I'm at the end of my first year of phd and have realized I'm really unhappy doing basic science research. My career goals now are to be in a clinical environment seeing patients. So I tried to talk to a couple of the people in charge of the Mdphd program about dropping and just doing my md, and was met with things like "this will have huge repercussions on your career" and "you don't want to have us be angry". I feel like this is kinda unfair since I did try the phd for a year and didn't just leave after the second year of medical school, so I'm not just taking the money and running; I'm actually really unhappy in graduate school. My question to anyone with experience of these kinds of things is do you think they will actually try to harm my future career if I try to leave? I feel like they must have better things to do than come after me, but it scared me to hear them say stuff like that...
Being threatened on trying to drop Mdphd
- Thread starter Ara9
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A close friend of mine went through a similar situation. But he dropped before even doing a research year. He said that the director and faculty basically told him to really think about this decision, but ultimately they were supportive because they thought it was counterproductive to keep a student in the program who really didn't want to be in it. I bet the most they would do in your case is note in your dean's letter that you left the program. I highly doubt they would actively sabotage your future - you are still graduating from their med school so they probably still want you to succeed. If I were you I would probably think hard about your specific reasons for wanting to leave the program, then articulate them again to the PD. I can't imagine they will keep pushing back on this issue.
mmmcdowe
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Don't give into intimidation like that. That borderlines on academic abuse. I wouldn't expect it to be a major negative on your career except maybe in that specific group of researchers, but you already ruled them out as a future so don't worry.
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Would you have to pay the back tuition?
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"you don't want to have us be angry"
WTF! That sounds like a threat.
WTF! That sounds like a threat.
No I will not
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At my med school you would have
mmmcdowe
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It depends on the funding source of the PhD program.
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I've seen one situation like yours first-hand. You're handling it right by having a discussion. A lot of the acrimony in the situation I witnessed was related to how sudden it was, from the leadership's point of view. A few years later, no one talks about it, and the person who dropped out did well in the match. There were financial repercussions, but I think that is related to source of funding, as others have mentioned.
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Yeah, I find it hard to believe that they'd actually say those words.
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Record everything that is said to you with date and time and consider a lawyer. Not that you'll likely need one. Just that it would be awesome to see a bunch of bullying lab nerds get a call from a good attorney.
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+1, I'd add that correspond in writing from now on.
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And make sure you familiarize yourself with the school/MD/PHD program's policies. I'm sure they have existing policies on how to handle dropping the PHD. Make sure you don't create a problem for yourself.
It's unacceptable to threaten a student or coerce him/her into staying in the program. But I think it's not unreasonable for the administration to try to convince you not to quit. After all, they are making a huge investment in you and your future, so naturally there might be a little push back. With that said, if you are unhappy you should drop the program and continue with the MD without worrying about them coming after you. But I do agree with the poster who said to start corresponding via emails/writing so you have a record.
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Better to ask this in the md phd forum. I have heard that some program directors are like this whereas others are not. In the end, it is all bark and no bite. People in my program who dropped still matched well.
