Withdrawing from graduate school?

[socks99]

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Hey everyone,

I am not sure if this is the right place for this topic, so please re-direct me if it's not.

Are there any people on here with success stories of withdrawing from their graduate school program halfway through, and then applying to/being accepted to med school? I am hoping to be one after this upcoming cycle, but I'm nervous that it could be a big mistake withdrawing.

Thanks!

 

[ChemEngMD]

Hey everyone,

I am not sure if this is the right place for this topic, so please re-direct me if it's not.

Are there any people on here with success stories of withdrawing from their graduate school program halfway through, and then applying to/being accepted to med school? I am hoping to be one after this upcoming cycle, but I'm nervous that it could be a big mistake withdrawing.

Thanks!

You're going to need a heck of an excuse. And you'll probably want to be withdrawn before you apply. If you are still in the program when you apply they will be expecting you to finish it before you matriculate.

I say this as I am writing my thesis and realizing that its completion is directly tied to me becoming a physician lol.

 

[bearded frog]

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[socks99]

Thanks for the replies.

I am currently in an Anesthesiology Assistant program, which has similar coursework that I would face in medical school (pharm, pathophys, etc). I have one year until I graduate with the degree, but I know that I want to go to medical school. I am doing well in this program which gives me a little bit of hope that if I withdraw I could justify it. I just need to take one course to round out my med school pre-reqs, which I could complete by the end of July and then submit my applications...

Thanks again for the advice.

 

[QuantumJ]

I quit my graduate program, took a year of post bac classes and applied and got accepted to a few schools. It wasn't a big deal. "I thought I would like X but I did some Y and found I wanted to do Z" and that was the extent of any explanation needed.

 

[ChemEngMD]

I quit my graduate program, took a year of post bac classes and applied and got accepted to a few schools. It wasn't a big deal. "I thought I would like X but I did some Y and found I wanted to do Z" and that was the extent of any explanation needed.

I think the key is that you withdrew and put time between your withdrawal and your application. Doing them simultaneously will look rushed IMO.

OP, if I were you, I would go ahead and apply this cycle BUT finish that degree. You said you only have a year left so just go ahead and knock it out.

 

[QuantumJ]

I think the key is that you withdrew and put time between your withdrawal and your application. Doing them simultaneously will look rushed IMO.

OP, if I were you, I would go ahead and apply this cycle BUT finish that degree. You said you only have a year left so just go ahead and knock it out.

Very much a possibility. I also had volunteer experience already that I continued to do so it didn't look like I did something just to apply. Something to keep in mind.

 

[socks99]

Thanks again!

Yeah it would be much easier for me if my grad program wasn't medically associated, I think.

@QuantumJ -- I have a bunch of clinical experience in my background (I've taken a handful of years off from undergrad). So I'm really partial to thinking that I have a decent application aside from the withdrawal factor (which makes me hesitant to go for it since it could ruin my app).

@ChemEngMD -- I share the same sentiments. I think it would certainly be ideal for me to crank out the degree, but that would mean I wouldn't be able to complete my final pre-req course this summer. So, I would have to push back my application ~1-2 years which is a bit more difficult being at an older age.

 

[QuantumJ]

Thanks again!

Yeah it would be much easier for me if my grad program wasn't medically associated, I think.

@QuantumJ -- I have a bunch of clinical experience in my background (I've taken a handful of years off from undergrad). So I'm really partial to thinking that I have a decent application aside from the withdrawal factor (which makes me hesitant to go for it since it could ruin my app).

@ChemEngMD -- I share the same sentiments. I think it would certainly be ideal for me to crank out the degree, but that would mean I wouldn't be able to complete my final pre-req course this summer. So, I would have to push back my application ~1-2 years which is a bit more difficult being at an older age.

Well I don't have a good answer for you besides you'll have to decide what is best. My advice? Finish the graduate degree. It will give you a backup plan in case you don't get into med school or change your mind. Also, that time spent after while you're finishing the prereqs will be prime time to study for and take the MCAT. I decided to leave grad school in Fall 2011 and am just not matriculating. Yes, it's a long time but that's because this process rewards those who take the time to line everything up as perfectly as possible the first time. I'm 27 and it's not that big of a deal being a bit older (I don't know how old you are). There are a handful of people older than me in our class.