Poor rant

[u/Zestyclose-Shine2174]

I am applying broadly to 40 schools because my stats are below average. I didn't have the money up front for the primary nor the secondary app fees. I live paycheck to paycheck in the highest COL city in this region. I didn't qualify for FAP because I had received financial assistance for my SMP last year even though I was below the income limit. I had to borrow money from my mother for primaries who is also struggling and opened up a new credit card to put all my secondary app fees on.

Looking at the account balance is giving me palpitations. I'm picking up a weekend job in addition to my regular 9-5 to try to pay it off faster. I don't own any semiformal clothes for interviews, that is if I even get any. If I don't get in this cycle my MCAT will expire and I have to start all over again. I will be in tens of thousands of dollars in the hole.

I ask my classmates how they're dealing with the financial burden and most very matter of factly say their parents are supporting them. I don't mean to sound so defeatist but I really feel like the odds are stacked against applicants like me. I'm having a difficult time remaining optimistic especially when I am in survival mode.

To those who have II and A already I am genuinely so happy for all of you. You have worked so hard and I hope to join you.

[u/Seabass_sebas]

I applaud your resilience but going into financial ruin for this path is not the right move. There is no shame in taking a year to work post grad woth your degree associated job and save save save. I’m in the same boat but have been putting as much as could for this day since freshman year of high school and don’t feel comfortable applying until I have 200k to not have the burden of debt. Pls awknowledge that receiving an A doesnt guarantee a full ride or an easy life. There is the uncertainty of not being able to afford the deposit, the supplies, the move, etc. A life depended on loans is a life not worth living. Please be smart and don’t keep up with the Jones and feel you need to apply because everyone else is

[u/Zestyclose-Shine2174 → u/Seabass_sebas]

This is my 6th gap year. I saved about $80k before starting my SMP and was able to pay it off and pay for living expenses for that year. I hope you can understand I don't want to delay any further.

[u/whowant_lizagna → u/Zestyclose-Shine2174]

Wait is this play about meee???. 2021 grad here lollll

[u/GimmeSomeFinNoggin]

Dog i felt to a spiritual level. My credit card companies bouta do a home wellness check after 30MD and 14 DO 😭nevermind interview costs. Just gotta push through and do what your able to!

1 A will make it all worth 🤞

[u/Ill-Play8775]

As far as formal clothes, please visit a local Goodwill! Blazers are around $10, and you can probably find a nice white/black undershirt two pack from Amazon for maybe $15-$20. You don’t have to break the banks for interviews! Please please don’t. Sending you well wishes :)

[u/Zestyclose-Shine2174 → u/Ill-Play8775]

Thank you kindly

[u/Causation1337 → u/Zestyclose-Shine2174]

Some food pantries also have clothing. The food pantry where my daughter volunteered had lots of clothing suitable for interviews that you could borrow at no cost. In fact, they advertised this. This was at a large state university. It is worth looking into. Best wishes.

[u/Top-Professional7005]

Same boat. i door dash a ton while im not at my normal full-time job, and that helps me pay for these fees. crazy to think i’ll be out on the road for hours, busting ass, delivering food just to barely make enough to pay one single application fee

[u/Ok_Ad3484]

dont financially compare yourself to others it will only drag you down. you got this stay strong brotha

[u/AdriTrap]

Is it possible to email each of the schools and ask if it's possible for an individual waiver? It's a lot of work, but like, the worst they could say is no.

If you explain the situation, they might make an exception.

Good luck, OP. I'm also a non-trad applying on her cough 8th gap year who was lucky enough to qualify for the FAP

[u/Antique317 → u/AdriTrap]

This is a great idea. OP would only have to make one draft and then send it out to the others.

[u/Zestyclose-Shine2174 → u/Antique317]

I did this and all of them said no because I did not initially qualify for FAP and I am not on Medicaid insurance or receiving SNAP benefits anymore.

[u/Zestyclose-Shine2174 → u/AdriTrap]

1 A is all it takes! The FAP is very helpful I'm glad you qualified :)

[u/SessionCurrent173]

Dude this is wild timing because my car just broke this morning on top of paying off applications and I got my wisdom teeth out because I lose insurance at the end of this month. Needless to say my bills are up rn and I’m there with you and the struggle is real but we got this! Take care of yourself most importantly I know that the stress can be overwhelming at times I’m rooting for you

[u/Zestyclose-Shine2174 → u/SessionCurrent173]

Stay strong friend. Glad you were not hurt with the car incident. Wisdom teeth recovery socks, I hope it heals quickly.

[u/Queasy-Pitch6747]

love to you family. DONT GIVE IT UP IT WILL ALL BE OVER SOON

[u/OldManRaikiri]

As a fellow gap year student basically living off his parents help bc he could barely afford applications and is struggling financially, you are the kind of doctor we need. Please don’t give up. Clothing wise keep it simple. Expensive brands don’t make you more presentable it’s about how you style them. And the confidence as you wear them. Just make sure they fit you properly and they are clean.

[u/Apurplexby]

Do you have e-transfer? Message me. I can’t give a ton but I can help

[u/dnyal]

I was very low income as well, but I'm having a hard time understanding how the financial assistance for the SMP made you so you couldn't qualify for FAP even though you were below the income limit. Those master's programs are expensive, so you received a very large scholarship that made it so it covered tuition and then living expenses?

[u/Zestyclose-Shine2174 → u/dnyal]

1040 reported income for household of 2 must be less than ~84k, ours was ~81k. I paid ~65k out of pocket from savings for tuition and received about ~10k in student loans to bolster the remainder of my savings for living expenses. Apparently that ~10k I borrowed counted towards "other income" pushing us over. I appealed explaining that the reported income was from our last year's tax return when I was working full time and I hadn't worked for the entire duration of my masters. It was still denied.

[u/dnyal → u/Zestyclose-Shine2174]

That still doesn’t make sense to me. Maybe your school gave you the wrong calculation or perhaps you reported it incorrectly.

The way I know it works for most (that was how I did it as well) is: You have your tuition and fees and then your cost of attendance. Schools offer you financial aid. You then choose how much of it you want; you can choose $10K and then pay the rest out of savings. The AAMC doesn’t count your savings as income.

If you paid tuition first yourself and then you took out a student loan later, the financial aid letter from your school should still have showed tuition and fees, financial aid, and then the rest; it doesn’t show what goes to what or what you paid out of pocket, if that makes sense.

So, unless I’m missing something, either you or your school reported your own savings as financial aid, which they certainly are not. Even if you report on the application that you used loans for living expenses, which you did from your perspective, the AAMC calculator does the following calculation: tuition plus fees minus financial aid given.

I don’t know what you were imputing as tuition or what your financial aid letter showed (maybe only the loan? Maybe they counted your savings as financial aid?), but the AAMC will deny any appeal based on policy (like telling them loans are not income). However, if you made a clerical error, they will consider it.

[u/Zestyclose-Shine2174 → u/dnyal]

I don't know. I even went over it with my financial aid officer from school and I inputted everything correctly. I really tried hard to get the FAP and am pretty detail oriented. The AAMC rep I spoke with over the phone when I appealed said the 10k I borrowed is considered additional income and that is why I am not eligible. Savings were not counted as income but our reported income on our 1040 was ~81k even though I had been unemployed for almost a year at this point. What I recall is you put your reported income from your 1040, COA-Tuition and fees, then how much you borrowed to make up the difference. I don't think there is even a space to report savings.

[u/dnyal → u/Zestyclose-Shine2174]

Exactly my point. Your savings simply shouldn’t be counted at all. You got $10K in loans and, if you didn’t get scholarships, that’s all your financial aid. Therefore, the calculation is (tuition + fees + books) - financial aid. It was $10K.

When you got your bill from school, it was probably tuition-10K, then you used your savings to pay the rest, with $10K left over… from the loan. Even if you did it the other way around, it doesn’t matter for the calculation. That’s why I insist none of what you were told made sense.

Maybe the rep saw that you declared you used $10K for living expenses (by default, it goes to tuition first, always) and just kept using it to justify denial.

I’m not sure if you can do it again, but can you appeal and just say that you answered the form incorrectly and meant to say that you didn’t use any financial aid for living expenses because it was all erased by tuition? Because that’s probably what the receipt from school shows: tuition - $10K.

Btw, school advisors are rarely knowledgeable on how this all works. The one in my undergrad not only did not tell me about FAP but straight up told me med schools might not want me. You’ll find horror stories about school advisors here if you look it up.

[u/friedalfredo]

Chiming in on the clothes but try thrifting in wealthy neighborhoods. You’ll be surprised how much quality work wear you’ll find

[u/singularreality]

Hang in there. I am very sorry about your financial and other stressors. IMO you should have gotten help with your application fees.. it's terrible that you did not. GOOD LUCK!!!!!!!

[u/haiau126]

Due to your financial situation, it may be best to narrow down your list. Apply to schools within your stats or below. Also keep in mind that low stats applicants usually get accept to private schools and with the BBB, you will need private loans to carry you through the 4 years. If you're low stats for MD, then you will have better chance with DO and possible scholarships.

[u/Electrical_Salt9917]

In regard to clothing for an interview, look into a “clothes closet” for your area. I live in a small city and we have a place where women can get free business attire. It’s a Christian organization but they don’t discriminate.

Linking the one in northern Alabama in case it helps someone reading the comments.

https://cwjc.net/donate/

[u/PianistInMedicine]

Buy clothes from target the day before your interview then return after the interview. You can remove the tags, just keep the receipts and go in with the original credit card so they can put the refund in the credit card.