Classes begin at UCF new college of Medicine on Monday for some 40 medical students. They will be at the main campus of UCF until the new medical school at Lake Nona is completed next summer.
Students would all don white jackets today, a symbolic gesture known as White Coat Day, which marks the first day of their journey toward becoming doctors and welcomes would be doctors into the medical profession.
The new medical college is expected to have a major impact on Central Florida as some 30,000 jobs are anticipated, with billions of dollars contributed to the local economy.
The 40 new students, all of whom have full scholarships were selected from 4,300 applicants and represent a diverse group. Among the students are musicians, a jeweler, a White House intern, and a care giver– all desirous of becoming medical doctors. Thirty students are from Florida and the remaining 10 are from across the country.
The medical students all have full tuition scholarships with living expenses for all four years. They have been made possible by donors and benefactors. School officials have said that efforts are underway to secure scholarships for the class of 2010. But, they just have to see how it goes.
In 2007, the average debt for a medical student is about $140,000
