I sometimes wonder if the state of many MDs finances isn't the result of their own egos rather than any larger failing of "the system". Most of my friends who

I sometimes wonder if the state of many MDs finances isn't the result of their own egos rather than any larger failing of "the system". Most of my friends who became MDs gave almost zero thought to what they were paying for school. They also took on huge amounts of credit card debt while in school trying to live like doctors before they were doctors. Being in a half-decent pre-med or med school entitled them to ridiculous credit card offers. In their minds they were all "roughing it" by driving their parents' hand-me-down Volvos, but in reality they all had new clothes and expensive computers. When it comes to school, most of them never looked at how much someone graduating from institution X will earn vs. the cost. They all simply wanted to go to Penn or Harvard or Hopkins. If offered a full-ride at a second or third tier institution, but no ride at a top tier school, they all took the no ride option (with one exception, and he's a very well paid anesthesiologist who came out with very modest debt). Can I tell you how many times I've looked at what school my personal physician went to? Zero.