my motivation to go into medicine for money goes. I’m not doing this for the money I’m doing it because there is nothing else on this planet I’d rather do. But aside from that, being a first gen premed has been hard as I could only afford to apply to 9 schools in August (MD) and 3 in December (DO), and worked full time while studying for the MCAT with my only resources being secondhand textbooks, along with having to work during Ugrad and adjusting the first semester. I am worried that it will be hard to fit in with a lot of my classmates coming from backgrounds where their parents are physicians or PhDs.

 

[ashway]

First gen here as well 🙂

I basically agree with everyone's posts from above. Been poor forever. I'm still helping my mom and pop pay for things (MD/PHD so I technically have a job). Its a little difficult feeling like I'm alone, but my school has a first generation and low income group. Maybe your school has one as well, or if not, hopefully you could start one.

I really want to start one as my school doesn’t have one as far as I know, and I wanted to set up a mentoring program for poor/minority high school / college students if I have enough time.

 

[Dr. Stalker]

It’ll be nice to be able to afford to pay off my loans but that’s about it as far as my motivation to go into medicine for money goes. I’m not doing this for the money I’m doing it because there is nothing else on this planet I’d rather do. But aside from that, being a first gen premed has been hard as I could only afford to apply to 9 schools in August (MD) and 3 in December (DO), and worked full time while studying for the MCAT with my only resources being secondhand textbooks, along with having to work during Ugrad and adjusting the first semester. I am worried that it will be hard to fit in with a lot of my classmates coming from backgrounds where their parents are physicians or PhDs.

Most are down to Earth (sort of). Others, can, and will, do extravagant things you thought only existed in television shows or movies (i.e. "omg my favorite musician is playing in LA this weekend, just bought airplane tickets+show tickets, can't wait to go" (my school is in the north-east).

The occasional outing with friends or movie is quite fun though.

 

[ashway]

Most are down to Earth (sort of). Others, can, and will, do extravagant things you thought only existed in television shows or movies (i.e. "omg my favorite musician is playing in LA this weekend, just bought airplane tickets+show tickets, can't wait to go" (my school is in the north-east).

The occasional outing with friends or movie is quite fun though.

Hahaha I’m sure most people I’ll have no problem getting along with. I certainly won’t be going to any concerts in LA though

 

[Gilakend]

It’ll be nice to be able to afford to pay off my loans but that’s about it as far as my motivation to go into medicine for money goes. I’m not doing this for the money I’m doing it because there is nothing else on this planet I’d rather do. But aside from that, being a first gen premed has been hard as I could only afford to apply to 9 schools in August (MD) and 3 in December (DO), and worked full time while studying for the MCAT with my only resources being secondhand textbooks, along with having to work during Ugrad and adjusting the first semester. I am worried that it will be hard to fit in with a lot of my classmates coming from backgrounds where their parents are physicians or PhDs.

I worked full-time (2 full-time jobs, but one was an unpaid internship, so only money from one of them) during my app cycle and it still didn't cover my application costs.

I agree with @Dr. Stalker I haven't started yet, but from interacting with classmates most are genuinely nice people. They just don't understand how much money they have/how little others have. Many extravagant things are normal to them, i.e. summer vacations every year (that their parent's finance), random trips, expensive meals, bought/paid for cars/insurance/phone/credit card/other bills. Help with living expenses or books, it's all very normal to them.

 

[ashway]

I worked full-time (2 full-time jobs, but one was an unpaid internship, so only money from one of them) during my app cycle and it still didn't cover my application costs.

I agree with @Dr. Stalker I haven't started yet, but from interacting with classmates most are genuinely nice people. They just don't understand how much money they have/how little others have. Many extravagant things are normal to them, i.e. summer vacations every year (that their parent's finance), random trips, expensive meals, bought/paid for cars/insurance/phone/credit card/other bills. Help with living expenses or books, it's all very normal to them.

I guess that’s another thing, too... I won’t have money to do all that stuff. I won’t even have a car first year and might have to use living allowance loan money to get myself a car for rotations.