MD/PhD - Too late? Should I go for it?

[jclp]

I'm not sure where to post this - I am pretty much a traditional student, except that I was uncertain whether to do MD/PhD or not until recently. My main questions are thus: Should I even do an MD/PhD? Is it too late? Do I have a chance?

I want to go into brain-machine interface and neural prosthetics research. Originally I just wanted to get a PhD. But now, the MD portion of an MD/PhD program seems appealing as well, as it may allow me to work closer with actual people in developing prosthetics. In addition, I have heard it is easier to get grants as a MD/PhD. I am still worried about the time investment though - 7-8 years is a long time. Also, I fear the multitasking involved - I may not be able to focus as well on research compared to a PhD. So should I go for an MD/PhD?

I'm going to be a junior, double majoring, one of which is Biology. That major pretty much covers all my pre-med course requirements, except for English.
My GPA is low (3.5-ish), but I've been taking maximum or near maximum credits every semester. This semester I am taking fewer credits in order to raise my GPA. I did psychology research sophomore year and full-time neuroscience research this summer (PI says research will likely be published). I don't think my extracurriculars are very relevant. I haven't done the MCAT, but from previous experiences, I am pretty good at standardized tests. What are my chances?

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[tortuga87]

But now, the MD portion of an MD/PhD program seems appealing as well, as it may allow me to work closer with actual people in developing prosthetics. In addition, I have heard it is easier to get grants as a MD/PhD....


What are my chances?

Though there are exceptions, I think the general rule is:


If your main goal is to help patients by understanding patient care and then moving biomedical research forward to improve care --> MD/PhD



If your main goal is to see patients, so you can perform better research --> PhD



Chances: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=539268

 

[Neuronix]

Though there are exceptions, I think the general rule is:

If your main goal is to help patients by understanding patient care and then moving biomedical research forward to improve care --> MD/PhD

If your main goal is to see patients, so you can perform better research --> PhD

I'd restate it this way:

If your goal is to have a majority basic science research career where you believe that seeing patients will help you to investigate disease in a novel manner and apply any results of research to patients --> MD/PhD

Anything else involving clinical and research (rare exceptions) --> MD

My GPA is low (3.5-ish), but I've been taking maximum or near maximum credits every semester. This semester I am taking fewer credits in order to raise my GPA. I did psychology research sophomore year and full-time neuroscience research this summer (PI says research will likely be published). I don't think my extracurriculars are very relevant. I haven't done the MCAT, but from previous experiences, I am pretty good at standardized tests. What are my chances?

Nobody cares about your courseload. Your GPA is what counts. You will want to perform more research. A 3.6 GPA isn't too bad if that's what you finish with. You will need an MCAT score for us to give you any idea. A 38 with a 3.6 and another year of research will make you competitive. A 25 will screw you over no matter what else you do.

 

[jclp]

Thanks for all the advice; I'll give it my all these next couple years. I'm still a little indecisive, but I figure I'll try to keep my options open. What do you think about a PhD, Neuronix?