Since I'm going to PA school, I talk to a bunch of people about MD/DO/PA school to give advice/get info/bond. A lot of people make this statement during these conversations: "It's getting so expensive, I don't think I'm going to do it."
Okay, so I would totally understand that statement if they were going into a master's program in philosophy, even social work. Those fields don't pay tons of money. Medicine does. Even if you pay half of your salary back to student loans after graduation, you will likely be clearing more than if you hadn't gone into higher education in medicine in the first place. And let's be real, no one pays back half of their salary to student loans. They pay more like 10%.
Another thing that I don't get is that the people I talk to about this (I'm thinking of two people in particular from my Ochem class) are currently students. They're currently living off of microwave burritos and biking to school to save gas money. So are they expecting to buy a Ferrari the minute they dive into residency and get the slightest bit of income? Are they planning to buy a million dollar house after their residency? Are they planning to only shop at organic food stores, rack up on REI gear and travel to exotic places once they graduate from school? Are they all of the sudden going to be spending so much on things other than burritos and bike grease that they just can't possibly afford to pay back student loans? I can't imagine they will. I hope they won't.
Yeah, it blows that the government doesn't help with school costs more. I, personally, think they should. Education is the most important investment a goverment can make. But will the fact that the government doesn't invest in this area as much as they should deter me from taking on debt that I will absolutely, without a doubt be able to pay back? No way. It does no good to forego dreams because of one imperfection in the system.
It would be awesome if doctors got to pocket all the money they earned after school instead of paying some of it back to the government. It would also be cool if teachers got paid even a fraction of what doctors do. There are a lot of improvements that can be made, but none of them will happen if we do nothing. There are too many Occupy Wall Street sentiments in all of us--you know, those recognitions of injustice followed by a paralyzing inability to act. I think, for the sake of the next generation, we need to get over it and take on student debt if that's what we want to do (and if we'll be able to pay it back). Choosing not to further our abilities won't get us any closer to accomplishing our own dreams, let alone those of our children.
Okay, so I would totally understand that statement if they were going into a master's program in philosophy, even social work. Those fields don't pay tons of money. Medicine does. Even if you pay half of your salary back to student loans after graduation, you will likely be clearing more than if you hadn't gone into higher education in medicine in the first place. And let's be real, no one pays back half of their salary to student loans. They pay more like 10%.
Another thing that I don't get is that the people I talk to about this (I'm thinking of two people in particular from my Ochem class) are currently students. They're currently living off of microwave burritos and biking to school to save gas money. So are they expecting to buy a Ferrari the minute they dive into residency and get the slightest bit of income? Are they planning to buy a million dollar house after their residency? Are they planning to only shop at organic food stores, rack up on REI gear and travel to exotic places once they graduate from school? Are they all of the sudden going to be spending so much on things other than burritos and bike grease that they just can't possibly afford to pay back student loans? I can't imagine they will. I hope they won't.
Yeah, it blows that the government doesn't help with school costs more. I, personally, think they should. Education is the most important investment a goverment can make. But will the fact that the government doesn't invest in this area as much as they should deter me from taking on debt that I will absolutely, without a doubt be able to pay back? No way. It does no good to forego dreams because of one imperfection in the system.
It would be awesome if doctors got to pocket all the money they earned after school instead of paying some of it back to the government. It would also be cool if teachers got paid even a fraction of what doctors do. There are a lot of improvements that can be made, but none of them will happen if we do nothing. There are too many Occupy Wall Street sentiments in all of us--you know, those recognitions of injustice followed by a paralyzing inability to act. I think, for the sake of the next generation, we need to get over it and take on student debt if that's what we want to do (and if we'll be able to pay it back). Choosing not to further our abilities won't get us any closer to accomplishing our own dreams, let alone those of our children.
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