How do you all pay for Med. School?

[c'wing]

Hi, I'm new here, but have found this panel to be very informative, helpful, and interesting at times =p It's good to see many ppl here are genuinely giving advices, so here I'm posting my question, hopefully will hear from you.

I'm an International Student coming to US (Ca) in pursue for medicine. Currently a Junior in college working on my pre-med. Have completed G.Chem, Bio, other science classes such as Anatomy, Physiology, Microbio, Pharmacology....etc. w/ A/A-s. Have worked heck of myself out coz medicine is really what I want to go for. Now the problem is $$$$$$$$$$!

Med. School is def. $$$$, wondering how you all are paying for it? Family support? Loans? Scholarships? Jobs? Savings?

I know my chance for loans/financial aid is not much/impossible being a Intl Student~

1) Have thought about Auss. School (cheaper, but still gotta find a way to pay for it).

2) Be a Nurse, work n' save up, then go later (but is it at all possible? saving enough for Med. School from being a Nurse?)

@_@ when money comes in the way b/w education, it really sucks. How do you go about it?

Aim High~ Fly High~ Spread ur Wing~

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[redshifteffect]

Originally posted by c'wing
Hi, I'm new here, but have found this panel to be very informative, helpful, and interesting at times =p It's good to see many ppl here are genuinely giving advices, so here I'm posting my question, hopefully will hear from you.

I'm an International Student coming to US (Ca) in pursue for medicine. Currently a Junior in college working on my pre-med. Have completed G.Chem, Bio, other science classes such as Anatomy, Physiology, Microbio, Pharmacology....etc. w/ A/A-s. Have worked heck of myself out coz medicine is really what I want to go for. Now the problem is $$$$$$$$$$!

Med. School is def. $$$$, wondering how you all are paying for it? Family support? Loans? Scholarships? Jobs? Savings?

I know my chance for loans/financial aid is not much/impossible being a Intl Student~

1) Have thought about Auss. School (cheaper, but still gotta find a way to pay for it).

2) Be a Nurse, work n' save up, then go later (but is it at all possible? saving enough for Med. School from being a Nurse?)

@_@ when money comes in the way b/w education, it really sucks. How do you go about it?

- if you're really dedicated and you can't find the money to apply to medical school I suggest this:

- Get your US degree and try and apply for immigration to Australia. Once there you will get a PR. If you apply to medical school there and don't get in right away you will have to do some university there until you can apply again.

- The good thing is that local students only pay $6000 Australian per year...and if they don't want to pay that they can get "HECS" which means the gov't will pay the tuition interest free until you graduate and then you will have to pay back 2% of your salary per annum until the loan is paid back.

- This wont' exactly be an easy way..but if you're really that dedicated and you can get the PR you have a chance.

best of luck.

 

[Purifyer]

Originally posted by redshifteffect
- if you're really dedicated and you can't find the money to apply to medical school I suggest this:

- Get your US degree and try and apply for immigration to Australia. Once there you will get a PR. If you apply to medical school there and don't get in right away you will have to do some university there until you can apply again.

- The good thing is that local students only pay $6000 Australian per year...and if they don't want to pay that they can get "HECS" which means the gov't will pay the tuition interest free until you graduate and then you will have to pay back 2% of your salary per annum until the loan is paid back.

- This wont' exactly be an easy way..but if you're really that dedicated and you can get the PR you have a chance.

best of luck.

Did you do this redshift? Because afaik it takes at least a year to get PR and I'd be surprised if you only need a degree to qualify for it.

 

[auser]

Hey RSE,

Thanks for all the encouraging advice. One thing I discovered on the Australian immigration web site that you linked to on one of your posts is that applying in the skilled migration category requires not only a degree but also experience. For example, as an IT worker you would need a degree plus four years work experience that has to be approved by the Australian Computer Society to receive credit for this skilled occupation. If the degree is from Australia the experience can be waived, but anyways having a degree may not be sufficient in many instances. Maybe you have other information??

 

[c'wing]

I do have an inclining interest to apply med. school in Australia. It does seem to be a great place to live.

Now, the idea of applying for immigration and PR is foreign to me. Don't applicants have to get a job visa/marry/big investment......in order to do so? (sorry, I'm totally new) What are the chances/ open spots available for intnl students for those every yr? Just Out of curiosity, did you go this route?

I haven't taken my MCAT/receive a degree yet (but have spent 3 yrs in US college), would I be eligible to apply for undergrad. Med. School in Australia?

Thanks for all the suggestions.

 

[cancerchan]

RSE:

How close are you to getting your own PR? I've consulted an immigration lawyer who says that even with a degree it's no guarantee, that you should expect a 15 month wait to get a PR, and that if you are already enrolled in school in Aus, that chances are you will have to wait till your degree is done before applying for PR, and that when you do you'll get the 10 point deduction from your application. There's anecdotes of people with 5 years in a 60 point profession willing to invest $100k in an Australian govnt treasury account still waiting over 2 years to hear from Ausi Immi. Further, I've got a buddy at SydUni whose friend married an Australian, had a kid, and STILL had to go through a couple of years of red tape to get his PR. I've heard you say the same thing a bunch of times to a bunch of different people, so I gotta ask: Do you have your PR? Do you know anyone who managed to get their PR without hassle after coming to Aus with a degree? Do you know anyone who has successfully gotten their PR after coming to Aus on a student visa and if so, how long, how much it cost, and how much red tape?

 

[redshifteffect]

Originally posted by cancerchan
RSE:

How close are you to getting your own PR? I've consulted an immigration lawyer who says that even with a degree it's no guarantee, that you should expect a 15 month wait to get a PR, and that if you are already enrolled in school in Aus, that chances are you will have to wait till your degree is done before applying for PR, and that when you do you'll get the 10 point deduction from your application. There's anecdotes of people with 5 years in a 60 point profession willing to invest $100k in an Australian govnt treasury account still waiting over 2 years to hear from Ausi Immi. Further, I've got a buddy at SydUni whose friend married an Australian, had a kid, and STILL had to go through a couple of years of red tape to get his PR. I've heard you say the same thing a bunch of times to a bunch of different people, so I gotta ask: Do you have your PR? Do you know anyone who managed to get their PR without hassle after coming to Aus with a degree? Do you know anyone who has successfully gotten their PR after coming to Aus on a student visa and if so, how long, how much it cost, and how much red tape?

- I can't apply for the PR myself because a) I have no previous degree b) my parents are too old to get it even though they could have sponsored me.

- my only chance at getting it is via the RMO route...unless I can apply with the BmedSci degree.

- i never said there was a guarentee to getting a PR with a degree, I said the chances are much greater. Without a degree you have no chance. If you look at the shortage of occupations list the degrees that have the best chance are the ones in the computer field. With these you can get a PR within 6 months. I have 2 good friends who studied InfoSys and Comp eng here who got their PR within 6 months. They were both Pakistanis that came here and applied for their PR 2 years after they arrived.

- Everyone keeps missing what I am saying GETTING A PR IS MUCH MUCH EASIER IF YOU ARE IN A RURAL AREA. You will get an extra 5 points, and if you want to get the PR via the sponsorship route you have a much better chance of finding a job that no Australian can fill; it's not my fault if you're in Sydney or Melbourne and waiting 6 years for your PR.

- Call a Tasmanian immigration lawyer and see what the process is like..if you have studied in the Uni here and you're doing one of the above degrees it will take about 6 months but you will get the PR.

- The cost of all of this was in the thousands. It's not cheap but its definitely worth it. As for the Malaysians I know 3 or 4 of them that have gotten PRs. They did it via an accounting degree.

- I know two singaporeans whose parents also invested 100,000 in the Australian treasury..would be happy to give you their ICQ contact if you want to PM me...(they also got a PR and are going to be living in Perth)

So this begs the question what are you doing wrong?

 

[redshifteffect]

Originally posted by Purifyer
Did you do this redshift? Because afaik it takes at least a year to get PR and I'd be surprised if you only need a degree to qualify for it.

- No i tried looking into it but I have no previous qualifications..I'm only a highschool grad. Parents could sponsor me if they were Under 45...but since they're not I have no way of doing that either.

- However I have plently of friends here (from malaysia/pakistan) etc that have done this...which is why I'm suggesting it.

- and yes you only need a degree to qualify...or some kind of trade certificate. You will have to send it to Australia to get them to verify it, and that might take time...but the PR itself from what I've seen can be approved in 6 months.

*NOTE i'm talking about Tasmanians...probably easier for them to get it since they are in a "rural" area.

If you are applying from Sydney I have no experience with this.

 

[Purifyer]

Sounds a little too good to be true, that's why I'm asking. Australia is more xenophobic than NZ, and in NZ it takes over a year for a spouse (married to a new zealand citizen) to get PR.

Best of luck to everyone if it isn't... but it doesn't make much sense that Australia would allow foreigners to come over, get PR and a heavily subsidized education, and then leave again.

 

[Johnny69]

Originally posted by redshifteffect
- if you're really dedicated and you can't find the money to apply to medical school I suggest this:

- Get your US degree and try and apply for immigration to Australia. Once there you will get a PR. If you apply to medical school there and don't get in right away you will have to do some university there until you can apply again.

- The good thing is that local students only pay $6000 Australian per year...and if they don't want to pay that they can get "HECS" which means the gov't will pay the tuition interest free until you graduate and then you will have to pay back 2% of your salary per annum until the loan is paid back.

- This wont' exactly be an easy way..but if you're really that dedicated and you can get the PR you have a chance.

best of luck.

Just clearing something up. The amount of money you pay back to the government as a % of your salary, depends on how much you earn. 2% is the minimum amount. If you earn over $60K then you will be paying back 6%, and by 2005 it will be 8%.

 

[redshifteffect]

Originally posted by Purifyer
Sounds a little too good to be true, that's why I'm asking. Australia is more xenophobic than NZ, and in NZ it takes over a year for a spouse (married to a new zealand citizen) to get PR.

Best of luck to everyone if it isn't... but it doesn't make much sense that Australia would allow foreigners to come over, get PR and a heavily subsidized education, and then leave again.

- they let kiwis do it all the time

 

[miler]

Correct me if I am wrong, but as a U.S citizen I will be eligible to get loans from U.S dept of ed to attend U of Sydney, correct? Loans to hopefully cover school costs but also to cover living expenses, no?
Thanks

 

[markdc]

I think you have better access to loans as an American than as a Canadian. I'm looking at IEFC and they allow 25000 US on your own signature (which may just barely cover tuition). After that you are usually in need of a co-signer. It might be a good idea to start a thread where people mention all the different organizations they've used for funding and whither or not they recommend them...

 

[skypilot]

Originally posted by miler
Correct me if I am wrong, but as a U.S citizen I will be eligible to get loans from U.S dept of ed to attend U of Sydney, correct? Loans to hopefully cover school costs but also to cover living expenses, no?
Thanks

Yes, I know they have Stafford eligibility.

 

[Winged Scapula]

Originally posted by miler
Correct me if I am wrong, but as a U.S citizen I will be eligible to get loans from U.S dept of ed to attend U of Sydney, correct? Loans to hopefully cover school costs but also to cover living expenses, no?
Thanks

yes, Americans are eligible for government funded Stafford loans and then outside/alternative bank loans. Some of the schools use the TERI/ISLP route, but I found better rates, etc. at my own bank (Bank of America). Shop around. This was enough to live in Adelaide, can't speak for expenses in Sydney.

 

[Purifyer]

Originally posted by redshifteffect
- they let kiwis do it all the time

haha *embarrassed blush*

 

[bgeez]

how about non US citizens and non Canadians? can they get loans too in Oz?

 

[redshifteffect]

Just want to clear something up...I'm not suggesting that Americans go to Australia get a PR etc. just for a "free" education. If you do it plan on paying the gov't back and then put in your time for the society..if you want to go back to the US it's only fair that you get student loans to pay for it.

 

[Blackjack16]

I had question about Stafford loan. I heard you could increae the annual limit of unsubstadized loan to 30,000 instead of 10,000 if you are going to medical school. Does anyone know this only applies to medical school's in the U.S.?

 

[miler]

It shouldn't, I'm trying to convince USyd that this is the case as well. Anyone have any tips?