Med and Business School

[nymbamd]

Here's my story:
Graduated from a top 3 undergrad university in 2003, math major, 3.6 GPA. Went straight to Wall Street, lots of responsibility and success, hated the work environment. Along the way began picking up pre-med requirements (gen chem, bio, orgo, physics) at not-top-tier institutions but credible local schools (to save money). In and out of corporate America (for the $$) for 2 years, now enrolled full time to complete the rest of my pre-med requirements. Due to time constraints, limited exposure to medicine (shadowing, etc), but working on getting more hours in Spring 2007 semester. Science GPA: 3.6ish.

Took the GMAT a year ago just for kicks, scored 90th percentile. Applying to B-school for entry Fall 2007, but would like to pair it with an MD if possible (verrry interested in the intersection between medicine and business, trying to find out how to merge the two interests).

So the question is: I was thinking of applying to the MBA programs now, continuing my prereqs, taking the MCAT in the spring and then applying the the joint degree program of the B-school that I get accepted to in the Fall (plus others). I'm only applying to very competitive B-schools, so naturally they would have extremely competitive Med schools as well. Do I have any sort of shot getting into a Penn, UVA, Northwestern, Harvard Med etc? How can I shape up to better present myself? Will the business interest appear as a lack of commitment to medicine? Candid responses welcome. Thanks!

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[little_late_MD]

Here's my story:
Graduated from a top 3 undergrad university in 2003, math major, 3.6 GPA. Went straight to Wall Street, lots of responsibility and success, hated the work environment. Along the way began picking up pre-med requirements (gen chem, bio, orgo, physics) at not-top-tier institutions but credible local schools (to save money). In and out of corporate America (for the $$) for 2 years, now enrolled full time to complete the rest of my pre-med requirements. Due to time constraints, limited exposure to medicine (shadowing, etc), but working on getting more hours in Spring 2007 semester. Science GPA: 3.6ish.

Took the GMAT a year ago just for kicks, scored 90th percentile. Applying to B-school for entry Fall 2007, but would like to pair it with an MD if possible (verrry interested in the intersection between medicine and business, trying to find out how to merge the two interests).

So the question is: I was thinking of applying to the MBA programs now, continuing my prereqs, taking the MCAT in the spring and then applying the the joint degree program of the B-school that I get accepted to in the Fall (plus others). I'm only applying to very competitive B-schools, so naturally they would have extremely competitive Med schools as well. Do I have any sort of shot getting into a Penn, UVA, Northwestern, Harvard Med etc? How can I shape up to better present myself? Will the business interest appear as a lack of commitment to medicine? Candid responses welcome. Thanks!

I could be mistaken, but I believe joint MD/MBA programs require you to matriculate to the med school portion first. Second and third year electives are composed of your MBA classes. I could be wrong though.

Also, there is no way of knowing how competitive you are without the MCAT score. A 3.6 isn't earth-shattering, but it could be enough if you rock the MCAT and present an interesting enough background story.

 

[Math_Guy]

I'm no expert on this, but I've been thinking of this as well. I worked in the corporate world, have a math background, etc.

Given you background, I think it is safe to say that you can probably get into a better b-school than med school. (assuming you have a good story for the time off and on). I think the bottle neck is the med school, and I'm not sure a top med school (e.g. U Chicago) will cut you any slack just b/c you are also a good MBA candidate.

If you are comfortable with getting a lesser than coveted MBA, I think you should go for it. Besides, MBA/MD career paths will probably care less about where you went to b-school - but I could be wrong about this.

Do you know what you would want to do? If it is to run a hospital, you should look up some top hospital execs. Many of them are not doctors, and have only an MBA (e.g. president of Northwestern Mem Hosp). I would try and swing a Harvard MBA to run a healthcare business - but that is just me.
Sure, and MD could help you, but only you can tell if it will be with the 7+ year of training & expenses.

Since the MD is more of a time and expense committment than the MBA, ask yourself if you want to practice medicine at all. If the answer is no, forget it. If the answer is yes, be prepared to get your joint degree, ie MD, MBA, and then goto a residency program for a few years. Keep in mind you won't be running a business while you do residency, and you may be getting that business itch. And then you'll be done with mounds of debt, and no healthcare management experience.

However, if you want to really be a doctor and pad your resume for LONG TERM career options, I think the joint degree is a good way to go. Can't be in medicine for the quick hit though.

Math_Guy

 

[Math_Guy]

http://t1.berlinprod.com/accounts/columbia/columbiasite8/ddp.htm

Columbia requires you to be enrolled in the med school before you can even apply to the b-school. It wouldn't surprise me if other programs did this too.

 

[NonTradMed]

Our med school requires you to be enrolled in their program first before doing their joint MD/MBA program. From what I've heard, it seems other MD/MBA programs are the same way (i.e you enroll in med school first and then tack on the MBA program). You should check with the bschools you're interested in to see how they approach it.

 

[Learfan]

I have a much better idea. Skip the MBA completely. With the exception of the finance class, there is nothing to be learned in B school that matters in the real world. I obtained an MBA from a top 20 school to make myself more marketable. Graduated with a 3.8. Nobody cared. The "skills" taught in B school have almost zero value in the real world. Most of B school is just a bunch of busy work that is devoid of content. Avoid MD/MBA programs. They are just a means for the school to hook a few more bucks out of your wallet without delivering anything of substance. Keep in mind that applications to B schools have fallen by over one third since 1999. That should give you some idea of the value of the degree. I wish you good fortune in your future choices.

 

[Stixman28]

Keep in mind you won't be running a business while you do residency, and you may be getting that business itch. And then you'll be done with mounds of debt, and no healthcare management experience.

I looked into the MD/MBA programs in a past life, and noticed that not all of the attendees do a residency. It is of course a huge decision to make in life, experience wise, but know that you can make your own decision about residency.

 

[njbmd]

Moving to Med Business for expert opinion.

 

[bluejay68]

You are definitely a non-traditional applicant, in that you have much more business experience than the typical MD/MBA applicant. My only concern is that you are an above average B-school and Med school applicant, but will that lead you to a top program? I've rarely seen anyone (perhaps only one former classmate) make a successful application to a top medical school from B-school. As everyone here is saying, the usual path is to get into a medical school first, and then after matriculating for 1-2 years, apply to B-school (thus you should apply to med schools with good B-schools...). This path lets applicants who are highly qualified for medical school and underqualified for B-school have the opportunity to get the business training. They get a "pass" in the work history department because there is a widely recognized deficiency of formal business training in healthcare, especially among docs.

Getting back to your situation, you may have a tough time taking the B-school first route. Not only with your medical school admissions, but also with the timing of the dual degree coursework. Almost all MD/MBA programs front load the medical coursework, and if you start out as a full-time B-school student, you'll have a harder time making it all fit together (especially if you want to do it in 5 or fewer years).

With your business background, if you can tell a convincing story as to why the MBA makes sense for you, you should not have any trouble getting into a top B-school as a med student. Try to make it all at the same school, as applying from university's med school to another's B-school can work in theory, it's a logistical nightmare and it can hurt your chances at acceptance.