WAMC for 2014 MD-PhD cycle (another one)

[kraskadva]

Hi all,
I'm planning on applying MD-PhD in the upcoming cycle and wanted to get some feedback on how I'll stack up as an applicant and what schools would be best to apply to. Thanks in advance

Stats:

• 1st BA in Liberal Arts (2006):
  • cGPA- 2.69 (134 credits)
  • sGPA- 2.89 (58 credits)
• Postbacc (in 4th semester now, will get BS in Biochem in 2015)
  • GPA- 4.0 (60 credits, all science classes, mostly upper levels)
• overall
  • cGPA- 3.10
  • sGPA- 3.44
• MCAT (test date scheduled for May)
  • practice tests hitting 34-35 halfway through my study schedule

Research:

• Academic years 2004-2006 (few hours though, maybe 200 hrs total.) Plant population dynamics, fieldwork and some wet lab
• Summer REU in 2006 (~750 hrs) Plant biology and environmental gradients, mostly fieldwork
• Summer REU in 2013 (~500 hrs) Plant population study with microsatellites, all wet lab
• Academic year 2013-14 (~250 hrs) Plant population study with RAPD-SCAR analysis, all wet lab. Designed project, will continue into 2015. Possibly publishable, but that won't happen before the application cycle.
• some research heavy classes, but not sure if that would count at all.

I like plants, but the reason all the research has been in plants is just that it was what was available to me. Would rather get into other stuff, but haven't been at institutions where it was an option. Very interested in biomedical design- i.e. novel treatments and biodelivery systems (aptamers and riboswitches, designer proteins, quorum sensing agonists, etc.)

Other:

• Taught English in Czech Rep. and S.Korea for 4.5 years (2007-2012)
• >9 years clinical experience (grew up working in my dad's medical practice)
• current 1 semester internship in Medical Examiner's Office (assist at autopsy, etc.)
• Leadership: Co-president of college-wide fraternity 2004-2005
• Volunteering: Free tutoring for last 2 years

Schools:
Basically I've been working on a list that's mostly all the programs that take 10+ per year, on the (perhaps erroneous) assumption that a bigger program would be more likely to take a chance on someone with less that stellar stats overall, but with a good reinvention trend and story. I've got a few on there that are smaller programs, but with research I'm interested in, or places closer to me at the moment (I live in NY). I'm not tied to the geographic area though. I've been going through the list culling out programs that I don't think I'd be a good fit for as I read more about them. Any suggestions on this are certainly welcome.
The list at the moment:

• UCSF
• Colorado
• Yale
• Emory
• Northwestern, Feinberg
• U Illinois
• U Chicago, Pritzker
• U Iowa, Carver
• Johns Hopkins
• Harvard
• UMass
• UMichigan
• Washington U
• Albert Einstein
• Columbia U
• Mount Sinai
• NYU
• Stony Brook
• SUNY Upstate
• SUNY Downstate
• U Buffalo
• URochester
• Weill Cornell
• Duke
• UNC, Chapel Hill
• Case Western
• UPenn Perelman
• Vanderbilt
• UT Southwestern
• UTMB +UT Austin

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[Patros]

I hate to be a downer, but many of these programs are far too competitive for a 3.1/34 to 3.4/35. Also it looks like you have a lot of unique ECs under your belt, but if my interviews have been any indication, adcoms in MD/PhDs are much less concerned about them than the regular MD adcoms. Your research experience is much more important for MD/PhD. However I think you have a really good shot at pure MD, so you should also post in the pre-allo WAMC forum. Also consider applying to MD, and then doing an internal transfer once accepted.

Anyway, I think your list is very top heavy. Consider applying to fewer USNWR top-20 MSTPs, and use that money for other MD/PhD programs. From the following, take out whichever you are not really passionate about (note that these have average MCAT of >36 and GPA of >3.8, and 3-4 years of research experience):
UCSF, Yale, Hopkins, Harvard, UChicago, UPenn, Cornell Tri-I, Duke, WashU (Note: UPenn and WashU have the biggest programs, I believe)

These are not as competitive as the previous ones, but are still a very long shot (MCAT 34-37, GPAs of 3.7-3.9)
NYU, Mt Sinai, Emory, Northwestern, UT Southwestern, Case Western, UMich, UNC-Chapel Hill

I think Vanderbilt and UMass are smart since they have no secondary application fees. Columbia might be smart too, since their medical school has the reputation of loving people with unique-ECs. All the SUNYs are very good choices too.

I assume you have seen the list of MSTPs? Here it is, definitely apply to more schools in the Midwest, Texas (Fencer knows these inside-out), and California.
Some suggestions:
Darmouth MD/PhD
Brown Alpert MD/PhD
Rutgers-Princeton MD/PhD
Midwestern MSTPs (Wisconsin-Madison, Iowa, Minnesota, etc etc as per your preference)
Southern MSTPs (MU-South Carolina, UAlabama-Birmingham)
California MSTPs (UC-Irvine, UCSD)
Also definitely add more non-MSTP MD/PhDs, such as UIllinois-Urbana-Champangn, UT-San Antonio, Penn State

I know this list seems a lot less exciting than the flashier schools in your list, but you have to be realistic. You might want to consider applying to the MD programs to places like Cornell, Duke, etc.

Good luck!

 

[Fencer]

I agree with Underu. However, check out these tables to assess your level of competitiveness:
https://www.aamc.org/data/facts/enrollmentgraduate/ (in particular, see tables 33 and 35)

Take a look at the number of applicants and the number of matriculants of the programs that you are considering. Furthermore, google each of the programs that you were suggested. You might find some surprises. For example, http://thedartmouth.com/2014/02/21/news/geisel-reverses-m-d-p-h-d-application-suspension Dartmouth is reducing their class to only 2 slots.

As a clarification U of Illinois is a MSTP where many of their students pursue the PhD at the U of IL Urbana-Champaign campus and do their MD at the U of IL Chicago campus.

 

[StIGMA]

I know this list seems a lot less exciting than the flashier schools in your list, but you have to be realistic. You might want to consider applying to the MD programs to places like Cornell, Duke, etc.

I agree. Your stats are not good, and your research is not biomedical (which is preferred). You are older, which will negatively affect your application. Expect an uphill battle at MD/PhD programs (ie: not many interviews), and you should apply to MD programs at places where you are not applying MD/PhD if medicine is your end-goal.

 

[kraskadva]

Thanks Underu, Fencer and StIGMA - I appreciate the feedback. I'd much rather have the downers now for free than after I've paid a few thousand.
I can't do much more to change the GPA (another year of 4.0 would only bring it to a 3.2 overall) and I can't do other research where I am now. If I took a year or two to work somewhere else, like the NIH, I'd be over 30 when I applied, which brings up other issues. Right now I am planning on applying to MD at the same time as a fallback, but I really want to do translational research and would much rather be in an MD-PhD program.

I'll definitely take a look at the other schools you suggested Underu- I know the list is top heavy, this was just my starting point based on program size.
As to that though, is it silly to think that a larger program would be more willing to take a chance on someone with weaker stats? Do the MD-PhD programs not care about reinvention at all and only want people who've been on this path since the cradle? Would having super LORs from professors who got their PhDs at some of those top 20 programs (UPenn & Hopkins) make any difference?

 

[miz]

You can also try calling the administrative directors and asking if your stats would disqualify you. They know what their program is looking for and will generally be honest and let you know if they don't think your chances are very good. (Do realize that even if you have very little chance they're not going to straight up tell you "don't apply." That's not professional and not their call to make. But they'll tell you if your scores are within their range of historically accepted students). I might email them first with stats/CV and then call so that they have a copy of your numbers to look at in front of them.

I don't think the LORs will get you into the top MD/PhD programs even when there are 10-12 slots, I'm sorry . To give you a sense of what the stats are like at these schools- the year I applied, JHU's accepted MSTP students' average GPA was a 3.97 (!). They're risk averse.

Personally I find the reinvention aspect completely compelling. Most med schools do too, and they also are more accepting of older applicants, they'll like your extracurriculars, and especially with your clinical experience they won't care that you don't have biomedical research experience.

Thanks Underu, Fencer and StIGMA - I appreciate the feedback. I'd much rather have the downers now for free than after I've paid a few thousand.
I can't do much more to change the GPA (another year of 4.0 would only bring it to a 3.2 overall) and I can't do other research where I am now. If I took a year or two to work somewhere else, like the NIH, I'd be over 30 when I applied, which brings up other issues. Right now I am planning on applying to MD at the same time as a fallback, but I really want to do translational research and would much rather be in an MD-PhD program.

I'll definitely take a look at the other schools you suggested Underu- I know the list is top heavy, this was just my starting point based on program size.
As to that though, is it silly to think that a larger program would be more willing to take a chance on someone with weaker stats? Do the MD-PhD programs not care about reinvention at all and only want people who've been on this path since the cradle? Would having super LORs from professors who got their PhDs at some of those top 20 programs (UPenn & Hopkins) make any difference?