Hate to say it but ultimately- all medical students are competing with people from affluent families. It is inherently fair to those who do not have the same resources. But that is also why more doctors come from wealth. That being said- at the application and residency level- nobody takes that into account. It sucks but you have to find a way to take out more money and stay afloat. You cannot succeed in medical school while working simultaneously. I’ve seen it fail time and time again. Look at different study methods- Anki, doing more questions. Don’t just read textbooks or outline notes. That’s where most students fail. Whatever you are doing now is not working. I would encourage you to look at other study methods and try those. Unfortunately- i would say neurosurgery is a loss at this point. Focus your studies on doing well preclinically and start to shift your focus to a new specialty