# of medical schools applied to, and your family....

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.

rachmoninov3

Senior Member
15+ Year Member
Joined
Dec 15, 2004
Messages
895
Reaction score
24
I hate to say this, but I'm only applying to one medical school next year. Reasons why: Primarilly my husband. He and I own a home, we're active in the community, I work for a good hospital that has offered to pay for my medical school with a monthly stipend, etc...and simply we just don't want to leave everything we've worked for for four years.

The only other schools I might apply to would be Ivys, simply because long long ago my husband gave up his full undergrad scholarships at the ivys so that he could go to school with me. But a snow ball would have a better chance in h*ll than I would getting into one of those schools, and it would just be $50 thrown away towards amcas that I'd never see again.

OK, so I'm crazy, I'm not a gung-ho premed, i'm not dedicated...anyone else not applying to too many schools because of family?
 
You could sell your home.

There are other people in the community that will fill the void you leave. There are other communities that need help.

It's very generous of that hospital to pay for your medical school. Will they pay in-state only? any school of your choice? what are the conditions?

Sometimes you have to let go of what you have in order to grab on to something new.

Why would you apply to only ivys...if you aren't confident you'd get interviewed? It's very romantic that your husband gave up his full scholarship, but...actually that's about all it is...I hope he doesn't have any regrets and I hope you aren't holding on to any guilt about it. The past has passed.

To me...family comes first. If my wife (not married yet...nowhere near it) had some desire or dream or destiny she was called to fulfill, I'd like to think I'd have the wisdom and the courage to help her achieve it. Have you and he talked about how difficult medical school admissions can be? If not...tell him to check out this forum and the spouses forum.

Applying to one school is very risky. Any connections at the school? Is your hospital affiliated with it?

Apply early. Make sure somewhere in your app you mention that your medical education will be paid for by your hospital.

Keep the faith.
 
It may be reasonable to apply to one school, if you know for sure that you are good enough to get in anywhere. However, even for students in this position, this course of action is rarely, if ever, recommended.

If becoming a physician is your goal, then I it may be short-sighted to limit yourself in this way. The average student applies to 12 medical schools. For nontraditional students, or students with any potential negatives on their applications, I think it's best to apply to several more.

To answer your question, I also had a home, spouse, and children. We were willing to move for medical school, but we did not want to. I applied to 24 programs, including all of my local medical schools. I was lucky enough to get in locally. But we had several options, in case we had to relocate. This included my going alone for 2 years, and either transfering back in my third year, or doing my 4-year rotations locally. We also considered renting our home, and moving back after 4 years.
 
Top