The Humerus Daily

WASHINGTON, DC—A recent Pew Research study of medical students nationwide found that students could save an average of $250 per month by attending club meetings instead of cooking at home. While this trend varies throughout the semester—more introductory meetings with better foods usually occur earlier, while subsequent sessions, primarily composed of snacks such as chips and cookies, are more prevalent later in the semester—the savings give medical students a sense of discretionary spending with the extra cash in their pockets. 

The Humerus Daily reached out to one student, Cole Steryl, who spoke about his experiences using this money-saving tactic: “It’s been great overall! With all the money I saved, I can buy a plane ticket home for Spring Break, a new reflex hammer, and enough energy drinks to go head-to-head with the residents on rotation!” However, he did mention there are downsides, stating that his “primary care doctor is pretty concerned about [his] recent labs and blood sample, which found Oreo-brand inclusions in [his] red blood cells.” Mr. Steryl discussed learning about healthier habits in his pre-clinical wellness modules—for both learning and life—but admits to poor adherence to those recommendations. 

Another student, Norma Lebeats, took this process further by starting a new club under the guise of “creative writing” to provide another club for students to attend and receive a free meal four times per semester. “There’s no writing more creative than the proposal we put together to get the Student Life office to approve us existing, so I think we pretty much did as advertised,” Lebeats said. 

Balancing finances and wellbeing as a student in American higher education has never been more complicated; however, students continue exploring ways to tip the scales in their favor—while occasionally tipping literal scales along the way.