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DVM-PHD Experiences
- Thread starter Bernsters83
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well, i thought this was a good question and i was waiting for responses. since no one has responded ill post the limited info that i know from one coworker who is DVM-PhD.
So, this person has been in my department for the 2 yrs that i came. Ive talked with her a lot about vet school because i knew her before i applied, during the app cycle, and now after i have been accepted.
About 2 yrs ago when I talked with her about duel degree she said she loved it and highly recommended it. she is doin the thing that is combined with NIH. The graduate partnership program. and she said i should check out which schools are participating in the program. Then about 6 months ago i asked her about her research and how she liked the duel degree, she was a little indifferent this time. Finally, I asked her about 1 week ago. She hated it and she told me not to do duel degree unless I want to be the PI of a lab or another situation where it is extremely necessary. Her project isn't going well (just bad luck) and she is staying later than expected. She said it wasn't worth it at all and if she has a choice again she wouldn't do it.
I guess this is like asking anyone about their PhD experience. Sometimes you get a great project and sometimes it fails and you're finishing at year 7, ughh.
Finally, she said it wasn't worth the money. I'm assuming she gets paid a teenie bit more than me, maybe the same?? although, I'm not sure how much of her vet school was paid off by doing the duel degree
Ok, this wasn't the most helpful post lol but that is the only duel degree vet student i know who is far along in the process. hopefully another duel degree person can respond after this thread gets bumped!!
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And sometimes people (not me thank goodness) finish in year 7 and beyond even when their project "works".
And sometimes people don't finish at all (I do know people who have been kicked out after being in PhD programs for 10 years...I can't even imagine the misery of being in a PhD program for 10 years, let alone not getting your PhD at the end. what a nightmare).
The sad reality is, no matter how much you "like/love/can't get enough of" research, there is nothing that can prepare you for doing a PhD.
Undergrad research experience is nothing like it. Neither are many masters programs (not all, from what I've read on here some are quite intense so please don't think I'm knocking masters at all). And the thing is, even if you do like/love/can't get enough of research, doing a PhD is training you to get out of the lab, to become the PI and sit in your office writing for grants all day long. i can think of no hell worse than constantly writing for and applying to grants 24/7.
I enjoy benchwork. I enjoy research. I strongly dislike being a PhD student.
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I agree 100% with GellaBella.
👍
I'm a a Masters student who is currently being treated like a Ph.D. student with respect to workload and expectations. Often my PI forgets that I am only in a Masters program when introducing me to people, and last time I was at a conference talking about my thesis project I had a couple of faculty members do a double take when I said that it was just for an MS, and then a triple take when I said that it wasn't the only project I was working on. I think it has mostly to do with the fact that I have some unique skills in my lab and am thus the only MS student in the group with GSR funding this whole year, with a side of overenthusiasm and "horrible at saying no or realizing when I have too many responsibilities"-itis.
One of the very hardest parts for me has been having to delegate a lot of the 'fun' parts (the actual bench work) to undergrads or other MS students and being the one who has to make sense of the mountain of data generated or figure out what they're doing wrong. There just isn't enough time in the day (or week or year or lifetime) to do all of the labwork myself and also analyze the results. That plus the fact that I end up being the code, script and program monkey for the rest of the lab (more mountains of data that aren't even my own
) means that i am basically chained to my desk and computer for the majority of my day. But that's what a Ph.D. is supposed to prepare you for...well, that and writing grant proposal after grant proposal and revising manuscript after manuscript. 
That all being said, I still plan to do both degrees. But I am fully cognizant that this is probably indicative of my own personal very, very limited degree of sanity.
I got rejected from all the dual degree programs I applied to this year, though, so afraid I can't speak of any of those from personal experience.
👍
I'm a a Masters student who is currently being treated like a Ph.D. student with respect to workload and expectations. Often my PI forgets that I am only in a Masters program when introducing me to people, and last time I was at a conference talking about my thesis project I had a couple of faculty members do a double take when I said that it was just for an MS, and then a triple take when I said that it wasn't the only project I was working on. I think it has mostly to do with the fact that I have some unique skills in my lab and am thus the only MS student in the group with GSR funding this whole year, with a side of overenthusiasm and "horrible at saying no or realizing when I have too many responsibilities"-itis.
One of the very hardest parts for me has been having to delegate a lot of the 'fun' parts (the actual bench work) to undergrads or other MS students and being the one who has to make sense of the mountain of data generated or figure out what they're doing wrong. There just isn't enough time in the day (or week or year or lifetime) to do all of the labwork myself and also analyze the results. That plus the fact that I end up being the code, script and program monkey for the rest of the lab (more mountains of data that aren't even my own
) means that i am basically chained to my desk and computer for the majority of my day. But that's what a Ph.D. is supposed to prepare you for...well, that and writing grant proposal after grant proposal and revising manuscript after manuscript. That all being said, I still plan to do both degrees. But I am fully cognizant that this is probably indicative of my own personal very, very limited degree of sanity.
I got rejected from all the dual degree programs I applied to this year, though, so afraid I can't speak of any of those from personal experience.
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You *are* awesome... you know that, right?
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Thought I would add my own 0.02 in here as well.
When I started this process back in June(ish) I was 100% comitted to entering a combined DVM/PhD, picked schools that had them and only threw in 2 schools (ISU and WI) because they were close with no real intention of going to either one. I have been doing toxicology research and really enjoy it and thought it would be a great extension to combine my interest in animal health with my research interests. My whole VMCAS application was heavily geared towards a DVM/PhD focus.
Fast forward 10 months and I didn't get accepted into ANY of the schools with combined programs
Got an acceptance and a WL spot at the two 'safety' schools with no possibility of a concurrent degree. And honestly I am ok with that. At this point I am more interested in the clinical side (at least until I actually start clinicals LOL) of the field.
And if I really am burning to get back to research I can pursue it as a seperate degree in another 4 years.
I don't believe in fate or that things are 'meant to be' but it is totally weird how things work out.
When I started this process back in June(ish) I was 100% comitted to entering a combined DVM/PhD, picked schools that had them and only threw in 2 schools (ISU and WI) because they were close with no real intention of going to either one. I have been doing toxicology research and really enjoy it and thought it would be a great extension to combine my interest in animal health with my research interests. My whole VMCAS application was heavily geared towards a DVM/PhD focus.
Fast forward 10 months and I didn't get accepted into ANY of the schools with combined programs
Got an acceptance and a WL spot at the two 'safety' schools with no possibility of a concurrent degree. And honestly I am ok with that. At this point I am more interested in the clinical side (at least until I actually start clinicals LOL) of the field.
And if I really am burning to get back to research I can pursue it as a seperate degree in another 4 years.
I don't believe in fate or that things are 'meant to be' but it is totally weird how things work out.
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I'm curious - for schools that have a dual degree program you apply to, what is the typical schedule for completion? Do you do them concurrently, or do the PhD for a couple of years, then vet school, then finish the PhD?
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It depends on the school; each seems to do things a little bit differently. Some have it broken up like that, some don't. One popular approach is to do the DVM coursework years + some grad coursework then take 3-4 years to do dissertation research, defend dissertation and then do DVM clinical years...
It really just depends though.
It really just depends though.
