what happens if u don't finish a program?

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Dr.Su

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say you are enrolled in a masters program and get into medical school, can u just leave that program w/o finishing it? s

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It's been done, I'm sure. But you already spent at least a year doing master's work by the time you would get accepted. What I would do is see if there is any way to finish the master's during/after med school, especially if you don't have much left to do (like defend your thesis). I knew a student who had finished most of her master's thesis work, got into osteopathic school, and then came back to finish a summer's worth of work, and then defend her thesis. So now she has both a DO and an MS. I'm sure it would be totally up to you whether you think finishing the degree would be worth it.
 
Dr Su,
Have you been accepted to med school already? or are you planning on applying to med school in the future and are intending to enroll in the masters prog in the interim?

In general, MD programs seriously frown upon applicants who intend to abandon their current programs; be it a PhD, Masters, PharmD or whatever. It shows a lack of committment and lack of loyalty. Withdrawing not only throws the entire program off (they can't replace you mid-cycle), but also means that all the $ invested in you by that prog that far is wasted. A friend of mine with 41 MCAT had to apply three times. He claims he only got in on the 3rd attempt because he finally completed the PhD program he was planning on withdrawing from for med school. i.e you run the risk of being avoided (or even black-labelled) by med schools

If you've already been accepted to med school, then much of the above doesn't apply to you. However you then owe it to your conscience to defer med school and finish the program. That way you also don't initiate a life pattern of abandoning work half-way through.

I appologize for the preaching. Didn't mean to sound condescending or anything. Just trying to answer your Q. Hope this helps. Good luck.
 
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Really--it depends. If a med school knows you are currently in a program, their acceptance is sometimes contingent on you finishing that program. You have to call each individual school and ask, but from people I know who were in this circumstance, they had to finish pending degrees.
 
original, basically here's the situation. i got accepted to an mph program this coming year while i apply because i don't think that i am going to get it and wanted to have something to show for the year. also knowlege doesn't hurt. i was also hoping that an mph would look good on my appl. if i don't get in, i will finish it. if i do, i will probably come back after med school.thanx for your replies. they were v.helpful.
 
Dr. Su, be careful with that idea. I started a masters last year during the application process. The school that I am going to requires me to show proof of a transcript that says degree conferred. So if you can possibly do the mph and cram it into a year then go for it. If not see about taking grad courses as a nondegree grad student. Then if you dont get in, you can use those credits towards an ms degree and finish it the following year.
 
I've never heard of a school taking away an acceptance for not finishing grad school. unless your acceptance letter states that your acceptance is contingent on you finishing. I know people who once they got into school, quit grad school. med schools are concerned with your pre-med requirements. as long as those are completed, i dont see how your acceptance status can change based on grad school, especially since grad school is NOT a requirement for acceptance. Anyone else agree???
 
•••quote:•••Originally posted by grkbuckeye:
•I've never heard of a school taking away an acceptance for not finishing grad school. unless your acceptance letter states that your acceptance is contingent on you finishing. I know people who once they got into school, quit grad school. med schools are concerned with your pre-med requirements. as long as those are completed, i dont see how your acceptance status can change based on grad school, especially since grad school is NOT a requirement for acceptance. Anyone else agree???•••••I think if you state on your application that you will get your MS, MA or PhD or whatever degree, med schools expect you to finish it. If you will finish the first year of a masters program and the med school accepts you knowing full well you will have to withdraw from the program to accept their MD program then I think it's ok. (They wouldn't have accepted you in the first place if they knew you had to withdraw) The only problem is if you state you will receive a Masters or a PhD or whatever and then you don't have it by matriculation.
 
•••quote:•••Originally posted by grkbuckeye:
med schools are concerned with your pre-med requirements. as long as those are completed, i dont see how your acceptance status can change based on grad school, especially since grad school is NOT a requirement for acceptance. Anyone else agree???[/QB]••••I would think that some schools have different policies, however I do know quite a few people from my masters program that HAD to finish their pending degrees before starting at accepted med schools. No, this is not a requirement in the same sense as science pre-requisite courses, but I know that BU and Temple want pending degrees finished (masters degrees for sure). Perhaps a PhD is different since the time to complete might be longer. As I said call the schools if you feel this might be an issue for you.
Also, know why you are obtaining a masters--many students go for MPHs and I have had interviewers tell me that students could not really even explain why they were getting these degrees!
 
It's called poaching to take a current grad student into med school and many med schools simply won't do it.
 
I think med schools perceive mid-degree applicants as non-committing, like original said. Why would the applicant start a program, and then decide they didn't like it? Would they do the same for med school?

I think med school do look favorably upon applicants who have completed graduate degrees, because this shows dedication. :)
 
I agree with a lot of what is being said. I also think that it is a good idea to call the school and find out their policy. At my school they said that finishing graduate work is not a matriculation requirement. having all your pre-med requirements done in time is however. my point is this...if you are accepted, and your matriculation agreement says nothing about you having to finish grad school, i dont see how they could take away your acceptance if you don't finish. do those schools that require you to finish your graduate work state that you must do so on your matriculation contract?
 
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