Chessislife

Oh and I forgot to mention, yes, I have interest in the field but seriously wondering now if I'm doing it for the right reasons. Not liking your job is starting to seem like a BAD REASON to go to graduate school.

Thanks for the replies! I didn't give a detailed explanation before, so let me expand a bit. I am a doctor where I am from, just completed internship. I decided to do a MPH to get into research and academia. To be honest, I really didn't enjoy Medicine and had built up this idea of doing a non-clinical Masters for years. Here are my serious problems: 1) I'm in an extremely expensive city. The rent is turning out to be 700 USD minimum to live in a dump. This is extremely difficult...I knew this in advance but figured I could make a sacrifice, but its much worse than I could have ever expected. 2) The program is soooooo slow and weak. They are spoon feeding material like I am in the 3rd grade, and classes are only three days per week. I'm used to classes, ward rounds, duty nights, oral exams where I am coming from. All the exams are 'take home', how ridiculous! I was in a class for "Public Health Administration" and the lecturer boldly said with a plain face, "to be honest at the end of this you will not be competent administrators"...I cannot believe this admissions process was competitive and I cannot believe this is going to do anything for me but put me into debt and send me back home in the same job position I would have been when I left. 3) The scholarship is a lot, but not compared to the overall cost of the program. 4) Still can't see myself going to the Dean and asking to withdraw. I imagine that would have some serious implications in terms of - immigration and Visa issues in the future, admissions in the future, professionally if I ever have to interact with these people again, etc. The first semester won't throw me into debt but still, I can't see myself finishing this program, which is one year. Its hard to say give it a semester when I know I will almost definitely not be finishing. That is four months of waiting to move on and spending in vain. If anyone has ever withdrawn, please give me an idea of how serious the process is. Thanks!

I should mention the drop deadline is this Friday and I can get a refund.

I am an international stuent. For the last two years I was convinced I wanted to do this Masters, whch I just started in fall. However, I've arrived in the US and hate it, things are a LOT more expensive than I could have ever predicted and the program is disappointing. Is it a bad idea to withdraw? DO I need a solid reason to tell them? Should I wait out the semester?