How Are You Supporting Yourself Financially?

[katiemaude]

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I am curious to know how my fellow non-trads are supporting themselves financially during the years leading up to medical school and if I'm crazy for draining my savings accounts to fulfill this dream.

Are you still working full-time? Part-time? Do you have a spouse who helps? Loans, scholarships to pay for school and books? If you're not working, how long do you think you can get by without an income?

I was laid off from a non-science field in 5/09. I received some severance - about 2 months' salary - and I was put on unemployment (a quarter of what I used to make). I started the prereqs full-time with chemistry & bio and some other classes in 8/09 and had my tuition covered by the local community college. I also qualified for a financial program that paid for my tuition and books for the spring semester. ... Then unemployment was cut off in 04/10.

I started to have some doubts I'd be able to pull this off. My grades are there (cGPA = 3.5ish, sGPA = 4.0). But the money is not.

Over the summer I've been paying for my classes and books out of pocket. Taking Anatomy & Physiology 1 and 2 now because my college's bio class barely touches on the human body and was left with a vast hole of MCAT knowledge, and I didn't want to cram ochem or physics into a 10-week semester. I've done a few freelance assignments that netted me enough to pay off some credit card bills, but my plan to attend a four-year state university is just not working out. 🙁 (I was eligible for a grant but I'd have to pay it back if I didn't complete a second bachelor's degree, which I don't intend to do.) I figure I'll keep attending the CC for now, taking o-chem and physics this fall and spring. Maybe microbiology.

I have NO income at the moment and I'm draining my savings account. I might end up taking on a student loan next year so I can keep the savings for living expenses. I plan to use my tax refund this winter for my MCAT prep class. I also started renting out two rooms in my house to help cover my mortgage.

I wanted to go back to work this fall in an entry-level position at the hospital but I don't see how I can do that and taking o-chem and physics *and* finish the prereqs by the spring. Realistically, I can't work full-time until next fall if I want to stay on this schedule. I am probably going to go into hock to pay for med school apps next summer.

I'm 32, single and I have enough money in the bank that should last at least until the spring. My car is paid off. Am I nuts to drain my savings for this part of the preparation for medical school? What if I don't get in anywhere? OMG

 

[familyaerospace]

I was laid off in Jan 2009 and wasn't qualified for unemployment, luckily I have two side businesses going. Unfortunately, that hasn't given me a lot of money, really only enough to pay for a few classes. I'm not qualified for any scholarships or loans at the local CC, and the post-bacc I was going to do told me that a post-bacc student asking for federal loans is trying to defraud the federal government (WTF??)

Mostly I've been living off my partner who has at least some employment. Enough to pay for the rest of my classes. I think he just wants to be able to have good medical care when he retires even if he hates going to the doctor. 😉 He would honestly rather I become a lawyer.

 

[katiemaude]

LOL well it's nice to know I'm not the only delusional unemployed person (Kidding of course!)

Getting into law school would be an easier path for us. I have two friends who were laid off at the same time as I was; they studied hard for the LSAT and had to gather their LORs, but once that was done, they were good to go with apps. No prereqs! Sigh. Sounds like a dream. If only I wanted to be a lawyer.

 

[mspeedwagon]

To start, I definitely do not think you are crazy. You are just leaving yourself with no choice by to succeed.

I'm in a slightly different boat.

I'm still work full-time AND part-time. I know I'm a little insane. But, I'm also only taking one class at a time for the most part and may switch my current summer class to pass/fail as it's not a pre-req (the exception being this fall when I'll be taking Physics I, Chem II (+lab) and an MCAT course). In the spring I'll be taking Physics II and finishing off the MCAT course. I've already taken all other pre-reqs (except for orgo lab and physics lab both of which I'll take as I apply).

I do not have a spouse who helps. I have a girlfriend that is a third year medical school and completely broke (and has a 100k+ loan). She's also at medical school in a different state.

I definitely would not work full-time and take o-chem and physics. Working full-time and taking only the o-chem lecture alone was challenging enough. Unless you are an engineer or physics whiz definitely don't plan for that schedule. I think taking physics with g-chem II will be hard enough for me.

I'm fortunate that money hasn't really been a problem in the sense I still work. My plan in the long run is to pay for my first year of school out of pocket and then join the US air force. I'm not currently a US citizen and not eligible and I won't be during my first year of med school either. I'm trying to get in shape for this as I don't meet the weight cut for the air force at the moment, but I have time.

If this whole medicine thing doesn't work out, my backup plan is to try and join the California Highway Patrol (again, you need to be a US citizen to do taht, which I am not). I should be a citizen in 2013. If I can't get into medical school by then, I'll look more seriously into my options in law enforcement in CA.

 

[beingthechange]

I'm in the same boat with the anxiety about how to pay for school, living expenses, etc. My situation is a little different though... I work full time as a marketing manager for a 6 brand national womens apparel company. I don't have a ton of leeway to be able to get homework done at work, but I definitely try! I am about to start my sophomore year at the community college and then I'll transfer to the University once I get done with my pre-reqs. With two small daughters at home (5 yrs and 1 yr), and volunteering at a hospice, I don't tend to get much sleep. More importantly though, is that I don't tend to make enough money to pay for everything we need to cover either... Right now, we pay our bills with my salary and school loans and grants that I get from the CC. My husband left work after our youngest was born to stay with her during the day (we don't do day-care), so we're not getting the same amount of income pre-baby that we were with him working. Once I'm done with the CC and transfer to the U, I will need to quit my job and my husband will have to get a job that is equal to what I'm making.... this is going to be tricky because he's got mostly laborer-type of work experience. It's definitely going to be a struggle when I have to leave my job, but I plan on relying heavily on school loans to get us through undergrad and med school. I certainly don't want to have more than $150 grand in debt when I'm done, but I don't really see any way around it. We'll see how it all pans out though... maybe plastics or anesthesiology will catch my eye in med school and I'll be able to pay it all off in only 20 years instead of the 40 that I've planned on with Internal Med or Gen Surg. lol I've also thought about getting involved with some of the rural health programs they have for assistance through medical school. They'll cover a certain portion of your tuition in exchange for a certain number of years practicing in an under-served population. I'm sure they have more programs out there for different specialties as well... Those might be good to look into for you. Good luck!

 

[jinx520]

I've been living on what my soon-to-be ex-husband gives me for child support. It isn't much, but at least he pays the mortgage and the utilities. I deferred my student loans due to non-employment. Once the divorce is final I will start looking for a job in earnest (I'm representing myself, so between that and studying for the MCAT I didn't have any time to do a proper job search, let alone work). I'm kinda in a funny situation where I have a master's degree but very little work experience and have been out of school for a while (due to being a stay-at-home mom for the majority of my marriage). Not too many jobs in my area for research, and most of them are either looking for a college student or a PhD. I'm toying with the idea of taking CC classes to be a nursing assistant or a phlebotomist so that I can work in health care while waiting to see if I got in this cycle (even though I'm planning on submitting my app in September), but I'm worried that I won't have time to finish the program if I get accepted to med school. But at least I'll have a plan B if I don't get in.

 

[PsychScience]

I get a small stipend and tuition remission from my current graduate program and this pays the bills. However, when I'm done with my graduate degree, I have no idea how I'm going to somehow finance both living expenses and taking med school pre-reqs. I'm grateful I have no dependents right now, because this is an overwhelming cost to think about just for myself, let alone thinking about supporting others.

 

[CookDeRosa]

I pay cash for my classes even though that means taking 2 at a time when I'd rather take 3. I've always been a stay at home mom, so we are 16 years into living on 1 income- lots of practice. When the time comes, my husband will quit his job and swap with me (I'm the homeschool parent). We will use savings, equity in our home, and student loans to cover the costs of no one working and insane tuition. 😱

 

[MacVA]

I am still working full time and taking 2 classes with labs every semester including the summer session.

Use additional discretionary spending money on classes rather than going out to eat or going on a vacation. 😱

 

[adamld83]

I live in a city with a large state college. For the first two years I worked fulltime at a hospital and took two night classes a quarter at a community college. Now I am looking at working at the university medical center as a med tech in the ER which will give me 2 classes free p/quarter. Since it is a state school I am just using the loan money to help supplement my income with just working 30 hrs a week. Point being....look into what some of the schools offer as education incentives if your an employee. And once you get use to working and going to school it gets easier, just dont overdo it and learn to manage your time.

 

[HenriMatisse]

I'm working full time and paying for pre-reqs out of pocket and paying back undergrad loans. Currently taking my last Bio course and statistics. I will be completing 2 Chem requirements by taking intensive courses in the fall along with physics 1. Planning on taking both Ochem requirements in the spring in intensive courses as well finishing up physics 2.
The future wife works at a university and is getting her masters for free so her extra income is going towards the wedding in June. yikes. By the way, what's the latest I can take the MCAT without shooting myself in the foot by waiting too late? Also, Can i send in my primary apps without an mcat?

 

[briton]

I'm working full time and paying for pre-reqs out of pocket and paying back undergrad loans. Currently taking my last Bio course and statistics. I will be completing 2 Chem requirements by taking intensive courses in the fall along with physics 1. Planning on taking both Ochem requirements in the spring in intensive courses as well finishing up physics 2.
The future wife works at a university and is getting her masters for free so her extra income is going towards the wedding in June. yikes. By the way, what's the latest I can take the MCAT without shooting myself in the foot by waiting too late? Also, Can i send in my primary apps without an mcat?

Congrats on the wedding. Did a similar thing myself before starting medical school.

You can send in primary apps without an MCAT score. In fact, if you wait for the MCAT you might disadvantage yourself. The earlier you can send in primary apps after the application window opens the better.

I took the MCAT in early July. In hindsight, a June date (or earlier) would be better.

 

[briton]

While I was attending college prior to med school, I worked an office job to make ends meet. Fortunately I had a boss who was on board with my decision to go to med school, so I was allowed to leave during the work day to attend classes if needed. That said, I did have to take some online classes and some evening classes. Luckily my local college offered these. Additionally, I wasn't always able to take a full-time course load because of the schedule conflicts but I always took at least enough classes to qualify for Stafford Loans. I found these loans to be the best way to pay for school. I also took summer classes. The important advice I have here is that it doesn't matter how long it takes you to get the classes done. Getting good grades is more important. I took a little over 4 years to get 103 hours.

During the last two years before med school I decided that I couldn't keep volunteering at the hospital because I needed more income so instead I took a second part-time job working as a CNA at the hospital. I worked about 80 hours a month in this second job and this helped out a lot with the bills. As several have said, working full-time and taking o-chem at the same time is not great but IS possible.

I lived alone during my time as a pre-med student. In hindsight it might have been a lot cheaper to have a roommate!

Good luck to everyone.

 

[HenriMatisse]

Thanks briton. Timing is most definitely going to be an issue for me this year. I could take the MCAT at the beginning of June, but I wouldn't be completely done with Ochem 2. I'm sure that I'll be a complete wreck during the month of waiting for results, which will keep me from enjoying my wedding June 11. I'm thinking I'll take the month of June off from work and volunteering to focus on studying, taking a few days break for celebration. Hopefully I'll take the MCAT at the end of June and spend July trying to focus on anything other than my score.

 

[eablackwell]

I've been paying out of pocket while taking my premed reqs. I work as a teacher, and that's how I pay for it. Once I go to med school my husband will be helping me, since I will have no other income.