As pre-med students gear up to take this month's Medical School Admissions Test, many are discovering that the costs of graduate school may put them in the red even before they have been offered admission. That's because most of them are taking preparatory courses, which can cost over $1,000.
"The MCAT is based on an average scale," said junior Elizabeth Smith, who is enrolled in a Kaplan class and will take the test April 20. "Since almost everyone in the nation is taking an MCAT class, then you feel as though you have to take it to do the standard thing."
A Kaplan MCAT preparatory class costs $1,299. For that price, students are offered 97 hours of classroom time, 18 lectures and six full-length practice exams. The package also includes resources like unlimited online access to additional training materials.
"My scores improved 10 points from diagnostic tests until now," said senior Joe Baltz, adding that the test helped him know what to look for and how to better take the test. "It's good to know I'm making some progress."
Kristen Kincade, Kaplan area director for North Carolina, estimated that about half of MCAT test-takers use the company's services.
"The MCAT is a different level exam than what most students are used to seeing," she said. "Other than having specific prep materials, there is not a lot that will prepare them, so [the class] is a big benefit to them."
Kincade added that incremental increases in tuition for the course have been part of a $4 million dollar research investment that provides students with new materials, highly-trained instructors and a permanent study facility.
Not all students can afford to take an MCAT class. Sophomore Jessica Hostetler, a biology major who plans to graduate in three years, said she feels she is at a disadvantage.
"[MCAT students] are paying for nine hours a week of preparation," she said. "I am trying as hard as I can to do that on my own.... It's kind of difficult to be in this position because in theory, I don't think I am less intelligent than the rest of these students."
But Kincade noted that Kaplan's aid program offers direct financial help based on a student's demonstrated need. "It is Kaplan's goal to make medical school as accessible as possible to as many people as possible," she said.
Students may also develop a payment plan through outside companies, and the American Medical College Application Service provides assistance to students who may not even be able to afford application fees.
If the service decides to help a particular student, she can obtain either a waiver or reduction of the registration fee and forgo application fees for up to 10 medical schools.
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