will quitting an M.A. program ruin my chances?

[XT777]

I am scheduled to begin classes in an M.A. program here in about a week. I have a B.A. In TV/Radio Production and the M.A. is along those same lines. If i do a semester or two of this and then quit to persue medicine is this going to be a deal breaker for me. Do the ADCOMMS even care?

Suggestions?

Thanks
xt777

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[VienneseWaltz]

YES, they care. Most schools I applied to will not take a grad-school drop-out within one year of dropping out, if at all. If you don't want to do this MA program, don't matriculate.

Also, my acceptances typically were contingent on completing all degree programs in which I was currently enrolled.

My grad school automatically assigns an expected graduation date of 3 years after matriculation (even though my program was 3 semesters), and my pre-med advisor considered this so important that she made me get the registrar's office to change the date to my actual expected graduation (a year earlier) so that it wouldn't screw up my applications. I'm sure there are exceptions, but she said that no one would take me in the middle of a grad program. One school required that I furnish proof (letter from my advisor) that I would finish by this summer before they even considered me for an interview.

 

[Cerberus]

My gfriend dropped out of grad school and she is at a top 10 med school now.

 

[Amy B]

I know if you start the program and don't have a good reason for quitting they will definetly want to discuss it. My old school said that they will not let students who have only 1 year in a 2 year program, leave that program and start in their med school.

I quit my program after only 6 weeks, but we moved away from the area and 120 miles is too far to commute each day

I worte a short sentance in my essay stating why I had withdrawn from the program. I wonder if they will even ask me about it?

 

[XT777]

What about me taking grad level classes but not being admitted to the program? Say I defer my acceptance to next year but take the classes now. Do you think adcomms will be concerned that I took a few grad level classes even though I wasn?t admitted into any program formally?

Additionally, do you feel that the fact that this M.A. program couldn?t be any less related to med-school would have any bearing on the weight that they give it?

It is difficult to make this sort of huge decision in four days and I need to buy some time...I just don't want to screw myself out of the running while trying to decide.

Thanks
xt777

 

[Amy B]

If you are just taking classes, that is not the same as being in a program. That is taking classes for the sake of gaining the knowledge and keeping your mind going before med school. I am taking a Biochem grad class this fall.

 

[XT777]

Anyone else have any thoughts or experience on/with this subject?

XT777

 

[Robz]

I am currently finishing up my MPH degree at the University of Tennessee and I was told by admissions at ETSU that they have had issues with people in graduate programs applying to medical school. It would seem that some applicants would be admitted to graduate programs and would drop them once they were admitted to the med program. This ended up ticking off the grad school cause they have gone through interviews and invested time and resources into that canidate. (especially if they were getting a PhD) The medical schools would then get nasty messages and letters from those programs. What I was told is if I was intrested in getting my MPH that the program should know without a doubt that I am entering medical school in the fall. I did, in fact I wrote it in my application essays and my advisor (the dept head) was the one that convinced me to get my MPH by next summer. I know as far a secondary applications go that MCW and I believe the penn state require your graduate program to write a recommendation on your behalf. In regards to quitting a program, I think I would be curious why you quit a program that you were suppose to be "dedicated" to. Just my two cents.

 

[evescadeceus]

I completed one year of a two year non-science master's program, quit it, and just received a secondary application from the medical school at the same university. I made sure I left with a good LOR.

I find it hard to believe that this could be so big an issue (although I haven't had the interview yet). When the economy was better, people frequently left grad programs to accept job offers that wouldn't wait for graduation.

 

[velouria]

i'll throw my $.02 in to the mix...

i started an MPH program and have now decided to pursue the MD (ultimately I still want the MPH but that's not the issue). the best advice i can give is to stay on GREAT terms with the head of your master's program. if they can give you a letter saying that you're in good academic standing and they fully support your application to an MD program, then i think it doesn't hurt you.

many of the schools that i applied to require either (1) that your master's will be finished before matriculation or (2) that your master's program is aware of and supportive of your plans.

if you can take the classes but not enroll fully in the degree-seeking program, then this should be a non-issue for you. if i were in your shoes that's the path i would take. eventually if you decide to get the degree, couldn't you apply those classes?? so basically you wouldn't lose either way.

good luck with whatever you decide!