Hi all,
I am having my own what-am-I-doing moment. I am worried that leaving my PhD will be a nuissance on my record. Although I have had a steady career, and go to an Ivy League graduate school, I did have a hard time choosing a path in my early 20s. (Am now 36) It took me years of dropping programs and courses, and in the end, I redid my whole undergraduate degree to improve my focus and my transcript. I am worried that my meandering path, alongside my dropping the PhD will work strongly against me. Yet I am very sure I am doing the right thing right now.
Anyone else have an experience like this? Anyone get into medical school with a sprawling, varied academic history?
Many us have a varied academic background, grade baggage, changing schools, etc. The issue that is raised by dropping programs is the adcoms may see them as an indication that someone is not fully committed. And med school requires full commitment. If you were currently in a PhD and actively applying to medical school prior to finishing the degree, that appears to be a large negative. Having dropped a program and doing something else and then applying is a different situation.
The way to analyze this is how would you write an essay or explain in a narrative this path now taken
Thanks for your reply. I guess my deepest fear is that I am the only one who will be able to make sense of my narrative story of why I want to go to med school. I can see, after having looked at a lot of other posts, that our individual baggage causes lots of anxiety for different reasons. As I am applying to a variety of pre-med programs, I will take your advice while building my pre-med application essays - to focus on clarifying my own story. Thanks!
- sheremata Said:
Hi all,
I am having my own what-am-I-doing moment. I am worried that leaving my PhD will be a nuissance on my record. Although I have had a steady career, and go to an Ivy League graduate school, I did have a hard time choosing a path in my early 20s. (Am now 36) It took me years of dropping programs and courses, and in the end, I redid my whole undergraduate degree to improve my focus and my transcript. I am worried that my meandering path, alongside my dropping the PhD will work strongly against me. Yet I am very sure I am doing the right thing right now.
Anyone else have an experience like this? Anyone get into medical school with a sprawling, varied academic history?
I am having my own what-am-I-doing moment. I am worried that leaving my PhD will be a nuissance on my record. Although I have had a steady career, and go to an Ivy League graduate school, I did have a hard time choosing a path in my early 20s. (Am now 36) It took me years of dropping programs and courses, and in the end, I redid my whole undergraduate degree to improve my focus and my transcript. I am worried that my meandering path, alongside my dropping the PhD will work strongly against me. Yet I am very sure I am doing the right thing right now.
Anyone else have an experience like this? Anyone get into medical school with a sprawling, varied academic history?
Don't consider this a liability... this is very much an asset. Instead of being a young adult with no experience outside of college, you've tasted life and now know what you want. As long as your grades are good and you do well on the MCAT, you should be a strong applicant. Just don't forget to work on your EC's as you study (volunteer, shadow, etc).
- gonnif Said:
The issue that is raised by dropping programs is the adcoms may see them as an indication that someone is not fully committed. And med school requires full commitment. If you were currently in a PhD and actively applying to medical school prior to finishing the degree, that appears to be a large negative.
In my experience with dropping programs and such, it's definitely seen as a negative by some schools, particularly top schools.
- Mtnbiker Said:
Don't consider this a liability... this is very much an asset. Instead of being a young adult with no experience outside of college, you've tasted life and now know what you want. As long as your grades are good and you do well on the MCAT, you should be a strong applicant. Just don't forget to work on your EC's as you study (volunteer, shadow, etc).
I'm afraid I would have to disagree, and would instead agree with gonnif and pathdr2b that dropping a PhD program is certainly not a point in your favor.
We ("we" meaning OPMs) have this unfortunate habit of lumping all conventional-aged premeds into some unfortunate stereotypes. One of these is the idea that they are too young to know what they want, that they haven't had the life experience that helps them be focused on their goals, or that they don't have the perspectives that only age and wisdom will provide.
Please don't believe this. For the most part, my classmates in med school, and the young people I interviewed for my med school, were extraordinarily talented, focused and purposeful folks. What they lacked in chronological years they made up for with maturity and insight. Of course there were some idiots - but I also interviewed some old premeds who were idiots, or who thought that their experience and gray hair alone should make them outstanding candidates.
To the OP, you do indeed need to figure out how your narrative holds together and how you can explain your convoluted path. You need to be able to show that you have learned along the way, and that you now recognize - belatedly - what you have been looking for. Good luck!
Mary