Second-year medical in dire financial straits

[HikingDO]

Really? We did not have many but anyone who was bad enough to get off track and need to repeat did not end up making it.

Not sure how other schools are, but at mine if you failed one class, meaning less than a 67% in the class, you had to repeat it and you had to wait to the next year to do it.

[MPMD]

let me add some stuff on here as the forum's official ambassador for academic medicine

these are all things you need to do next week if you haven't done them already:

• you need to meet w/ the Sr. Assoc Dean for Student Affairs asap w/ 2 agenda items
  • i am about to start living in my car
  • i need to figure out if i should continue in med school
• you need to meet w/ your financial aid office

one of the biggest predictors of trainee failure is not tapping the superiors early enough and completely enough. if you were a student at my school and you came to me with this info, 2 things would happen.
1) i would go buy you $500 worth of groceries
2) we would be in the dean's office that afternoon, together

i think you are in a serious bind here, if you failed your first year it is not a sure bet that you are going to pass it while living out of your car.

if you don't feel like you can just email your leadership, PM me your name and where you are in school and i will call them tomorrow and have them reach out to you. not kidding even a little bit. honestly if you are at a US allo med school i probably already know someone there. not trying to big time here, desperately want to help you.

[Tangler]

let me add some stuff on here as the forum's official ambassador for academic medicine

these are all things you need to do next week if you haven't done them already:

• you need to meet w/ the Sr. Assoc Dean for Student Affairs asap w/ 2 agenda items
  • i am about to start living in my car
  • i need to figure out if i should continue in med school
• you need to meet w/ your financial aid office

one of the biggest predictors of trainee failure is not tapping the superiors early enough and completely enough. if you were a student at my school and you came to me with this info, 2 things would happen.
1) i would go buy you $500 worth of groceries
2) we would be in the dean's office that afternoon, together

i think you are in a serious bind here, if you failed your first year it is not a sure bet that you are going to pass it while living out of your car.

if you don't feel like you can just email your leadership, PM me your name and where you are in school and i will call them tomorrow and have them reach out to you. not kidding even a little bit. honestly if you are at a US allo med school i probably already know someone there. not trying to big time here, desperately want to help you.

This is a great post. You need to get some help from the people on the ground. You need to get some help finishing training.
You need to figure it out.
I am also available to talk with, if you want someone to speak with, feel free to send me a pm.
Your best financial move is to become a successful doc. If you really think medicine is not right for you, you need to figure out what to do and either way the school can help you.

[F0017S0]

I think we need the long story. I agree with WCI that CC debt is not your biggest issue. Not graduating med school would be catastrophic financially.

I know someone who didn’t graduate from an the MD program at the Ivy where I got my PhD. Devastating financially and it isn’t like s/he can use those credits to get a PA credential…

[billy]

let me add some stuff on here as the forum's official ambassador for academic medicine

these are all things you need to do next week if you haven't done them already:

• you need to meet w/ the Sr. Assoc Dean for Student Affairs asap w/ 2 agenda items
  • i am about to start living in my car
  • i need to figure out if i should continue in med school
• you need to meet w/ your financial aid office

one of the biggest predictors of trainee failure is not tapping the superiors early enough and completely enough. if you were a student at my school and you came to me with this info, 2 things would happen.
1) i would go buy you $500 worth of groceries
2) we would be in the dean's office that afternoon, together

i think you are in a serious bind here, if you failed your first year it is not a sure bet that you are going to pass it while living out of your car.

if you don't feel like you can just email your leadership, PM me your name and where you are in school and i will call them tomorrow and have them reach out to you. not kidding even a little bit. honestly if you are at a US allo med school i probably already know someone there. not trying to big time here, desperately want to help you.

OP if you are still reading, swallow your pride and utilize MPMD if needed to get the ball rolling. There is no shame in asking for help. In medicine, there are many situations where this skill is required (asking for help).

[Max Power]

If you are foolish enough to go to Caribbean med school or a bottom-of-the-barrel, you deserve what you get.

They flunk out many, make even more repeat year(s), and have crappy match results year after year. You knew that going in. Should've chose DO. I would get out while you can before you fail step 1 and are in serious match trouble, no kidding.

Those saying "ask the dean" or "ask fin aid" stuff don't get it: normal MD schools don't let people remediate (they screen on the front end). These for-profit Caribbean universities will accept basically any applicant who could get into even podiatry school or PT school... and then let the step exams and the match sort it out as 90% of their class fails step 1, matches FP or nothing at all. When the valedictorians are barely matching ER or Gen Surg yet tuition is double most good public US schools, these are just not places worth attending.

[TheDangerZone]

What’s the interest rate on the cc debt? There’s a company called lightstream which is a division of Sun Trust bank that offers debt consolidation loans, it says their interest rate is 4.98%. May be worth looking into that or a similar type of loan if you are paying high teens to the cc companies.

[Timparsons952]

Unless the OP is a female, I do not see how one can pay $40 for a haircut. And who goes for a haircut every month. A supercut at $15 every 4 months will suffice.

I am wondering if this is a troll post.

Thought the same about troll post. Then thought (don’t believe he would actually do it though) would be smart if WCI or colleague planted these kinds of posts from time to time as they get tons of replies quickly

[SiR99]

Rent: 1,110 -> 300 - 500/month (rent a bedroom from someone who owns a home in the area, I have done this as a medical student)
Utilities: 20 -> 0, this will be included in your rent for your bedroom
Haircut: 40 -> 20
Gym: 47.70 -> 0 (Exercise by going for a run)
Credit card payments: 410.32 -> As much as you can pay a month
Gas: 200 -> No change
Groceries: 360 -> 150-200 (Shop at Aldi, look for discounts)
Prescription: 40 -> No change
Spotify: 9.99 -> 0 (Use youtube to listen to music)
Xbox live: 10.59 -> No change if it makes you happy
Spending money: 200 -> 100-150
Miscellaneous: 100 -> No change

The above changes I made will save you 900-1000/month.

The biggest change would be renting a bedroom from someone who owns a home in the area. I have done this as a medical student, as long as you are clean, quiet and respectful, people love accommodating a medical student in order to make some money by renting a room. I used craigslist and my university to find these rooms.

[mamaham]

Really? We did not have many but anyone who was bad enough to get off track and need to repeat did not end up making it.

I also know some that repeated a year and ended up doing very well. In those cases, it wasn't "bad enough to get off track," it was a lack of study skills. Working very hard and studying lots, but not knowing how to study effectively. Having to repeat a year (the shame, embarrassment, doubt, feeling like you wasted a year of your life, etc) is a major wake up call (is this really what I should be doing with my life, etc). If the person decided to continue and is successful, then there is a huge sense of accomplishment and the grit needed to success transfers to other parts of their future life. Also, the people I know ended up having more empathy for those that struggled in residency and have a desire to mentor them.

My point is it can be done depending on the reason. We do not know the OP's full story and to say no one who repeats can finish could be very discouraging when that person needs encouragement.

[Lordosis]

Not sure how other schools are, but at mine if you failed one class, meaning less than a 67% in the class, you had to repeat it and you had to wait to the next year to do it.

That sounds like a cash grab. If you failed a class or a test or something you only had to repeat that one class/test. If you fail more than 1 you were out for the year but I cannot say I remember anyone being out for that reason. The few I can remember were 2 students failed step 1 more than once and another student who just could not cope and dropped out. Lucky all of them were first year but still what a disaster that must have been.

[Kamban]

Maybe there are family issues that caused the OP to drop out a year and not lack of study skills. Unless he/she comes back to clarify, it is all speculation.

[HikingDO]

That sounds like a cash grab.

Yep, that’s pretty much sounds like my school. Part of the joys of going to a private med school.

[Turf Doc]

Yep, that’s pretty much sounds like my school. Part of the joys of going to a private med school.

Yeah thats a very toxic policy. Giant red-flag for anyone applying. ive actually never heard of a US school that was so strict like that. Interestingly, I think in many cases it seems like the higher tier the school the more leeway they give their med students

[Tim]

OP if you are still reading, swallow your pride and utilize MPMD if needed to get the ball rolling. There is no shame in asking for help. In medicine, there are many situations where this skill is required (asking for help).

I certainly hope OP messaged MPMD and followed the advice, Parents, teachers, coaches, mentors, Sr. Assoc Dean and Dean's take absolutely no pleasure in a person's failure. Dealing with issues in isolation is a big mistake. If you are sincere and work hard, "helping hands" will remove almost any obstacle.
Examples, you might get a rent free basement living space in an attendings house. You might get a zero interest emergency loan from the "parents organization emergency fund", you might get "free tutoring" for study habits, you might get a "paid job" doing some type of work. People won't do the work for you or support your gym membership, but they will "problem solve" to make success possible. Your success is a reflection on them. That is why some people choose academics.