so I can't afford the school I want

[senioritaelena]

So, I can't afford to go to the school that is close to me, but can afford to go to one that is far and is a historically black school. I feel I could go to the school and really kick ass there and do well, but I am still worried about being stigmatized as going to a historically black school. ANy thoughts??

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[Pansit]

So, I can't afford to go to the school that is close to me, but can afford to go to one that is far and is a historically black school. I feel I could go to the school and really kick ass there and do well, but I am still worried about being stigmatized as going to a historically black school. ANy thoughts??

Stigmatized from where? Your friends, your family,...other collegues...seriously of you "kick ass" at the school, like you stated, you will be able to get the residency you want. Going to a historically black school will not limit your opportunities if you do well. You will be way to busy studying during school and way to busy working with patients and with a diverse field of health care professionals (MD's, DO's, Caribb MD's, DDS, DPM, Nurses...etc) to care about people stigmatizing you...with that said, if you really want to go to this expensive school why dont you max your federal loans...you will pay for it later but your happiness comes first...also there are military options..etc...find a way.

 

[Xotica]

If you can't afford one of the schools do you have a choice?

 

[senioritaelena]

I'm Canadian= no federal loans. I had a US cosigner, but she can't do it anymore. I can only get a limited amout of money.

 

[Bond8204]

So, I can't afford to go to the school that is close to me, but can afford to go to one that is far and is a historically black school. I feel I could go to the school and really kick ass there and do well, but I am still worried about being stigmatized as going to a historically black school. ANy thoughts??

Apologies. I didn't read through all the threads except to see that you're Canadian and don't get the US loans.

To give a student in a US medical school a loan is a very, very lucrative investment for the loan-giving types. The fact is, yes you put in a lot of money into this student, but statistics show that the vast, VAST majority of these students complete their education and go on to pay back their loans plus interest.

You may have to go into a SIGNIFICANT amount of debt. and you may have to work a BUNCH during med school. But I don't buy the "I can't afford medical school" story nearly as much as I buy the "I can't afford college" one.

 

[Bond8204]

I guess what I'm saying is, I hope you understand that ALL of us med students will be incurring SIGNIFICANT debt. You're not alone and I GUARANTEE (sp?) you will be able to work out a plan with somebody who gives lones.



That said, you should feel no stigma attending a "historically black" medical school. While prejudice certainly exists at many levels in America, I could say with confidence that this would not be one of them.

 

[Old ortho]

1. There are no bad U. S. med schools, including the historical black schools like Meharry and Howard. They are all accredited. Nothing to be embarrassed about.

2. If you are black, you should be proud of your heritage and race. Nothing to be ashamed of.

 

[foofish]

So, I can't afford to go to the school that is close to me, but can afford to go to one that is far and is a historically black school. I feel I could go to the school and really kick ass there and do well, but I am still worried about being stigmatized as going to a historically black school. ANy thoughts??

Luckily, there is going to be a point when what matters is that you're a good physician, and not what's hanging on your wall. (Unless you're going into heavy research or academic medicine, which tend to be greater credential ******.) I wouldn't worry at all about going to a "historically black" med school if it's a good fit for you. I say go to the school that you'll be happiest at, and that you think fits you best...the school that's going to make you the best physician you can be (while maintaining your sanity). If that school is the expensive one, just keep in mind that most people leave med school swimming in 6-figure loans...the money part is very important, sit down and take everything, not just $$, into consideration. Depending on your choices and ambitions, sometimes going to the more expensive school might be worth a year of living off PB&J. I was also wondering, is it impossible to get private educational loans from Canada if you're attending a US school?

 

[notdeadyet]

senioritaelena- The patients who will judge you inferior based on your MD from a historically black college would probably have judged you inferior based on your skin color anyway.

And your colleagues? Read SDN enough and you'll get all kinds of "stigmas". But these are the same folks that make inferences based on the kind of car you drive, the clothes you wear and all sorts of silly stuff. Some of it is an issue of age, much of it is a matter of experience, and a bit is just the kind of folks medicine sometimes attracts. Fug'em.

 

[notdeadyet]

You may have to go into a SIGNIFICANT amount of debt. and you may have to work a BUNCH during med school. But I don't buy the "I can't afford medical school" story nearly as much as I buy the "I can't afford college" one.

I don't think you understand the ability of a non-U.S. citizen to take out $200K of loans without an American co-signer or collateral. It's not realistic.

 

[Dr.2be]

Hey,
You should focus on the school that will make you the most happy for the next 4 years. Stigmatization comes from everywhere just ask any student that graduated from the carrib schools. They can be as qualified as any other doctor since they passed their boards but some do get that "oh your from the carrib" which is sad since in all honnesty we are all here for the same purpose to heal the sick and should focus on that more than anything not WHERE we studied. Also, my understanding is that WHERE you do your residency is what is the MOST important. Hope it helped

 

[foofish]

senioritaelena- The patients who will judge you inferior based on your MD from a historically black college would probably have judged you inferior based on your skin color anyway.

to that.

Also worth a shot is going back to the expensive school and ask about your financial aid package....that it's your top choice, but considering you've been offered X amount of money from another school, and you can't take out private loans, you can't really afford to chose that school. If finances would exclude that school anyway, it's worth a shot...the worst they can say is that they can't change your award package, but it's possible they can make you a more favorable offer.

 

[Rumplestilskin]

So, I can't afford to go to the school that is close to me, but can afford to go to one that is far and is a historically black school. I feel I could go to the school and really kick ass there and do well, but I am still worried about being stigmatized as going to a historically black school. ANy thoughts??

Go where you think you will be happiest , and if you think you are going to be stigmatized by going to a HBCU, then maybe it is not the right place for you. Just ask yourself what really matters and go with your heart.

Good luck!

R~

 

[xylem29]

If you're talking about Wayne - I don't think I can afford it either...and it's my only acceptance so far. I think I can secure some type of LOC, but it won't be enough to cover all 4 years....this is really messed up.

I don't know how much EVMS costs, but if it's half the cost of Wayne, then you might as well go to EVMS. Honestly, I've been a lot of thinking - where you went to school doesn't mean anything when you're 55 and still paying back your loans, and at 55 I doubt you'll give 2 cents about being able to impress people with "I went to so and so medical school"...if you can afford Wayne, then by all means go to Wayne, you'll save money by not having to fly back home all the time. One more thing, being a physician is the same no matter where you are, it's all a big construction of reality anyway (school attended somehow limiting you later in your professional/private life).

 

[MadHopsMD]

So, I can't afford to go to the school that is close to me, but can afford to go to one that is far and is a historically black school. I feel I could go to the school and really kick ass there and do well, but I am still worried about being stigmatized as going to a historically black school. ANy thoughts??

I would love to go to Meharry if I had to, and I am not even black.

And what "notdeadyet" said rings true: The patients who will judge you inferior based on your MD from a historically black college would probably have judged you inferior based on your skin color anyway.

 

[DrShambach]

first, i would like to say that i'm the product of an HBCU and it was a very unique and rewarding experience for both Black students and those who were "minorities" (hehe). take it for what it is and enjoy it. it will also be more diverse than the undergrad HBCU experience. if you didn't think it was a worthy school then i'm sure you wouldn't have applied, so forget what people might think. get your MD, do great things, and change the way people think.

 

[Cirrus83]

Well, what's the school that's close to you?

And while I know a lot of people will say nobody will judge you because you went to that school, the fact is that most of the historically black schools are also amongst the bottom of the barrel of medical schools (don't kill me people, I applied to plenty bottom of the barrel schools, lol). So if your other acceptance was at a much better school it might actually be worth fighting tooth and nail to get those loans somehow.

Like it or not people, there actually is a stigma to those schools

Anyways, if your other acceptance was at a similarly tiered school though, then I guess there's not as much of a point, but if the other school is significantly better I'd research all possible avenues.

BTW, you'd think multinational banking corporations with both Canadian and US banking operations would structure a loan for this sort of thing...you could totally charge higher interest too, and since you're in both nations it wouldn't really be that hard to make the debt follow you around no matter what. Hmm...

 

[GuzzyRon]

So, I can't afford to go to the school that is close to me, but can afford to go to one that is far and is a historically black school. I feel I could go to the school and really kick ass there and do well, but I am still worried about being stigmatized as going to a historically black school. ANy thoughts??

If you already withdrew your acceptance at Wayne and committed to Meharry, then forget about Wayne and move on.

Focus your thoughts on what you need to do to excel at Meharry and not on what people might think about you and your MD degree. Where you go for residency counts way more than where you get your MD degree. And if you do well at Meharry you may land a spot at one of the top residencies in the nation.

I'm afraid if you dwell so much on the "stigma factor", it will drag you down and might get you depressed so much that you find yourself underperforming or flunking out of med school.