I can't afford the application process. Where did you get the money to apply?

[ClueBooM]

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Where did you guys get the money to apply to medical schools, pay for MCAT, review books, secondaries, etc? The process is so expensive and I don't know how I'll be able to afford it!

I'm married and took out the max loans available to me last year and we barely made it. I had about $200 before the spring 2011 semester loans kicked in. Whew! It was difficult even with a part time job, lol. 😕 It happens every single semester 😳.

I think my application is ready; I have good grades, research, and ECs but just not enough money..

If you guys/girls have any tips, I would really appreciate it! Thanks! 👍

edit: How much did it cost everyone for their application process? Review books, application, flight for the interview, etc.

 

[Pons Asinorum]

What does your SO do? You should start with a budget and include the costs of applying. Make it work by trimming other areas of expense. Or just do like most here, and swipe it and spend the four years of medical school paying it off.

 

[ClueBooM]

What does your SO do? You should start with a budget and include the costs of applying. Make it work by trimming other areas of expense. Or just do like most here, and swipe it and spend the four years of medical school paying it off.

My wife graduated with a culinary degree but only can find a job as a cook. Cooks generally don't make enough money. 🙁 But we're still hopeful that she finds a better job. My cards are almost maxed since I pay for all of my education. I don't even buy a lot of things either. I bought like 5 shirts last year and my pants were passed down from my brother, lol.

 

[slatermd]

You could apply for application fee waivers/assistance (whatever it's called) to at least minimize that expense.

Try to minimize and consolidate your travel as much as you can. When you're interviewing, stay with students or nearby family whenever you have the option.

 

[startswithb]

Citi Visa credit card. I have worked my entire life and still couldn't afford to apply in cash. I didn't even take a prep course, limited my school selection, and drove to interviews. Still in debt. This process is absurdly expensive. 👎

Fee Assistance Program is based on your parents' income.

I of course did not qualify and my parents had no intention of handing over $5,000 to me in cash.

It's not really fair. Oh well.

 

[Pons Asinorum]

It's not really fair.

Nothing in life is.

 

[Geekchick921]

Fee Assistance Program is based on your parents' income.

I of course did not qualify and my parents had no intention of handing over $5,000 to me in cash.

It's not really fair. Oh well.

Same thing happened to me. Denied F.A.P. because of my mom's income. 😡

Thankfully, my husband got a new job before I had to start doing secondaries, and I decided to apply to just the schools in Philly as a result of his new job, too.

 

[rHinO1]

Citi Visa credit card. I have worked my entire life and still couldn't afford to apply in cash. I didn't even take a prep course, limited my school selection, and drove to interviews. Still in debt. This process is absurdly expensive. 👎

Fee Assistance Program is based on your parents' income.

I of course did not qualify and my parents had no intention of handing over $5,000 to me in cash.

It's not really fair. Oh well.

+1, I missed the cut off by 4k. My income combined with my parents pushed us over, and I only had to work b/c I'm a single parent. So, instead I maxed out my visa card and exhausted my savings.

 

[ClueBooM]

So do I have to use my parent's info even though I'm married?

 

[Geekchick921]

So do I have to use my parent's info even though I'm married?

Yes. And you'll have to submit your parent's info on school financial aide forms if you want to be considered for need-based aide or institutional aide or something. They don't give a flying crap that FAFSA considers you an independent student.

It blows.

 

[Pons Asinorum]

So do I have to use my parent's info even though I'm married?

Yes, unfortunately. You'll find this is also the case when applying for school-specific financial aid, which is also unfortunate. I haven't been dependent on my mom for money since I was 18. That was 14 years ago. Meh.

 

[Pons Asinorum]

Yes. And you'll have to submit your parent's info on school financial aide forms if you want to be considered for need-based aide or institutional aide or something. They don't give a flying crap that FAFSA considers you an independent student.

It blows.

Holy jinxy jinx, Batman.

I prefer Mountain Dew.

 

[Geekchick921]

GMTA, mi amigo.

 

[Pons Asinorum]

GMTA, mi amigo.

🙂

And yes, it does blow.

 

[ClueBooM]

Wow, that would be difficult. I have no contact with my dad and my mom doesn't work but my stepdad does. I hope I don't have to use my stepdad's information since he doesn't support me financially at all..

😕

 

[StephenMaturin]

Add one more to the credit card method. Still paying it off.

 

[ClueBooM]

While we're at it, how much did it cost everyone for their application process? Review books, application, flight for the interview, etc.

 

[SoyRicoSuave]

Student loan!
5k for the ap process is but a small drop in the bucket of med school loans

 

[Pons Asinorum]

While we're at it, how much did it cost everyone for their application process? Review books, application, flight for the interview, etc.

Couple thousand all told. I applied very selectively, only flew to one OOS school where I stayed with friends, rest were IS.

 

[theshellyb]

I'd like to stress the importance of Frequent flier miles and credit card points in this process. I used my CC to pay for all of my primary and secondary fees, and then had a lot of points available to book travel on. I applied from California and had a lot of flights involved in my process. This is roughly how I paid for them

SF>Boston>NYC>Pittsburgh>SF (The 2 long legs booked on United, intermediate flights booked with points from my CC so those were free)
SF>St Louis (Booked on United)
SF>Baltimore>San Diego>SF (This was a fluke, my company paid for it since I had to be in Baltimore anyway that weekend. Not a repeatable tactic )
SF>Raleigh/Durham (Booked entirely using my miles from United, so free)
SF>Cleveland (Booked using a free flight on Southwest I had) (Stopped to see my boyfriend in Wisconsin on the way back, paid with that using Credit Card points)
SF>NYC again>Atlanta (Booked on United)

Then I still had frequent flier miles leftover on United that I just used to book a flight out to the city I'll be matriculating in to look for apartments.

Each time I paid for a flight, I booked on my CC so I got points AND miles for flying. Airline loyalty is key. Also a rewards card.

 

[Musclemass]

My wife graduated with a culinary degree but only can find a job as a cook. Cooks generally don't make enough money. 🙁 But we're still hopeful that she finds a better job. My cards are almost maxed since I pay for all of my education. I don't even buy a lot of things either. I bought like 5 shirts last year and my pants were passed down from my brother, lol.

Using credit card debt is a REALLY bad idea. It's easy and available but WAY too expensive.

If it isn't feasible for your wife to get a better paying job, you should consider taking time off from school so you can work to pay off the cards and maybe get some savings to supplement her earnings when you stop working.

 

[bbottle]

Have you taken your mcat yet? If you haven't started studying, you can study at bookstores and try to pay off your debt in the mean time. You'd be surprised how much easier it is to save money when you don't have huge interest payments to deal with every month.

 

[Evergrey]

I saved up money for 3 years to afford this!

 

[slatermd]

Ok, so based on everyone's input here's a new plan.

1. Determine where you'll be applying. Use your parents' credit cards to purchase airfare to these locations, with flight dates around one year after you submit your AMCAS application.

2. Stage your parents' death; collect any inheritance. Try to have their credit card debt forgiven (whatever you racked up purchasing flights), after you redeem any balance of reward points.

3. Qualify for F.A.P. and pay little to nothing for med school applications.

4. When you get interview invites, change the dates of your pre-purchased airfare. This will cost you $50 - $100, but will be cheaper than purchasing the tickets out of pocket.

5. Profit!


This will make for a great answer to the interview question, "Tell me about a time when you had a problem and solved it, or overcame a challenge."

 

[Geneticist]

I'm working part-time next year in a lab on campus; the money will go towards applying to med schools.

 

[slatermd]

Using credit card debt is a REALLY bad idea. It's easy and available but WAY too expensive.

If it isn't feasible for your wife to get a better paying job, you should consider taking time off from school so you can work to pay off the cards and maybe get some savings to supplement her earnings when you stop working.

I saved up money for 3 years to afford this!

It's pretty much either this ^ or debt, OP.

Or fraud.

 

[Evergrey]

It's pretty much either this ^ or debt, OP.

Or fraud.

Yeah it's all about foresight and fiscal conservation. The amount of obstacles along this process is absurd, and they make it very difficult for anyone that isn't from an affluent background to succeed. I consider myself from an affluent background but I did not have any help from my parents, so I struggled too. Since I graduated I have denied myself any type of gratification involving money (there goes my paid phone sex habit!). But I am in the black, thank God, and it looks like I will be able to afford a trip to Japan before med school starts too.

The best advice I can give anyone here is to put away as much of your loan money during college as possible, or work extra hours, whatever you can do to put some money away. Avoid credit card debt at all costs, it will destroy you like it has so many others!

 

[tabascosauce]

to afford the app fees and everything associated with it i worked at a job.

 

[northpenn]

Charged it on the plastic and took out a job the summer before class started. Paid off as I made some bank

 

[ClueBooM]

wow, thanks for so many great advices everyone! I'm gonna save a lot more from now on. This just reminds me that something really worth it is never easy. We gotta make sacrifices to achieve our dreams..

lol medzealot.. I'm kind of a wuss when it comes to fraud or cheating, 😛.

 

[Dwindlin]

I worked full time while getting my pre-reqs done.

 

[BAMF]

Yes. And you'll have to submit your parent's info on school financial aide forms if you want to be considered for need-based aide or institutional aide or something. They don't give a flying crap that FAFSA considers you an independent student.

It blows.

Seriously? That sucks donkey balls.

Right now I'm early in the application process, so I'm buying things one by one. I have many months until I take the MCAT so I'm taking $30 out of each paycheck to buy a review book at a time, hopefully it isn't too premature of me. 😉 Once I get all of my books I'll just put that money in a savings for other application expenses. My aunt also works for an airline and is putting me down as her flying companion so that I can save on flight costs - I can't thank her enough for this! The rest...yeah, I dunno. I'm very fortunate that I have parents and an S/O who are willing to help me out, although I would much rather use that as a last resort.

 

[mvenus929]

credit cards the first time. Then I actually got student loans for a program I did to get a job, then I got a job and worked for almost a year to pay off both my student loans and my credit card, plus pay for another application cycle. After November, I was using all the money I was using to pay off loans and credit cards and saving it up for moving expenses. Had almost 7K by the time I moved 🙂

 

[Ignatius M.D.]

Where did you guys get the money to apply to medical schools, pay for MCAT, review books, secondaries, etc? The process is so expensive and I don't know how I'll be able to afford it!

I'm married and took out the max loans available to me last year and we barely made it. I had about $200 before the spring 2011 semester loans kicked in. Whew! It was difficult even with a part time job, lol. 😕 It happens every single semester 😳.

I think my application is ready; I have good grades, research, and ECs but just not enough money..

If you guys/girls have any tips, I would really appreciate it! Thanks! 👍

edit: How much did it cost everyone for their application process? Review books, application, flight for the interview, etc.

FAP is given to students whose family income is less than or equal to 3x the federally defined poverty level. Look into it if you think you might qualify. It's definitely worth it. You are sent the MSAR and Official Guide to the MCAT, as well as qualifying for 14 fee waivers for AMCAS and secondary fee waivers from nearly every school (15/15 of the schools I e-mailed confirmed).

 

[ClueBooM]

FAP is given to students whose family income is less than or equal to 3x the federally defined poverty level. Look into it if you think you might qualify. It's definitely worth it. You are sent the MSAR and Official Guide to the MCAT, as well as qualifying for 14 fee waivers for AMCAS and secondary fee waivers from nearly every school (15/15 of the schools I e-mailed confirmed).

Wow, that's great to know.. I think I qualify for fee assistance. Thanks! 👍

 

[ClueBooM]

credit cards the first time. Then I actually got student loans for a program I did to get a job, then I got a job and worked for almost a year to pay off both my student loans and my credit card, plus pay for another application cycle. After November, I was using all the money I was using to pay off loans and credit cards and saving it up for moving expenses. Had almost 7K by the time I moved 🙂

Nice, I'm happy for you! 🙂

 

[Sailor Senshi Dermystify]

I got FAP and it was really helpful to pay of my MCAT even though I didn't apply it's a great way to save cash 🙂

 

[ClueBooM]

I got FAP and it was really helpful to pay of my MCAT even though I didn't apply it's a great way to save cash 🙂

Do you know if you can only use FAP once? Let's say I took the MCAT and applied to schools but didn't get any interviews. Can I use FAP again the following application cycle?

 

[cinematographie]

Do you know if you can only use FAP once? Let's say I took the MCAT and applied to schools but didn't get any interviews. Can I use FAP again the following application cycle?

every year you have to reapply since your or your parents' earnings can change year to year. i was accepted last year and i still had to reapply a month ago.

 

[eablackwell]

Luckily, the last week of May someone drove into the side of my house and the estimate from the insurance company was a little more than I paid to fix it (since my cousin owns a construction company). I got it about a week before I had to start sending secondaries. No, I am not joking.

That paid for most of them, but the MCAT, study materials, and probably 2 or 3 higher priced secondaries went on my charge card. 🙁

This is not a cheap process. I wish you luck in finding ways to make it happen.

 

[Geekchick921]

Luckily, the last week of May someone drove into the side of my house and the estimate from the insurance company was a little more than I paid to fix it (since my cousin owns a construction company). I got it about a week before I had to start sending secondaries. No, I am not joking.

That paid for most of them, but the MCAT, study materials, and probably 2 or 3 higher priced secondaries went on my charge card. 🙁

This is not a cheap process. I wish you luck in finding ways to make it happen.

EA, sorry about what happened to your house but that's kind of awesome. No great loss without some small gain, ya know?

 

[45408]

Using credit card debt is a REALLY bad idea. It's easy and available but WAY too expensive.

Agreed.

If it isn't feasible for your wife to get a better paying job, you should consider taking time off from school so you can work to pay off the cards and maybe get some savings to supplement her earnings when you stop working.

But this is probably an even worse idea. He's postponing the income of a physician ($175K/year or more) for the income he could earn now? That's a terrible idea.

Now, he could work more now, but I wouldn't delay this whole process just to try to save up $10,000. It's important to be frugal and fiscally judicious, but you don't want to miss the forest for the trees.

 

[StudyShy]

I will be using my tax return money for fees. Thank goodness I had those three kids! 🙂

I've never had a cc and never really want one.

 

[CattleBruiser]

I had good friends 2-3 years older than me in college applying to med school and from them I learned how expensive all this was going to be. Saved up several thousand dollars over 3 years and now I have a lot less money, but it was worth it I guess. Oh and no loans, just worked a job and saved up 100% of my earnings other than food/rent.