For those that got in, it is important to realize that being accepted does not guarantee graduating medical school. People will be dropping out after the first semester, second semester, and even third semesters because of academic failure or in minor cases health issues. A 1994 article in Academic Medicine showed that graduation rate of 1988 matriculates was 81.2%. Now that may have been not so bad in 1988, but things are very different today.
The main problem is the cost of education. Think about it -you probably spent about $60k+ on undergraduate education and now you will be spending at least $50k/year on medical school. So if for some reason you are not doing well in your first year and fail out, you are now $100,000.00+ in dept. The situation is made worse by the fact that majority of medical students have basic science education (biology, chemistry, etc...). With these types of basic degrees it will be difficult to find work. So you will have to go back to undergrad and get another degree.
It is this financial stress that hangs over my head all the time. You need to work hard and pass every test because the alternative is not pretty. Once you start your first year there is not much opportunity to go back.
