Neither of us has any outside funding going into medical school so why should I be considered less worthy of help because I had parents or grew up with more money.
Your UG debt is likely less than the break you will get from financial aid because of your unfortunate situation.
Do not make the mistake of assuming that because my parents are well off that I am a spoiled brat. I grew up on a farm and have worked my ass off since I was 10 years old, likely harder than most of you.
My parents paid for my undergraduate education and I greatly appreciate it.
I simply was asking a question, I was not trying to slight any of you in any way nor make myself come off as whiney. Its a simple question that I thought you guys would know the answer to.
Honestly, my issue with your posts is that you seem to be considering your situation as being equally disadvantaged to someone coming from a background that is truly disadvantaged in some way (socioeconomic status, family dysfunction, parental death, etc). Despite what you seem to think, though you may have to go into some debt for medical school, both your financial situation and life situation are vastly different than those in that group.
First, as others have said, you went to undergraduate free. It doesn't matter that undergraduate and graduate education are different - that free ride is a big deal that will save you thousands of dollars of debt. It also allowed you to focus all your energies on academics and your application. Those people you think you are just as needy as? After a small amount of financial aid and (maybe) scholarships, everything is loans (with interest) and HOURS of working to push themselves through school. Did you know that some schools actually look at existing debt in figuring out how much aid to give to a student? There's a reason for that.
Not to mention that, even before undergrad, you likely grew up getting a top-notch education, with supportive parents and all the opportunities in the world. You never had to worry about where the next meal was going to come from, you could hang out with friends all you wanted (not work), you never felt embarrassed or ashamed to have friends over and your went home to a stable and safe household. Do not undervalue that for a second, as it makes more difference than you could ever know.
So, going into this, you are actually in a very different situation than those you think you are just as worthy of in terms of aid. Look, does it suck you will have to take out loans when you previously had not? Yea, it does. Yet, even without parental funding, you will still have so many more resources from your parents than many of us ever had or will. I highly doubt that, if you call them panicked one day because your car broke and you commute to school or are rotating at a site where a car is needed that you are parents are going to fail to assist you. When you become frustrated or struggle, they will be there as a support. Over breaks, if you wanted to, you have a family to visit and enjoy. I'm sorry you're going to have to take out loans - most of us will be; but, do not dare compare yourself to those coming from backgrounds so, so unlike your own. You can't know.
To give background, my father, who is drug addicted and violent, is in and out of my life; never helps with money (he makes quite a bit, though, or so I have heard). My mother works numerous jobs despite having major chronic illnesses - physical and psychiatric - because she has no other choice. Those 4+ jobs, that still leave us in poverty, make her illnesses worse. I have been helping to care for her in numerous ways for as long as I have been able to walk, talk, understand. Make sure bills get paid. Help deal with doctors. Arrange care. Make sure she is complaint. Call 911 in Emergencies. There's no other family support. Due to her emotional absence, a lot of other traumatic things have happened because she was too ill/working too much to notice anything (I do NOT blame her). I have been working as many hours as I can, over and under the table, for as long as I have been able to help make sure heat and electric stays on. I also have my own chronic health issues, though much more mild than my mom's, that I have had to deal with and will for the rest of my life. Emotionally, financially, physically, I have had little to no support in my life and will have no support throughout my education - at all, period, nothing. I'm on my own.
Yet, I'm actually
really lucky at the end of the day and I know that; others have it so, so much worse. I'm leaving for college early - a GREAT opportunity, one I know so many in my situation do not have nor will have - and will be forced to take out loans. If I get into medical school, I'll have to take out more. Am I looking forward to it? No. Does it terrify me sometimes? Absolutely. But I'm choosing to take this route - so are you, by the way, nobody is forcing you - and, ultimately realize that getting there despite everything I have been dealt with, despite all the times when everyone (school, family, myself) had given up on me ever becoming anything, despite what the statistics say - it will be an experience that nothing else ever could compare to. The debt will still be a painful burden; however, as far as I'm considered, well worth it.
But don't dare consider your situation, financial or otherwise, equal or as needy as my own or others in similar, or worse, situations. It's not - not even close - and, though I do not know you personally, can attest that your posts do indeed make you sound like an ungrateful, naive, whining rich kid. Not saying you are; but you're coming across as one.
Your question, in terms of where you will get your aid, has been answered by others. I wish you all the luck in your app. cycle.
