[Secretum]

I am a masters student in a program that mainly prepares students to be good applicants for medical school. I have since decided that I do not want to go to med school, and I am not sure if I should stay in the program. I would save $20,000 by dropping out by the end of the semester, and the degree would not help me get a better job unless I went to med school first.

If I dropped out, I could pursue an excellent job in the city where I went to college, which I miss very much. If I got the job, I'd be making nearly $3,000/ month, which means I'd be able to afford a studio in an apartment complex I always dreamt of living in as a student. The best therapist I've ever seen works in the city I am considering moving back to, and I have some good friends that I miss there. Plus, there is a great church there that I would love to get involved with again.

I have some doubts about this plan, however.

1). I don't have the job yet. I feel that it may be a bit risky to move somewhere without having a job. My boss from my old job is a really good friend (someone I'd love to see more of if I moved back) and I could ask him if I could have my old job back if I don't get this dream job I'm after. But I'm not sure if he could afford to re-hire me. Plus, he really doesn't want me to drop out of the program I'm in, and he might see giving me a job as "enabling" me to drop out. I do have $6,000 left over from my student loans for this semester, and I anticipate saving at least $2,000 from my current part time job before I move, so I will have some resemblance of a financial security blanket.

2). I'm afraid that if I drop out, it won't look good. My grades are good so far, and I plan to continue studying hard, so I don't think that anyone will think that I'm dropping out because I couldn't handle it. But still...I'm thinking about pursuing a PhD in clinical psych in a few years, and I'm afraid those programs will look down on me for not finishing the masters program I started.

3). My parents won't like it. I live with them, and they are really enjoying having me home. Most of the time, I like living with them too. The city I'm thinking of moving to is only 2 hours away, so I could come home every Sunday to continue my commitments with the church here (I'm a Sunday school teacher and I sing in the choir...could still be involved with the student church because their services are at 5) while also getting to see my family fairly often. But still, they won't be happy. And they are very responsible people, so they will think that my even thinking about moving somewhere when I don't have a job yet is crazy.

My heart says I should take a rather large risk and go for it, but I don't know if it is wise. Any opinions?

[Travelinglady]

I agree that you need to have the job in hand before you drop out of school.

How long do you expect to have to be in grad school? If you are over halfway finished, then I suggest you to stay in. If not, then I would feel better about your dropping out.

[olivia4]

Well, I'm a risk taking girl so you better not ask me haha.

Just do it.

I could rationalize why all over the place, but I won't....

[hamster-bamster]

How long have you been in the current Master's program? The reason I am asking (in addition what TL has pointed out in terms of whether you have more than 1/2 done) - if it has not been long, then you can put "international travel" or something eventually on your PhD program application, and not mention the program, but it has been long enough that you would need to put the program as unfinished to avoid having a big gap on your CV/resume, then it might be better to finish. A recruiter once told me that unfinished degrees look bad to hiring managers - they might also look bad to admissions committees in PhD programs. However, if you can explain what happened - just what you told us, that you entered the program for the sake of prep for med school and then changed your mind in favor of a PhD in Clin Psych, it might be OK. I would go to the career services office at the school and run this dilemma by them. Also, if the school you are in has a psychology program at the PhD level, you can ask them what they'd prefer to see on an application form - a record of being a good worker and an unfinished program or a finished degree but less work experience. Finally, there is the issue of credits - maybe there is something that you could later count towards your PhD - e.g. statistics or research methods - and then the $20K you'd spend now would save you some time and possibly money down the road. To sum up, go to the career services office (university-wide, without telling the current program of your doubts yet) and task them with helping you see and evaluate the repercussions of taking either option.

[CosmicRose]

Which would feel better to you? Graduating from medical school, or getting that studio apartment in your favorite city? Who says you can't have both, with just a little extra time? Make the smartest decision for yourself. As there are no guarantees in life. You can also always go back to college, you don't have a set time limit on when you need to finish med school. People get their PhDs in their 40s, 50s, or even 60s sometimes. It just depends on what you want to do. Start applying for jobs in that city right now and see if you get any offers before you actually move there.