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- šæ The Big Beautiful Bill ruined her plan
šæ The Big Beautiful Bill ruined her plan
She took the DAT, applied to dental school, and now sheās spiraling over debt, loans, and whether med school was a huge mistake.
CareerSnacks Team
July 08, 2025
Inside todayās snack: Med school? Dental school? PhD? Sheās torn between debt, doubt, and too many degrees.
š Snack Drop is RARE.
šļø Pickle Draw odds: 1 in 8 (12.50%).
š„ Todayās pickle
Hi there! Iām a 25F and feeling a little bit lost. I graduated in 2023 with my bachelorās in biomedical science and planned to go to med school. After thinking it through, I decided the medical lifestyle wasnāt for me, so I took time off to work and travel. Then I considered dental school, shadowed some dentists, took the DAT, and applied this cycle. Then the Big Beautiful Bill happened, and now I have no idea what the loan situation will look like for a Fall 2026 entry, if I even get in.
In college, my favorite subjects were human anatomy, neuroanatomy, physiology, and biochemistry, basically anything about how the human body functions. Thatās what pulled me toward medicine. Iāve never been interested in research but havenāt been exposed to it either, so Iām open. I like patient-facing roles. Iām strong in biology, anatomy, physiology, and biochem, decent at physics and chem, but I struggle with math and have zero computer or software experience.
Lately Iāve been reconsidering medicine, but the debt still makes it feel unrealistic. Iāve also started looking into PhD paths, but that field feels so foreign I donāt know where to start. Iām just at a loss for what to do or where to apply next.
š³ļø Chip In
š„ PICKLE #17: What would you do if you were in their shoes? |
What would a $300/hr career coach say? š§ Hereās the cheese:
You donāt need a doctorate to work with the human body.
Look into becoming a Physician Assistant (PA) or Clinical Anatomist. Both use your anatomy and physiology strengths and are patient-facing without the med or dental school price tag.
Consider MS programs in anatomy, physiology, or biomedical sciences. Some lead to teaching, lab, or healthcare-adjacent work like cadaver lab instruction.
If loans are a dealbreaker, donāt wait around for policy.
Med and dental school debt will always be high. Banking your future on legislation is a risky move.
Focus on mid-cost, viable paths with faster payback timelines. A PA program or a post-bacc in ultrasound, perfusion, or path assistant work can get you into the field without drowning in debt.
Skip a PhD unless you love research and writing.
A PhD is not a backup plan. It is five to seven years of grant writing, publishing, and lab work with low pay.
If youāre curious, try shadowing someone in a lab or pick up a short-term research assistant job before applying.
No math, no code? Great. Just know your lane.
You are not going into bioinformatics or medtech, and that is completely fine.
Focus your search on clinical roles, anatomy-based teaching, or allied health careers where software and math are not essential.
Stop chasing the perfect plan and pick a real option.
Youāve already ruled things out by trying them. That is actual progress.
Pick one path that is affordable, viable, and keeps you close to the parts of science you enjoy. If it does not drain you, that is a win.
TL;DR: Want to work with the body? You have options that donāt involve $300K debt. Try PA school, clinical anatomy, or allied health first. Only do a PhD if youāre into research.
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