Could someone post a semester's cost breakdown with every included ie. tuition, fees, books, ...... med insurance etc. Also, anyone who's loneing the whole thing :shock:: How much do you think someone should borrow per semester? Is it neccesary to take out the max or can you make on lees than the max they'll give you?

Thanks,
Mitch

You can get by on a lot less than the max, but much depends on how many comforts of home you need, which is also why it is difficult to give an accurate cost breakdown. If you have a roommate, live like the natives rather than the tourists (as in no AC - which you really can get by without esp when you can study at the school) and live off campus and buy (mostly) used textbooks, I think you get buy quite reasonably. An "average" budget for a single person w/amenities would run $1000/mo for rent (you can find things in the $650-$750 range if you look). Books and supplies $500, Food and entertainment $250-300/mo. Plane ticket round trip highly variable but average about $800-$1000 (not everyone goes home every break). So, bottom line, add $5000 - $10,000 per semester for living costs depending on what you require, where you are flying from and whether you are frugal. Add in another couple of thousand that you will need to hold back for the costs of board review and testing expenses (again, depends on whether you do a Kaplan course or decide to make your own study plan), plus any costs you might have for the time between basic sciences and cores. Hope that helps.

Thanks for the reply. What med insurance policy do you recommend? What does it cost? Is there any other misc expernses we have left out?

Mitch

Is there enough loan money for two people to live on. I will be bringing my wife down. Will we have to live in poverty or can we both live comfortably on the loans.

This would be alot easier if the AUC website was more informative.

If your wife finds some kind of job, you will not have any problem with finances. I was on the island with my wife as well and she made about $600/month. I suppose we could have gotten by without that money....but eating out at the fine dining of French St. Martin will set you back a little if you don't have some extra green coming in.

In regards to the initial post, by all means take out the max. Don't stress yourself out about finances when you are trying to study and do well in classes. You never know when extra costs are going to pop up......plus recreational activities on the island are abundant and costly. There is a long period of time ie from the start of medical school until the end of residency where there will be struggles to make ends meet financially. In my opinion, there is no reason to take out only what is needed to get by. If student A takes out $100,000 over 4 years, he eats ***** noodles and tap water, never travels, and doesn't throw down a few bucks in the slot machines or never takes a scuba diving class.....he will roughly be paying $10,000 a year (estimation) for 10 years to pay off the loan. Student B enjoys the finer things in life, eats out at the great restaurants of St. Maarten, he goes scuba diving a couple times a month, travels to St. Bart's and goes hiking in Saba, plays the slots at the casinos every once in a while, buys all the books you need to build your library etc, etc......this student may be in debt $200,000 in the end and will be paying $20,000 a year for 10 years (yeah ok a little more but you get the picture). I would much rather enjoy my 4 years in medical school and have the liberty of being able to spend some money when I want and only have to pay an extra $10,000 a year for 10 years. I mean come on, if you get a job starting at $150,000 a year minus your $20,000 in loans per year you are starting at $130,000......not much of a difference, that is still a hell of a lot of money.......unless you want to live in LA or Manhatten I guess. Oh, and not to mention the travel opportunities if you choose to do rotations in the UK. I just got an email from a good friend of mine doing rotations in England right now and he just got back from a weekend trip to Milan, Italy......you can't do that if you take out the minimum amount to get by.

Point is: enjoy your medical school years to the fullest, eat what you want, buy the clothes that you want and don't put yourself in the position where you have to worry about money.

I had the impression that she would not be able to find work on the island. What kind of job did your wife get and what did she have to do to find work? Thanks for the info

I am a bit confused about the potential for employment in SXM for spouses...from the information previously posted in this forum, the government in St. Maarten is cracking down on illegitimate workers (i.e., people being paid under the table and not paying taxes). My understanding from MEIO and other sources is that in order to work in SXM, you need a work visa, something that can't be obtained unless you've been on the island for one year, or are "sponsored" by an employer. My wife (a Medical Technologist) called St. Maarten Medical Center to get information about potential employment to no avail. I understand that she may be able to work out something with the university that may not pay much (but alleviate boredom!), but I'm curious to know what other employment opportunities are available for spouses of AUC students.
Aloha,

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Pathology
PGY-1.75

Being we can only get something like 17K per 2 semesters from the Stafford Loan, what loans do you suggest to apply for to cover remaining costs? In my SABA packet they have MedAchiever which doesn't look bad. Is there better or is MedAchiever the way too go?

Mitch

There are a couple of ways to go here. The school used to send out information about an organization that specializes in health insurance for students studying abroad. That's what I got. It was reasonably priced, even for me as an antiquarian medical student. The actual cost varies by age and whether there are any preexisting medical conditions. Some folks were able to go on their parents' or partners' insurance, but if you plan to do so, make absolutely sure that you will be covered out of the country because a majority of health plans will NOT cover you. Also, whatever plan you get, try and get one that covers repatriation expenses if you require it (do you really want to be treated in St Maarten for a major illness or trauma? -- I don't think so -- and getting back to the States by air ambulance ain't cheap). Nagico insurance on the island can give you a health insurance policy for about $200 per year, but it will not cover repatriation. Do realize that if you are on the island and require medical attention that you will not be able to leave the island until you have paid your bill or made acceptible arrangements to do so -- usually a $5000 downpayment will suffice.

Nagico is no longer $250 a year, but is now around $750 a year per person. They SAY they cover transport to the US, but they also told me they covered all prescription medications, which was a blatant lie.

I am currently looking into better medical insurance, but I am afraid it may be a losing battle....

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bleh