School is pricey...

Recently, I've been trying to figure out the rest of my life. Wait... that's a lie. I've always been trying to figure out my life. What I have been doing recently is looking at the incredible cost of attending medical school these days.

I came up with a budget, which makes me think: "Hoolllllyyyy &*#@*#(@, I'm going to be in debt the rest of my life."

Here's what it looks like:

Estimated Cost of Attendance for 2009-2010 (Including tuition, room and board, books, transportation, insurance...)

Loyola Chicago $60,734
Temple                                             $67,278
Rush                                $62,472
NYMC                                    $65,312


Multiply these numbers by 4..... and you get a range from $242,936 to $269,112.

Talk about a mortgage on my brain!

With that kind of money you can.....

Buy a house, buy a really nice car, put someone through state college many times over, live comfortably for quite some time (I know, I'm being really scientific here... but cut me some slack, the point I want to get across is that this is a lot of money we're talking about)

The question of paying for school has been nagging at me for a while, and I have a few options:

Scholarships including...

Health Care Service Provider's Scholarship through the US Army (which would pay for all of my medical school costs and provide me with a living stipend. In return for that residency would be done at a VA or other army affiliated hospital (tend to be more competitive for specialties than civilian residencies). The payback terms seem to be a bit complicated, my understanding is that it is a year for year payback program so for each year of medical school, I serve a year active duty. That service would begin after I have finished my residency. I'm still a bit unclear on how it works so I'll have to ask someone.

Other scholarships: Through various organizations, write an essay and provide letters of rec for each, only would cover a fraction of med school cost.

Loans: Pay em back once I'm making the dough.


Its a tough call, I'm going to need some more time in weighing out the pros and cons, trying to determine which path would probably make me happier. Who knows!?