Current Events > Wee, $400 blown on study materials!

(+) Yeah! (+)

The education system is such a scam ;_;
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I didn't know spatulas and frozen patties were so expensive
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i dont see how its a scam unless you're at some sketchy ass fake uni where the lecturer sells his own books.
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So glad I'm done with that shit and making BANK now
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Rika_Furude posted...

i dont see how its a scam unless you're at some sketchy ass fake uni where the lecturer sells his own books.

USMLE World Step 3, a 180 day subscription to their Q-bank and some self assessment tests.

And to actually schedule to take Step 3 is something like $850, which I have yet to do. Dear God, help me ._.
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Rika_Furude posted...

i dont see how its a scam unless you're at some sketchy ass fake uni where the lecturer sells his own books.

Medical education in general is littered with standardized tests at every step along the way.

I had to register for two separate $600+ board exams after my 2nd year, I registered for another two $600 exams for later this year, as well as a $1,200 practical exam. Each of these tests require question banks to study, which cost about $200-400/yr for a subscription. Then sprinkle in several other companies that make text or video resources that each run about $100 each.

This isn't including my school's 60k tuition. It's sad because when facing your principle debt from tuition (north of 300k after cost of living tacked on), an extra 5k in exam fees and study resources is a "drop in the bucket", but that doesn't mean we should be bleeding our nation's future physicians completely dry. It's already becoming a less and less financially feasible career when compared to less debt/entering workforce sooner in CS, engineering, and finance.

Kind of a "grass is greener" soap-box though.
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Soviet_Poland posted...

Medical education in general is littered with standardized tests at every step along the way.

I had to register for two separate $600+ board exams after my 2nd year, I registered for another two $600 exams for later this year, as well as a $1,200 practical exam. Each of these tests require question banks to study, which cost about $200-400/yr for a subscription. Then sprinkle in several other companies that make text or video resources that each run about $100 each.

This isn't including my school's 60k tuition. It's sad because when facing your principle debt from tuition, an extra 5k in exam fees and study resources is a "drop in the bucket", but that doesn't mean we should be bleeding our nation's future physicians completely dry. It's already becoming a less and less financially feasible career when compared to less debt/entering workforce sooner in CS, engineering, and finance.

Kind of a "grass is greener" soap-box though.

When you interview, ask programs if they reimburse for Step 3. Seriously, some of them do that.
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