NYT: Med school is prohibitively expensive for low-income students

Emily Rappleye -

A feature in The New York Times highlights how money is intrinsic to medical education, creating a barrier both financially and culturally for lower-income students.

Not only is medical school expensive to attend — there's tuition, test fees, application fees, travel for interviews and rent, among other costs — but the report notes that the student population primarily also comes from higher-income backgrounds.

This means some students may not hesitate to buy a study aid for several hundred dollars, while others can barely cover their own medical bills, The New York Times notes. The disparity is also palpable in day-to-day conversations and culture. One medical student told the Times about a poster on the wall in a classroom that advertised a medical mission trip with a student testimonial about helping "the poor community."

"It was identifying the poor as outsiders who aren't part of our community," the student said.

Read the full article here.

 

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