Help! Advice about Grad School

[hopefulphdgirl]

Hi everyone, I'm hoping that some of you might be able to provide some advice regarding graduate school. I am very interested to study the intersection of medicine and society, particularly as it relates to psychiatry, from a social sciences perspective. I graduated college with a focus on biology and psychology, but I feel that my interests also cross into the field of medical anthropology.

This year, I applied to both medical school and graduate school (PhD programs).  I am interested in medicine from an academic standpoint and had already completed all of the prerequisites to apply to med school, but I have increasingly realized that graduate school might be a better path for me. My ideal career would involve a substantial amount of research and teaching undergraduates in a university setting, as a tenured professor. I wouldn't be opposed to performing some clinical work concurrently as a physician, but I know that my main career objective is to have a faculty position that is typically pursued by those with a PhD in the social sciences.

I have been accepted to two top 20 medical schools (which provide many opportunities for research) but I was ultimately rejected from all the PhD programs to which I applied. A professor with whom I interviewed at one PhD program informed me that I was a very qualified, but my research interests were very niched and did not match any specific professors in the Department.

I know that many people end up re-applying to PhD programs, but I would have to decline the MD offer in order to do this, and it would be impossible due to the medical school admissions process to ever receive an MD acceptance again. So essentially, it's a pretty big risk to decline the MD for the potential to be accepted in a PhD in the next cycle. I also think that an MD degree might provide an opportunity into academia, but it is not the typical path and I may encounter a lot of difficulty.

I was wondering if anyone has any ideas on what I should do. Are any of you familiar with any MDs who teach at an undergraduate level and perform research on medicine from a social sciences perspective? Should I just go for the MD and give up on the PhD?

Another possibility is applying for a PhD after my second year of medical school at a different institution and taking a leave of absence, to return to med school after completion of the PhD (the medical schools I was accepted at only offer joint MD-PhD degrees in bench science fields, so I cannot perform the PhD at the same institution). I also wouldn't receive funding for the MD--so I would be taking out $250K in loans for the MD that would accrue interest while I was in graduate school.

Although I was rejected from all PhD programs, I should mention that I was accepted into the MAPSS program through my referred application and received some tuition assistance. I have heard mixed reviews on this program, and I'm worried it would just add an extra layer of debt and complication, but it is an option.

Thank you very much in advance for any advice!!
 

[namarie]

I have seen a few universities (UC San Diego, and one univ. in Texas; I'm sure there are others) with MDs as part of their Psych department. I think they use their background in medicine to help further psychological research. I don't know if this is something you would be interested in doing, but it seems that you can go get your MD and then go work in a psych department. I'm not sure if you would be doing more biological research or teaching students, but it's something I've noticed that is being done. From my understanding, those professors perform a lot of "MD type" scientific research and then also work alongside psych professors. 

I don't think the MDs went back for a PhD though. If you have the medical training from med school, why put that on hold to go back to another form of school? On the same note, I don't think I would interrupt that training (with loans accruing interest) to go get a 5 year PhD. 

At the end of the day, it really depends on the type of training and research experience you want. If your interests align with one program more than the other, then I'd go with the school that provides you with those opportunities. Finances are very important, but you also need to go with the program that will make you happy. If a PhD will give you the research opportunities and experience you want, then go with that. One of my professors told me that it was harder to get in to a Clinical Psych PhD program than med school (using acceptance rates from both programs at a well-known university). That's something I would definitely consider: I think it says a lot (about competitiveness among programs) that you were accepted to two of the top 20 med schools but PhD programs rejected you. I have the same problem you do: my research interests are so specific that it's difficult to find programs that fit my interests. But if I had gone to med school I would have been able to work in my specific area of interest!! 

I would just think about what you really want. What makes you excited, which programs might fit your interests better? If it helps, maybe make a pro/con list of accepting med school vs. gambling on a PhD program. Not that you couldn't get in to a PhD program (I mean you got into med school, so you have to have had a great application), but those niched research interests might be hard to find a program for. 

I'm sure you're thinking hard about which opportunity to go for, hopefully this will help you decide! 

 

[Marge_Simpson]

1 hour ago, hopefulphdgirl said:

I know that many people end up re-applying to PhD programs, but I would have to decline the MD offer in order to do this, and it would be impossible due to the medical school admissions process to ever receive an MD acceptance again.

That's so interesting - why is that? What if you need to decline because of an illness?

Doesn't UCSF offer a joint MD/PhD in med anthro program? http://dahsm.ucsf.edu/programs/medical-anthropology/

 

[hopefulphdgirl]

 

@namarie Thank you very much for your detailed reply! You gave me some things to think about. The only problem is that I know some PhD programs that theoretically might make me happier but there's no guarantee I will be accepted if I reapply and turn down the MD....

A pro-con list is a really good idea though! Thank you!

@Tracyb

I think it's because the process is so competitive--many people want to pursue the degree and there aren't enough spots. You have to matriculate at the MD program once you receive the acceptance--you can defer but only under exceptional circumstances (such as an illness). Once you decline an MD offer, you can't really go through the process again; theoretically you can but most if not all admissions officers advise against it because they doubt your interest in the field and there are hundreds of others who want your spot. PhDs are also competitive but the difference is that the MD process is much more streamlined--all applicants go through a similar portal like the "CommonApp." There also aren't many nuanced differences between MD programs, whereas two PhD programs even in the same discipline can be really different in terms of research focus.

UCSF does offer a joint MD-PhD, as do several others. Because I was already accepted to an MD program though, I can't apply to that program :-(. Thanks for the tip though!

[namarie]

1 hour ago, hopefulphdgirl said:

 

@namarie Thank you very much for your detailed reply! You gave me some things to think about. The only problem is that I know some PhD programs that theoretically might make me happier but there's no guarantee I will be accepted if I reapply and turn down the MD....

A pro-con list is a really good idea though! Thank you!

 

Yeah, absolutely! I just didn't know how to respond to that part, but I definitely understand that makes the decision a lot harder. :/ I hope it works out for you!