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withdrew from grad school
- Thread starter nehuHI
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Had a similar thing........was getting my MBA. All A's, then son spent time in hospital literally during finals and had to postpone two finals. His condition continued and I never went back. Got my grade reports and INCOMPLETE and it was the last thing on my mind......well 3 years later now interviewing for med school and turns out those Incompletes turned into Fs....I never knew it until I got my transcripts. I got poked in the eye pretty hard, but since my story was believable and the ADCOM could connect the dots, it was not problem.
The only hitch, is my questions happened in the interview. Gotta get there first. But, since yours were actually good grades, and I decided to get my the first F of my life then, you should be fine......Stick with the truth.......**Remember** You don't have to have a good memory when you tell the truth!
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Not much you can do about this but to be honest and upfront about your interests. I think leaving a Ph.D. program with a 4.0 is different than failing and getting kicked out of a graduate program. Obviously, you withdrawing from the program will raise some eyebrows, but if explain to them that you feel clinical medicine is a better match for you than Ph.D. research, then it might be viewed more favorably. Do you have a compelling story for why you left your Ph.D. program to pursue medical school?
The other alternative is to go back and finish your Ph.D. studies. That might take a few years, but if you've volunteered and shadowed and feel that medicine isn't for you, then going back in and finishing your Ph.D. might be a better alternative.
Thanks for the response. I appreciate all the help. There were multiple reasons for leaving grad school and moving back home, including being there for the people I love. The school I want to get in to (JABSOM) prefers students who want to stay in Hawaii so hopefully that's a plus for me. From your responses it seems like the withdrawal from grad school isn't a deal-breaker, so thanks for the encouragement.
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When I was teaching I had some funding for a few graduate courses and started a M.Ed. in school administration. After two years on the job I was sick of it and quit mid-year. I think that was the healthiest decision of my life too. At any rate, I realized I was done with being an educator thus I saw no reason to continue a master's degree in education administration. That said, I withdrew from the grad course I was in at the time and moved on to other things. It may be a black mark on my record. It may not be. I really could care less because I know for me it was the best decision.
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I have the same situation, I'm quitting my MBA in favor of pre-med prerequisites. They might view me as being a little bit indecisive, but I'm hoping I can prove them otherwise between now and application time. I'm more distraught about the debt I accrued without a degree than what med schools will think--but not distraught enough to finish that stupid MBA ;-)
It's definitely not a deal-breaker, and you should be honest about why you left. Just make sure to explain why (after returning home) you decided to pursue medicine.
If you can get a letter of recommendation from your program chair, that will help tremendously. Best of luck!
Were they from grad school or undergrad?
Anyone have experience withdrawing from grad school and then applying and running into trouble?
