How much did you spend?

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mindthegap said:
i did my apps on the cheap since i'm broke and received FAP.

MCAT: 85
MCAT Prep: FO' FREE, used my buddy's books / tapes/ CD's / flashcards
Primary + Secondaries: 330 (23 US schools, thank you FAP, i love you so hard)
Gas and Public Transit Costs: 150

i knew i wanted to stay relatively close to new york city, so i applied to many local schools. i took public transit as much as possible and always stayed with a friend or student host when i did travel out. i also rec'd an early acceptance from my state school, so that cut out a lot of travel to distant schools.

EDIT: megabus and boltbus were also dear friends
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NickNaylor said:
Not necessarily. The total cost is highly dependent upon 1) where you live and 2) where you're applying. Travel expenses - airfare specifically - was the most expensive part of the entire enterprise for me. Many of the people that I met in the northeast simply took trains or drove to their interviews since they went to school in the northeast. If you're able to do that, you can cut down significantly on your costs.
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word, hopefully I actually get interviews so I can worry about flying, etc.
 
Yeah I know I'm alittle early and young to worry about it, but it's nice to get a heads up if the time ever comes.

I live in the northeast in the central of major med schools including all the ivies and most of the top 20. My chances of getting into one of these...I don't know yet, but more than likely I'll be applying broadly so that mean those airfares will sky rocket :/
 
I spent about 6500$ applying M.D./Ph.D.

~400$ for MCAT prep materials
~3000$ for application fees (applied to 23 programs)
~500$ for interview clothes
~2600$ for traveling (when programs didn't cover flight/hotel-went on eleven interviews)
 
Spent about $5500. Sent in secondaries to around 20 schools and went on 6 interviews.
 
wow guys .... do expensive. i better not break my piggy bank yet
 
I spent about 4500.

MCAT 1.3 times (re-registered and then cancelled)
Applied to 18 programs
Submitted 16 secondaries
Went on four interviews.
Already had business/interview attire.
Paid 3 deposits (2 for private schools).

I worked really really hard to save money leading up to application cycle to be able to pay for everything. I ended up blowing through my savings after secondaries. I used a student loan to help with the rest. NONE of my expenses were put on a credit card.
 
how did you guys save money on travel costs??? do they give student discounts for plane tickets/hotel lodgings?
 
Melomare17 said:
how did you guys save money on travel costs??? do they give student discounts for plane tickets/hotel lodgings?
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it's more about being willing to take flights at ****ty times or taking a bunch of layovers, etc.
 
Melomare17 said:
how did you guys save money on travel costs??? do they give student discounts for plane tickets/hotel lodgings?
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Well, I do know that members of the US Army, Navy, Air Force, etc save buku bread on airfare. In fact, that is one of the main reasons I considered joining the National Guard (free flights, paid time off, super discounts everywhere on everything)..............until I realized that I am not breaking a sweat enlisting, then having to be whisked off to war, no time to study, etc.
 
Swiss Medical said:
Well, I do know that members of the US Army, Navy, Air Force, etc save buku bread on airfare. In fact, that is one of the main reasons I considered joining the National Guard (free flights, paid time off, super discounts everywhere on everything)..............until I realized that I am not breaking a sweat enlisting, then having to be whisked off to war, no time to study, etc.
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.. you mean beaucoup?
 
$300-400 on MCAT books + $250 for the test. I plan on applying to ~15 schools in the NY/PA/NJ so that's $650 on primaries and upwards of $1500 in secondaries? I might apply to a few schools in the southern US (not "the south," just anywhere warm) so there's a couple thousand bucks in flying costs if I go through with that. I'm expecting to spend ~$4k in total.

edit: Plus the cost of a suit, probably another $500.
 
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circulus vitios said:
$300-400 on MCAT books + $250 for the test. I plan on applying to ~15 schools in the NY/PA/NJ so that's $650 on primaries and upwards of $1500 in secondaries? I might apply to a few schools in the southern US (not "the south," just anywhere warm) so there's a couple thousand bucks in flying costs if I go through with that. I'm expecting to spend ~$4k in total.

edit: Plus the cost of a suit, probably another $500.
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Don't forget crap like transportation costs, food, and other incidentals. That stuff really adds up.
 
glasshalfMD said:
oy, it feels like forever ago that I actually paid for some of these things, but here's a stab at it.

MCAT prep materials: ~$300?
MCAT: ~$230
primaries: ~$800
secondaries: ~$1000
suit + other interview things: ~$200
travel interview #1: just gas money (~ 1/2 tank, so $20)
travel interview #2: again, just gas money, but more (~1 tank, so $40)
travel interview #3: same, but a lot more (~3 tanks, so $120)
travel interview #4: nada
TOTAL: ~$2400ish


ways to save: apply only to places you're pretty sure about (have a shot, etc.), buy a suit on sale (? haha), drive!, stay with family or friends or student hosts. I hope this helps. I'm a little atypical since I had three close interviews, and one that was 500-600 miles away but still drove.
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WTF????!!!!
You have to pay for the secondary apps TOO????!!
Damn..I never knew that..And I was worried that the primary application fee would be too much...
It would be a fun summer next year..
Anyway, great thread! Thanks all.
 
KindofBlue said:
WTF????!!!!
You have to pay for the secondary apps TOO????!!
Damn..I never knew that..And I was worried that the primary application fee would be too much...
It would be a fun summer next year..
Anyway, great thread! Thanks all.
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I have already started an offshore account on the Cayman Islands for my application process.....:laugh:
 
Not sure why people don't put everything they buy on their credit cards.

You can get 1-2% back, which isn't too bad for something that is free.
 
blizzah said:
Not sure why people don't put everything they buy on their credit cards.

You can get 1-2% back, which isn't too bad for something that is free.
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There is so much wrong with this post. Please read up on how credit cards work. The ONLY instance a credit card is truly "free" is if you pay off the balance every single month. I'll let you guess how many people do that consistently. Hint: not many.
 
NickNaylor said:
There is so much wrong with this post. Please read up on how credit cards work. The ONLY instance a credit card is truly "free" is if you pay off the balance every single month. I'll let you guess how many people do that consistently. Hint: not many.
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Well, if I were to buy something with cash/debit, it is assumed I have the money. So why not pay with credit card and pay the bill later in the month?

I've never carried a balance in my life, and obviously no one should, but I am only speaking from my experience.
 
blizzah said:
Well, if I were to buy something with cash/debit, it is assumed I have the money. So why not pay with credit card and pay the bill later in the month?

I've never carried a balance in my life, and obviously no one should, but I am only speaking from my experience.
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I would use debit to avoid that massive interest rate......
 
blizzah said:
Because if you pay off the bill, there is no interest rate 🙄
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That's what I'm saying...plus, i bank with Chase and you can earn points and **** if you make purchases frequently.....Killing 2 birds with one stone....
 
blizzah said:
Well, if I were to buy something with cash/debit, it is assumed I have the money. So why not pay with credit card and pay the bill later in the month?

I've never carried a balance in my life, and obviously no one should, but I am only speaking from my experience.
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Then you are obviously a more disciplined man/woman than most people. It's extremely easy to simply charge crap to a card when the credit is available and just say, "oh, I'll pay it off next month."

And now you have credit card debt forever. I wouldn't recommend that anyone consistently use a credit card unless necessary. The only reason I think someone should get a card when it's not needed is to start building a credit history.
 
MCAT + test prep (books, practice tests) ~$500
Primary + secondaries ~$1400 Nice suit and associated clothes ~$1000
Flights to two interviews, the train to a third, and the subway to a fourth ~$600
Assorted other travel expenses (food, magazine to read on the train, etc) $200

So I spent a bit less than $4k to apply to ten schools and attend four interviews.
 
How much do applications cost usually for each medical school?
 
Haislip said:
How much do applications cost usually for each medical school?
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That can be found on the particular school's website. When I look at a school online, I believe $80 is the cheapest i have seen so far.
 
Cheapest so far....What is FAP by the way?
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Haislip said:
How much do applications cost usually for each medical school?
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Primaries are $160 for the first and $33 for each additional school.
Secondaries depend on the school. I think most fall between $75 and $100.
 
Swiss Medical said:
That can be found on the particular school's website. When I look at a school online, I believe $80 is the cheapest i have seen so far.
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Some are much cheaper too. The University of Cincinnati is $25, for example.

I'm applying to something like 20-25 schools, after narrowing down from like 40. I added a column to my stats spreadsheet for secondary fee. When all else is about equal, if I'm debating between say, a $25 school and a $125 school, it definitely comes into play. Useful for keeping track of total expenses to come, too.
 
I hope Texas Secondaries are cheap too.......b/c I am applying to all of them.






































































































































except TCOM
 
NickNaylor said:
Then you are obviously a more disciplined man/woman than most people. It's extremely easy to simply charge crap to a card when the credit is available and just say, "oh, I'll pay it off next month."

And now you have credit card debt forever. I wouldn't recommend that anyone consistently use a credit card unless necessary. The only reason I think someone should get a card when it's not needed is to start building a credit history.
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Majority of "people" are not the majority of premeds. Discipline should be something that they already practice.

Smart people use credit cards and pay it off each month. They get massive benefits over those who stick with benefits, ranging from rewards to protection from vendors, and an emergency reserve.

Those using debit cards because of fear of not paying off their credit cards is like using training wheels for the rest of their lives. In the real world, you have to pay off bills on time anyway, so being fiscally responsible is an important skill to learn early, and credit cards are a part of that.

We understand how credit cards work perfectly and especially how advantageous they are. I use it as a interest-free loan for a month. As a financial instrument, it's great and in fact, many people use it correctly that way. In fact, there's nothing wrong with what Blizzah stated in his post.
 
If you are non-traditional, and can get the time off work, traveling to interviews can be totally fun. It gives you a chance to go see some parts of the US you may never see again. I always tried to stay an extra day just to hang out. Also - camping saves lots of money. 😀
 
AvidAvatar said:
If you are non-traditional, and can get the time off work, traveling to interviews can be totally fun. It gives you a chance to go see some parts of the US you may never see again. I always tried to stay an extra day just to hang out. Also - camping saves lots of money. 😀
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Yes...camping inside the Hlton at Boston.:laugh:
 
blizzah said:
Not sure why people don't put everything they buy on their credit cards.

You can get 1-2% back, which isn't too bad for something that is free.
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I'd wager a guess that most pre-meds are still students and aren't living debt free as it is. I have a very generous mother who paid my way through undergrad for me, but I wasn't going to make her pay for my med school application. Yes, I used my credit card, and it took me a long time to finish paying it off (between the loans I took out for a program I did after undergrad and my credit card, it took about a year after I got a job to pay everything off). For those who don't have the money in the bank to begin with, just throwing everything on a credit card isn't always the best option.

Besides, my bank rocks and gives me cash back when I use my debit card as well. I think my rewards are about the same with my credit card and my debit card, and I only use the credit card when I know I don't have the money in my checking account right now, but can easily transfer it out of my savings when I get home.
 
Swiss Medical said:
Well, I do know that members of the US Army, Navy, Air Force, etc save buku bread on airfare. In fact, that is one of the main reasons I considered joining the National Guard (free flights, paid time off, super discounts everywhere on everything)..............until I realized that I am not breaking a sweat enlisting, then having to be whisked off to war, no time to study, etc.
Click to expand...

oh really? i didn't know that. what about relatives of US army/navy/airforce members, can they purchase the ticket for you? (not sure how it works) but do have family in the army which is why i'm asking.

do more people recommend having a lot of layovers when you're going for an interview? wouldnt that tire people out right before their interview?? i would think one should be relaxed beforehand, if possible.
 
Avoidthetiger said:
MCAT 3x, 2 prep classes: ~$2000
Suit and interview stuff: ~$300

MD 32 apps: $1130
DO 5 apps: $335
MD 29 secondaries: $2500
DO 4 secondaries: $260

10 Interview Travel Costs: $1620
- note: None of my interviewers were in the state I live in for school
- look at my MD App profile for more info on specific travel costs

Total costs: ~8500 including taxis, food, student hosts, ect.

Unfortunately, none of this includes the cost of when I first applied too.....
so add on about another ~2500

TOTAL TOTAL: $11,000

and yes, I am still paying off the credit card debt (not a ton though).

MED SCHOOL BETTER BE AWESOME!
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It better be...

That is about the amount that my I pay for a year in undergrad 😱 I knew applying to med school was expensive, but I did not realize that med school apps could be so costly.

Hopefully, I will not end up applying to so many schools
 
Swiss Medical said:
I hope Texas Secondaries are cheap too.......b/c I am applying to all of them.
.[/COLOR][/SIZE]
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THe texas secondaries are incredibly cheap:
All four UTs: No fee
TT - El Paso: No fee
TT - Lubbock: 50
A & M: 60

Texans have it pretty good.
 
Melomare17 said:
oh really? i didn't know that. what about relatives of US army/navy/airforce members, can they purchase the ticket for you? (not sure how it works) but do have family in the army which is why i'm asking.

do more people recommend having a lot of layovers when you're going for an interview? wouldnt that tire people out right before their interview?? i would think one should be relaxed beforehand, if possible.
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You can only fly between military air bases and you fly on standby, which means you basically sit around for days/weeks hoping that there will be a) a flight going to an air base near where you want to be and b) there will be room on that flight for you to sit and c) no one of higher rank or with orders jumps ahead of you and takes said seat(s). It is FAR from an ideal way to travel to a time-sensitive destination.
 
mvenus929 said:
I'd wager a guess that most pre-meds are still students and aren't living debt free as it is. I have a very generous mother who paid my way through undergrad for me, but I wasn't going to make her pay for my med school application. Yes, I used my credit card, and it took me a long time to finish paying it off (between the loans I took out for a program I did after undergrad and my credit card, it took about a year after I got a job to pay everything off). For those who don't have the money in the bank to begin with, just throwing everything on a credit card isn't always the best option.

Besides, my bank rocks and gives me cash back when I use my debit card as well. I think my rewards are about the same with my credit card and my debit card, and I only use the credit card when I know I don't have the money in my checking account right now, but can easily transfer it out of my savings when I get home.
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Blizzah is obviously not suggesting that people just put money on a credit card when they cannot pay it off. I'm not sure why you used a credit card in your situation instead of other options, but I guess it eventually worked out for you.

The point is that with high volume transactions like application processes, you can get a lot of rewards based on a credit card, which effectively serves as a discount. In the way that credit cards should be used (balance paid off each month). I can't believe I even need to type that last sentence, when it should be assumed.
 
NightGod said:
You can only fly between military air bases and you fly on standby, which means you basically sit around for days/weeks hoping that there will be a) a flight going to an air base near where you want to be and b) there will be room on that flight for you to sit and c) no one of higher rank or with orders jumps ahead of you and takes said seat(s). It is FAR from an ideal way to travel to a time-sensitive destination.
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😱😱 oh wow definitely would not want that to happen then, thanks!
 
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