I am at a serious stumbling block in my MD/PhD program.
I recently finished my first two years of medical school, passed Step 1 with a score of 249, and began grad school to find that my program has few labs with sufficient funding or an open position for a graduate student. The summer of my first year, I rotated in a great lab which is now dissolving since the PI left to run a business. My second summer I rotated in another good lab, but my interest in the, very niche, field had begun to wane, and I told the PI I needed another rotation. This lab is now full and is no longer an option.
After Step, I began a third rotation, and was so enamored by the field and proposed topic, that I overlooked the poor quality of the lab and the training that I would receive. I thought that with my enthusiasm and my perseverance, I could make it work (famous last words). I finally accepted that the lab was a bad environment for graduate training, and that I'd leave a worse scientist than I began. When I began looking for alternatives, however, I found that few PIs had funding and fewer were taking students. Though an MD/PhD candidate, I am part of the neuroscience graduate program and must select from a subset of PIs on campus.
Of the extensive list of mentor faculty on my program's website, a surprising number don't even have laboratories and engage in primarily clinical research, others have left the institution. Despite being listed as neuroscience faculty, many of the remaining PIs are oncologists foremost with a peripheral neuroscience interest. I am willing to sacrifice my interest in the research subject, albeit reluctantly, in favor of adequate graduate training, but cancer is one of the few topics I actively avoid. While I acknowledge that in any program, I might not get to work in one of my original top three labs, I am now on my fourth or fifth list of top three choices. After committing to an MD/PhD program, and going through two years of medical school, I do not feel like I should have to settle for this.
I am frustrated and frankly demoralized. Before applying, I seriously considered the graduate route, as research has always been my primary passion, but I was persuaded to apply MD/PhD for the increased opportunity it supposedly offered. Now, I am facing either suboptimal research training, or being forced to study something I am not passionate about. Considering my long-term goals remain research-oriented, I am seriously considering leaving my program and applying to graduate schools where I will have better lab opportunities. I have consulted the directors of the Neuroscience Graduate Program and MSTP, as well as other faculty, regarding my trouble finding a lab. I have not yet broached the subject of leaving.
I would appreciate thoughtful suggestions or encouragements. Please think twice, however, before berating me for lack of foresight - there is nothing you could say that I haven't already accused of myself, but even so, such commentary is sorely unwelcome. Thanks for reading. Best.
I recently finished my first two years of medical school, passed Step 1 with a score of 249, and began grad school to find that my program has few labs with sufficient funding or an open position for a graduate student. The summer of my first year, I rotated in a great lab which is now dissolving since the PI left to run a business. My second summer I rotated in another good lab, but my interest in the, very niche, field had begun to wane, and I told the PI I needed another rotation. This lab is now full and is no longer an option.
After Step, I began a third rotation, and was so enamored by the field and proposed topic, that I overlooked the poor quality of the lab and the training that I would receive. I thought that with my enthusiasm and my perseverance, I could make it work (famous last words). I finally accepted that the lab was a bad environment for graduate training, and that I'd leave a worse scientist than I began. When I began looking for alternatives, however, I found that few PIs had funding and fewer were taking students. Though an MD/PhD candidate, I am part of the neuroscience graduate program and must select from a subset of PIs on campus.
Of the extensive list of mentor faculty on my program's website, a surprising number don't even have laboratories and engage in primarily clinical research, others have left the institution. Despite being listed as neuroscience faculty, many of the remaining PIs are oncologists foremost with a peripheral neuroscience interest. I am willing to sacrifice my interest in the research subject, albeit reluctantly, in favor of adequate graduate training, but cancer is one of the few topics I actively avoid. While I acknowledge that in any program, I might not get to work in one of my original top three labs, I am now on my fourth or fifth list of top three choices. After committing to an MD/PhD program, and going through two years of medical school, I do not feel like I should have to settle for this.
I am frustrated and frankly demoralized. Before applying, I seriously considered the graduate route, as research has always been my primary passion, but I was persuaded to apply MD/PhD for the increased opportunity it supposedly offered. Now, I am facing either suboptimal research training, or being forced to study something I am not passionate about. Considering my long-term goals remain research-oriented, I am seriously considering leaving my program and applying to graduate schools where I will have better lab opportunities. I have consulted the directors of the Neuroscience Graduate Program and MSTP, as well as other faculty, regarding my trouble finding a lab. I have not yet broached the subject of leaving.
I would appreciate thoughtful suggestions or encouragements. Please think twice, however, before berating me for lack of foresight - there is nothing you could say that I haven't already accused of myself, but even so, such commentary is sorely unwelcome. Thanks for reading. Best.
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