Medical school can be quite daunting financially. Typically, medical students will leave college with thousands of dollars in debt which usually takes years to pay off. And with these startling facts, it’s sometimes essential to make wise financial decisions while in college to avoid having to struggle once finally finished with school. Granted, you probably won’t see too many medical school graduates applying for EBT cards (not with an average starting salary of $130,000 according to Merritt, Hawkings & Associates), yet, if there’s free money available to help lower tuition bills, then by all means you should take advantage, right? So to help you out, below are a few Pediatrician Scholarships as well as money saving tips for those wishing to attend medical school.
Pediatrician Scholarships
Generally, the best place to begin your scholarship search would be at the school you plan to attend. There are plenty of school specific scholarships available that can be both based on financial need or merit. Additionally, national groups like the AMA will definitely prove to be helpful in locating scholarships. Here are a few more organizations that offer scholarships:
Student Osteopathic Medical Association
SOMA offers a number of different scholarships mainly to members of the organization. They provide a New Member Scholarship worth $500 to students who sign up during the Fall season. All you need to do is compose an essay on the topic “Vision of Osteopathic Medicine” They also have their Community and Preventative Medicine Scholarship which awards $1,000 to members who are pursuing careers in community medicine. Find a list of other scholarships this organization by heading to their scholarship page .
Health Occupations Students of America
This organization, endorsed by the US Department of Education, offers scholarships to member students planning a career in the healthcare field. The amount for this scholarship varies from year to year, but a check will either be mailed to you or presented to you on stage if attending the National Leadership Conference (NLC). Learn about application details by visiting this site . Other Scholarships from HOSA include the ACTE Health Science Education Scholarship and the Catherine B. Junge Scholarship.
Save Money In Other Ways
There are ways you can lower the cost of entering medical school that you might not have been aware of. As you probably already know, in order to take the MCAT, or Medical College Admission exam, you have to dish out between $210 to $230 in fees. But what you might not know is that there’s a neat little Fee Assistance Program offered by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) that helps those who desire to attend medical school but are having a hard time affording it. If you’ve received any financial aid in college, or your family income is 300% of the poverty line, before reaching into your wallet, check that site out to see if you’re eligible for the program. AAMC offers tons more financial help and resources for people attending medical school, and typically, this is where you’d send an application to medical school as many institutions use this service for that purpose. Here are a few other money saving tips:
- Interview: traveling to be interviewed can also be expensive, but there are ways you can save money here as well. You may be able to request for a student to host you to save on hotel expenses. But if you can’t, there’s a great app called Hotel Tonight that will offer 70% discounts to available hotel vacancies if you act fast. Also, the site StudentUniverse.com caters to students who travel. They let you compare prices, offer student deals and other travel resources.
- Finding a cheap medical school: you can save a bundle by enrolling to inexpensive medical schools. USNews.com has a list of the 10 Least Expensive Private Medical Schools you could attend.
- Club Z Tutoring: After taking the MCAT, you’ll probably be more than qualified to tutor kids taking standardized tests like the SAT or ACT. Becoming a tutor at ClubZTutoring can earn you some extra income without the hassles of a 9 to 5.
Becoming A Pediatrician
So once you’ve finally accomplished all that needed to be done in college and medical school, you’ll be at that place you’ve worked so hard for and spent so much money on. You’ll be in a position to care for the health needs of kids, carrying on your legacy to the next generation by instilling healthy advice and guidence that they can live by. And hopefully, you won’t be too far along in paying medical bills (average annual salary is $155,370 according to the BLS). Medical school will have its ups and downs, but once you’ve finally attained that career you’ve desired after all the hours of hard work and late nights, it should all be worth it.
