I’m sure I’m asking a question thats been asked before… I’m beginning my senior year undergrad, and am getting lots of encouragement to pursue the MSTP rather than (only) MD - from my profs as well as people at the med school I’ll be going to next year. I am passionate about both academic and clinical medicine, and of course the financial side of MSTP is attractive (no debt!). However, I’m wanting input.
Are there any of you who are “old” (as in over 40ish maybe) who went the MD/PhD route. Why or why not? I am not at all daunted by the years ahead of me, simply trying to make the wisest decision possible. Bottom line is that I can change my mind one way but not the other: if I begin the MD only, I can decide any time within the first two years that I also want MSTP. However, once I start MSTP, I’m rather locked into it.
Any advice?
You’re not locked in to the MSTP program - your advisors may not want you to, but you can always quit.
For advice, Havarti666 makes some excellent comments on this thread at SDN: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=1…
He addresses the no-tuition issue (which may not be a deciding factor in whether or not to go MSTP) and how he (who got a PhD, then an MD) would do things differently.