How much does applying to med school cost?

[phonyreal98]

How much does the application process to medical school cost?

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[sassilysweet]

Depends on how many schools you apply to.

Primary apps=$30 per school (AMCAS)
Can't remember primary costs for DO
Secondary apps=$50-$200+ per school

If you include taking the MCAT, the ~$200 plus whatever you used to study (books or class, etc)

Interviews=traveling expenses (airfare/bus/cab/hotel/food)
Interview clothing
Etc. Etc.

 

[Poliscidoc]

$1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000

 

[theroadtomed]

You should have around $5000 set aside for the whole process. You're talking around $1000-2500 in applications and secondaries, then if you're lucky a few thousand on interview travels. Then you have to consider an MCAT class and buying a nice interview suit (optional). I think I've spent about $4000 so far and still have a few interviews I'll be going to.

 

[avksx]

Already covered in another thread.


http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=688872

 

[Dr McSexy]

How much does the application process to medical school cost?

Too much.

 

[TaylorMDhopeful]

I would think that $2,000-$3,000 is a reasonable estimate given you apply to over 15 schools and need to interview at a good portion of them.

 

[Sammich117]

A crapton. I think I'm up to around $3,000

 

[c5212]

Let's apply J.P. Morgan's theory: “If you have to ask, then you probably can’t afford it” Anyway- just from what I've seen on the forum and MDApps- a couple grand at least (usually including some MCAT prep materials)

 

[WildcatsDoc]

Too much.

x2

 

[DirtyJustice]

I would say ~$300 x the number of schools you plan to apply to. Most people apply to ~20 (to make the math easy)

20 * $300 = $6,000? Many spend less, some spend more, I would say that is about average with all fees (including travel for interviews) added in there.

 

[musicsung3]

I would say ~$300 x the number of schools you plan to apply to. Most people apply to ~20 (to make the math easy)

20 * $300 = $6,000? Many spend less, some spend more, I would say that is about average with all fees (including travel for interviews) added in there.

6K, You just gave me a headache...

Off topic...is it worth applying to 20 schools? Schools have different standards, shouldn't just applying to 8 or so schools that one would have a shot at, and a few that fall above and below that, be enough?

 

[DirtyJustice]

6K, You just gave me a headache...

Off topic...is it worth applying to 20 schools? Schools have different standards, shouldn't just applying to 8 or so schools that one would have a shot at, and a few that fall above and below that, be enough?

I think applying to 8 medical schools will lead you to a path of little success. Even if you have a 4.0 and a 40 you will still get rejected by a good bit of the schools you apply to.

There is a low degree of arbitrariness about the medical school admission process.

 

[avksx]

6K, You just gave me a headache...

Off topic...is it worth applying to 20 schools? Schools have different standards, shouldn't just applying to 8 or so schools that one would have a shot at, and a few that fall above and below that, be enough?

Apply broadly. Out of the total number of applications you can financially afford to send in, make:

10% Long Shots: Schools you have a chance, however slim, of getting into.
20% Reaches: Schools you could get into, but you're unsure of.
40% Desirable: Schools you stand a solid chance of getting into.
30% Safety: Schools you could almost definitely get into.

 

[musicsung3]

Thanks guys, that really helped.

Also: from my experiences + others (especially on this thread) it seems that many schools are excellent at figuring out whether they are one of your "safety" schools. Honestly, if you can research your schools well and find out if you are a good 'fit' (I know that its hard to do so) its better than just looking at stats and deciding that way. Many lower stat schools either: a) are looking for particular things in applicants besides stats and/or b) will not consider anybody with stats TOO high above their average - they realize you will get accepted and most likely attend somewhere "better."

All that to say: my advice is to find schools you are truly interested in attending and apply to 12-18 of them. If you truly care about a school and have a desire to attend, it overflows onto your secondary and essays (especially, of course, the "Why School XXX" essays).

This is really interesting about safety schools, I hadn't thought about it that way...it seems unfair.

 

[bravofleet4]

I applied to 25 schools and I would say that the primary app + secondaries altogether cost around 3k. Flying out I've spent around another 3k for 6 interviews and I combined 4 of the schools into 2 separate trips for a total of 4 trips. Cost of traveling varies tremendously depending upon your own personal needs. If you just fly in the night it can just be the flight of the plane ticket, taxi, and food, if you stay with a student host. My last trip was $300 but another trip was closer to $500. Don't let costs though stop you though from being at the top of your game when you interview. I should've paid extra and flown a day early and stay at a hotel to get adjusted to the time difference. I screwed up several interviews due to lack of sleep. How I managed to get once acceptance I don't know.

Yeah I would also +1 on the safety schools. I haven't heard back from any of them. I mostly applied to schools around my stats but didn't do the heavy research to find out what they were particularly looking for. It is true though that some are looking for certain qualities. When I interviewed at Ohio they told us that we had all been invited to interview b/c we had demonstrated a strong record of service to the community...

 

[bannie22]

~2000 mcat
~6000 plane
~1000 primary
~3000 secondary
~1000 expenditure

 

[bannie22]

~2000 mcat
~6000 plane
~1000 primary
~3000 secondary
~1000 expenditure

 

[s1lver]

Check out a few MDapps profile and you'll get an idea. Usually around 2K+

For example:

* http://mdapplicants.com/profile.php?id=8171
* http://mdapplicants.com/profile.php?id=7942

More here - http://www.mdapplicants.com/googles...2qolw2&cof=FORID:10&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=cost#1125 (type cost in the search box if the link doesn't work).

 

[EMS5]

x2

squared

 

[Gogogirl]

a lot..unless you are qualified for FAP...that saves you money..but still, you pay for own travel expenses when interviewing...

 

[futuredoc8788]

$1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000

lol!!!! sooooooooooooooooooo true! especially if you have out of state interviews!

 

[Amadelphous]

All that to say: my advice is to find schools you are truly interested in attending and apply to 12-18 of them. If you truly care about a school and have a desire to attend, it overflows onto your secondary and essays (especially, of course, the "Why School XXX" essays).

 

[Hemichordate]

.

 

[Beta Cell]

Do people generally spend more if they live on the East Coast or West Coast?

There is a large concentration of schools on the East Coast, while, for example, the Pacific Northwest has to make agreements between states for the University of Washington. Just based on number of schools, I would guess you spend more if you live on the West Coast (unless you only apply to California schools or something like that).

 

[Narmerguy]

The damned cost of interviewing is the backbreaker. If only there was a decent train system in the US.