- Joined
- Sep 4, 2020
- Messages
- 39
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Fellow non-trads,
I am a 28 yo M looking to matriculate for Allopathic MD school, Fall 2023. I was an English/philosophy major in college who circled back around to science to get an MS in epidemiology, with 1 year of courses into a PhD in the same.
I took an "extended leave of absence" (essentially for their records to stay cleaner) last spring, but will not return as I needed to focus on finishing out prereqs, take the MCAT, gain clinical experience, etc.
My dilemma now, is that after 6 months in a neuroscience research lab as an RA and significant changes to my financial support structure (longer story that I will not discuss due to anonymity concerns), I am considering finding a far more highly paid position doing much of the same data analysis/modeling/statistical work I am doing currently. But I simultaneously fear severing the relationship with my PI, who's LOR would carry immense weight in the community and certainly many of the higher tier schools I expect to be competitive for. He knows the skinny of my situation though and might understand that I can't afford to both eat and save anything on such razor thin margins.
So what should I do??
Relevant facts:
- Remaining pre-reqs = enrolled this spring in Gen Chem II (lab) and Physics II (lab); Orgo I and II; Biochem
- Several publications on record, including 2 FA, most in high impact journals
- No debt, some moderate savings that paired with at least 1+ year of even median earnings for my skill set would likely cover the first year at any program
- 3 maybe 4 strong LOR's right now with 2 speaking to research quality, 1 to academic, 1 to nonprofit/volunteering
I am a 28 yo M looking to matriculate for Allopathic MD school, Fall 2023. I was an English/philosophy major in college who circled back around to science to get an MS in epidemiology, with 1 year of courses into a PhD in the same.
I took an "extended leave of absence" (essentially for their records to stay cleaner) last spring, but will not return as I needed to focus on finishing out prereqs, take the MCAT, gain clinical experience, etc.
My dilemma now, is that after 6 months in a neuroscience research lab as an RA and significant changes to my financial support structure (longer story that I will not discuss due to anonymity concerns), I am considering finding a far more highly paid position doing much of the same data analysis/modeling/statistical work I am doing currently. But I simultaneously fear severing the relationship with my PI, who's LOR would carry immense weight in the community and certainly many of the higher tier schools I expect to be competitive for. He knows the skinny of my situation though and might understand that I can't afford to both eat and save anything on such razor thin margins.
So what should I do??
Relevant facts:
- Remaining pre-reqs = enrolled this spring in Gen Chem II (lab) and Physics II (lab); Orgo I and II; Biochem
- Several publications on record, including 2 FA, most in high impact journals
- No debt, some moderate savings that paired with at least 1+ year of even median earnings for my skill set would likely cover the first year at any program
- 3 maybe 4 strong LOR's right now with 2 speaking to research quality, 1 to academic, 1 to nonprofit/volunteering