hey there - i spoke with a friend of mine that is out of state after reading this thread and yes, he is paying a pretty penny for school right now here at MSUCOM. however, getting in state status is possible. also, at least for me personally, i have wayyyyy more financial aid available than i need. it just depends on your situation. my wife works as do many of my buddies wives, and none of us have kids, so having someone else around to help with bills, or splitting a place with some people from school, can definitely keep the bills reasonable. i know one group of four guys that actually live with an attending at the hospital and he charges them next to nothing (and they can use his hottub).
also, we do not go to school for five years, we simply have six more weeks of class than the MD school does in the summer. although this may seem like a setback and a bit more expensive, it ends up an enormous benefit in the end.
why? second year we only have classes four days a week, and every friday we are at a preceptorship at a family practice clinic. this means you will be in a docs office, beginning your second year, every friday. pretty cool stuff, from what i hear you're heads and tails above the rest when third year rotations come along because you have been doing alot of clinical work already.
irregardless of the costs, whatever amount of money you spend on school is an investment in your future. yes, it may be a costly one but i would pay three times what i do right now just to be able to continue this process. its tough but amazing, fun, etc.
best of luck with your interview, i gotta go back to studying for our anatomy test tomorrow!
Ratch~MSUCOM 2007
