Most DO schools require $1500-$3000 deposit once accepted per school.
As many of you know this wasn't my first application year either.
I took the MCAT twice= $500
Applied for an mcat prep program scholarship and thankfully enough got it!
I sent all of my letters of recommendation through Interfolio. $7 per letter to send, $20 to sign up. ~$70
Transcript requests: I had dual enrollment through HS, went to a university after high school, and transferred to another university half way through. 3 schools x transcripts x 2 years= $100
I was also fortunate enough to qualify for the AACOMAS and AMCAS application fee waivers both years which also saved me hundreds of dollars. I did apply to a few extra DO programs that were not covered which cost me an additional $400.
First year I interviewed at UNM. $50 in gas. $65 in hotel. $30 for food.
First year I didn't get in anywhere so I applied to a medical school in the Caribbean, my interview in California just so happened to coincide with a family vacation so there was only an additional $20 in gas I had to spend. I was again fortunate enough to get in and I paid a $1000 deposit there before I had gotten any interviews this past cycle. I was not going to not have a back up plan again. C and I were prepared to move to the Caribbean to get this done. So we also spent$350 to get our passports.
This year I received 3 interviews.
1. Burrell College of Medicine. $65 for hotel. $30 in gas. $30 in food.
2. A.T. Still SOMATIC .
No hotel money- stayed with family. $40 in gas. And family also fed me.
3. University of Arizona Phoenix.
No hotel money- stayed with family and they fed me.
What was unique is my SOMA interview was Friday and my UofA interview was the following Monday so I just stayed with family over the weekend which saved a ton of traveling money!
I did not have a professional wardrobe and am still drastically working on it. I had to buy slacks, shoes, blouses, dresses, jackets, jewelry- the whole nine yards.
My wardrobe consists of workout clothes, super casual t shirts and tanks, shorts, jeans, and sandals. Nothing I can wear to school.
Earlier in the week I about had a panic attack because I was going through clothes and had exactly zero shirts suitable for Medical school in July in Arizona. Ross saved me hundreds of dollars (compared to shopping at somewhere nice like the Loft) and got 6 shirts for $60.
The past year I have spent about $500 trying to get a wardrobe thrown together. I have only shopped in clearance and places like Ross to get these clothes. That includes a suit, pumps, 4 pairs of flats, 5 dresses, 7 pairs of slacks, 6 summer shirts, 10 winter shirts, 3 necklaces, 3 pairs of earrings.
I still have zero pairs of scrubs I can wear to school.
A Uhaul is $250 before gas.
Application fee for apartment: $190.
Pet deposits and first months rent: $1010.
Electricity set up: $200
Gas set up: $200
Internet: $50
Vaccines before starting: $25
Bathroom essentials: $50
Then enough money saved to pay bills until loans kick in. $700.
How I paid for this:
Credit cards, saved every dollar I could (even if it was $10 from my tiny work study paycheck), C worked so hard to save money for this dream, asked friends and family to contribute (this was extremely hard for me to do) but I knew I couldn't do it alone. My whole life I have been surrounded by amazingly kind and generous people and they are the reason we can afford the deposits and move. I cried with every donation and am getting teary eyed thinking about everyone who helped make this happen.
In the past 3 years I have spent/will spend roughly $8000 on this process.
$8000!!! How in the world?! I just sat down and added it all up as I wrote this.
I have been working full time since graduation 3 years ago and living pretty frugally. I could not have done this on my own; so many people donated time and money for this to happen. Family has let us live with them the past year to save as much as possible. We have both picked up odd jobs on the sides to have a little extra money.
Ways I could have saved money: just studied my little butt off and taken the mcat once. Only apply to medical school one year. And not have accepted a seat at the school in the Caribbean I was going to attend. These 3 combined only save $1670. $1000 to know I had a seat and a viable option for my future was worth it to me.
The majority of the cost is when you are accepted and moving. Don't get me wrong, this could have been a lot more expensive if I wouldn't have been selected for the grant that paid for my MCAT prep class, the fee waivers for AACOMAS and AMCAS, or family taking us in, or interviews not happening to be the same weekend in the same town. So many variables could add to your expenses.
$8000 is a lot of money when you are in undergrad and have no good source of money coming in and you're eating a lot of ramen. But $8000 for the rest of your life isn't that much money. It's an investment.
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