Hey ma research peeps! I figured we knockout mice (gene for a social life has been deleted. Just kidding :D) need a place to call our own. A place to share information about the process. I heard we're a small group of applicants and I think that makes it more difficult for us to get scoop on things. I only have one interview out of 16 programs that I'm applying to. I'm trying hard to remain confident and not get too anxious. I'm losing focus in my courses and all I think about is my research and this process. Please post up folks. We can also hook up at our interviewS, or interview if you're me. PLEASE POST!!!

Hiya...I'm MSTP too. Fortunately I have a few interviews (5 in all), so things are looking pretty good for me I guess. Where are you interviewing and when?

Adam

Huy dude that's awesome!!! 5 interviews? that's what I'm talking about! Hey my interview is at Duke on Nov 7 and 8. Will you be there by any chance?

Nope...didn't apply to Duke. Mine are at UC San Francisco, U of Iowa, U of Wisconsin and U of Michigan. I already had my UIC MD interview (no MD/PhD one yet). If you're getting a Duke invite though, you'll probably get more too. Don't worry. They tend to come in bunches :)

Adam

Hey I hope you're right. I didn't apply to any of the schools where you have interviews though. Have you gone on any interviews yet? I spoke with a couple of guys on the committee at Duke and they told me the interview will be rather laid back and friendly. I hope that's right. However, I read on the interview feedback site that you must know your research stone cold otherwise you'll become toast real quick.

Having gone through the process of applying to MSTPs last year, I can definitely relate to your feelings of anxiety and loss of focus. I actually ended up missing 3 weeks straight (and probably 4-5 weeks total) of undergraduate classes in order to interview at a bunch of schools during one trip. First off, it's still early in the process, so don't get worried about not having too many interviews yet. Instead, focus on the preparation.

Main things you need to be able to answer:
1) Why MD/PhD and not MD or PhD alone?
2) What are your career goals?
3) What do you do for fun?
4) Tell me about your research...

You will need to be comfortable discussing your project(s) and your role on them. They are looking for evidence of initiative, creative thinking, motivation, risk, and passion for science. These things cannot just be stated, but they need to come across as very obvious during your interviews by HOW you talk about your experiences and goals. If the interviewer detects any doubt about whether you want to do the joint program, you'll likely be in hot water. They are very attuned to screen out for people looking for a "free MD." The interviewer also wants to see that you balance your hobbies and interests well with academics, as multitasking is a very important skill in those attempting careers in both medicine and science.

My advice would be to do some mock-interviews with your research advisor(s), medical professionals, students, or friends. The more practice, the better. Believe it or not, there will come a time when you will be sick of repeating the same story over and over again. You'll wish you had a tape that you could just re-play for your various interviewers.

Also, be aware that physicians and scientists come from very different perspectives. Some interviews will be for the MD program, while others will be your MD/PhD program interviews. You might have to adapt yourself to the particular situation in order to effectively connect with the interviewer. Just think of this as practice for the rest of your life as a bridge between medicine and science.

One thing I wish had been more aware of going into the process, is that you'll often be able to meet with faculty you're interested in during informal interviews, which will have to be scheduled. Take advantage of these opportunities to learn, ask questions, and demonstrate your curiosity.

Also, the dress code is basically the same as regular MD interviews: suit and tie. If you are interviewing over the course of a couple days, then it is probably best to bring extra shirts and a couple of ties so that you don't look like you're wearing the exact same thing.

In all, MD/PhD interviews tend to be a little less formal and more of a discussion of research than anything. Your interviewer often will ask if you have any questions for them, so be prepared on this front as well.

Well, these are just some tidbits of info that I hope will help you during interviews. If you have any other questions, please feel free to post and I'll try to answer as soon as I can (between classes, labs, etc). :D

I am considering the MD/PhD route and I would be interested to know the answers to Vader's questions from those already applying. Anyone interested in a little mock-interview-via-internet practice?

Hey Vader thanks for the pointers. Priceless. BTW I just got an invite from U of Chicago. Stoked!

Original:

U of Chicago is interviewing for MSTP? I thought they sent out an email saying they didn't meet 'till December?

anacapa:

Good idea...that'd be fun. I'll write more when I have a little more time :)


Adam

Rumit:
I got the email this evening and they asked me to indicate immediately whether or not I'll be available for Nov 15-16. They said the other date will be sometime in January. From the email, it seemed that they will have only these 2 interview times.

Ok...I guess this'll be good practice for interviews. Why I want MD/PhD:

Ok, I guess it started with wanting to become a doctor. I first really became interested in medicine in college after taking a biology course. I just loved the material. My interest in the science and my desire to work in a field that would be both challenging intellectually and beneficial to other people caused me to look at medicine. I've always felt that it was important that whatever I do be useful to other people. My interest in reasearch came a little later with some lab work I did. I'm into it for pretty much the same reasons. I also really enjoy doing research. I want to do both because I am really interested in both practicing clinical medicine while doing basic research. I like that flexibility. I also think that it will be invaluable to have all that medical knowledge and understanding of patient care when doing research. I would like to help bridge that gap (however corny that sounds :) ) between research and disease/treatment.

I also have some more personal reasons for my interest in medicine but I'm not getting into that here.

Anyhow...guess that's it. I'm sure each person and their experiences are different. This should be a fun discussion.

Later,

Adam

bump.

I liked your answers Rumit...though you forgot what you did for fun! Any more practice answers?!

Hehe...well...actually, I was pretty tired last night when I was writing that...so hopefully it came out half-way coherent. Anyhow...chime in with your thoughts.

As for fun...that's got to be the easiest question. But, it should be pretty unique to individuals. As for me...I like playing sports, hanging out with friends and family.

Keep the discussion going. Come on pre-MSTP'ers :)

Original:

I have a couple Q's about your U of C interview. If you don't mind saying, when did you get all your stuff in to them? Also, where did you go to school? And did you also get that email a while back saying that the MSTP committe didn't meet 'till December? I had kinda written off hearing from them for a while...and you've got me all confused ;)

Thanks,

Adam

Hey Rumit:
I mailed my Chicago stuff out around Sept 15. I did not get any such message about the committee not meeting till December. This might be because maybe they did not yet have my apps at the time they sent out the message. I went and still go to a "no-name" state school in the South. However, some ass-kicking research goes down on the medical end of my campus. Due to the high level of research collaboration between these huge medical centers, I doubt that schools will toss me out for not being an Ivy-leaguer. However, I'm worried about other stuff in my application. Chicago said they will interview about 11 people Nov 15-16. Hey Rumit they'll hit you up for the January interview session; with 5 interviews this early in the process good things are bound to happen for you ma men!

Original:

Thanks for the info. I was just getting kinda confused by what they told me and what I was hearing :) I gotz plenty of self esteem though, so I'm not worried :D I was a little concerned about the school thing because the people I talked to who have interviews there are from big name schools, and I'm only from a UC. I'm really happy for you that you have an interview there. Definitely tell me how it goes and what you think of the place. Hehe...as it is, I wouldn't be able to go to that November one anyhow coz I got another interview :)

Good luck,

Adam

Hey Rumit I'm glad you're confident. Not hearing from them is a good thing cause I think they mass mailed rejections to people. I'll put my money on that you're up for the January session.

Let's keep this thread going. Post questions, interviews, interview experiences, and discussion topics if you got them. And, hopefully more than two of us will post :)

Adam

I am not an MSTP applicant, but I have a question for you guys (you guys being MSTPers). Don't MD/PHDs get paid generally less than MDs in practice? (I'm not saying that money should be a determining factor, but I am wondering if this is true). I've heard that since MD/PHDs usually end up doing research they are paid less...any truth to this? Please don't give me the "its not about money spiel" - Im only curious... ;)

Yes, in general, MD/PhD's are some of the lowest paid physicians despite spending more time in training that most specialities. But, that's simply because they tend to go into academia, where there really isn't much money. However, if money is important to you, then there are always positions in consulting, and in industry. Also, since and MD/PhD can still do a residency in any number of specialties, they can still practice and therefore make as any other physician. I'm not sure about this, but the PhD might make it a little easier to get into some of the more competitive residencies as well, if that's what you wanted. Anyone else know?

Of course, I'm not in it for the money. It's way too much trouble for that :) Then again, if I wanted money I wouldn't be doing anything in the health care field, period.

Adam

Yes although MD/PhDs get paid less, there are extensive opportunities in academic medicine. Much more far-reaching exposure is available. If you're a curious, intellectual, adventurous, and compassionate person, then it might be one of the most exciting careers out there. Rumit is right; MSTP graduates get the best residencies out there. The reason for this is that the most coveted residency positions are usually part of research-oriented institutions. It is not uncommon to see MSTP grads from non-top 5 places like Penn State and UVa get that Derm residency at Harvard or UCSF. Most applicants to MD/PhD programs are not in it for the money; but if you would like to be rich, you certainly can become very rich as an MD/PhD. As for me, all I want is a place to live, a car, and just enough cash to meet basic needs.

I think Rumit and Original both summed it up pretty nicely. The MD/PhD affords you quite a bit of flexibility career-wise. Thus, if money is your goal, then you can probably find a way to do that. However, that is not usually the primary goal of MD/PhDs. Rather, curiosity, motivation, discovery, and making a long-term impact are some of the reasons people choose to become physician-scientists. In general, you wouldn't make as much money in academics as you would in private practice, but academia does give you a tremendous amount of flexibility and institutional support that you might not otherwise have. For example, there are hospital house staff and a number of other attendings that can help lighten your clinical responsibilities, providing protected time for research. Some MD/PhDs choose to direct their careers solely towards research. In short, you can arrange your schedule to fit your intellectual and career goals. Obviously, this does not fit with everyone's objectives, and so MD/PhD programs aren't for everyone. It is something that one must decide for him/herself.

I agree with the above posts. Thanks for the imput. It's clear to me that anyone interested in money should stay away from medicine. Physicians salaries will be under pressure in the coming years. A smart person can make MUCH more money more quickly going into businness or law. I know that MSTP is not for me - I just am not very dedicated to research. Good luck to all of you.

Let's keep this thread alive! Do any of you know whether you would like to be in academia or be a practicing physician?

I don't think that they are mutually exclusive. I, and I think many MD/PhD's, want to do some of both. I think the balance (how much research vs. how much clinical care) will be determined later by the circumstances and my interest, but I'd definitely like to be involved in both. In general, this is most easily acomplished in an academic medical center. So, I guess, in that sense I'd be interested in academic medicine.

For the rest of you MD/PhD'ers: Have any of you been on any interviews yet. My first ones are coming up, but are still a couple weeks away. I'd just like to hear about your experiences if you've done any.

Later,

Adam

Hey Rumit

Just got back from Baylor MSTP interview over the weekend. As you can see in a previous thread(B-A-Y-L-O-R), I loved it. There were 6 interviews (45-60 min each), 3 PhD, 3 MD. I thought they all went pretty well and had a great time.

I did have an interview that was somewhat strange, however. An MD/PhD himself, I found my second interviewer to be incredibly cynical about his career choice. I think he was just putting some pressure on me to see how I would react. But, I thought some questions were innappropriate and his tone rather rude at times. The interview was kind of fun in the end though because it felt really good to defend my research and my personal character(just my personality type I suppose).

Anyway, most interviews were very laid back and informal, just talking about myself, my research and Baylor.

Any other questions?

Good Luck!

Hey Rumit,

Sounds like you are kicking butt and taking names on MD/PhD interviews.

I'm anxiously waiting to hear back from WUSTL, since they notify you very quickly if you get accepted or not. Probably in for a disappointment, but keeping my hopes up. I thought their program was administered EXTREMELY well, moreso than any other of the 3 programs I've been to so far (Pitt, Hopkins, Yale).

All of the interviews were fairly laid back, the only one that was a little stressful was at Hopkins. One of my MD/PhD interviewers asked weird questions about my research and wanted me to basically explain every single physical concept (which would take hours to do) behind what I was working on.

WUSTL seems to have more money than all the other programs. The Hopkins director told me that they were only anticipating 4-8 funded positions this year, whereas WUSTL can easily handle 25.

Yale and Pitt are both nonrolling admissions so I wont be hearing anything from them for awhile. Pitt has a great bioengineering program and the MD/PhD program is well stocked with those from engineering backgrounds. Yale also has bioengineering, but at this point only ONE person in the whole MD/PhD program is working in that area. However, Yale has GREAT imaging labs and things going on in diagnostic radiology which are really cool.

Hopkins has the best bioengineering program in the country according to the standard rankings. The only thing thats frustrating about them is that their funding decisions come AFTER the initial decision to accept or not. So even if you get accepted there, you wont be hearing about funding for several months, whereas the other programs combine funding and acceptance as a package deal.

I was offered an Ohio State MD interview (where I applied MD/PhD). They just sent me the MD/PhD app a couple of weeks ago, so of course the MD/PhD program didnt even know I was applying to them. I'm going to see if I can parlay the regular MD interview into a full blown MD/PhD interview as well.

What did you think of Michigan? I'm going there in a couple of weeks. Also, did anybody interview at UVA yet?

Baylor:

That's really good to hear. I'm glad you're getting interviews at many great sounding schools. I'm sure that you can't go too wrong with any of them. That is wierd about the funding deal. It seems ridiculous that any school would offer MD/PhD positions without funding. Who could afford that. Unless you go into industry or private practice (then why do PhD) how are you going to pay off those gigantic loans.

While I've got a bunch of interviews scheduled, I've only been to UIC's MD interview. I also had a mixup with their MD/PhD department and they only got my stuff last week. They told me that I should interview with MD anyway and that I could do the second half of the interview process later. I wasn't too impressed with the medical school though so they'd have to do a lot to convince me to go there especially since it's not MSTP. My Michigan interview isn't until the end of the month...I had to reschedule in order to make room for Wisconsin (they were very unflexible...November or January). But, November will be very busy: UCSF, Iowa (which seems like an awesome well organized program), Wisconsin, Michigan, and then UCLA sometime after that. So, I'm not complaining :) I don't know if you're interviewing at any of those places, but if so it'd be great to meet up sometime.

Good luck and keep us all up to date on the new and exciting experiences.

Thanks,

Adam

Originally posted by anacapa:
<STRONG>Let's keep this thread alive! Do any of you know whether you would like to be in academia or be a practicing physician?</STRONG>

It is always hard to say where one will end up several years down the road, but right now I see myself in the future as an academic physician who conducts basic biomedical research, sees patients, teaches, and still maintains some iota of family life. Definitely not a small order, but it seems like it will be rewarding in terms of pursuing my particular interests.

Hmm...I guess it's probably bad news. My parents told me that I got a letter from U of Chicago but they didn't open, they just sent it on to me. From what I've heard, only rejections come in the mail. Oh, well.

On another note, has anyone heard anything from the Northwestern MSTP? They seem to be really slow.

Later,

Adam

Hey Rumit I'm sorry to hear that. I think you're right it's probably a reject. Have you gone on any of your interviews yet?

Original:

Yeah, I'm pretty bummed in anticipation of the rejection :) er... :( I'm definitely going to call them and ask them why though, because statistically I'm well above their average and I have some pretty cool EC's (lots of travel, some clinical and volunteer work and almost three years of research). Ah well, it's unlikely that I would have gone there even if I got in (or, at least I'll keep telling myself that :) ).

Well, I've only been on one interview and that was at UIC's MD program and I already got accepted to that. My MD/PhD interviews start soon though. I have UCSF on Thursday and Fridary and then I basically have an interview every weekend except for Thanksgiving in November :) I'll check in and tell you guys what I think after the UCSF interview.

Please keep us informed of your experiences as they happen.

Later,

Adam

Wow congratulations on such an early acceptance. That will be a good confidence booster, and will come in handy at your upcoming interviews. Pritzker is really weird. It seems they reject the best applicants and interview mediocres. I have not heard squat from Northwestern either. I wish I could interview there while I'm in Chicago. I'll call to see what they think. UCSF is one of the most kick-ass MSTPs in the nation. I think Vader turned down Harvard for their program last year. Hey Good luck at your interview over there.

Original: I appreciate your confidence in me and kind words :) Hopefully we'll get to meet sometime. Where else are you applying?

Later,

Adam

I'm not applying to UCSF or any other UC. I'm applying to UVa, Yale, Penn State, Harvard, Duke, Baylor, WashU, Emory, Hopkins, Penn, Pritzker, Northwestern, Vanderbilt, Columbia, U Alabama Birmingham, and Stanford. I have interviews at Duke, Emory, WashU, and Pritzker.

Hey Original:

Well, I guess we have very little overlap unfortunately. Maybe we'll meet at Northwestern or Stanford :) I'm applying to all UC's but San Diego (interviews at SF and LA), Stanford, Michigan (interview), Iowa(interview), Wisconsin(interview), Northwestern, Pritzker, UIC, Utah, and Harvard.

I was very interested in geographical location when I chose schools as my wife has to agree to live there for eight years :) So, I was kind of limited. However, I still chose schools that I feel would be excellent places to get an education.

Good luck,

Adam

I'm glad you did...but why leave out SD? I'm an undergrad now and it's the best location on the planet! Cheap housing is available, if that was your concern.

Hey Rumit:
We could meet at Northwestern, Stanford, or HARVARD. Keep in touch buddy.

Hey Rumit,
I was disappointed many times too while applying. All the extra effort that goes into applying MD/PhD also makes it difficult. However, it sounds like you have some great interviews coming up, and remember that you do have an acceptance (some people would love to be in your shoes). My former research advisor once told me that the magic number of interviews is six. Considering that you have already gotten a bunch of them, it will only be a matter of time in deciding not IF, but WHERE you will attend. So keep the chin up and I'll be looking out for you on Thurs and Fri at UCSF. :D By the way, do you know who you'll be interviewing with?

Originally posted by Vader:
<STRONG>Hey Rumit,
I was disappointed many times too while applying. All the extra effort that goes into applying MD/PhD also makes it difficult. However, it sounds like you have some great interviews coming up, and remember that you do have an acceptance (some people would love to be in your shoes). My former research advisor once told me that the magic number of interviews is six. Considering that you have already gotten a bunch of them, it will only be a matter of time in deciding not IF, but WHERE you will attend. So keep the chin up and I'll be looking out for you on Thurs and Fri at UCSF. :D By the way, do you know who you'll be interviewing with?</STRONG>

Hey Vader,

Where has your fellow MSTP comrade Seal (Wash U MSTP) been at lately? I'd love to ask her some questions about the program. I'm anxiously awaiting a response from them in the next week or so.

Vader:

Thanks for the support. Going into this thing I knew that I had to expect a lot of disapointment, but it's still weird when you get the first one :)

As for the interview, I think I'll be meeting with Ira Herskowitz and Art Weiss. There may be someone else, my schedule hasn't quite been finalized. I'd love to meet with you. That'd be very cool. I'm going to be staying with a friend who's a second year there.

Later,

Adam

I was MD/Ph.D at least i thought so when I was applying, but I really havent seen any happiness out of the MSTP students. From what I got from my interviews, it seems that it is an extremely long pathway for something that you could do with just an MD. I couldnt imagine how hard it would be to do two years of an MD with this awesome class of people, then when they finally get to do the cool stuff, the rotations, you drop back and do 4-5 years of research. When its time to do your clinical clerkships, you join a class people that you dont know at all. So much for a support group.

I have called most universities and told them that i no longer am interested in the MSTP programs. I want to be a physician before I am 40. I have decided that if I do feel like my training is not sufficient to do the work that I want to do, then I would happily move back into a Ph.D. program or spend a few years at the NIH.

Good luck with your applications all. just wanted to let you all know about my new found enlightenment.

Originally posted by edogg:
<STRONG>I was MD/Ph.D at least i thought so when I was applying, but I really havent seen any happiness out of the MSTP students. From what I got from my interviews, it seems that it is an extremely long pathway for something that you could do with just an MD. I couldnt imagine how hard it would be to do two years of an MD with this awesome class of people, then when they finally get to do the cool stuff, the rotations, you drop back and do 4-5 years of research. When its time to do your clinical clerkships, you join a class people that you dont know at all. So much for a support group.

I have called most universities and told them that i no longer am interested in the MSTP programs. I want to be a physician before I am 40. I have decided that if I do feel like my training is not sufficient to do the work that I want to do, then I would happily move back into a Ph.D. program or spend a few years at the NIH.

Good luck with your applications all. just wanted to let you all know about my new found enlightenment.</STRONG>


Well, at least you found out that it wasnt for you before you went thru the application and interview process.

Some of what you say is true, but I think having the MD/PhD gives you a better position to do research uniquely suited to bridge the gap between basic and clinical science. With an MD/PhD, its easier to find out what the really important basic science questions are related to their clinical manifestations.

It is a long time commitment, however, and not for everybody who's interested in research.

You dont HAVE to have an MD/PhD to do medical research, but I think it definitely helps significantly.

Hey edogg I'm glad you figured out your calling. However, allow me defend the MSTP. You can do the same thing with just a PhD but you definitely CANNOT do the same thing with just an MD. Imagine spending 3-4 years getting your PhD in a certain area; and compare that to the meagre 10 min spill you would get on that area throughout med school. It is unrealistic to assume that you will be as prepared by that 10 min spill as the expert. Secondly, from my perspective being with a class for 2 years means you know and bond with that group for life. That group disperses in the clinical years since the months you're in OBGYN will be different from those in which your classmen do that rotation. Some of you might not run into each other till graduation. Point being you lose nothing by starting grad school. In actuality, you gain alot on that front. You get to bond with a whole new class in your PhD program. After this you then work closely with even another class during your clinicals. At the end of the day You've got friends all over this planet. I'm talking connection, pull, wiring, network, reach, popularity....e.t.c whatever you want to call it. Lastly, I'll be a physician before I'm 30, but I guess that aspect varies on an individual basis.

Originally posted by baylor21:
<STRONG>Hey Vader,

Where has your fellow MSTP comrade Seal (Wash U MSTP) been at lately? I'd love to ask her some questions about the program. I'm anxiously awaiting a response from them in the next week or so.</STRONG>

Probably buried in her textbooks, syllabus, etc. like me, I suspect. I'm sure if you get in contact with her, it would be quite helpful to find out more about WashU's program. I know that it is an excellent program and the largest MSTP in the nation. Therefore, you'll likely have tons of support among the faculty and other students. Good luck about the admissions decision... at least WashU gets back to you relatively quickly, so you should know soon enough. :D

Considering possible interviews, I was trying to decide whether or not to travel to England for christmas (Dec 15-Jan 2), so I checked-out Interviewfeedback.com. I discovered an interesting trend. There have been more MD/PhD interviews after the end of Dec than before the end of Dec. This is really good news and means we are still very early in the process. This will be even more true this year due to the AMCAS delay. BTW I only saw one poster that interviewed during (Dec 15-Jan 2). It was at Northwestern on Dec 18 in 1997. However, almost all the other posted Northwestern interviews were in Jan and Feb. I'll be outta here baby
:D

Originally posted by Rumit:
<STRONG>Vader:

Thanks for the support. Going into this thing I knew that I had to expect a lot of disapointment, but it's still weird when you get the first one :)

As for the interview, I think I'll be meeting with Ira Herskowitz and Art Weiss. There may be someone else, my schedule hasn't quite been finalized. I'd love to meet with you. That'd be very cool. I'm going to be staying with a friend who's a second year there.

Later,

Adam</STRONG>

We have lecture from 8-10am this Thurs and Fri and then small groups from 10-12. I don't know what you're interview schedule is like, but it might be worth attending a class. We finished the prologue and are now starting on the cardiovascular block. The people you have chosen to meet with are both great researchers and people to talk with about UCSF's program. Art Weiss went through UCSF's MSTP and is on the council, so he should have a lot to say. Good luck and I'll be looking out for the person in the suit during lecture or in the hallways. :D

Vader:

Great, yeah...if you see a guy in a black monkey suit and tie looking lost or overwhelmed it's probably me ;) I imagine that they'll set up a meeting with at least one current MSTP student, but I don't know how that works. I'm looking forward to it, and just praying that I don't get sick (something that usually happens to me on big days).

Later,

Adam

Hey Good Luck Rumit. Let us know how it goes.

Thanks Original.

I don't know if it's just that I'm tired and had a long hard day at work or what, but I'm feeling really friggin' nervous about this interview. I really don't know what to expect, especially from the MSTP part (since it's my first). Before, I was just really confident, because I've talked about my research before, I've given posters and presentations and stuff...but for some reason the nerves are starting. Hopefully it's just coz I'm tired.

Oh, well...

Later,

Adam

On a much lighter note. I found out today that I didn't get rejected from Pritzker (yet) :) My dad never opened the envelope, he just told me that I got something from University of Chicago, and I assumed rejection. However, I got the mail from him today, and it was a secondary request from Loyola Chicago Medical School (one of my backup, MD only places). Hehe...all that whining, and sympathy and stuff...sorry guys. I feel like the boy who cried wolf, now you guys aren't gonna be so nice when it really happens :) :)

Later,

Adam

Hello! I recently discovered this place and I just wanted to say WHAT A RELIEF it is to hear about people in the same situation as me. I think my friends are sick of me. Anyway, only have ONE mstp interview, at Duke. Any advice?

Wellcome aboard the USS MSTP Rando. Hey I haven't gone on any interviews yet so you've probably heard everything I might have to say. Know your research really well. Be able to talk about your research to anyone from a 5 yr old to an expert. Smile and be cordial. Dress sharp. REACH CLOSURE with yourself: meaning know what you know and what you don't and put a positive spin on every aspect of your application ("good or bad"). When will you be at Duke? I'll be there on Thursday Nov 8. I'll get there on Tue. It will be nice to have an SDN reunion.

original:

i really liked your choice of words REACH CLOSURE . perfect!

i will also be at duke then, wednesday and thursday. did they send you stuff in the mail?

Hey Rondo I'll see you there. I'll be the guy looking all stressed out and smoking a cigar to make me seem relaxed.

Hey Rumit! How was UCSF? Hope you had fun?

Well, got an acceptance by email from the Washington Univ. MSTP today! Its definitely one of my top choices, but I'm not quite ready to withdraw all other MSTP apps yet.

Has anybody heard from Harvard MSTP yet? I know there are a few people who have gotten regular MD interviews, but I havent heard anything from the MSTP side of things. Have they started interviewing yet or do they wait until next year? Also, what about UNC?

Good luck to everybody.

Baylor21: Congrats! that is Big Time. WOW WashU? when did you interview? My interview there is Dec 6 and a friend of mine in their program said I'll know the committee's decision before christmas. I bet your mind is still struggling to process the implications. Congratulations. Party up in here!

I must say I am fairly surprised to get this acceptance. My interview was on 10/18-10/19. I wonder if any of the other guys in my interview group got accepted, they were a really cool group to hang out with.

Good luck on your interview original. They will wine you and dine you the whole weekend. Plus, it seems like they have money flowing out of their ears over there. I was thoroughly impressed.

I'm wondering what you guys thoughts are on Wash. Univ. MSTP compared against Univ. of Michigan. Do you think there is a significant difference between the program quality?

Did anybody applying to Pitt MSTP get the invite for the all expense paid, second look weekend?

I want to go, but it conflicts with another interview. Do you think it would hurt my chances of admission if I dont go? I say this because technically Pitt doesnt notify anybody of acceptance or rejection until late February. According to the website, the second look weekend seems like it carries a good chance of acceptance, but then again I may be completely wrong. Anybody know what the scoop is on this?

Originally posted by baylor21:
<STRONG>I'm wondering what you guys thoughts are on Wash. Univ. MSTP compared against Univ. of Michigan. Do you think there is a significant difference between the program quality?</STRONG>

Baylor21:
I wouldn't pass up WashU for Michigan. At least not in this life. UMich has a great program but we're talking about THE WashU this minute.

Hey all,

I just got back from UCSF last night. The interviews themselves were actually Thursday and Friday. Anyhow, it was totally awesome. I was completely knocked off my feet...I was so impressed. While it was only my second interview, I can't imagine seeing much better than it. The two most important things for me are the quality of the students and the faculty, and both are amazing at UCSF. All the faculty that I talked to (that's seven for those who are counting) were awesome, both nice people and excellent researchers. I also met quite a few students, and not a single one seemed unhappy in any way with the school, which is pretty amazing.

Beyond all that, the facilities were awesome. Most of the school facilities seemed very new, and you can't beat the view out of most of the windows.

I don't really know what else to say, other than it's definitely my first choice, and I'm going to have a hard time waiting all these months until I hear something from them. I guess I could hear from the medical school sooner, and that would definitely take some of the pressure off.

Anyhow, I'd love to answer any questions and stuff. I know I haven't said much that's very specific, but I don't know where to start.

Later,

Adam

Whew! I finally got the email from Stanford. I was getting kind of worried. Oh, well...now I can start worrying about the rejection :) Of course, now it's my backup, if I don't get into UCSF ;) hehe. Wouldn't that be great.

Adam

Anybody gotten MSTP interviews at the following schools yet?

Harvard
UNC
Penn

Nope. I haven't heard anything from Harvard, not that I'm really expecting to though. And, I didn't apply to the other two.

Later,

Adam

I'm kinda disappointed in this thread. Are there only 3 MSTP applicants on SDN? It seems like Adam, Original, and I are the only ones here.

Oh well, guess the MSTP applicant pool is smaller than I thought.

Sounds like your UCSF experience went great Adam. I'm afraid I dont know much about their program and didnt apply there because I already applied to too many other top notch programs and wanted to cast a wide net. But I've heard excellent things about their program. What type of research do you want to go into?

Hey all. I'm applying all MSTP as well. However, I haven't gotten any interviews yet. Itook the Aug. MCAT though. It's nice to see all you mudphud applicants that share the same interests as I do. You guys look like a good bunch. Is it still early in the game? I'm getting a bit worried at this point. Oh well, let's see how it goes. Anyone here applying to NYU MSTP??

Baylor:

Yeah, it is disapointing. But, at least we can keep a three- or four-way converstaion going. UCSF was totally awesome though. Anyhow, I'm interested in studying mechanisms of gene regulation, especially transcription (that's what I did a lot in undergrad). Obviously, that's a pretty big area of interest, so I'm also leaving myself pretty open once I actually get into school. I think that at the moment there is a lot of cancer research that is directed at that area, and I'm very interested in that. You're into bioengineering, right?

Later,

Adam

Hello all,
I am a mudphud too. I knew a few people here before, like Vader, but i never was very vocal on this board, but now that I see that there is more than just a couple of people on this board, I feel really good.
A bit about myself (vader might recall my questions few months ago about my chances). Well, I am in NYC going to NYU, did research for 3-4 years and just got my 5th combined degree interview today. (all are outside of new york city for some reason). I already went to two interviews and i liked it. The 6 interviews I got at Buffalo were not stressful at all, but rather pleasant. Does everyone else get this feeling that interviews do not really matter. (cause most of my interviewers assumed that I am just applying to their department and ended up talking mostly about their research and not asking me any horrible questions at all. thinker2000@hotmail.com

Hey Refuter wellcome! 5 is a good number. I'm posting this message from Duke and believe it or not I had an interview without knowing it. I was just chatting with the guy and having a good time. He spent the time explaining his research and telling me that I'll get into a whole lot of schools and that Duke is one of the best places to go. After this "interview" I asked the program coordinator when my inteviews were going to be and she said I already had one. Anyway, to cut long short, it turned out Duke was assuming that I'm a U.S citizen. Their funds are strictly NIGMS. So I probably wouldn't be here next year. What a shame. The program is great, the school is breathtaking. Please bring a camera. My only problem is that the medicalness is overwhelming. Durham is very small and quiet, and everyone that lives here is in the medical feild. At least now I can relax more and say whatever I want. Free food, free hotel, free travel, good practice MSTP interviews with world renound scientists. Baby I'm living large
:cool: :cool:

I'm applying MSTP to most schools. I applied super late though, so no interview yet.

Hey Original. I didnt apply to a whole lot of schools. For ex. I didnt apply to any ivy schools. I am trying to be realistic. i have 3.6 and 32 on mcat, so i am not that excellent of a candidate. I wish i was good enough for the "big" schools, but i think i wouldnt mind going to a state school either. Final point being I just know that MSTP/MdPhd is what I want to do and i wont cry if i only get into only 1 school.

Point of correction to my previous post. I spoke with (interviewed with) the program director of Duke MSTP and he said the funding wouldn't be a problem. They have alternate (non-NIH) funds as well. Meaning I'm still in the game baby! Good luck guys. Duke rocks. Blue Devils Baby!

Duke is an awesome program original. I thought about applying there but I was already applying to 31 programs so I couldnt add any more.

refuter, dont underestimate yourself. I only have a 31R MCAT but got interviews at Yale and Hopkins. I used to think that you had to have a 37 MCAT just to be competitive, but clearly thats not the case. I hear you about just getting in anywhere. Even if I get rejected from every other program I apply to, I would be extremely happy with just one acceptance.

Most of my interviews have been very cool. The only interview I had that was disappointing was Hopkins. One of the bioengineering faculty was fairly hostile about my research. Intellectual, constructive critique is fine, but it was clear to me that he was trying to do much more than that. He was all about trying to imply that my research was unimportant, even when it was clear to me that he really didnt have a good grasp on what I was doing. He was extremely closed minded. If I had to work with him for 4 years on a PhD, theres no way I would choose Hopkins. Of course, most of the other faculty there were great and they have the #1 bioengineering program in the country. I'm hoping that this guy was just an aberration and not the norm. He is indicative of why alot of people say that Hopkins is a cutthroat type of school, when in reality I didnt perceive that to be totally true. He gives a bad name to their program and unfairly polarizes the perception of outsiders.

Glad to hear that others interviews are going well. The other MSTP applicants that I have met have all been great people, not just research dorks with no outside interests. In alot of cases, they seem to be more laid back than the regular MD applicants.

I am an MD/PhD applicant as well. I have applied to 16 MD/PHD programs and 2 regular MD. My interviews are going to start next week. Duke, Vanderbilt in the middle of November, and Yale early December. In case any of you guys will be interviwing at these schools at the time I am around, it would be cool to hang around. Original, I did not know that you were international too. It's a tough call being an international student :(

Hey all!

I applied to mostly MD/PhD programs as well but am lost in mailbox-purgatory right now. It was off to a promising start with an interview at Baylor ~ 2 weeks ago but now the rejection letters are fighting back with a 3:2 ratio of reject to interview.

Anyway, Congrats to Baylor21 on WashU. That is very exciting. And to everyone else, good luck with your interviews.

As for me, I am with Scooby and will change my name to Baylor23 in hopes that the luck rubs off.

Adios

This process really is strange... I applied to Baylor for regular MD but havent heard a thing from them. Doesnt take a rocket scientist to see I'm going to get rejected from there shortly. Not that it matters really since I would have chosen WUSTL anyways.

Anybody else gotten an acceptance yet? I know that Hopkins meets sometime in November for the first group of MD/PhD applicants. Anybody going to the 2nd look weekend for Pitt MSTP?

For those of you who applied to Pitt MSTP:

Did the online status check say you were applying to the MD/PhD or MD program? My status says "file being reviewed" for the MD program yet I sent back my MD/PhD secondary the first week of September. I guesss I should call; two of my friends here at UMD-CP have received MSTP interviews and I am twiddling my thumbs. . .

Thanks, later.

I think the website is accurate. My MSTP interview at Pitt was about a month ago and it says "MD program" on my status check.

If you get an interview, the status check will change and it will display the date of your interview. Unlike some schools (ahem.. Northwestern) Pitt seems to keep on top of its online status check pretty good.

I too am an MD/PhD applicant. I am applying to 10 schools all for MSTP. I was recently accepted to Wash U. I have an interview at Duke next week, and an interview at Emory the week after Thanksgiving. Yale blew me off, but I am not upset. I mean New Haven is cool and all...
My application has been complete at Michigan for quite a while and I still haven't heard a peep from them. The rest of my applications got in a month ago.
I hope everyone's interviews are going well. :)

Hi everyone,
I am also an mstp applicant. Like audeo and original, I'm applying as an international as well (which, of course, adds in extra fun and games for the application process). My AMCAS was messed up so it took extra long time to fix. Was rejected from Wash U, Cornell, and Albert Einstein MSTP last month, so I'm a little bummed. Other than that, haven't heard from any other schools yet (applied to 22 MSTPs), so I am getting kinda worried. My gpa is not bad but my mcat may be a bit on the low side for MSTP, but I figured I would give it a shot anyways.
Well, just like to share my thoughts/anxiety with you all. Congrats to baylor21 on your acceptance to Wash U. Although I was not able to interview there, I have heard many good things about the program.
This process is long and tedious and the waiting is hellish, but hopefully it'll be all worth it at the end.

Hi everyone,

I am also applying to MD/PhD programs. I just interviewed at WashU. I am very, very impressed with their program. I would LOVE to go there if I get in.
I got an interview at UCSD next week. Has anyone interview there for MSTP? If yes, how was it?

Doraemon, by the extra fun and games, are u perhaps talking about refund of your secondary payment due to ineligibility that I experienced with BU :) :)

audeo,
I was referring to the fact that many MD/PhD programs automatically disqualify international applicants, hence I was not able to apply to many schools that I wanted to apply. Also it just seems to me that our apps need to be stronger than the applicants with permanent status/citizenship. Is that what you get too? I thought BU takes international applicants. I submitted my fee plus the grad school application to BU but haven't heard from them since then. Maybe I should call to double check?

I know that it's touchy to ask and many hate this request, but anyone willing to post stats/ec's or suggest ballparks? Thanks to all.

Baylor21,

Can you tell us what the WashU interview was like. What did the committee interview ask you about primarily? How were the faculty interviews? Did they spend more time talking about your research or explaining their own?

I've received 8 MD/PhD interviews (Cornell, UT-Southwestern, Wash.U, Mount Sinai, Baylor, Yale, Vanderbilt and Univ of Chicago). I've only been to two yet. Cornell-Rockefeller-Sloan Kettering's PRogram, and UT-Southwestern. I'm also an international applicant. But the interviews there were fantastic. I have my WashU interview on the 16th... But I'm a little nervous because I really like WashU and seriously considering it. CONGRATS TO BAYLOR21!!

Sonic,

Your success sounds great! I'm sure you will get multiple MSTP acceptances, your application must be very strong.

I've interviewed already at Yale, Pittsburgh, Hopkins, Wash. Univ., and Univ. of Virginia. I have MD/PhD interviews scheduled at Ohio State and Michigan, but will probably withdraw my application at both of those schools. I just got an interview invite from Univ. of Illinois Urbana-Champaign MD/PhD (Medical Scholars Program). But I'm probably going to drop my application there too. They are a non MSTP program and they dont give you as much financial support as the other programs.

WUSTL has a committee interview; thats probably the most important interview of the trip. There will be about 15 committee persons in there. Only 3 or 4 people will ask questions, the rest will just take notes on your responses and note their general impressions about you. The committee interview is only 20 minutes long, so it will pass by quickly. They will ask about your research projects mostly, but they might also ask you about why you want to do MD/PhD and some outside interests.

You will meet with various faculty as well, I believe that they provide some feedback on you back to the committee. If I remember correctly, 1 or 2 of these faculty interviews will be with people on the MSTP admissions committee. These probably carry more weight than the other faculty interviews. The last interview is also with an MSTP admissions committee person. This interview is sort of a wrap up talk, where you can express things that you didnt get a chance to talk about in the committee interview. Theres also a heavy dose of recruiting going on with that interview; its more informal than the others.

After your interview, the MSTP committee will meet the next week to decide whether to admit you or not. Brian or Andrew, the MSTP administrators, will call or email you exactly 1 week (unless theres a holiday or something) after the interview to let you know what the committee decided.

The MD admissions committee meets separately from the MSTP and less frequently. They will decide separately whether to admit you to the medical school. Usually this is just a formality for those applicants who the MSTP selects. I think there has only been a couple of people who the MSTP selected who were rejected by the med school. I get the impression that the MSTP committee generally gets its way, and has significant pull to get somebody admitted to the med school. So the limiting factor is the MSTP admission decision.

The interview weekend was alot of fun for me, the administrators did a great job of giving us stuff to do when we werent interviewing. Brian and Andrew are EXTREMELY cool guys, they are very loose and informal with the applicants. They will take you around St. Louis and set up dinners with current MSTP students. They also put you up in a very plush hotel, the Chase Park Plaza. Its probably the fanciest hotel I've ever stayed at.

OK, now I sound like a WUSTL recruiter, but I think you get the general impression. Great school, great location (definitely one of the better areas of St Louis), and great people. They have money flowing all over the place up there. I'm sure you will like it. I think the only thing that some people dont like is that its NOT Chicago, LA, New York, or Boston. Some people are averse living in St. Louis and want to be in a big east/west coast city. But thats really the only weakness that I perceived at WUSTL, and for me its not really a weakness at all.

Good luck with your interviews, I'm sure you will have lots of choices of where to attend.

Baylor,

Thanks for the info... Just got an interview from Johns Hopkins. So this is #9.

Doraemon, you don't have to recheck. They do admit international applicants provided completing two years of undergraduate studies in the U.S. I have only one year, well to be exact one semester and a summer currently and that is why I was ineligible. Good luck with your application. And Sonic, congrats on your awesome list of interviews. Wonder what's your secret :) :)

Hi guys,

For those of you who have gotten interviews at University of Chicago, did you get any kind of app complete notification or hear anything from them before the actual interview notice. I haven't heard anything, and I've tried emailing to make sure that my app is complete but haven't gotten a response. I guess I may have to call them.

Thanks,

Adam

Sonic, I heard that U of Chicago MD/PhD do not take international students. That is why I changed it to regular MD and subsequently rejected :(

Rumit,

I didn't hear anything from them regarding completion of application. They just emailed me and told me that they want to interview me. However, since I had 9 interviews scheduled from now until the end of December, I postponed my UofC interview until January, which is when they have their next interview date.

They said in their email that they would pay for all my expenses including air-fare and hotel accomodation. I've only got that kind of offer from two other schools (WashU and Vanderbilt).

Hope this clarifies stuff for you.

audeo,

Most of these MSTP programs lie to you.. They tell you that they don't take foreign students BECAUSE they told have money to advertise. I know one student who went to my undergraduate institution who is a non-citizen/non-permanent resident. He now attends UofC's MSTP. His case, was however, a slip through the cracks... He told me they won't make the same mistake again.

This is why when they offered me an interview (and offered to pay for it), I was a little skeptical. But my friend told me that every year, they fly out a few candidates whom they REALLY like.

Johns Hopkins told me the same thing, but when I pressed their MD/PhD program director, he told me "if you're this interested in our school, why don't you apply and we'll see what we can do"... The bottom line is if you can afford the app fee and the risk, then it's worth a shot. I know a lot of cases where foreign students were accepted simply because they were outstanding.

In one case, a friend of mine from Toronto (Canadian citizen), is an MD/PhD student at Stanford. He said that with an acceptance offer from Yale, he bargained with Stanford, and they decided to take him in with extra-NIH/NIGMS funding... because he wanted to be there so badly.

I think the bottom line is "Interested is Interesting"... If a school sees that you are very passionate about attending there, they will find a way to accept you. But, you must have the right credentials. It is true that foreign students need ridiculously good credentials to get offers from unwilling schools. I don't know how mine compares, but I'm happy that I'm getting so many interviews.

Just to set the record straight, I'm not a U.S. citizen nor am I a permanent resident. I'm on an F-1 visa, and I attended college (have been going to college, for the past four years) in the U.S. So all my recs, grades, stats are from U.S. institutions.

Baylor21,

Congrads about getting into WashU. If I were you I would definitely go there and forget about all the other schools. WashU has the #1 MD/PhD program in the nation and everyone knows that.

How did you feel after your WashU committee interview? Did you feel like you did really well or did you think you could have done better?
I just interviewed there and I felt pretty good about my individual interviews, but I thought the committee one could have gone better.

I will be interviewing at UCSD next week and then at UCLA. Do any of you guys have interviews at these schools???

academic,

For me the committee interview was pretty noneventful. I think it went pretty well, but its not like I thought it was an amazing experience. I felt like I did a good job explaining my research, and they seemed interested in what I was doing.

Admittedly, my research is very bioengineering oriented, and I dont think very many of the people on the committee know very much about the field. I concentrated on trying to explain stuff in laymans terms so they would have a better grasp of what I was doing. For a more traditional research experience, you wouldnt need to do that.

Overall, I wasnt quite sure how I was perceived as a whole after the interviews. I thought things went decently well, but so did everybody's interviews for the most part so it seemed like I might not have stuck out in the eyes of the committee. Just goes to show you that you cant estimate your chances totally off of what happens in the interview. Good luck, I hope you get in if WashU is your first choice

Yeah, I have a UCLA interview. I haven't scheduled it yet, but it'll probably be the Dec 6 & 7 deal. I just need to call them.

Hope to see you there.

Adam

I don't understand. I just called Pritzker MSTP to make sure that my app was complete (it was), and I asked them about their timeline. She said that she didn't know because they had just started reviewing applications. I heard different things from them before. I hate that. The more I deal with them the less I like their school. Just had to vent a little.

Later,

Adam

Hi Everyone! THis is my first time posting. I am kicking myself for not finding out about this site sooner. I've spent 2 hours just devouring info. on this site. You guys seem like a super bunch!!!

Well, since this is my first ever post I'll keep it short. I am a MSTP applicant, so I am posting here rather than starting a new thread. I'm looking forward to getting to know you guys and sharing my application info!

Hey Rumit,

I picked Dec 6,7 for my UCLA interview. So maybe I'll see you there.

I dying to hear from UCSF. I sent in my secondary couple of weeks ago, but I still have not heard anything. I LOVE that school. I have friends who are second year med school students there and I also have a friend who is 1st year MSTP student. They all love UCSF.

academic:

Cool, I just scheduled my UCLA interview for Dec 6 and 7, so I guess I'll probably see you there. UCSF is totally awesome. I just got back from an interview there last weekend. It's really hard to describe how impressed I was. I was pretty much blown away. Good luck, I'm sure you'll get an interview.

Later,

Adam

&lt;p&gt;Oh my gosh I got an invitation to BU's MD/PhD interview! This is my first interview invitation so I am really excited. I have been stalking the mailman everyday for ths last month. Today I got home late and found a small envelope from BU. I thought it was another one of those rejection letters. BUt it wasn't! Posting here must have brought in good luck! Thanks audeo for your support.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;I agree with Sonic regarding the eligibility of international students. I am also on F-1 visa, and let me just tell you that my school's premed office hasn't been very helpful at all (or for md/phd apps in general). Thus I had to practically call every single school to ask about their program. I got the impression that most private schools are more flexible in turns of letting internationals in. Some schools are very wishy washy. U of Chicago, Stanford, and USC are some examples. Public schools on the other hand are pretty strict about this (let me know if I'm wrong). But anyways, I'm glad that we are starting to post our experiences so that people can get some info out of this.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Sonic you must have a stellar application. Do you mind sharing a little about your background/experiences? &lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Has anyone been to BU or will be going to BU soon?&lt;/p&gt;

Doraemon,

You're right... most private schools are flexible about the whole MSTP thing.. As for me, I've been pretty involved in research (4th year in basic science research), BCPM GPA of 3.98, Overall GPA 3.9, 10-12-13-T on the MCAT... That's about it. I had some pretty solid recs from my profs -- all of whom absolutely adored me... I think that helped. Plus I had a few community service, leadership, kind of experiences... I'm not getting my hopes up though.. No matter how well your interviews go you can't be sure until you see get it on paper. So far the schools I know that accept foreign students to their MSTP are :

Stanford (rarely)
Harvard (rarely, but never with funding)
John Hopkins (very rarely, but with funding)
Wash.U
Brown
Baylor
U.Penn (rarely)
U.Chicago
U.So.Cal.
UofWashington
Vandy
UT-Southwestern
Mount Sinai
Yale
UofChicago (rarely)
Northwestern
UofMinnesota-Twin Cities
... let me know if I missed any. Anyway, I only applied to 10 schools that I thought were pretty good. I still haven't heard from Harvard, but heard from all the other schools.

I also called up Pritzker to make sure that they KNEW that I was a non-US citizen/permanent resident... the person who answered replied "Yes, we are aware of it"..So I guess they REALLY DO want to interview me.

That's all folks.

Hey, is anybody going to be at Iowa this weekend or Wisconsin next weekend? Just wondering, because I will, and it'd be fun too hook up.

Later,

Adam

Alright folks. I have approx 6 years of research experience (started in HS), 3.9 GPA and a 10,10,10,(Aug MCATs) and about 3 pubs. (one first author). I applied all MD/PhD. I have a feeling I'm gonna get bumped from this admissions cycle however and am getting kinda worried, cuz my I think the committees are gonna weigh the fact that my aug score arrived late (april wasn't that great) against me. I know even the aug. scores are not so stellar but I'm really not that great a standardized tester and cuz I'm in the lab all the time I really don't wanna retake that damn test. I'm starting to get the feeling I may have to apply next time around. I really love research and am extremely committed as I can see most of you are and that's real cool, and I hope to be your colleagues some day. But I'm feeling bad vibes about the process this year. Anyone think I gotta shot? If not, anyone here in a similar stat situation that took a year out and did something to beef up your CV, and if so what do you recommend. What gets me mad most is that at some schools some applicants are already hooked up with some prior verbal commitment with the director of a particular program. I don't what else to say except that I'm feeling kinda bummed out at the moment. Alright folks, back to the TC room.

Originally posted by JJ4:
<STRONG>Alright folks. I have approx 6 years of research experience (started in HS), 3.9 GPA and a 10,10,10,(Aug MCATs) and about 3 pubs. (one first author). I applied all MD/PhD. I have a feeling I'm gonna get bumped from this admissions cycle however and am getting kinda worried, cuz my I think the committees are gonna weigh the fact that my aug score arrived late (april wasn't that great) against me. I know even the aug. scores are not so stellar but I'm really not that great a standardized tester and cuz I'm in the lab all the time I really don't wanna retake that damn test. I'm starting to get the feeling I may have to apply next time around. I really love research and am extremely committed as I can see most of you are and that's real cool, and I hope to be your colleagues some day. But I'm feeling bad vibes about the process this year. Anyone think I gotta shot? If not, anyone here in a similar stat situation that took a year out and did something to beef up your CV, and if so what do you recommend. What gets me mad most is that at some schools some applicants are already hooked up with some prior verbal commitment with the director of a particular program. I don't what else to say except that I'm feeling kinda bummed out at the moment. Alright folks, back to the TC room.</STRONG>

I think you have a good chance, maybe not at the most competitive programs (like Harvard etc, but most people don't have a chance there either) but your research experience sounds great and that is very important. Something you should know is that you'll have to express why you want to do a combined degree and not just the PhD, since you obviously love research. At many programs you must be accepted into the MD part first. Hopefully you addressed that in your personal statement and have some extra currics in the health care/volunteer field. Also, I think letters of rec are very important. They can really make a difference if the people who know you well (your advisor etc) say that you basically walk on water and are a lab god. Other than that, don't worry yet, it's still early and since most schools were probably waiting for August scores they may not have even started looking at your app. I wish you the best of luck, and if you have more questions, this is the place to be to get answers :)

Adam

Hey all,

I'm really happy! I just submitted my last secondary (Stanford) last night. It feels so good to not have any more stupid, bullsh$% essays to write. Of course, now it's just a waiting game. How many of you guys are in the same position?

Good luck all,

Adam

Hey Adam it feels good doesn't it. Stanford was my last secondary turned in as well and I was like WHEW! However, the waiting game isn't any fun.

JJ4,

Your credentials sound fantastic! I'm sure you're going to get in SOMEWHERE! That's positive. As for your MCAT scores, I do agree that they may not be stellar, but that should not keep you from getting acceptances. At least in some of the places I interviewed at, I was told that the MSTP committee gets to accept you... The MD committee review is a matter of courtesy, and although they reserve the right to veto the MD/PhD committee decision, normally they don't ... At least at WashU and UT-SW this is true.

Also, I think 6 yrs of experience is amazing! a First author pub is even more amazing! Keep that in mind... half the people who will interview you are looking for researchers!!

As for those people who you think have commitments from the MSTP directors, although I am yet to meet people like that, I wouldn't believe what they say. MSTP directors even don't have a single say in the process. They may have some pull, but certainly not the right to make a decision.

JJ4,

I agree with the other posters. I think you also have a good chance based on the limited information you told me.

For an anecdotal example, take my case. I've been fortunate to get accepted to both Univ. of Virginia and WashU MSTP. At UVA, although they havent made funding decisions yet, I was told that I was the "top candidate" so far for the Dean's Fellowship, which is an extra scholarship on top of the normal MSTP financial package. I'm telling you this just to illustrate that from what I know of you, you are probably a stronger candidate than I am and could have even greater success.

Of course, there are many variables that get factored in, and nobody on this board can give you a complete answer to your question, but I think you have more than an average chance of getting in SOMEWHERE. Now, if you are trying to go only to Harvard or Yale or some top 5 program, then all bets are off. But take heart in knowing that MSTP programs are usually some of the toughest in the country to get accepted to, even the lower tier programs have fierce competition for the fully funded MSTP slots. Good luck, although you probably wont need it.

Hey fellas, thanks a lot. I dunno about being a better candidate than you baylor21. I haven't got ANY interviews yet. The weird thing is, I know this girl with worse stats and MUCH worse research experience. And she's interviewing at all the top places. That's awesome about the UVA thing, best of luck to you. I guess I'm not doing something right. I mean, maybe the fact that I'm asian is working against me. I wish I had applied to more schools. I mean the schools I applied to (with the exception of one or two) are not in the top 10. I was hoping to at least be interviewing SOMEWHERE. But as the timing gets going, that's looking a little grim. I think I'll be in the ranks of those in the next cycle. We'll see what happens. I'll keep you all posted.

YAhoo. I got into Buffalo MSTP program.
I have 3 more interviews lined up, Will go to Rochester on Thursday and Uconn monday.

Baylor,

You sound amazing... would you mind sharing your stats/experiences with us? I'm trying to get a feel of where I stand with the rest of the applicant pool.

Sonic

JJ4,
Your research experience sounds amazing. I have similar MCAT scores as you do (but my verbal wasn't that hot), and I didn't start research until I got to college. I was rejected from Cornell, Wash U, and Albert Einstein's MSTP, am on hold at Penn State, but just got invited to BU's MD/PhD (going end of this month). So try not to worry too much, I am sure things will come through for you. Maybe they are all waiting for your August MCAT to get there? MD/PhD requires longer waiting game and it's definitely not a happy experience for anyone.

Congrats to Refuter and Baylor21 for your successes!

Anyone know of any schools that specifically will not consider you for MD after rejecting you from MD/PhD?

[quote]Originally posted by SonicHedgehog:
<strong>JJ4,

Your credentials sound fantastic! I'm sure you're going to get in SOMEWHERE! That's positive. As for your MCAT scores, I do agree that they may not be stellar, but that should not keep you from getting acceptances. At least in some of the places I interviewed at, I was told that the MSTP committee gets to accept you... The MD committee review is a matter of courtesy, and although they reserve the right to veto the MD/PhD committee decision, normally they don't ... At least at WashU and UT-SW this is true.

Also, I think 6 yrs of experience is amazing! a First author pub is even more amazing! Keep that in mind... half the people who will interview you are looking for researchers!!

As for those people who you think have commitments from the MSTP directors, although I am yet to meet people like that, I wouldn't believe what they say. MSTP directors even don't have a single say in the process. They may have some pull, but certainly not the right to make a decision.</strong><hr></blockquote>

Not entirely true. At some schools, the director can pretty much make the decision. Depends how they are structured.

Similarly, schools can vary as to who decides who admits you. For some the MSTP pretty much rules. However, others require that you indepedently get accepted in both the grad and MD sides and the candidates are not considered for MSTP until they can get pass the MD committee.

SHH, see you in Chicago in January! Good to see that things are going so well for you. Getting that Hopkins interview is awesome for an i-student!

Thanks RH (Axlf1997)

Nice to see that you're still helping us applicants out -- being in the position that you are now (which is where all of us want to be next year).... I'll be in Chicago from Jan 10-12... I hope it isn't too cold then!

RW

Can we post here the latest update? It would be great if everyone applying MSTP post their latest status, eg. accepted at X, rejected at X.

I applied really late and haven't heard a thing!

Good luck everyone!

original: i was at duke last week too, and you were a RIOT!

baylor21: i can give you a billion more reasons to blow off uiuc. (now original can figure out who i am)

Hi You Guys

I am a really late MSTP applicant. I was wondering how far along the process is? Have you guys already gotten acceptances? from which schools? I have an interview coming up at UTSW. How is that? Did any of you interview there.

Baylor, you got accepted to U Washington? Wow, thats awesome!! What are your stats? Do you have any pubs?

I have about 3.5 years of research experience, 2 first author pubs (one just went to press, so I ddint include it in my apps). GPA = 3.8, MCAT: VR=11, PS=11, BS=9, W=R. I took the GRE also and did better on it compared to MCAT, Quantitative = 760, Analytical = 740, Verbal = 610 (total = 2110) So statistically, I'm not all that stellar of a candidate. My primary research projects involve functional MRI and cardiac assist devices.

I think one of the reasons that I've been fortunate is letters of rec. I think I'm a good candidate otherwise, but frankly compared to most of you I'm not that strong of an applicant. Its really the LOR that set me apart from the pack I believe. Another reason might be that many of the MD/PhD programs are trying to increase their participation in bioengineering (which MRI and biomedical instrumentation fall into). There are still relatively few MD/PhD applicants trying to get into bioengineering, and with the NIH forming the new bioengineering institute, many programs are anxious to start competing for new funds specifically earmarked for biomedical engineering from the NIH. In that light, I think many schools are interested in pursuing MD/PhD candidates who want to do bioengineering research which would increase their presence in the field and possibly lead to increased chances of getting the NIH bioengineering grants. Of course, this is just my personal perception; theres probably no tangible evidence to support this hypothesis.

Hi Baylor21, are you Korean?

[quote]Originally posted by rondo:
<strong>original: i was at duke last week too, and you were a RIOT!

baylor21: i can give you a billion more reasons to blow off uiuc. (now original can figure out who i am)</strong><hr></blockquote>

Really! You were there? Hey give me a hint as to who you are. Als, what do you mean by riot

:confused: ?

original, you were a riot as in a lot of fun!
your hint was that remark about the university of illinois.

i finally got my second interview, at USC. news is only slowly trickling in for me.

Welp, I guess I'll throw my 1.63 cents in....

I only applied to one MD/PhD program, and it is not MSTP. I applied to UIC after I originally applied to only the MD program. Right now I am wishing I applied to more than one program, becuase I think the best thing for me is academic medicine- I love research and could care less about joining a country club or driving a huge Benz. I only applied to one MD/PhD program becuase of the ten schools I applied to, I thought I had a decent shot and it was the only place where I had a geniune interest in doing PhD research with any of the faculty.

Goddamnit, I didn't mean to hit post reply.....

anyway, as I said, I only applied to UIC and I have spoken to someone who advised me to get another recommendation in to them from someone else I did research with. She said they have only begun to go through appication and said that there will be two interview date blocks in decmeber.

That's about it for me. good luck, y'all.

Anyone at Duke this Wednesday? I am so looking forward to this experience and anxious at the same time--this is my start off. I hope they don't give off stressful questions to this poor international student whose English is a second language. When I am nervous, my English par excellence turn into a brogue since my tongue has stress trauma as does my left hand-recently found out that I am not suitable for surgery.

Alright... now the wait is getting a little TOO pathetic. I'm about to throw the towel in. I'm seriously the only person I know, that has NOT gotten A interview yet. Anyone think my stuff is just that pathetic?? This is so depressing. I wish schools would just tell me quick if I got rejected yet. I'd hate to get a load of rejections in the mail all at once.

No interview here yet. Haven't even finished all 25 secondaries. 4 left to go. I don't even have Finch's. No need to worry this year. And don't expect rejections to come soon at all. Schools have no idea what to expect in terms of their applicant pool. They can't get rid of people until they do.

Question: For those of you rejected by Cornell MSTP: what are you doing to change your AMCAS to the straight MD status? I am afraid that if I resubmit it I will have to delete half of the schools I applied to because of passed deadlines :(

What's the haps?

On a lighter note: Got an interview invite to Tufts MSTP (Yea, never been to Boston!) and U.Pitt!

Is anybody going to the all expense paid Pitt MSTP 2nd look?

What does honorific mean on the WASH U MSTP app

thanks

Hey all,

I just got back last night from my MSTP interview at U Iowa. It was totally awesome. It has a really good, very well run MSTP program and an excellent medical school. I was very impressed. Assuming I get in (which is a big assumption) to all my choices it would not be an easy choice to make between Iowa and UCSF. I think the real big downside to the program is that it is in Iowa, and that it doesn't have quite the same reputation as some other schools. Although it is ranked quite high on USNEWS so somebody must have heard of it ;) But, I'm not sure what all that means anyhow, and how important it really is.

Anyhow, for anyone who isn't applying this year and may be looking for good programs that aren't on the coasts or in big cites Iowa is really excellent. Also, the interviews are awesome, you spend an all expense paid weekend out there and just have a lot of fun. I would definitely suggest that you check it out. I'll definitely be happy there if that's where I end up.

I'd be happy to give more specifics of the program and stuff if anyone wants to know more about it or why I liked it.

Good luck,

Adam

Johnny-5,
I changed my Cornell from MD/PhD to MD beginning of last week. I also emailed Nancy Tillinghast just to be on the safe side. Today I called and got an email confirmation saying that my MD application is now complete. Hope this helped. Congrats on your Tufts interview!

Woohoo! I just got an interview from Duke's MSTP. That's #10 boys and girls...

Don't get this the wrong way guys, I'm getting these interviews because I applied VERY EARLY in the process. But I still didn't get an interview from Columbia for which I applied in early July. It's bothering the hell out of me.

...anyway, a first author pub is VERY IMPRESSIVE baylor. No wonder you're rocking all the schools. I don't even have a publication yet. But I do completely agree with you that LETTERS OF RECS are the key. I got so many comments back from my interviewers because while they ALL knew my LOR writers (I go to a big research school), they also were very impressed that they had such nice things to say about me..

[quote]Originally posted by LilMissDrDoolittle:
<strong>Hi You Guys

schools? I have an interview coming up at UTSW. How is that? Did any of you interview there.
</strong><hr></blockquote>

Hey, I interviewed at UT-Southwestern. It's fantastic! I thought that they certainly should give WAY MORE PUBLICITY than the program gets. Their research is among the BEST in the nation.. They have four nobel laureates, and if you're into signal transduction that's the BEST place to go to. Plus Parkland Memorial, their major hospital is a big city hospital where you will get really good, hands-on clinical training. In the end, Robin (the MSTP coordinator) is wonderful. She is really nice, and will take very good care of you. One thing that impressed me about their program is the way they treat their students. If you get in through the first round, then they invite you back for the second round at their expense and really do stuff to impress you. I'm planning on revisiting in January, so I might see you there!

Hey Sonic

Thanks for the info. Do you know what honorific means on the WASH U MSTP application?

Doolittle

I couldn't find it on my paper application.. I think it meant title like Dr. etc... which precedes the name.. I wouldn't worry about it. You could always call up Brian or Andrew at the WashU MSTP and ask.

[quote]Originally posted by rondo:
<strong>original, you were a riot as in a lot of fun!
your hint was that remark about the university of illinois.

i finally got my second interview, at USC. news is only slowly trickling in for me.</strong><hr></blockquote>

Hey Rondo wow it's you! It was great hanging out with you in Durham. I'm in San Diego at the Neuroscience meeting and there's really limited internet access so I've not been on this board much. I hope we run into each other at some other interview. Congratulations on USC and Northwestern. Now you've really started kicking ass. Good stuff.

Will anyone be in Chi-town tomorrow?

Hey all,

Are any of you guys going to be at Wisconsin tomorrow for their MSTP interview deal? Just hoping to meet up with some of you.

Later,

Adam

Hey all,

Anyone here applying to the NYU or Mount Sinai Program?? I was curious if anyone got interviews or had any comments about the program.

to those who are getting interviews at so many different places: first, congrats! second, can you share with us WHEN you submitted your AMCAS, your secondaries, and how long it took to get invited for a mstp interview? I especially want to hear stories on hopkins, columbia, duke, baylor, michigan, vanderbilt, and upenn. Thakns and good luck everyone!

Chef,

I interviewed at Hopkins MSTP already and going to Michigan MSTP in January. My AMCAS app was submitted 6/29, processed 7/21. All my applications were complete by 9/10. Got interview invites for Hopkins around 9/20 and Michigan around 10/1.

Is anybody considering UIUC's MSP (MD/PhD, non MSTP) program? What is the deal on their funding? I know they are non MSTP but what level of support do they provide (if any)?

baylor:

I don't know much about the funding, but I think it's a tuition waver, and then you get the graduate stipend for whatever program you are in. I don't know about the first two years though. But, what I do know is that it doesn't look like a very good medical school. I interviewed at Rockford for the MD part and got to meet a couple of the students, who all take their first year at Urbana. It's very lecture intensive, no problem solving, and it doesn't sound like there's much, if any, clinical exposure during the first two years down there. Considering that you got into Wash U and you'll probably get into Michigan I wouldn't bother with UIUC.

That's mostly my impression though, so take it with a grain of salt.

Adam

JJ4,

I got an interview offer from Mount Sinai. I submitted their secondary around early October. But they didn't receive it until late mid October (25th, I think)... They work pretty fast.

I'm going for my WashU MSTP Interview! Wish me luck guys...

Sonic

I submitted my AMCAS on 7/13 and got processed only last week. For secondaries, I took the fastrack on most schools and sent them a hardcopy of my AMCAS. I finished ALL my secondaries by October 1.

I applied to 15 MSTPs; no MD-only's. I've been offered 11 MSTP Interviews (Cornell, UTSouthwestern, WashU, Baylor, Yale, Vanderbilt, Hopkins, Mount Sinai, UofChicago, Duke, and Columbia) and I've only been to two yet (Cornell, UTSW) and going to my third (WashU) this weekend!... I hope that helps. Harvard, Stanford, UPenn, and Northwestern haven't offered me interviews yet.

Sonic

Sonic

hi baylor,
i'm a grad student at uiuc and i wouldn't encourage you to look seriously. the funding for graduate students is very generous in most departments, but the stipend for the md years is much smaller. only the msp students stay here for clinical work and what there is is really lacking, i.e. we have no teaching hospital in the vicinity (unless you count the illustrious vet med hospital which is arguably the best hospital in town!). sounds like you have much better prospects anyway! :)

original!
good luck and hope you have fun in chicago!

sonic,
i have one word for you: dang!!!
you must be quite a stud (studette?)!

hey! rondo and original - i remember you both from duke, you guys are awesome :) i had such a good time too . . . i just wanted to say hi! i thought the group of people there during the 6-8 were just fabulous and i would love it if you guys were my classmates someday! i'm the one from williams, if you remember . . .

ooh i'm waiting to hear from case western any minute now. just want to get in somewhere so i can stop worrying!

GOOD LUCK both of you and keep me updated!

-sarah

hey SARAH! so nice to hear from you! good luck with case, but don't you think you might miss all the worrying? ;)

Wow... I haven't posted on this thread for a while, but I'm pleased to see that it's taken on a life of its own! Most impressive... :D

FOr those of you who had interviews at Baylor. How long between when your app was complete and interview.

Also is our file "complete" after we fill out the med school secondary as well?

I just got in to WashU's MSTP.
I can't tell you HOW GOOD it feels..........

Good luck everyone and DON'T EVER, EVER, EVER GIVE UP no matter what!

Congratulations academic!! That's FANTASTIC. I'm surely not as fortunate as you or anyone else here on this forum. I have not interviews as of yet. Academic, if you don't mind, I would be grateful if you could tell me your stats. I'm not applying to WashU actually cuz I thought it's way outta my lead.

Vader. It's nice to see you back. A lot of things you say are most helpful. On an admissions stand point I was wondering if you would give an honest comment on my chances at top 30 schools. My GPA=3.9 MCAT :10,10,10. Three pubs, once first authorship in submission, and a possible JCB first author on it's way (I didn't put that part on my CV though). I have about 6 yrs. of experience in the lab (I started in HS) and really wanna do an MD/PhD more than anything. Also, is it too late to start getting interviews?? Furthermore, if i don't get in this time around, what do you think I can do to increase my chances. If I pick a particular school, do you think working as a tech. maybe in a potential thesis advisor's lab is worth it? Or maybe an NIH training grant? Also, if I wanted to apply as an "in-house" what do you think are the chances of getting in on the MD side of things if I get denied MD/PhD?? (By the way, I took the August MCAT, April wasn't too hot, I'm really not the best of standardized testers.) Thanks for any comments anyone may have.

[quote]Originally posted by JJ4:
<strong>Congratulations academic!! That's FANTASTIC. I'm surely not as fortunate as you or anyone else here on this forum. I have not interviews as of yet. Academic, if you don't mind, I would be grateful if you could tell me your stats. I'm not applying to WashU actually cuz I thought it's way outta my lead.

Vader. It's nice to see you back. A lot of things you say are most helpful. On an admissions stand point I was wondering if you would give an honest comment on my chances at top 30 schools. My GPA=3.9 MCAT :10,10,10. Three pubs, once first authorship in submission, and a possible JCB first author on it's way (I didn't put that part on my CV though). I have about 6 yrs. of experience in the lab (I started in HS) and really wanna do an MD/PhD more than anything. Also, is it too late to start getting interviews?? Furthermore, if i don't get in this time around, what do you think I can do to increase my chances. If I pick a particular school, do you think working as a tech. maybe in a potential thesis advisor's lab is worth it? Or maybe an NIH training grant? Also, if I wanted to apply as an "in-house" what do you think are the chances of getting in on the MD side of things if I get denied MD/PhD?? (By the way, I took the August MCAT, April wasn't too hot, I'm really not the best of standardized testers.) Thanks for any comments anyone may have.</strong><hr></blockquote>


b4 you get all depressed, let us know when you applied, eg. when did u submit your amcas, when did it get verified, and when did you complete the secondaries for the schools you applied to? How many/where did you apply? Give me this info and I'll try to give you more constructive feedback. Don't worry bud you might have just submitted your stuff really late. It's still early in the process

[quote]Originally posted by academic:
<strong>I just got in to WashU's MSTP.
I can't tell you HOW GOOD it feels..........

Good luck everyone and DON'T EVER, EVER, EVER GIVE UP no matter what!</strong><hr></blockquote>

Great job academic... I was also accepted by WashU MD/PhD. Right now, I'd say theres a 90% chance I will be going there. What is your top choice school?

Do you know if Brian or Andrew will email us to let us know the MD admissions committee decision (they dont meet until 11/29) or will we get a letter from the MD adcom?

I looked at Harvard's MSTP website and now they have a FAQ section with details on interview scheduling.

According to their website, the interviews for MD/PhD are on 11/27, 12/19, and then two dates in the spring.

Has anybody gotten an interview invite for Harvard MSTP yet?

to all you MSTP hopefuls,
I am considering applying to MSTP programs next year. Here's where I'm at. I just got my MCAT scores back. I scored well enough to compete at any MSTP program. I have the research experience and all the rest, but I haven't taken the GRE's. Here are some questions that I have about them:

Do most programs require them (the general and/or subject versions)? What are some noteworthy MSTP programs that require them?

Or do some schools accept the MCATs as a substitute for the GRE?

What are some of the MSTP programs that don't require the GRE?

Do you know how much GRE scores are weighed compared to the MCAT scores, GPA and letters of rec?

How important is the verbal section? (what percentile is satisfactory?)

How painful/painless were your GRE experiences compared to the MCAT?


I don't foresee having much time to study in the next year for another round of standardized tests. Studying for the MCATs was so painful that i cringe at the thought of taking another one of these tests again. I don't want to memorize a thousand words that i'll never use again just to do okay on the verbal section of the GRE--(I got a 12 on MCAT-V but my vocab is seriously lacking)

Answers to any of these questions would be greatly appreciated! Thanks.

The GRE is often ignored to a large extent at many schools that don't require it. Always, however, the MCAT is given much more weight.

hi gizzdogg (nice name),

i don't remember applying to any mstp's that "required" gre scores but they were nice to have on hand when they were asked about. some schools say things like if you have them you should send them, it gives them more information, blah blah blah.

gre is for dummies. yeah, it's annoying, but nowhere near the pain and suffering of the mcat. the math is at a lower level than the sat! (i taught sat, gre, and mcat for kaplan) if you don't have a problem with standardized tests, you won't have a problem with the gre.

some grad departments, i know, could care less about general gre scores unless they are reprehensible. so i was REALLY surprised when an interviewer (an md/phd himself) at an mstp interview commented on how good my gre scores were. i was like, HELLO my mcat scores are much more impressive! go figure. people notice the weirdest things on your application.

Michigan MSTP requires the GRE for biomedical engineering, as does Univ. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Ohio State strongly recommends it but doesnt specifically require it. I think Hopkins might also recommend it, but dont quote me on that.

I agree the GRE is significantly easier than the MCAT. Unless you are applying, to UIUC, Michigan, or Ohio State dont bother taking it. I did pretty well on it, so I went ahead and forwarded the score report to all the MD/PhD programs I applied to, even the ones that didnt require it.

I dont know if it will help, but it certainly couldnt hurt. I have no clue if the MD/PhD programs will even look at the scores or just throw them away.

Loma Linda requires it too, but since no one here has ever been connected with the school in any way, I suppose that doesn't matter. :)

[quote]Originally posted by JJ4:
<strong>
Vader. It's nice to see you back. A lot of things you say are most helpful. On an admissions stand point I was wondering if you would give an honest comment on my chances at top 30 schools. My GPA=3.9 MCAT :10,10,10. Three pubs, once first authorship in submission, and a possible JCB first author on it's way (I didn't put that part on my CV though). I have about 6 yrs. of experience in the lab (I started in HS) and really wanna do an MD/PhD more than anything. Also, is it too late to start getting interviews?? Furthermore, if i don't get in this time around, what do you think I can do to increase my chances. If I pick a particular school, do you think working as a tech. maybe in a potential thesis advisor's lab is worth it? Or maybe an NIH training grant? Also, if I wanted to apply as an "in-house" what do you think are the chances of getting in on the MD side of things if I get denied MD/PhD?? (By the way, I took the August MCAT, April wasn't too hot, I'm really not the best of standardized testers.) Thanks for any comments anyone may have.</strong><hr></blockquote>

It sounds like you have some great experience and publications. Make sure each aspect of your application is superb, including personal statement, letters of recommendation, secondaries, etc. and really know your research inside and out, why you want to pursue the MD/PhD pathway, and what your career goals are. It is definitely not too late to be getting interviews, especially considering that you took the August MCAT and the holdups with AMCAS. Have you completed secondaries and sent in your letters? You can always call up the programs and ask if your file is complete. Have you heard anything from schools yet (i.e. postcards)? It would be helpful if you gave us more information on where you are in the application process.

[quote]Originally posted by gizzdogg:
[QB]
Do most programs require them (the general and/or subject versions)? What are some noteworthy MSTP programs that require them?

Or do some schools accept the MCATs as a substitute for the GRE?

What are some of the MSTP programs that don't require the GRE?
QB]<hr></blockquote>

Most MSTPs do not require the GRE, but almost all require the MCAT. The MCAT scores are usually sufficient for the admissions committees to get an idea of your academic potential (in combination with grades, GPA, letters, etc). To find out the specifics for each school, you'll have to visit their web sites. You can find a listing at: <a href="http://www.aamc.org/research/dbr/mdphd/programs.htm" target="_blank">www.aamc.org/research/dbr/mdphd/programs.htm</a>

Hope this helps. :D

Hi guys, thanks for replying. This is the situation:

App Complete notification:
Mount Sinai
NYU
Columbia
Mayo
Einstein
Hopkins
Tufts
SUNY, Stony Brook
Rutgers - Robert Wood Johnson
(Most just received my MCAT scores)

Haven't Heard From:
Pritzker
Harvard
(my letters got delayed at both of these)

Rejected:
Penn
Cornell/Rock/Ski

I do realize I should've applied to more schools, but I ended up making some wrong moves I guess. Anyways, I'll be taking the GRE's soon just in case.

Oh yea for all of them, my AMCAS is verified and my secondaries were all mailed out latest by mid September.

i just heard from the mstp at case - i'm in ! woohoo! i don't think it's my first choice but OH it's just such a relief. and it's not like it's my LAST choice either :) is anyone else thinking about case? does anyone know anyone in the program and whether they like it?

--sarah

congrats sarah,

I applied to Case for normal MD but got rejected.

Glad to hear of your success. Do you know what kind of research you want to do?

hey sarah! congratulations!!!
that's so awesome. you must be really excited/relieved. i'm very happy for you!

--lisa

baylor21-

hey! is your name baylor b/c you