***2015-2016 MD/PhD General Discussion***

[Penguin33]

With Hopkins last interview being this week, any sense of whether to expect to hear something soon from anybody that's been there?

I received a rejection letter last Friday, but they were asking if they could route my application to the MD-only side, so I think my case might be slightly different since other people haven't mentioned hearing back?

EDIT: This was all through email, not regular mail.

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[ImmunoLove]

And in case it wasn't seen in the MD/PhD Rejections thread: According to @jellybones, Baylor is done sending IIs to MD/PhD and MD candidates.

 

[pineapplecake]

Welcome to the thread @pineapplecake!

Thanks @nmusdposter !! I'm still waiting on a few schools as well.

Does anyone happen to know how MD acceptances work if you're waitlisted for MSTP? I have a feeling it probably varies for each school but is there a general consensus about it?

 

[ImmunoLove]

Thanks @nmusdposter !! I'm still waiting on a few schools as well.

Does anyone happen to know how MD acceptances work if you're waitlisted for MSTP? I have a feeling it probably varies for each school but is there a general consensus about it?

I think it varies considerably by school, but I know of at least one place that views them completely independently (such that you can get an MD acceptance and be waitlisted at MD/PhD).

 

[pineapplecake]

I think it varies considerably by school, but I know of at least one place that views them completely independently (such that you can get an MD acceptance and be waitlisted at MD/PhD).

Hmmk thanks!

 

[ImmunoLove]

Hmmk thanks!

Yeah my post was pretty useless...sorry!

 

[pineapplecake]

Yeah my post was pretty useless...sorry!

Hahah no, no, I figured every school would have different policies regarding their MSTP/MD admissions anyway hahah I know that Pitt MD admissions are going to be mass released in 2.5 weeks and since I'm waitlisted there for MSTP, I guess I was wondering if I would get an MD decision as well? But I think that's probably a question I'll need to ask Pitt directly.

 

[ImmunoLove]

Hahah no, no, I figured every school would have different policies regarding their MSTP/MD admissions anyway hahah I know that Pitt MD admissions are going to be mass released in 2.5 weeks and since I'm waitlisted there for MSTP, I guess I was wondering if I would get an MD decision as well? But I think that's probably a question I'll need to ask Pitt directly.

Hmm yeah that's an interesting question. I know that for Pitt, those that are rejected pre-interview for MSTP are considered for MD admissions (e.g. interview) , but I'm not sure about post-interview MSTP rejections (or waitlists, for that matter). As you know, schools each have their own policies. For example, at Stanford, pre-interview MSTP rejections are sent to the MD-only office for consideration. During Stanford MSTP interviews, applicants are interviewed by both the MSTP and MD admissions, so one can get a post-interview rejection for MSTP but get a MD acceptance; however, for an MSTP candidate who has interviewed, post-interview MD rejection also results in MSTP rejection (since MD acceptance is required for consideration). On the other had, at Pritzker, Pre-II MSTP rejections get routed to MD-only office, but a post-interview MSTP rejection is the end of the line for both MD and MSTP (post-interview MSTP rejections are not routed to MD office for consideration).**

**This is from memory, and it's been a while, and I can't find my spreadsheet on it at the moment. I don't remember what the policy was for Pitt, or how it works for waitlists. It sure would be nice if they standardized (at least some) of this.

 

[pineapplecake]

Hmm yeah that's an interesting question. I know that for Pitt, those that are rejected pre-interview for MSTP are considered for MD admissions (e.g. interview) , but I'm not sure about post-interview MSTP rejections (or waitlists, for that matter). As you know, schools each have their own policies. For example, at Stanford, pre-interview MSTP rejections are sent to the MD-only office for consideration. During Stanford MSTP interviews, applicants are interviewed by both the MSTP and MD admissions, so one can get a post-interview rejection for MSTP but get a MD acceptance; however, for an MSTP candidate who has interviewed, post-interview MD rejection also results in MSTP rejection (since MD acceptance is required for consideration). On the other had, at Pritzker, Pre-II MSTP rejections get routed to MD-only office, but a post-interview MSTP rejection is the end of the line for both MD and MSTP (post-interview MSTP rejections are not routed to MD office for consideration).**

**This is from memory, and it's been a while, and I can't find my spreadsheet on it at the moment. I don't remember what the policy was for Pitt, or how it works for waitlists. It sure would be nice if they standardized (at least some) of this.

Hmm, yeahh. I think a lot of that is true for Pitt as well. If you get rejected by the MD admissions, you get MSTP rejection too. But if you get MSTP Waitlist, I think that means you're still in the running for MD? Kind of wish it was more clear how each school does their admissions haha

 

[ImmunoLove]

Hmm, yeahh. I think a lot of that is true for Pitt as well. If you get rejected by the MD admissions, you get MSTP rejection too. But if you get MSTP Waitlist, I think that means you're still in the running for MD? Kind of wish it was more clear how each school does their admissions haha

A flow-chart from each school would be much appreciated. Well, if you find the answer, come back and share the wealth! I bet there are a few people with that very question!

 

[this_is_the_worst]

Anyone hear anything from hofstra post interview?? @quintessences @xc_stallion92 @Serac

 

[Cooky6504]

Hi everyone! First time posting here

Was wondering if anyone knows if UCSD is still sending out interviews? Still haven't heard back from them.

I emailed them, but got no reply.

 

[this_is_the_worst]

hey guys. has anyone else received the email from AAMC "you have been waitlisted or accepted by a medical school....please do the background check"... when did you guys get this/I'm trying to see if it relates to a school i havent heard from yet

 

[Penguin33]

hey guys. has anyone else received the email from AAMC "you have been waitlisted or accepted by a medical school....please do the background check"... when did you guys get this/I'm trying to see if it relates to a school i havent heard from yet

Yeah, I got that too. I got this after I got one MD acceptance and one MD/PhD acceptance? It's a bit of a pain, they send you a few emails and then ask you to fax forms, but then if the fax doesn't work (which it didn't) they allow you to send them electronic scans of the documents (which I don't understand why they don't just let you do this in the first place).

 

[carpediem22]

Yeah, I got that too. I got this after I got one MD acceptance and one MD/PhD acceptance? It's a bit of a pain, they send you a few emails and then ask you to fax forms, but then if the fax doesn't work (which it didn't) they allow you to send them electronic scans of the documents (which I don't understand why they don't just let you do this in the first place).

At least yours works. Mine won't let me log in and Certiphi told me that I had to "call the schools" to correct it. The schools then sent me to AMCAS. Still unresolved!

Also, I think you get this email if you apply to any school with a background check. But sounds like they don't do the background check until you have actually been accepted.

 

[ImmunoLove]

At least yours works. Mine won't let me log in and Certiphi told me that I had to "call the schools" to correct it. The schools then sent me to AMCAS. Still unresolved!

Also, I think you get this email if you apply to any school with a background check. But sounds like they don't do the background check until you have actually been accepted.

This is my understanding (that the background check isn't run until you're accepted).

 

[Fencer]

Don't worry... this is after acceptance. PDs are unable to view the background checks only after acceptance.

 

[nmusdposter]

Does anyone know where UVA is in the process? I will call, if I have to, but would love to avoid making a nuisance of myself if at all possible!

 

[merryberry]

Does anyone know where UVA is in the process? I will call, if I have to, but would love to avoid making a nuisance of myself if at all possible!

+1

 

[Maebea]

Does anyone know where UVA is in the process? I will call, if I have to, but would love to avoid making a nuisance of myself if at all possible!

I am not at UVA and am not speaking for them, but I do not believe they would hold it against you if you contact them. It might even help them to decide whether to give you one of their remaining interview slots (assuming they have any). When we get down to filling the last slots, we will note whether an applicant showed contacted us after the application had been submitted. All else being equal, the individual who shows ongoing interest is more likely to be invited to fill one of the remaining slots than the guy who was waitlisted 3 months earlier and has not followed up. (Typically, we are considering 60 or 70 substantially identical applicants to fill the final 3 or 4 spots.) You should not be a pain in the ass and contact the program every other week, but an occasional "Hey, remember me?" can be helpful.

 

[nmusdposter]

I am not at UVA and am not speaking for them, but I do not believe they would hold it against you if you contact them. It might even help them to decide whether to give you one of their remaining interview slots (assuming they have any). When we get down to filling the last slots, we will note whether an applicant showed contacted us after the application had been submitted. All else being equal, the individual who shows ongoing interest is more likely to be invited to fill one of the remaining slots than the guy who was waitlisted 3 months earlier and has not followed up. (Typically, we are considering 60 or 70 substantially identical applicants to fill the final 3 or 4 spots.) You should not be a pain in the ass and contact the program every other week, but an occasional "Hey, remember me?" can be helpful.

Thank you @Maebea! That is certainly helpful.

 

[starfun21]

On that token, I just called the Northwestern MSTP office to say hello and give as much info as possible to any applicants who are anxiously waiting to hear from them. The lady there was SUPER nice. She told me that their last interview date is actually a week from today (slightly surprising since this doesn't seem to line up with the national calendar, but I'll take their word for it lol) and that it's currently all full. They said that they'll have the list finalized on Monday -- the chances of a last minute cancellation seem pretty slim, but you never know! She says they'll probably be pretty busy next week with the interviews, but then around Feb 1, they'll send out "final notification" to everyone... AKA rejection lol. Just thought I'd update anyone else who has been hearing radio silence from them!

EDIT: Also made one more call to the admissions office at UCI. They confirmed that they ARE still handing out interview invites. Looks like they interview up until February 22. I think I'm personally probably done with receiving MSTP interview offers (bummer, but I submitted super early so I figure if they were interested, they would have let me know by now! Lol!), but I hope this helps out another applicant who may be in a more promising limbo.

 

[Jelly Bones]

On that token, I just called the Northwestern MSTP office to say hello and give as much info as possible to any applicants who are anxiously waiting to hear from them. The lady there was SUPER nice. She told me that their last interview date is actually a week from today (slightly surprising since this doesn't seem to line up with the national calendar, but I'll take their word for it lol) and that it's currently all full. They said that they'll have the list finalized on Monday -- the chances of a last minute cancellation seem pretty slim, but you never know! She says they'll probably be pretty busy next week with the interviews, but then around Feb 1, they'll send out "final notification" to everyone... AKA rejection lol. Just thought I'd update anyone else who has been hearing radio silence from them!

EDIT: Also made one more call to the admissions office at UCI. They confirmed that they ARE still handing out interview invites. Looks like they interview up until February 22. I think I'm personally probably done with receiving MSTP interview offers (bummer, but I submitted super early so I figure if they were interested, they would have let me know by now! Lol!), but I hope this helps out another applicant who may be in a more promising limbo.

Thank for the update and sorry to hear that @starfun21 I was also hoping to hear back from Northwestern. It seems that the calendar isn't 100% set in stone... I remember BU also had dates into February and now it shows their last date is next week. The calendar seems to have been updated recently since all the NU February dates are gone! I guess some schools decided to cut things short this cycle. I was expecting more movement on the invite thread in the new year but it has been really quiet.

 

[medicalhopeful09]

I just called the UPenn Perelman office to ask about application updates and they said that their last interview date is next week, and basically if we haven't heard anything yet, we will get "final confirmation" sometime next week (aka rejection). The lady I talked to was super nice though .

I also called the University of Maryland MSTP office and the lady I talked to was also very very nice and she said that they are still definitely giving out interview invites...although they also said my app has not been reviewed yet and I was complete beginning of September... Still some hope! And I haven't gotten any "on hold" emails either.

I called University of Virginia and no one picked up, and Wisconsin-Madison has no more interview spots available. There are 2 people on the interview waiting list who they'll invite if anyone cancels, and after the waiting list there is a hold list.

Hope this helps! Good luck to everyone!!!

 

[ishuman]

I just called the UPenn Perelman office to ask about application updates and they said that their last interview date is next week, and basically if we haven't heard anything yet, we will get "final confirmation" sometime next week (aka rejection). The lady I talked to was super nice though .

I also called the University of Maryland MSTP office and the lady I talked to was also very very nice and she said that they are still definitely giving out interview invites...although they also said my app has not been reviewed yet and I was complete beginning of September... Still some hope! And I haven't gotten any "on hold" emails either.

I called University of Virginia and no one picked up, and Wisconsin-Madison has no more interview spots available. There are 2 people on the interview waiting list who they'll invite if anyone cancels, and after the waiting list there is a hold list.

Hope this helps! Good luck to everyone!!!

Thank you so much for all the info, it is very helpful

 

[pineapplecake]

Thanks for sharing @starfun21, @medicalhopeful09, and @Jelly Bones !!

 

[starfun21]

Thanks for sharing @starfun21, @medicalhopeful09, and @Jelly Bones !!

 

[ImmunoLove]

Bumping thread: Anyone who interviewed at UNC MSTP this past weekend/today care to share their experiences? I interview this coming weekend and have not received any itinerary other than my flight schedule.

 

[smiley buckeye]

FYI guys! USC Keck/Caltech is done giving out interviews but they have a waitlist for interviews. So if we haven't heard back it's probably a silent rejection at this point

 

[ADW1994]

Does anybody know if Case Western is still giving out interviews for the late February date?

 

[carpediem22]

Bumping thread: Anyone who interviewed at UNC MSTP this past weekend/today care to share their experiences? I interview this coming weekend and have not received any itinerary other than my flight schedule.

I feel totally unprepared for this, there is literally no information

 

[ImmunoLove]

I feel totally unprepared for this, there is literally no information

Rest assured, you aren't the only one. I'm right there with you! As a result, I'm going to familiarize myself a bit more with the school but I'm otherwise winging it (I am not about to go completely neurotic and invest so much by researching every single potential interviewer/lab/nuance since I'm going off so little. That, and this process is wearing on me a bit). I am under the impression they want to get a feel for us as people, so I'm going to be my plain-old-boring self. Here's to next weekend!

Edit: surprisingly, there's absolutely nothing on the entire internet with so much as a hint to the process, either.

 

[Argle Bargle]

I feel totally unprepared for this, there is literally no information

I'm guessing that we'll talk to some people, eat some food, and walk around a lot. I'm working on brushing up on those skills right now!

 

[SK8nfroggy]

Coming out of lurking to respond - due to the East Coast storm, a lot of flights in were cancelled until Sunday. Additionally according to Alert Carolina, operations at UNC were suspended until Monday afternoon, so the admissions team is probably pretty swamped at the moment in dealing with how this affected the first weekend.

That being said, the interview weekend was scheduled to be fairly chill Saturday and Sunday, mostly getting to know the program through meeting with current students for meals, tours, etc. Interviews were scheduled for Monday morning.

I'm sure their team is working hard to coordinate the second weekend and will have the logistical details to you all soon, they have been incredibly helpful and responsive so far. Hope this helps, and good luck with your interviews!

 

[ImmunoLove]

I'm guessing that we'll talk to some people, eat some food, and walk around a lot. I'm working on brushing up on those skills right now!

Lol what gave that away, the email invite?! I tease! Ok so we are all unprepared. It will be ok, and if it's not, I'll buy the first round.

 

[ImmunoLove]

Coming out of lurking to respond - due to the East Coast storm, a lot of flights in were cancelled until Sunday. Additionally according to Alert Carolina, operations at UNC were suspended until Monday afternoon, so the admissions team is probably pretty swamped at the moment in dealing with how this affected the first weekend.

That being said, the interview weekend was scheduled to be fairly chill Saturday and Sunday, mostly getting to know the program through meeting with current students for meals, tours, etc. Interviews were scheduled for Monday morning.

I'm sure their team is working hard to coordinate the second weekend and will have the logistical details to you all soon, they have been incredibly helpful and responsive so far. Hope this helps, and good luck with your interviews!

Thank you!

 

[ImmunoLove]

Coming out of lurking to respond - due to the East Coast storm, a lot of flights in were cancelled until Sunday. Additionally according to Alert Carolina, operations at UNC were suspended until Monday afternoon, so the admissions team is probably pretty swamped at the moment in dealing with how this affected the first weekend.

That being said, the interview weekend was scheduled to be fairly chill Saturday and Sunday, mostly getting to know the program through meeting with current students for meals, tours, etc. Interviews were scheduled for Monday morning.

I'm sure their team is working hard to coordinate the second weekend and will have the logistical details to you all soon, they have been incredibly helpful and responsive so far. Hope this helps, and good luck with your interviews!

Were you an interviewee? Your answers imply the weekend was perhaps onerous, or even cancelled, on account of the storm.

 

[edc1618]

While everyone is talking about the programs that ignored them...what's up with Harvard? I know they rejected some people but I applied in July so I'm a little annoyed I never even got a rejection lol

 

[ImmunoLove]

While everyone is talking about the programs that ignored them...what's up with Harvard? I know they rejected some people but I applied in July so I'm a little annoyed I never even got a rejection lol

I didn't have the confidence to apply directly (plus, I felt the HST was a sufficient fit). But yes, this whole "ignored" process is uncouth.

 

[SK8nfroggy]

I was supposed to be, but flight issues came up :/ Current status of re-scheduling interview is TBA/I have no information as to how this weekend turned out.

 

[ImmunoLove]

I was supposed to be, but flight issues came up :/ Current status of re-scheduling interview is TBA/I have no information as to how this weekend turned out.

Oy. Wow. Sorry to hear....

On an Unrelated/tangential note: What a strange cycle this has been!

 

[carpediem22]

I'm guessing that we'll talk to some people, eat some food, and walk around a lot. I'm working on brushing up on those skills right now!

Lol I was referring more to the necessary Google stalking of faculty interviewers.

But yah Ima def practice the eating part a good bit between now and Saturday. The walking / socializing with other human beings part, ehh maybe.

 

[mapmep]

Hey everyone! Talked to Vandy and UW-Madison, both done sending II unless there is a last minute cancellation

 

[nmusdposter]

I think we had all pretty much figured this one out by now, but I got the "official" email today from Penn indicating that interview season was over and that I had not been interviewed (pretty much had figured that one out). The email said my portal had now been updated (although it had been updated as of 12/3).

 

[pineapplecake]

@nmusdposter hahah just got the email as well here's to some closure!

 

[ImmunoLove]

Got the UNC itinerary email last night. Will post info from it for future applicants this week/end. Been a busy week!

 

[shady_bb]

I've been researching the schools I've been accepted to/ waitlisted at to kill some time while anxiously waiting for more decisions. For those doing the same, these threads have been helpful:
Is it a bad idea to choose an MSTP based on research interests?
How did you choose which MSTP to attend?

My takeaways:
NIH Reporter can help you determine research productivity.
Neuronix's avatar is not actually his dog.

I've also been stalking the current students lists for each school and searching for the G3-M7 students on PubMed. That's probably not as reliable as the NIH Reporter searches, but I think it's helpful. Anyone else have any other tips for making decisions? I'm curious to know how other applicants are weighing factors like # of PI's in desired field vs. supportive administration.

 

[Fencer]

My view is that best circumstance for outstanding MD/PhD training can be reached with a good PhD mentor and collaborators (3-5) and strong support of your MD/PhD administration. One aspect that I advice is to consider the proportion of MD/PhD students in the program who obtain NIH F-series grants (F30/31) or other individual fellowship grants. In addition, median time to graduation and number of manuscripts are key measurables. Congrats on MD/PhD acceptances and offers for waitlist!

 

[shady_bb]

Thank you, @Fencer ! Your advice has been an invaluable resource to me and undoubtably many others during this application cycle.

 

[inky]

I have a question about multiple acceptances that maybe someone (@Fencer ?) can help with.
I hope this isn't the wrong place to post such a question, sorry if it is.

I know that MD programs release multiple acceptance data on Feb 10th. Is this true for MD-PhD programs as well?
Additionally, if I applied to an MD-PhD program that does admissions in 2 separate phases (MD admissions much earlier than MD-PhD) and I have been accepted to MD but MD-PhD has not released decisions does this mean that the MD-PhD program will have access to the MD multiple acceptance data? Would this tell them about any MD-PhD acceptances (or lack thereof) as well?

Thanks for any insights!