How do middle class kids afford med school?

[Anonymous]

Long story short. They don't poor people are too poor and rich people are to lazy and stupid. So look forward to our healthcare quality plummeting. Maybe they should just start putting mcsonalds and arbys in hospitals so the food reflects rhe quality of care and the fact that America is an Idiocracy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My physician child took out tuition only loans. He owed about 240K all in. He has been an attending for 3 years and he has paid them all off. He took advantage of the Covid years (he was a resident at that point) when payments, as well as interest, was paused. Once he was an attending, he lived like a resident and often paid 5K a month toward his loans. Paid in full at age 34.

That’s great. What did he do for living expenses while in med school? If his loans only covered tuition?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would say Army. Our taxes go to war and golden parachutes for billionaires. But education is a luxury for countries that respect and care about their people. Even though we are the richest. That money is for the criminals in America. Workers get dickymcgeezax.

Army has the worst quality of life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would say Army. Our taxes go to war and golden parachutes for billionaires. But education is a luxury for countries that respect and care about their people. Even though we are the richest. That money is for the criminals in America. Workers get dickymcgeezax.

Army has the worst quality of life.

We aren’t talking about enlisted soldiers living in barracks. Army doctors have a comparable quality of life with any other branch- with a better job

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My physician child took out tuition only loans. He owed about 240K all in. He has been an attending for 3 years and he has paid them all off. He took advantage of the Covid years (he was a resident at that point) when payments, as well as interest, was paused. Once he was an attending, he lived like a resident and often paid 5K a month toward his loans. Paid in full at age 34.

That’s great. What did he do for living expenses while in med school? If his loans only covered tuition?

My DH and I paid for living expenses. BTW, he always had roommates.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They get loans. It sucks (ask me how I know!) but if what’s she wants it’s worth it and as long as she sticks with it she can pay them back.

As a lower middle class student, i was terrified of taking out huge loans for med or law school; what if I got sick or burned out and flunked out? I would still be on the hook for more money than my parent’s house was worth (they made $60k / year in 2010, house was worth $60k). Borrowing $200k or so seemed as reasonable as going to the moon.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'll tell you how I did it. My parents (very middle class) generously paid for my undergrad. I went to med school from 2007-11, racked up $316K in student loans, and paid them back by moonlighting during my residency between 2011-2016. I was working about 90 hours a week, but I easy paid them back by the time I finished training. Having student loan debt fueled me to work harder and I'm grateful for it.

So, by moonlighting you paid back $60K a year? What kind of part time work pays $60K after taxes?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In many countries kids start med school right after HS. And the governments cover the fees and even give students a small stipend. As a result, the socio economic background of Drs in those countries is quite diverse.

Not in the US. I wouldn't be surprised if most Doctors trained in the US came from affluent families. At least the vast majority don't come from poor or middle class families.

Her best bet is to be a medical scholar MD/PhD. But as you may imagine you need stellar academic credentials

And their comparative lack of education shows, and they cannot get licensed in the US. I have some of these "doctors" in my family and they are the last people I go to for medical advice. Dr. Google is better.

In my country they do and it's an 8 years program. After the freshman year more than 50% don't make it to the second year. The gruelling elimination process continues and by the 5th year only a handful are left. Then you have to do your residency/specialization if you last the 8 years. Those students who are admitted into medicine are often among the best HS students. My sister did and she is now practicing medicine here. She was the only surgeon in a small town serving about 680 people.

Of course you should go to a Dr you trust. But I don't think DRs like my sister are necessarily less qualified. But what do I know I am not a physician lol.

You are in US, I hope you consider US as "your" country.

[Anonymous]

Move to a different country. Even poorer countries than America use their taxes human rights of education and health care instead of wars and billionaire tax breaks.

[Anonymous]

My dad sold one his house to pay for my sister's medical school.

[Anonymous]

My niece has just over $500k in med school debt.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'll tell you how I did it. My parents (very middle class) generously paid for my undergrad. I went to med school from 2007-11, racked up $316K in student loans, and paid them back by moonlighting during my residency between 2011-2016. I was working about 90 hours a week, but I easy paid them back by the time I finished training. Having student loan debt fueled me to work harder and I'm grateful for it.

Most residencies don’t allow this and, if they do, must be in compliance with 80 hour work week.

[Anonymous]

As our Doctors get into extreme debt levels for the opportunity to work for free for a chance at becoming a doctor, this is probably another corruption based "complex" do get the doctors to shut up and play the game of mass prescribing of drugs. That's bc our country is a corrupt shtshw owned and ran by billionaires who want to get everyone addicted to drugs from the youngest toddler to the oldest geriatric. America as a nation of junk food, druggie, pill popping, idiots explains so much as to why we do what we do.

[Anonymous]

Don’t pay for undergrad if you know you want med school. It doesn’t matter where you go undergrad for the most part, just make sure you get good (perfect) grades, have research and clinical opportunities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As our Doctors get into extreme debt levels for the opportunity to work for free for a chance at becoming a doctor, this is probably another corruption based "complex" do get the doctors to shut up and play the game of mass prescribing of drugs. That's bc our country is a corrupt shtshw owned and ran by billionaires who want to get everyone addicted to drugs from the youngest toddler to the oldest geriatric. America as a nation of junk food, druggie, pill popping, idiots explains so much as to why we do what we do.

Our doctors go into extreme dept because they are stupid with money and spend inappropriately when in med school and residency.