MSc to Medicine

[MScToMed]

Hi everyone I am doing a MSc and hopefully applying to medicine. Just a few questions.

 

1. I haven't really told my professor that I'm interested in applying to medicine. I didn't make up my mind when I started, I started becoming really interested in medicine as I was doing my masters. How should I approach this? Are most professors ok with this? I am only concerned because I'm a top grad student in the department (I'm sure I can become a prof one day, if I stay in academia) and my professor wants me to continue on in academia.

 

2. How do I get I get my prof to like me more? I receive a lot of constructive criticism about my thesis work which I'm fine with but it seems like a lot of the time I am under pressure to do "better" work even though I do spend a lot of time (10-12 hours per day) working and I've gotten a lot of good results.

[Arztin]

1- A lot aren't. Some really are.

I think it's better to be bluntly open about this to make it clear about some things:

e.g. what will you do if you are accepted midway?

I did that with a supervisor last year when looking for a supervisor(although I didn't do my M.Sc with him), I was bluntly open about the fact that my endgoal was MD, and he was fine with that. He even proposed me to tailor my curriculum so that I can finish within 2 years with hard work + take some UG classes to boost my grades.

 

Supervisors have funds, sometimes very limited. They don't want to see their funds go to waste, and some don't like seeing "oh one of those" students who do research purely to boost their applications. It's better to have mutual understanding imo.

 

2- 10-12 hours? that's a lot.

well, make sure you get along well with your lab team. That for sure helps

[ameltingbanana]

Hi everyone I am doing a MSc and hopefully applying to medicine. Just a few questions.

 

1. I haven't really told my professor that I'm interested in applying to medicine. I didn't make up my mind when I started, I started becoming really interested in medicine as I was doing my masters. How should I approach this? Are most professors ok with this? I am only concerned because I'm a top grad student in the department (I'm sure I can become a prof one day, if I stay in academia) and my professor wants me to continue on in academia.

 

2. How do I get I get my prof to like me more? I receive a lot of constructive criticism about my thesis work which I'm fine with but it seems like a lot of the time I am under pressure to do "better" work even though I do spend a lot of time (10-12 hours per day) working and I've gotten a lot of good results.

 

I was in a similar position, and my supervisor was really pushing for me to continue on as a Ph.D. However, you just need to have that candid conversation with him (e.g. I like research, but it's not what I see myself doing long-term...). Be reasonable, and say that you will only apply for admission at the end of your Masters (that way you don't screw him over).

 

As for getting your prof to like you, a lot of supervisors are a little aloof at first. How long have you known him? At first my supervisor was kind of awkward/at arm's length, but now we chat about random crap from new grants to our love lives. Sometimes it just takes time, and that time is different for everyone.

 

Hope this helps, I was in a similar position to you.