How to support yourself while going to school?

[JRenee]

My main goal in life is to become a doctor... but I'm starting to worry that I might not be able to support myself through the process. I've been taking into consideration becoming a nurse, although that is not what I want to do. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. How do you all support yourselves while going to school?

I could become a nurse, no problem... but in the back of my mind I know I would always regret not doing what I really wanted.

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[Evergrey]

Support? Do you mean financial support? You should take out loans and focus on attending public schools. As you are a US citizen and don't deal drugs, you shouldn't have problems getting full funding for your college, and then medical school education. Lots of doctors follow this same route and they are eventually able to pay off their loans with little problem. This is a decision that affects your entire life, not just your financial situation during school.

 

[snookiez]

hook on the side 😉

 

[Bravetown]

hook on the side 😉

I should have expected that from someone with a handle like yours

 

[JRenee]

Support? Do you mean financial support? You should take out loans and focus on attending public schools. As you are a US citizen and don't deal drugs, you shouldn't have problems getting full funding for your college, and then medical school education. Lots of doctors follow this same route and they are eventually able to pay off their loans with little problem. This is a decision that affects your entire life, not just your financial situation during school.

Yes, I mean financial support. I was hoping I wouldn't have to take out loans but it's seeming as if that's the only possible way to finish school. Do you know anything else about taking out loans? How does that usually go about? Thanks.

 

[Evergrey]

Yes, I mean financial support. I was hoping I wouldn't have to take out loans but it's seeming as if that's the only possible way to finish school. Do you know anything else about taking out loans? How does that usually go about? Thanks.

Contact the Financial Aid Office at your current/future school, they can help you with taking out loans and different options you have 🙂 There's no shame in loans. I would much rather be in educational debt than credit card debt. Part of being a financially responsible and knowledgeable adult is knowing when to borrow money. As long as your education is not prohibitively expensive, and as long as you can get good return on your investment, then educational loans are awesome for you.

 

[halethsonofhama]

Loans- they aren't too bad. Look for scholarships if you can (but that is an annoying process).

Don't take time off to work, you will never be able to earn enough to fully fund a university education.

I worked nearly full time to fund my CC education and living.... but upon transfering I wouldn't be able to keep up.

 

[Buttermellow]

I've seen med students post on SDN that they worked throughout med school... I wouldn't think you'd have the time for that, but I don't actually know since I'm not in med school 😛
It would certainly be something to think about, even if it's not a ton of hours per week.

 

[fahimaz7]

Student loans. You can take out federal loans up to the cost of attendance for medical school, which basically equals 50-60k/year.

 

[Sesom]

For your first semester take out a loan. If you are getting the grades that a pre med should be getting you will not have much problem finding scholarships or tuition waivers for the remainder. Taking out loans for school isn't a big problem because you are investing in your future ability to make more money.I don't have parents to live with so I work a couple 10 hours shifts Saturday and Sunday and keep my expense to a minimum perhaps. This allows complete flexibility monday-friday for school/EC. So if you have to support yourself try and find a job that can stay out of the way of your education as much as possible. instead of getting your own apartment you can rent a room for $300 or something.Don't worry, you can make it work!I have had people take a semester here and their because they want to pay for their school out of pocket. In about 6 years I will be finishing med school and they will probably still be working on their associates at a community college. So really, if you need loans, take loans!

 

[Sesom]

I've seen med students post on SDN that they worked throughout med school... I wouldn't think you'd have the time for that, but I don't actually know since I'm not in med school 😛
It would certainly be something to think about, even if it's not a ton of hours per week.

I know that some med schools don't allow you to work.

 

[Sesom]

Also, some people get pell grants if they and their parents(if under 24 yo) do not make too much money. You don't have to pay back a pell grant.

 

[Ignatius M.D.]

First two years I worked 30hr/week and got a few academic scholarships to cover the rest. Then when I wanted to transfer I only applied to schools that met 100% financial need (with Pell included). Even if you don't go to a school with that guarantee, you might be able to pay a good portion with scholarships unless your tuition is high (have you looked into scholarships?). If you don't qualify for much financial aid, go to the best & cheapest school you can, and apply for as many merit scholarships as possible. Most schools have dozens of different merit scholarships, but a lot of people don't bother to investigate. Otherwise, loans are the only thing left.

 

[JRenee]

For your first semester take out a loan. If you are getting the grades that a pre med should be getting you will not have much problem finding scholarships or tuition waivers for the remainder. Taking out loans for school isn't a big problem because you are investing in your future ability to make more money.I don't have parents to live with so I work a couple 10 hours shifts Saturday and Sunday and keep my expense to a minimum perhaps. This allows complete flexibility monday-friday for school/EC. So if you have to support yourself try and find a job that can stay out of the way of your education as much as possible. instead of getting your own apartment you can rent a room for $300 or something.Don't worry, you can make it work!I have had people take a semester here and their because they want to pay for their school out of pocket. In about 6 years I will be finishing med school and they will probably still be working on their associates at a community college. So really, if you need loans, take loans!

Great advice! Thank you! You're right about taking the loans out rather than taking some semesters off to make money to pay... just not worth it for how many years it takes in all. I'm hoping to pay around $500 or less a month for a room. So hopefully that will work out...

 

[JRenee]

I know that some med schools don't allow you to work.

Why do some med schools not allow you to work while attending?

 

[JRenee]

First two years I worked 30hr/week and got a few academic scholarships to cover the rest. Then when I wanted to transfer I only applied to schools that met 100% financial need (with Pell included). Even if you don't go to a school with that guarantee, you might be able to pay a good portion with scholarships unless your tuition is high (have you looked into scholarships?). If you don't qualify for much financial aid, go to the best & cheapest school you can, and apply for as many merit scholarships as possible. Most schools have dozens of different merit scholarships, but a lot of people don't bother to investigate. Otherwise, loans are the only thing left.

When you were working the 30 hours a week were you also renting out your own apartment? If so how did that work out for you?

 

[Sesom]

Why do some med schools not allow you to work while attending?

Because when you go to med school it is your new job. They also want you to focus your energy on school work so they pump out better students. It doesn't matter though, doctors make enough to pay off their loans.

 

[45408]

1. Parents for maybe 5-10% of people
2. Military for about 5-10% of people
3. Loans for about 30-50% of people
4. Spouse for the remaining 30-50% of people.
5. Job for about 1-2% of people.

I used loans for tuition, my wife paid all my living expenses.

 

[Ignatius M.D.]

When you were working the 30 hours a week were you also renting out your own apartment? If so how did that work out for you?

No, but my car payment was about the same as if I'd been sharing an apartment. That was my fault for buying a really nice car when I was 19 years old though. I could have bought a clunker and saved a few hundred a month. I was living at home, but helping to pay bills since my family income was very low. So, a hundred a month for gas, a few hundred for bills, and a few hundred for car payment. It worked out OK, but I wouldn't want to do that again.