Grants and bursaries are non-repayable aid packages given to students on the basis of need, background or disability. Grants are much like scholarships in that they usually consist of a monetary award plus tuition reimbursement. However, unlike scholarships, grants are not necessarily given to candidates who demonstrate high levels of achievement. Grants are most often given to students who, for example, cannot meet their educational expenses through conventional channels.
Scholarships are given to students with good grades and/or outstanding achievements. Scholarships are often given to students with athletic achievements, musical talent and volunteer involvement. If you have any outstanding extracurricular achievements on your resume, chances are there is a scholarship out there that you are eligible for. There are many online databases that list scholarships available to U.S. students -- general as well as medicine-specific.
Depending on the value of your loan entitlement and the cost of your tuition fees, you may be able to cover the difference by working part time. Medical school is time consuming, but many med students nevertheless find the time to work 16 to 20 hours a week in stores, labs and service centers. Additionally, most medical students earn a modest salary in their residence year, usually more than enough to offset the previous year's tuition fees.
Many people and organizations are willing to give money to financially strapped medical school students. Fund- raising options include politicians with spending allowances (senators, governors), corporations ( medical research firms) and family members. Donation requests to political and business figures should be made through a formal letter backed up with proof of financial need.
For students with talents in research and writing, many opportunities exist to make money through competitions. Most medical schools across the United States offer fellowships and awards to students who demonstrate excellence in research. Many other organizations offer cash awards for medical students who demonstrate excellence in writing on medical topics. The awards from these programs can be quite substantial, and can go a long way toward paying the bills.