tms Posted June 12, 2012 Report Share Posted June 12, 2012 I am just wondering for the graduate students out there - in addition to applying for medical school in the final year of your graduate studies, did you also apply for any other backups (further education or jobs)? I am hoping to apply for medical school in the upcoming cycle but I don't know what else to do in case I don't make it. I have decided that research is not for me and there aren't many applications of the kind of research I do outside of academia. So, I am looking for other possibilities. I would be interested in hearing from other graduate students in terms of what they plan on doing or have done in the past in addition to their med application? I will be upfront here in that I have noticed that my supervisor has a different attitude and expectations from different graduate students in the lab. If she knows that a student has an acceptance to a program that they need to leave for by a certain time, she will be okay with a satisfactory amount of work they have done by that time and would be willing to sign off on their thesis. However, if a student has no clue on what they will be doing/no application/no acceptances in hand for the upcoming year, she will keep persisting that they run more experiments/gather more data/do more analysis etc. She funds people for that extra amount of time so some students in our lab who should be done now are still around and they don't mind it as they are getting paid for that. Funding for the extra time is not something I am concerned about. I am half through my masters and don't quite enjoy my work as I thought I would when I got started. I have collected a decent amount of data so far and I am hoping to finish within the next year. My supervisor knows that I am thinking of various options including professional school but I am worried that if I do not get accepted, I will end up in the lab longer than I intend to. Given that for various reasons, grad school did not turn out to be as exciting as I had thought, I would like to finish as soon as I can and not be around for an extra semester or two. Currently, I feel that the only way I can do that is to have some plan of going to another program/position or something by a given time such that my supervisor would not have the option of keeping me around for longer. I am not sure what else I can apply to? Other possibilities I could explore? Ideas/advice on what other grad students have done in addition to their med applications would be appreciated. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jerkstore Posted June 12, 2012 Report Share Posted June 12, 2012 You cooould be an Officer in the military? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kpm Posted June 12, 2012 Report Share Posted June 12, 2012 Firstly, it's up to you when you finish your degree. If you have data, then you are likely ok to finish the Master's degree in the allotted time. Just tell your supervisor that you do not want to pay another year/half-year of tuition, so you want to finish on time. If she is not on board, get your committee involved by telling them the same thing, and see if they think it is reasonable. Once you finish your degree, you can quit the job whenever you want. Secondly, other options are nursing, physician assistant, physical therapy, occupational therapy, D.O. schools in the States. Just take a look at some other sections of this forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Birdy Posted June 12, 2012 Report Share Posted June 12, 2012 You cooould be an Officer in the military? That actually isn't a bad idea. Stable career, well paid, great retirement (my dad retired very comfortably at 54, fwiw) they'll even pay for your med school, and pay you to do it if you get accepted. OP, you'll really have to weigh your options and be realistic. Even if you don't find research that fulfilling, if it is where you can get a job, do it, but keep your options open for completely unrelated careers. Remember that enjoying your job is a benefit, not a requirement, so be open to taking a job even if you aren't really interested in it, because life is expensive and explaining a gap on your resume with 'well I couldn't find something I liked' looks really bad. I'm not a graduate student, just someone who has had to work crap jobs because it was necessary. The people who spend forever chasing a dream job in their field often ended up working with me at the call centre. Just saying... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Real Beef Posted June 12, 2012 Report Share Posted June 12, 2012 Without knowing much about you and your interests it is hard to give advice on 'your future'. Being in school at the moment it sounds like you would have access to teh university's counselling services which include career counselling. It may be a good idea to have a meeting or two with teh career counsellor. I went to one in preparation for one of my previous med apps. They can do a number of different tests which look at your values, interests and what you find interesting about various positions. This may help you identify other careers you may not have considered. And of course they would have experience with other med school applicants who dont get in right away or never get in so they may be able to help out on that basis. Personally if I had a science undergrad only and part way through a lab-based grad program but enjoyed med I would seriously be looking at a Physician Assistant program. I would pick that over any other health profession at this point while a year or two ago I would have said Nurse Practitioner but I think PA is the way to go even though it too is very competitive. So career conselling services while you still are in university ... might as well use the services and PA would be my choice if it were me with a basic science undergrad but of course I dont know you so who am I to giv eyou advice on your future Beef Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RiceWine Posted June 12, 2012 Report Share Posted June 12, 2012 are you financially stable? Do you absolutely need to work? If you need the money, finish your grad degree!!! If your supervisor still pays you after you graduate, take the job (if you need the money, unless you can find another job, maybe in another lab where there's more action???) Or you can tutor, science, English, here, abroad, anything/anywhere the possibilities are endless. if money is not a problem. enjoy life before med school woudln't be a bad idea. travel, volunteer, make friends...so many things you can do if you don't accepted right after graduate school Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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