The year 2020 has surprised us all with a lot of unpredictable events that have left us in recession. Because of this, it is especially important for medical students to find ways through which they can somehow lessen the impact of their student debt. Education can be expensive around the world, especially when it comes to medical schools. Students can easily start their lives with hundreds of thousands of dollars of student debt if they don’t work to reduce it.
Finding a scholarship or a stipend can be a great way of reducing your student debt. A scholarship can directly reduce your monthly tuition, requiring you to pay less money to your school every year. If you are attending a public school in a system where education is free, you can further get a stipend that will be paid out to you monthly and through which you can balance your living expenses. So, how to find a medical school scholarship in 2021? Let’s find out!
Do your research before you enroll!
If you have just finished high school and are actively looking for a medical school to study at, this is the best time to look for available stipends and scholarships. Every medical school offers its own unique scholarships in addition to the ones already provided by your government. Depending on your local laws, you can find scholarships based on your financial situation, your grades and achievements, as well as other factors.
The best way to find out the types of scholarships your university offers would be to visit the financial aid offices. Most medical schools hire professionals whose job is to help students like you find an opportunity that will allow them to study at a prestigious university. Even if your finances wouldn’t normally allow you to study there, it’s worth giving the financial aid offices a try and checking for any available offers. After all, any scholarship or stipend you find can have a huge impact on the total costs of your medical school!
You surely have friends who have just finished high school and are looking for medical schools – if you’ve been preparing to become a medical student through high school, you undoubtedly know some people like that. They might have already found an interesting scholarship opportunity and can share with you their findings. By getting in contact with them, you can pool your resources and achieve faster results. As an additional bonus – you’ll have a friend with you if you end up studying together!
Don’t forget about your grades
Whether or not you get a scholarship or a stipend very often depends on your grades. If you’re already a medical student at a university level, you might be eligible for a scholarship if your grades are high enough. This is a very common practice, found in universities all over the world. Usually, a certain percentage of students with the best grades can apply for such a scholarship. Be careful, though, as it will most likely not be done for you automatically! If your grades are high enough to be eligible for the scholarship, you will still have to apply for it yourself.
Keeping up with your grades at a medical school can be difficult, especially for first-year students who can quickly get overwhelmed with the amount of work imposed on them. There is a dramatic difference between what is expected of the student at the high school level and at the university level. For students who haven’t felt much pressure through high school, this can be a difficult obstacle to overcome. The best way to prevent that is to develop good study habits. Create a schedule for yourself, try listening to relaxing music during studying, and – above all else – put away a couple of hours just for studying every day. You can also make use of the various tools that are available to you, such as QUPI.
What is QUPI? QUPI is an extensive bank of practice questions for medical students. Currently, we offer access to over 10,000 questions from dozens of fields, allowing you to prepare thoroughly for any exam you might encounter during your studies. With QUPI, you can create your own quizzes to better review the material, increasing your information retention, and helping you improve your memory.
Check out your local schools
While a lot of medical students try to go for the big scholarships first, chances are, they won’t be able to get them. Instead of trying your luck and, most probably, being let down, try some of the local scholarships first. While these are usually much smaller in amount than national scholarships, you can easily benefit from multiple of these, quickly adding up to quite a sum. The best place to look for these would be your local hospitals, non-profit organizations, as well as various medical companies and institutions.
Promising students can very often count on support from institutions that want to reward ambition and good grades. You can apply for several of those scholarships, reducing a huge chunk of your tuition. To be eligible for such scholarships, you will most likely have to write an essay to convince the jury why it should be you who receives their financial aid. Be prepared to show strong academic standing and an innovative way of thinking. Besides, you might get a lucrative job opportunity after finishing the uni under the patronage of a medical institution.
Keep in touch with the dean
There is a large number of scholarships that only those chosen by your faculty’s dean can benefit from. Most often, universities nominate the best and most promising students each year for such scholarships, so it is a good idea to perform well. Moreover, you can increase your chances of getting chosen by participating in the life of your university. You can also offer help during various university events and participate in research done by your faculty. Keep in touch with the officials and try to remain active.
Since your dean will be the person who gets to choose who gets nominated for the stipend, it is a good idea to keep him content with your studies. Stay away from trouble and perform well, and you’re sure to be nominated by the dean. You can try asking at the dean’s office whether you are eligible for any such stipends – you never know what you will find out!
Benefit from doing public work
If you can’t find any scholarships at your medical school, you can always try to check if your government has anything to offer. In many countries, the government offers financial aid to students in a difficult situation. If you’re struggling with money, this can be a great way to jumpstart your education, allowing you to make the most of your early adulthood and secure a future job.
There are a lot of scholarship programs operated by public services, such as hospitals and the army. If you’re prepared to serve a term as a doctor in difficult, understaffed areas, or to work for the military for a certain time after you graduate, you can get access to very lucrative stipends. These, however, do require a lot of dedication and bring with them responsibilities that must be met. Consider such offers very carefully, as once you take them – there is no going back!
