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med school culture vs. mstp opportunities (Columbia, UCLA, etc)
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You need to decide what is more important to you environment vs. flexibility and chosen PhD route. You are going to these schools for training but if you are miserable because your environment is bad then it can make for a very unpleasant several years and that is not worth it. Life is to short. If your environment is okay but the training seems better at one place then the other I would go for the place that gives you the better training. Also remember that this training is very long and you may change your mind. My advice is to think very carefully about what is important to you and what your needs are. Some people can stomach several years of a bad environment for good training. I'm not one of them. If you want the PhD then I suggest that you strongly consider the MSTP programs over the MD/MA.
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Were you forthcoming in your application and interviews about the type of PhD you wanted to do? It seems odd that they would accept you if they're not happy about supporting your proposed PhD area.
Have you spoken to the director of the Columbia program about your concerns? I imagine an e-mail asking the question straight-foward would answer your question (i.e. I am interested in doing my PhD in department X, is this possible?). If they say you can't pursue the type of PhD you're interested then I guess you have a tough decision. If it were me I would choose the better training, you'll find like-minded people and make friends wherever you go (NYC doesn't have a monopoly on artsy intellectual types). I may be biased though I would love to be able to live in Cali ha.
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I agree that at this point, you should talk directly to someone about the possibility of being more flexible, or discovering other options that might be available to you at Columbia. Eight years is a long commitment, so I'd try to really explore your options at both schools before resigning yourself to anything (i.e. research the training options at Columbia, and further explore the culture of L.A./Cali/UCLA).
In fairness, I also think that jc235693 is right in saying that you'll find friends wherever you go, and just because arts/intellectualism isn't L.A.'s schtick doesn't mean it doesn't exist there. However, being from the Northeast myself, I know what you mean, and it's definitely going to be a bit of a culture clash, so if I were you, I'd fight to determine whether Columbia really doesn't have what I needed before deciding to go to UCLA. And keep in mind that since your interests shifted over the course of just applying, who's to say they won't evolve during your first two years with the fire hose of new knowledge and ideas?
Good luck.
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Even if Columbia doesn't let you do the research you want, it still seems like UCLA would be a decent choice. Yeah, there might not be as many intellectual snobs in LA, but its still LA, its a cosmopolitan city. Its not like you would be moving to a corn field in the midwest or a desert in the south. Plus you might find you actually enjoy the non-uptight culture of the sunny west coast.
Plus, Californians are really freaking nice and friendly. Just don't be mean and condescending if you think someone's not as academic as you are! You might come to like the west coast culture. I am personally braving my culture clash fears for a program with a better fit... and I hope you do too! I think you'll find your niche wherever you go. Or at least that's what I want to believe.
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Please do not start a flame war. UCLA vs. Columbia cultural differences is a fine topic but it is not one vs the other. They are simply different and offer different experiences.
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The length of time this takes is one that everyone must think about. This is why so many people say that you should make sure you can not see yourself doing anything else before choosing this path. Honestly I was not ready to make this choice when I was younger. I am 30 and starting medical school.
As for the 'vibe' of the place that you will be going to, I think this is an important factor as well. You will be there for a long time, but remember that you are also doing this for the training. If the flexibility of the program is a serious factor then think carefully about what you are and are not willing to compromise on. Its is doubtful that you will find exactly what you want. If you have any other concerns feel free to PM me. Remeber though that I am not attending a traditional joint program so I can not answer any question concerning how they are run or what it might be like to be in one.
It sounds like you really want to go to Columbia if you can get the project worked out. it's hard to say based on what you've said so far. are you now interested in doing a non-basic science PhD? Otherwise it's hard for me to visualize why they would not be flexible in letting you pursue the degree you want. if it doesn't work out to fully switch to the new program, is there any way you could incorporate your project into another program? if anything, as long as you can do a project you enjoy, your PhD work won't define your future career in any way, so options are still open for you after graduation.
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I don't know how much trickier it will be to get an F30 to support training at two separate institutions. I suspect it will be pretty difficult. The F30 is supported by so few institutes these days that I wouldn't count on it at all even in typical circumstances. Also, getting a MD at one program and a PhD in another program loses you all the integration, time savings, and protection and MD/PhD program offers. Thus, I would not recommend it. Columbia is extremely unlikely to be on board with this.
Either way, you have the luxury of dropping the PhD after two years of med school if you aren't feeling it. This could go either way. Will you hate LA so much that you will want out ASAP? Or will you tell Columbia to let you do the PhD you want or you're leaving? Only you can answer which of these routes you'd like to go. I think either is reasonable.
Either way, you have the luxury of dropping the PhD after two years of med school if you aren't feeling it. This could go either way. Will you hate LA so much that you will want out ASAP? Or will you tell Columbia to let you do the PhD you want or you're leaving? Only you can answer which of these routes you'd like to go. I think either is reasonable.
Is this even possible to do? You would already have to be in a degree granting PhD program at another institution when you applied for F30 I believe? I don't think that MSTPs will just let you go to another school for your PhD-- I have never heard of this. Moreover, many of them are very hesitant to allow students to participate in the NIH PhD programs, which would be the closest thing to what you are describing. But again, you would already have to be in these combined programs from day one not post-hoc set it up after receiving an F30. And as Neuronix said, it isn't that easy to get an F30...
I was choosing between another program with a lab I loved, and Columbia. I decided to go to Columbia and could not be happier. The students here are pretty fantastic, not to mention NYC. The administration is pretty willing to help us out, though I haven't asked for much out of the ordinary. If your interests changed through the application period, they may also change in the next 2 years. This was true for me during the med school classes and being at Columbia where there is some really amazing research happening.
