To people who got in(Med school)

Med School Insiders
This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
combatmedic said:
How much did you end up spending on Med School Application fees,transportation,blah blah..

A rough estimate?
Click to expand...


2-3K. And Im sure thats on the cheaper side of the spectrum.
 
combatmedic said:
How much did you end up spending on Med School Application fees,transportation,blah blah..

A rough estimate?
Click to expand...

$1500 Kaplan Class for MCAT
$25*4 = $100 Gifts to Profs who wrote my recs
$100*10 = $1000 Secondary application fees
$360 1 round-trip plane ticket to the interview I couldn't reach driving
$160 1 round-trip Amtrak ticket to the interview I reached by train
$150 Gas for my 5 driving interviews
$310 Bought a nice suit for interviews
$10 Stamps, thank you cards, etc
$50 For food bought on the road, etc.
$480 AMCAS application fee
$200 MCAT fee

Total: $4320

And my bank account definitely feels it!
 
Same here, somewhere in the neighborhood of 3K which is cheap. I only applied to 8 schools and I only bothered to go to 4 interviews, it definitely could have been much more expensive.
 
combatmedic said:
How much did you end up spending on Med School Application fees,transportation,blah blah..

A rough estimate?
Click to expand...


A lot! I don't remember how much everything was... but here's a rough estimate:

* $1200.00 ish for MCAT prep class + however much it cost to take the test = $1400.00 for MCAT total
* maybe $1000.00 in application fees (i completed apps at 9 schools, but applied to many more in my AMCAS app.)
* $2500.00ish in travel... flew to Southern Cali, New York, North Carolina, Chicago (from Seattle) and bought a plane ticket to Philadelphia that is non-refundable... this actually may have been over $2500 in total, including hotels, etc.

So, $2500 + $1000 + $1400 = $4900.

Holy moly, this is depressing...
 
close to 5k here too.
 
wait, counting kaplan? 3500-4500.
 
Jeez thats a lotta dough...I better start saving money now...No more eating out
 
No MCAT prep, but:

$200 for the test
$460 for the AMCAS
approx $80 each for 10 secondaries
Got 7 interviews but only actually went to 3, ALL in Marland or DC where I live, so no planes, trains or hotels!!! So all together, I probably spent ~$1400.
 
adding in everything - $9,200.

(ugh)
 
i was definately upwards of 10K... but that was ~50 schools, travel, and private MCAT tutoring...
 
2 Kaplan MCAT Classes
56 primary applications
36 secondaries
20 interview offers
Went to 9 interviews (Hotels+Flights+Food)

About $10,000. I don't want to calculate it exactly. It makes me sick thinking about it. I put it all on credit cards and will make my last payment in June 🙂. Good luck and start saving!!
 
Highclimber said:
i was definately upwards of 10K... but that was ~50 schools, travel, and private MCAT tutoring...
Click to expand...



Wow...Now thats what i'm talking about...You applied to 50 med skools???
 
To the OP - with the stats and circumstances that you are in, budget to spend around $10k. These freaks who spent only $800 and got in are NOT the norm. It is cheaper in the long run to spend the money and make sure you get in the first time then to try to be cheap about it and have to reapply another year.
 
~$1600. No MCAT prep, 6 primaries, 5 secondaries, 2 interviews, 1 acceptance deposit. Don't know where the rest of you get all that cash from!
 
prob around 4500 bucks, but thats after taking the mcat several times and two application cycles.
 
MCAT Review books- $200
MCAT Registration $200
AMCAS- $150 + 30x20 = $750
19 Secondaries completed X ~80 average = $1520
4 Plane Tickets - $750
Airport Parking- $60
8 Commuter Rail Tickets - $90
Lots of Cab Rides- $170
3 Hotel Rooms- $180
Gas- $100


Comes to $4020

I think I overapplied (i.e., could have gotten away with alot less), but I ended up going to one of the last schools I added, so I don't mind that.
 
pseudoknot said:
About $8,000 including apps, travel, new suit, misc.
Click to expand...
I guess to represent the cheaper end of the scale I spent:

$100 Examkrackers book set (Amazon used)
$200 MCAT
$85 TMDSAS Application fee
$80 car rental
$80 motel stay
$0 Already had a suit
$15 for thank-you cards
____________

Total: $560


Being lucky enough to get into the only school I interviewed: Priceless


Dax
 
Flopotomist said:
To the OP - with the stats and circumstances that you are in, budget to spend around $10k. These freaks who spent only $800 and got in are NOT the norm. It is cheaper in the long run to spend the money and make sure you get in the first time then to try to be cheap about it and have to reapply another year.
Click to expand...

He's right; if you can swing it, it's probably best to invest a lot the first time around. I didn't because I have no money and no credit, spent about a grand overall, and still managed to get in. I would suggest this: narrow it down to schools that you really like; if you got an interview and wouldn't even be excited about attending, then don't apply there.
 
Including MCAT stuff? Probably somewhere between 6-8K. I didn't keep track at all, not unlike any other financial expense I've ever had. Makles me sleep better at night. 🙂 It is an expensive process - but not nearly as expensive as what you're tuition in med will be - it's really a drop in the bucket in comparison so spare none here was my theory. Not on MCAT books, not on interview plane tickets or hotels, not on your suit, nothing. This is the part you DON'T want to mess up by skimping. 🙂 I only started declining interviews once I was in at a school I preferred, and I applied FAR and WIDE which is the best advice I could give to anyone with average-below average stats!
 
NapeSpikes said:
😱 How'd you rack that up, Flop??

Me, about $4000.
Click to expand...
I applied to 30 schools - did Kaplan, travelled to a few places, kept track of every little nitnoy thing (letter service, transcripts, fedex for those annoying deadlines, new shoes, MCAT) It all adds up. The biggest expense was applying to so many schools (30) but in the end, it was worth it.

Oh - those cheap hookers add up too (lol)
 
$1500-$2000

including my kaplan class, closer to $3000 i guess.
 
~$4000

Thank God the 'rents helped me out.
 
Considering that I went back to school to take a a lot of classes (not postbac program) that I didn't take when I was an undergrad, getting-into-med-school type books, MCAT prep course, stand-alone MCAT prep books, MCAT, AMCAS secondaries, interviews, etc....

about $20,000. :barf:
 
it was very expensive....i applied to 18 schools (9 interviews, four or five of which i drove 6 hours so i wouldnt have to pay for a plane ticket)

including kaplan, applications, and interviews around 5k probably
 
Flopotomist said:
To the OP - with the stats and circumstances that you are in, budget to spend around $10k. These freaks who spent only $800 and got in are NOT the norm. It is cheaper in the long run to spend the money and make sure you get in the first time then to try to be cheap about it and have to reapply another year.
Click to expand...
I probably would have spent close to that much also if not for my parents donating their frequent flyer miles to me. And I agree with Flop. Yeah, it's a lot of money, but it's a helluva lot cheaper to spend a few extra thousand now than reapplying from scratch is.
 
OctoDoc said:
Considering that I went back to school to take a a lot of classes (not postbac program) that I didn't take when I was an undergrad, getting-into-med-school type books, MCAT prep course, stand-alone MCAT prep books, MCAT, AMCAS secondaries, interviews, etc....

about $20,000. :barf:
Click to expand...
yikes - I didn't include the money for classes I took after getting my BA - I only included the costs directly associated with applying.
 
About 5k including MCAT prep. If I hadn't got some of my secondary fees waived after Katrina it would have probably been $500 more.
 
I did about 2.5k. I did Kaplan, but I applied to only 10 schools initially, of which I submitted seven secondaries for. Nearly all of them were in the midwest (and the ones that weren't offered regional interviews) so travel expenses were minimized to fuel for my car and an occasional pit stop on the road.
 
kyatter said:
I did about 2.5k. I did Kaplan, but I applied to only 10 schools initially, of which I submitted seven secondaries for. Nearly all of them were in the midwest (and the ones that weren't offered regional interviews) so travel expenses were minimized to fuel for my car and an occasional pit stop on the road.
Click to expand...

Thats almost exactly how I did it, but in the southeast. And my parents helped out with some of the Kaplan course, so i ended up spending about 1700 total 👍 I have listed the separate amounts in my mdapplicants profile if you're curious
 
I applied to 18 schools(i think, I've lost count by now), filled out 17 secondaries, but only got 3 interviews, of which only one required a flight. My tally looks something like this:

1500 Kaplan
200 MCAT
670 AMCAS
1275 Secondaries (roughly estimated at $75 a pop)
350 new suit, shoes, pantyhose
Free: hometown interview
40 gas driving to instate interview
300 plane ticket to the northwest for interview


total= $4335


But the saddest part is....

I could have spent $2880 and gotten the same result.

bah!
 
$1500 Kaplan
$730 AMCAS
$1000 secondaries
$1200 8 interviews
~$4500

Definitely stay with student hosts and try to time your interviews if possible. I was able to save a lot of money by interviewing back in California on my way to or from school in St Louis before or after breaks
 
16 secondaries, 7 interviews (6 on the opposite coast), new suit, kaplan, etc = about $7,000.

I figure I could have saved some cash, but at the risk of not having options with my acceptances and not performing my best on interviews. $7,000 is a pretty low investment, especially since we're all about to rack up six figures of debt.
 
About 2600 to apply to one school. Plus a $100 deposit to hold my spot in the class.

$200 Various prep books, materials, old MCATs
$1500 Kaplan course
$100 MCAT fee minus refund after I chickened out
$200 Examkrackers, Audio Osmosis, prep materials from E-Bay
$0 AMCAS (fees refunded - courtesy for living in hurricane Katrina zone)
$14 Transcripts
$200 MCAT
$50 Secondary
$200 Suit, shoes, etc.
$40 Gas to travel to interview
$5 Meal after the interview
$60 Gifts for LOR writers
$5 Thank you cards
 
MCAT prep+MCAT, 25 primaries+ secondaries, 12 interviews =7k including everything except money spent at interviews (food, cabs)

that's 35 pairs of designer jeans that i could be wearing. one for each day of the month and then some.... *sigh* 🙄
 
$1500 wasted on Princeton Review for MCAT
$30 thank you notes and little gifts to letter writers
$100*10 = $1000 Secondary app fees
$750 = AMCAS application (applied to more schools than I did secondaries to)
$200 MCAT fee
$100 new suit, bought in an extreme hurry
$750 last minute plane ticket to NY for interview given on short notice, $200 rental car $50 food, $125 hotel
$80 gas for another interview $50 in hotel

Total (underestimated, I know i'm missing a few things)= $ 4,835!!!!


😱 YIKE! No wonder I don't have any money to .... any money!
 
$10k - not joking.

Includes:

Princeton Review Course ($1,100 b/c I got a discount)
MCAT $200
LOR Service $175
33 AMCAS schools $1140
31 secondaries completed (don't forget postage for secondaries!) ~$2600
suit, shirts, briefcase, shoes, portfolio, misc stuff ~$600 (probably more)
8 interviews attended, flights from CA to midwest/east ~$1800
several more interviews scheduled that I cancelled late and only received partial refund for airfare (and only in credit.) ~$500 (another $400 locked in United)
Hotels, meals, ground transportation, etc while at interviews ~$600
Thank you cards, postage, misc ~$25

There's probably more - it's insane. Group interviews together if at all possible, it cut down on my airline fees considerably. Also stay with Student Hosts when possible...I did at all but 2 of my interviews. I'm with Flop though - it was all worth it because i got into my dream school and I know that I will be happy with the career path I have chosen for the rest of my life. That being said, it's super expensive so don't apply until you're ready!
 
I think that if you count Kaplan you should count undergrad too. Thus, my medschool applications will run me: 5 years times 40k + summer school +app fees = ~$215,000

Beat that, suckas! :laugh:


(Actual cost to me ~$30K. Thanks FAFSA!)
 
I applied to 24 schools, and when all is said and done, I spent between $4,000 and $5,000 . It was a huge expense, but it was worth it in the end. 👍
 
It's amazing how consistent the numbers are, and they seem to cluster around $5K. Including Kaplan, AMCAS, secondaries, new suit that I wouldn't have otherwise bought - total comes to somewhere between $3K and $5K (probably much closer to $5K), and that does not include my out-of-pocket for books and tuition for pre-med courses after tuition assistance from my employer - even at state schools, that would run a few thousand more (books alone were anywhere from $150-$275 per class). If my west coast schools had actually been nice enough to interview me, it would have tacked-on another couple of thousand.

In response to the OP - I'd say you need to have a war chest of $5K absolute bare minimum - or have a way to get it and pay it off before starting med school!
 
~3k. 20 on AMCAS, 15 secondaries, 8 interviews attended, but the MD//PhD programs covered lodging and occasionally travel, so I saved a lot during interviews. This figure is slightly higher if you include the MCATx2 and interview clothes.
 
I'm going to venture a guess and say somewhere between 4 and 5 thousand including everything. Probably closer to 4000.
 
about 5500 including Kaplan MCAT class
 
I used to have the breakdown in my MDApplicants Profile (until it got shutdown), but I have spent roughly $8,000 applying to 34 schools and 12 interviews.

This is a HUGELY expensive process... the money that I could have saved knowing where I would go...
 
I think I'm one of those approaching $10k people, Kaplan MCAT prep, 25 primaries, 22 secondaries, 13 interviews (most of which I had to fly to, get hotels for 2 nights, etc). 2 new suits, new shoes, postage, it all starts to add up.

Edit: I overapplied (mostly to the schools I didn't do secondaries for, and 3 I withdrew from post-secondary), but don't think I over interviewed. It was great seeing different parts of the country and meeting med students at different schools. Most places had a very distinct "feel." And I'm going to end up at either a school I added last minute or one I had from the get-go.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

H
Attorneys Who Have Gone to Medical School: Admissions Questions
Replies
3
Views
776
thefirerisen
thefirerisen
H
What Really Matters in a Med School App?
Replies
20
Views
1K
Mr.Smile12
Mr.Smile12
K
Fulbright ETA vs Med School
Replies
1
Views
571
Real_Eyes
Real_Eyes
R
Applying to med school while taking Education classes
Replies
7
Views
686
Goro
Goro
F
Are there any CSULB alumni who are currently a physician or in med school?
Replies
1
Views
663
scallionpancake
scallionpancake
Top