Tuition differences really that big deal?

Started by zoner
BU Medical Sciences
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zoner

zoner

Full Member
10+ Year Member
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Between a school that charges 30k vs 50k a year, should you really decide on the school based on their tuition alone? That is about 80k difference in debt, but i heard somewhere that for every 100k in debt, you are expected to pay around 1k per month in school loan payment. So on average if you are a full time working doc, you make about 200k per year, so at least your take home is about 11k a year. Isn't that more than enough to pay back the loan and live comfortably? I won't be having any kid so I am not worried about child support or anything like that and I also don't have any expensive habits. So why is everyone making such big deal regarding the costs of medical school?

Thanks
 
Cuz debt is always scary but i would choose to go where you would be most happy and able to perform well. Everybody has different priorities so you gotta decide for yourself
 
I went to a cheap UG school and didn't do as well as I should have. I feel this mainly because the students were all apathetic, the professors were subpar (some were decent, but never the science profs, not sure why), and the campus did not really promote achievement or competition. It was a school in the midwest mainly churning out 80% nurses/teachers. Now, I'm at a college where almost everyone is planning on grad school, or getting into Clinical Lab stuff. So it's all very collegiate and competitive, and everyone cares about their grade.

The point here is that tuition should not take precedence over your own happiness and success. Unless there is some form of scholarship involved, the difference between 140k debt before interest, and 200k before interest is fairly insignificant. Sure, theres a couple years more paying back when you're pulling in some money, but isn't a happy four years with a little more debt sound better than a crappy 4 years, being far away from family and not getting the education you wanted?
 
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It depends what type of doc you are too. I better be making more than 200k as a specialist.
 
Total debt and quality of clinical experience will be the most important considerations when I choose a school.

Don't ignore debt, there's a reason one hears lots of physicians mumble "I should have gone into finance..."

half joking, of course. but the point is there.
 
but that being said, if you feel like you would be more successful at the $50k school, it is much better to go there. But be realistic. if you feel like the better school isn't worth the extra $20k, don't do it.
 
DrWily said:
Cuz debt is always scary but i would choose to go where you would be most happy and able to perform well. Everybody has different priorities so you gotta decide for yourself
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👍

I got into LECOM-B, but didn't feel it was the best fit for me. I'll be 60k more in debt than if I went to LECOM, but I'm happier where I am. That's what counts more for me.
 
Mbeas said:
👍

I got into LECOM-B, but didn't feel it was the best fit for me. I'll be 60k more in debt than if I went to LECOM, but I'm happier where I am. That's what counts more for me.
Click to expand...

👍 I also got into LECOM-B but go to the more pricey Nova. I'm happy with my decision and have no regrets. The school and atmosphere had a lot to do with my final decision, among other things like third and fourth year.
 
zoner said:
Between a school that charges 30k vs 50k a year, should you really decide on the school based on their tuition alone? That is about 80k difference in debt, but i heard somewhere that for every 100k in debt, you are expected to pay around 1k per month in school loan payment. So on average if you are a full time working doc, you make about 200k per year, so at least your take home is about 11k a year. Isn't that more than enough to pay back the loan and live comfortably? I won't be having any kid so I am not worried about child support or anything like that and I also don't have any expensive habits. So why is everyone making such big deal regarding the costs of medical school?

Thanks
Click to expand...

Because people don't understand that even if you make $150k as a FM/IM/Peds you'll be able to pay off $300k of medical school debt and still live comfortably.

gmcguitar4 said:
It depends what type of doc you are too. I better be making more than 200k as a specialist.
Click to expand...

Then you have pre-meds like this.


FrkyBgStok said:
but that being said, if you feel like you would be more successful at the $50k school, it is much better to go there. But be realistic. if you feel like the better school isn't worth the extra $20k, don't do it.
Click to expand...

+1.
 
zoner said:
Between a school that charges 30k vs 50k a year, should you really decide on the school based on their tuition alone? That is about 80k difference in debt, but i heard somewhere that for every 100k in debt, you are expected to pay around 1k per month in school loan payment. So on average if you are a full time working doc, you make about 200k per year, so at least your take home is about 11k a year. Isn't that more than enough to pay back the loan and live comfortably? I won't be having any kid so I am not worried about child support or anything like that and I also don't have any expensive habits. So why is everyone making such big deal regarding the costs of medical school?

Thanks
Click to expand...

If you really wont have any kids, then you'll be living way more than comfortably. Families are expensive and those who plan on supporting them are more those who worry about debt.
 
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HalfListic said:
If you really wont have any kids, then you'll be living way more than comfortably. Families are expensive and those who plan on supporting them are more those who worry about debt.
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yeah, that's what i thought,,, i mean i may when i get old and want to help orphans who might need good home
 
NeuroLAX said:
👍 I also got into LECOM-B but go to the more pricey Nova. I'm happy with my decision and have no regrets. The school and atmosphere had a lot to do with my final decision, among other things like third and fourth year.
Click to expand...
Concur...NOVA is a great school...I would be happy to get an acceptance from them...The campus is beautiful. I would even go as far to say that NOVA is on par with a lot mid tier MD schools....They have great rotation sites in South FL
 
Mbeas said:
👍

I got into LECOM-B, but didn't feel it was the best fit for me. I'll be 60k more in debt than if I went to LECOM, but I'm happier where I am. That's what counts more for me.
Click to expand...
Same. You're trying to get out of this thing alive so go wherever feels best, where you feel you can succeed.
 
Yea, idk if I'm right in saying this but I'm going to say it anyways. You're not going to get your full salary back to spend. You have to pay taxes, insurance, home insurance, car insurance, etc. and that lowers what you'll get to spend. Being childless, you're probably going to live comfortably but not well off.
 
Cuongoff said:
Yea, idk if I'm right in saying this but I'm going to say it anyways. You're not going to get your full salary back to spend. You have to pay taxes, insurance, home insurance, car insurance, etc. and that lowers what you'll get to spend. Being childless, you're probably going to live comfortably but not well off.
Click to expand...

:troll:
 
Cuongoff said:
Yea, idk if I'm right in saying this but I'm going to say it anyways. You're not going to get your full salary back to spend. You have to pay taxes, insurance, home insurance, car insurance, etc. and that lowers what you'll get to spend. Being childless, you're probably going to live comfortably but not well off.
Click to expand...

It's obvious that you won't get it all back since uncle sam loves to stick his fingers in your pocket. That being said, you will still be "well off."

Median USA National household income is around $50,000. HOUSEHOLD.

Physicians make 3-10+x this amount alone. Add in another partner with respectable income and if that isn't "well off" then we're all broke.
 
DrWily said:
It's obvious that you won't get it all back since uncle sam loves to stick his fingers in your pocket. That being said, you will still be "well off."

Median USA National household income is around $50,000. HOUSEHOLD.

Physicians make 3-10+x this amount alone. Add in another partner with respectable income and if that isn't "well off" then we're all broke.
Click to expand...

I've been trying to get them to understand this. Perhaps it'll make more sense now that a med student has said it too.
 
DrWily said:
It's obvious that you won't get it all back since uncle sam loves to stick his fingers in your pocket. That being said, you will still be "well off."

Median USA National household income is around $50,000. HOUSEHOLD.

Physicians make 3-10+x this amount alone. Add in another partner with respectable income and if that isn't "well off" then we're all broke.
Click to expand...

i welcome uncle Sam to stick his finger in my future pocket book since I am benefiting so much from him, always have and hopefully more people will and that i can contribute
 
MedPR said:
I've been trying to get them to understand this. Perhaps it'll make more sense now that a med student has said it too.
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Totally offtopic but how the Fkuc do you have 9,000+ posts within the last 9 months?!😕😕😕

Totes jelly of your post count
 
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DrWily said:
I don't go there. We don't talk about the Wolf's Den.
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I don't go there either. That place has a few people who love to just argue and chew people out for petty reasons. I may reiterate Nova vs NOVA from time to time. But still, no skin off my back. I don't mean to skin anyone's back.
 
NeuroLAX said:
I don't go there either. That place has a few people who love to just argue and chew people out for petty reasons. I may reiterate Nova vs NOVA from time to time. But still, no skin off my back. I don't mean to skin anyone's back.
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Whatever bro, you just skinned mine. Ha ha ha!


Sent from my iPhone
 
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NeuroLAX said:
I don't go there either. That place has a few people who love to just argue and chew people out for petty reasons. I may reiterate Nova vs NOVA from time to time. But still, no skin off my back. I don't mean to skin anyone's back.
Click to expand...

Maybe I need to start posting in there.
 
MedPR said:
Maybe I need to start posting in there.
Click to expand...

I don't even know what the point of that part of the forum is. Anytime I've seen the title of any of the threads they seem totally unrelated to anything of any real significance.


Sent from my iPhone
 
MedPR said:
Maybe I need to start posting in there.
Click to expand...

I think you have enough posts. Some people probably mistake you for a mod. :laugh: You don't have a status displayed, but then again you don't have a mod accolade either.
 
dudeliness said:
I was gonna make a meme out of that using the dos Equis guy, but the website wouldn't let me do it from my phone. 🙁


Sent from my iPhone
Click to expand...

xgdQLzVivU-Rxl7FQnJTHA2.jpg
.
 
Last edited:
dudeliness said:
I don't even know what the point of that part of the forum is. Anytime I've seen the title of any of the threads they seem totally unrelated to anything of any real significance.


Sent from my iPhone
Click to expand...

That's the point!
 
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MedPR said:
I'm a pre-med, it's what we do.
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True. Trust me, though... it doesn't change one bit when you get to med school.

This is how our anatomy professor told us to remember the innervation of the penis: S2, 3, 4... keeps the penis off the floor. And, I kid you not... this is written in our notes: sympathetic (shoots) / parasympathetic (points).
 
MedPR said:
You know how I know this thread is derailed? I went into the Off-Topic Thread looking for this conversation.
Click to expand...

HAHA! I thought this was the Off-topic thread too just by glancing at our exchanges at the bottom of this thread... whoops!
 
NeuroLAX said:
True. Trust me, though... it doesn't change one bit when you get to med school.

This is how our anatomy professor told us to remember the innervation of the penis: S2, 3, 4... keeps the penis off the floor. And, I kid you not... this is written in our notes: sympathetic (shoots) / parasympathetic (points).
Click to expand...

Oh I know. My girlfriend taught me those when she was an M1 too lol!
 
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