While finishing your medical studies opens up a whole range of possibilities, the road there is not an easy one. Not only will you have to pass your finals and many, many examinations, but you will also have to pay for your school, all the while having to save some money just to survive. In the United States, the costs of finishing a public medical school are often well over $100,000 total and $200,000 total for private medical schools. These costs can quickly get overwhelming, especially for students whose parents cannot afford to pay for their children’s school.
Getting into debt early on in your life can often come back to haunt you in the future, so why not lower the costs as much as you can? One of the best ways of reducing the costs of your medical school would be to grab a scholarship. However, how do you achieve that? Where to look for a scholarship and what are the requirements? With this handful of tips, you will be able to easily find a medical school scholarship in 2021!
Start your search from local schools
You may be tempted by medical schools from all over your country and even abroad, but start your search locally and you may find an opportunity to grab an easy scholarship. There is a wide variety of institutions that might help you find a medical school scholarship, including your local hospitals, private companies, non-profit organizations, and even churches. Before you start to look farther away from where you’re living, make sure there aren’t any good offers near you.
No luck finding anything close by? Don’t worry! If you’re living in the United States, you can take a look at other scholarships in schools around your state. If you’re from outside the States, read reviews online and try to search for a scholarship in a city of your choice. It can also be a good idea to consult with your classmates, as many of them might have a similar idea to yours. Some of them may have even already found their scholarships and can give you some insight into the process, as well as recommendations for potential schools. Feel free to also ask your teachers!
Ask around at your university
If you’re already a medical student at a university level, you can still reduce your studying costs by finding a scholarship that is specific to your university. The first place to look should probably be the dean’s office, as well as any organizations and institutions that function inside of your university and may grant scholarships. If your university has one, try looking for opportunities at the student financial aid office.
Don’t be intimidated to try for a medical school of your dreams only because it seems expensive. Always check the stipends and scholarships available for students, as you may be eligible for several of them. This might reduce your costs of studying tremendously, allowing you to get into a prestigious school even if you don’t have the money to pay the full tuition fee.
Getting professional help is also a great idea. Always discuss available options with the officials at your medical school of choice. Most med schools will have dedicated offices for student aid. Even if you are not eligible for a medical school scholarship, you might get recommendations for smart student loans, allowing you to choose the best loan plan for you. Before you sign the paperwork, always get a professional opinion to ensure that you’re not being swindled out of your money!
Try out government scholarships
In many countries around the world, you can find government medical school scholarships that you may be eligible for. Depending on your financial situation and family status, you might get your university costs reduced. Also, if you’re prepared to practice medicine for a term in a governmental institution, such as the military, you can find scholarships that fully cover the study expenses and even include a monthly stipend. Many countries also have policies that forgive student loans of medical students who choose to serve in difficult areas for a time.
If everything else fails, you can search online for the available scholarships around you. Many websites can help you with this. However, you should always remain careful when using online resources, as there are a lot of fake scholarship websites that might try to scam you out of your money. Once you find out what’s available, make a list of the ones that interest you. Categorize the schools by priority and try to apply for scholarships starting from the top.
Be prepared that most often there will be an essay required to explain why the school or any other institution should grant you the scholarship. Choose your arguments carefully and thoroughly explain your situation and why it is you who should receive the scholarship. You can ask one of your friends to proofread the essay for you before you send it or give it to someone with writing experience to check.
Keep your grades above the average
The better your grades at the university, the better your chances for qualifying for a stipend or scholarship. In many medical schools around the world, a percentage of the best students receive a monthly stipend throughout the academic year. This can significantly lower your tuition and can be collected in addition to other scholarships you are benefitting from. The best way to keep your grades up is to develop good study habits.
Every medical student is different in their own way and will respond differently to various methods of studying. Finding the one that works for you will be the key to efficient studying, which will, in turn, help you increase your grades. Keep your study plan organized and set aside a certain amount of time every day for studying. Try to maintain very specific goals, such as reading a specific amount of pages of a certain chapter. Without a study plan, you can quickly get lost in the amount of work required from students at a medical school.
Study regularly, but also put some time aside for breaks. Long studying sessions can quickly tire you out, and studying efficiency quickly falls when you’re exhausted. To lessen the workload you struggle with, you can join one of the student study groups at your university. With more people, you can easily divide the tasks among yourselves so that everyone prepares a certain portion of the material. This way, you all end up with complete notes, but nobody ends up overwhelmed with work.
Use QUPI to help you maintain good grades
QUPI is an extensive medical questions bank, designed to help medical students pass their finals with flying colors. QUPI allows you to create your own personal quizzes using over 10,000 medical questions contained within our database. As we continue to improve our platform, more and more questions are introduced into the app to help you prepare for all of those difficult exams.
As your grades will be one of the deciding factors in finding a scholarship or a stipend, it’s beneficial to improve your studying practices. With QUPI, you can quickly review the material and prepare for the quizzes you will face, in a way that increases your information retention. Try QUPI out today with a Free 7 Day Trial!
