Medical school tuition from 35 years ago...

[Geekchick921]

One of the doctor administrator types at my hospital is an alum of the school I'll be matriculating at in August. First time he talked to me about it, he jokingly hassled me about the school before saying, like I expected, that that's where he graduated. Ha!

Anyway, I saw him today and gave him an update. I told him I got a scholarship, and he asked, if I didn't mind, what tuition was now. I told him (over $40K, like all the schools in Philly). He says, "When I started there, first year was $500." Second, third and fourth years were a few thousand. This was the mid-1970s.

😱 <--- My eyes about fell out, just like that.

Cool story, sis.

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[WESTSIDE LOC]

I was recently talking to an orthopod who's on the verge of retiring. He went to USC probably 40-50 years ago for $1200/year. Unspeakably enraging.

 

[eli20]

One of the doctor administrator types at my hospital is an alum of the school I'll be matriculating at in August. First time he talked to me about it, he jokingly hassled me about the school before saying, like I expected, that that's where he graduated. Ha!

Anyway, I saw him today and gave him an update. I told him I got a scholarship, and he asked, if I didn't mind, what tuition was now. I told him (over $40K, like all the schools in Philly). He says, "When I started there, first year was $500." Second, third and fourth years were a few thousand. This was the mid-1970s.

😱 <--- My eyes about fell out, just like that.

Cool story, sis.

Wow... that is nuts. Higher ed (in general) cost has seriously outpaced value for most people. For many people its no longer a logical investment. Med school is one of the few things that probably has a chance of even recouping the high tuitions.

 

[ozzi22]

One of the doctor administrator types at my hospital is an alum of the school I'll be matriculating at in August. First time he talked to me about it, he jokingly hassled me about the school before saying, like I expected, that that's where he graduated. Ha!

Anyway, I saw him today and gave him an update. I told him I got a scholarship, and he asked, if I didn't mind, what tuition was now. I told him (over $40K, like all the schools in Philly). He says, "When I started there, first year was $500." Second, third and fourth years were a few thousand. This was the mid-1970s.

😱 <--- My eyes about fell out, just like that.

Cool story, sis.

thats is just awesome

 

[Potatoman1800]

Everything med school related was cheaper back in those days. My school library has an archive of MSARs going back to the early 70s. A secondary to apply to several schools I skimmed through cost no more than $5.

 

[RogueUnicorn]

One of the doctor administrator types at my hospital is an alum of the school I'll be matriculating at in August. First time he talked to me about it, he jokingly hassled me about the school before saying, like I expected, that that's where he graduated. Ha!

Anyway, I saw him today and gave him an update. I told him I got a scholarship, and he asked, if I didn't mind, what tuition was now. I told him (over $40K, like all the schools in Philly). He says, "When I started there, first year was $500." Second, third and fourth years were a few thousand. This was the mid-1970s.

😱 <--- My eyes about fell out, just like that.

Cool story, sis.

can i report this post for its offensive content

 

[addo]

Jeez, even taking inflation into consideration thats nothing. they went through 4 years with CoL and tuition for what tuition alone is nowadays in 1 year. Ok you all probably didnt need to hear that, sorry.

cool story sis

 

[WESTSIDE LOC]

can i report this post for its offensive content

👍👍

 

[circulus vitios]

I can't wait for the academic bubble to burst. 🙂

 

[AgentBlue]

I can't wait for the academic bubble to burst. 🙂

What happens after that?

Will students not be able to get a loan to pay for the rest of college or med school. That would really suck, only the richest people would be able to afford to pay med school tuition out of pocket.

 

[deleted307836]

My parents are friends with a doc who graduated about 30 years ago. His educational debt? Under 10k. And he paid for everything, AFAIK.

From my point of view college isn't even worth it anymore for many students attending 40k/year liberal arts colleges. Many students are going to go through financial hell before the higher ed. bubble bursts, which is very sad.

And GC, just saw your MDapps -- congrats on the scholarship!!

 

[rHinO1]

Wow 😱, that is a lot more than inflation.

One of the docs that I used to work with, he's retired now, told me when he took the MCAT they didn't tell him his score. He asked them "how do I know if I should apply?" And they told him "Yeah, you should" and that was it. He got into USC.

 

[addo]

damn things used to be so much simpler back then.

I wish i was born in the 50s, so i would have gone to med school in the 70s... by now id be a jaded old doc.

 

[SoyRicoSuave]

According to my dad: "All you need to get into medical school is good grades and a high MCAT score. That's all I did when I applied (25 years ago) and I got in everywhere"

If only....

 

[rHinO1]

Things have changed alot. When people ask how I paid for medical school, it would be nice to say "Oh, I just got a summer job and that covered it."

 

[Avoidthetiger]

My pediatrician didn't even apply to medical school. He was recruited after they saw his MCAT score. That was in the early 1970s.

 

[addo]

well in the interest of full disclosure, what was the average doctor salary in the 70s?

 

[circulus vitios]

well in the interest of full disclosure, what was the average doctor salary in the 70s?

Doctors refer to the 70s and 80s as the "golden age of medicine." Take a guess.

 

[rHinO1]

well in the interest of full disclosure, what was the average doctor salary in the 70s?

It was before HMOs, so probably pretty good.

 

[45408]

well in the interest of full disclosure, what was the average doctor salary in the 70s?

Plenty. Salaries might have been half of what they are now (although I think many CT surgeons made more in the 80s than they do now, in absolute dollars), but their debt was 1/10th or 1/20th of what ours is.

 

[KTownGT]

Doctors refer to the 70s and 80s as the "golden age of medicine." Take a guess.

Gold bullion?

 

[fahimaz7]

According to my dad: "All you need to get into medical school is good grades and a high MCAT score. That's all I did when I applied (25 years ago) and I got in everywhere"

If only....

It's not very different today. If you have a 4.0/35 you are going to get a lot of acceptances.

 

[astrife]

It's not very different today. If you have a 4.0/35 you are going to get a lot of acceptances.

Hardly. Once you start applying to the high flying schools even those stats won't guarantee an acceptance.

 

[addo]

It's not very different today. If you have a 4.0/35 you are going to get a lot of acceptances.

Suave was saying good grades and a good mcat ALONE got him in. Now you have to have ECs, LORs, and a PS. Then research wouldnt hurt if youre trying to get into the top schools and so on and so forth.