MSTP transparency

[10me]

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Does anyone know the current standard for how NIH funded MSTPs deal with PhD dropouts? What about the MUSC program in particular? If drop out rates are so high, why does the answer to this question remain so elusive. Directors, faculty and even students are consistently dodging the question. Upon enrolment, I would like to know what career options/consequences I face should my needs/interests change 2 years down the road.

Thanks for any information.

 

[Gfunk6]

Current policy by NIH-funded MSTPs is that you do have no obligation to payback the MSTPs if you drop, regardless of when you drop. Obviously, you have to pick up the remaining fees/tuition of medical school however.

Nobody likes to talk about drop-out rates b/c it is a touchy subject. Dropout rates are one of the major criteria used to judge MSTPs when a funding audit comes around. Obviously, it's better to stay mum on the issue then admit that your program has drop-outs -- especially when you are trying to woo potential candidates.

 

[tedrik]

If drop out rates are so high, why does the answer to this question remain so elusive.

I haven't heard that dropout rates are high. What exactly would constitute a "high" dropout rate anyways? When I asked people about this during interviews, I normally got an answer like this: "There are always some people who have to leave, but normally for personal reasons not having to do with the school."

This was about the closest I've ever come to finding an actual attrition rate. If I remember correctly, the only school that actually stated the number of people who have dropped out over the years was UMich, but I may be wrong.

Could some of the current MSTPers comment on the number of people leaving their programs and perhaps some of the reasons?

Thanks in advance!

 

[b&ierstiefel]

I'm not aware of too many dropouts here. I entered UMich in the summer of 1998. There were some folks who entered in 1996 and 1997 that dropped out. 1 had dropped out right after M2 year - he basically was of "questionable character", took the free tuition/stipend from M1 and M2 year and ran. 3 had done anywhere from 1-2 years of grad school and then dropped out - they realized that research just wasn't for them (and their projects were not going well). Since then, I am only aware of two dropouts. Both were from the class that entered in 2000. Again, they did grad school for 1-2 years. They decided that research wasn't really for them.

MSTP dropouts...sometimes this happens. The folks here tend to be more supportive if you gave grad school a try and realized that research was not something one wanted to do. Certainly, the administration will try to convince you to stick it out and finish but ultimately it is the decision of the MSTP fellow whether he/she wants to stay in the program or not.

Overall, the dropout rate here is pretty low. We're really only talking about 5 people out of about 100 total (between 1996 and now).