*** 2018-2019 MD/PhD cycle - Questions, Comments, and other things ***

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LateApplicant2018 said:
I was in the same boat recently. Instead of rescheduling with School A, I asked School B for an alternative due to scheduling conflicts. It was a long shot but, to my surprise, School B came back with a "non-traditional" date that was not listed on their website. It was a ballsy move but paid off big time - didn't have to change my travel plans to School A (and potentially risk annoying them with last minute changes) and found time to visit School B. The lesson here is that these rules may not be set in stone and it may benefit you just to ask.
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Thanks for the advice and username!
 
vaticrunner said:
Thanks for the advice! Do you have any advice in how to make a solid impression during the interview? At the moment, it seems as though I am having good conversations with faculty mentors; however, I’m not sure if that is really enough to help me stand out from the crowd. My assumption is everyone at the interview is qualified, so is the interview where I need to differentiate myself somehow or just going with the flow will be good enough.
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When talking about your work, do not get lost in the weeds. Focus on the big picture & demonstrate an understanding of the biological significance of your work. If possible, set up questions, i.e., leave an opening that will invite a question, then hammer the response with data. Be upfront when you do not know the answer to a question. Nothing is worse than trying to bs an interviewer. Read up on your interviewers in advance & have questions about their work. We look for individuals who can come up with insightful questions in the interview. If the interviewer is outside your area of expertise, approach the interview as an opportunity to learn something new. This will demonstrate your curiosity. Do your research on the school. If you are interviewing at Hopkins, know something about Hopkins: the research, the curriculum, the extracurricular activities, living in Baltmo, etc. If the primary reason you applied to Hopkins is because it is a "Top 5" school and you cannot enunciate a reason beyond that, don't bother applying. Hopkins knows what it can do for you, the question is what can you do for Hopkins? How can you enrich your classmates, your lab, the community? Finally, be professional, courteous, and friendly. We are entering into a long-term relationship with you, one that lasts longer than many marriages. If you are late in getting things done or slow in responding to our emails, we will notice. If you seem indifferent, self-important, or jerky, we will notice. You are not applying to a school, you are joining a community and will become a colleague. There are plenty of jackasses in academia, and we are not interested in adding more. If you an introvert like me, it may be hard to summon the energy to be bright, interested, and avuncular for these very draining interview experience. You'll need to dig deep to find a way to convince us that you have the potential to contribute to our institution.
 
For those that interviewed at Indiana, did they say when we'd hear back? I vaguely remember February, but not completely sure.
 
For those who interviewed at Tri-I - during the interview day I remember them telling us we would hear back on 12/10 but on the website it says 12/12. Does anyone know for sure what day itll be?
 
drbeener said:
For those who interviewed at Tri-I - during the interview day I remember them telling us we would hear back on 12/10 but on the website it says 12/12. Does anyone know for sure what day itll be?
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I remember the same!
 
ClinicianScientist said:
I remember the same!
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@drbeener

I called them asking the same question. They said the admissions committee is meeting right now, and based on how that goes we can hear back today, tomorrow, or Wednesday. I'm just happy that they tell us no matter what the outcome is! Cuts the stress a limbo would bring 🙂
 
makemeadoctordoctordoctor said:
Well, given that their last scheduled interview ends today and decisions come out in 3(ish) weeks.... 🙁
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Right, I saw that. I was thinking about sending an update and I'm not sure how set-in-stone that calendar is, so I was wondering if anyone had insider info.
 
looptheloop said:
Wondering the same about Harvard
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I use the MD-PhD Interview/Revisit Calendar to try and gauge when schools are done giving interviews. Harvard's last interview date is January 8, which is less than a month away, so I'm leaning towards them wrapping up if they haven't done so already. There's always a possibility people drop out closer to the interview date, but I feel like Harvard probably doesn't have a problem with no-shows.
 
nakamarra said:
I use the MD-PhD Interview/Revisit Calendar to try and gauge when schools are done giving interviews. Harvard's last interview date is January 8, which is less than a month away, so I'm leaning towards them wrapping up if they haven't done so already. There's always a possibility people drop out closer to the interview date, but I feel like Harvard probably doesn't have a problem with no-shows.
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Here is to hoping they send something to us soon. Instead of in March.
 
Is A&M receptive to letters of intent/updates? I interviewed for the MD/PhD program in September and from what the director told me, acceptances would've been sent out in late October, November, and December. I don't really have anything to update but I really like the school, especially since it's my alma mater and CS is like a second home. I'm thinking of sending something along the lines of "I've interviewed at other places, but A&M remains my top choice b/c etc..." to the director, but should it be through email or a more formal letter?
 
The AAMC FACTS MD/PhD data tables for 2018-19 have been uploaded into their website. This is the link to the AAMC FACTS MD data tables.

Here is the most important table for applicants: AAMC Facts Table B-8 (applicants and matriculants per school)

There were two major (and very positive) changes: they are providing PDF and Excel downloads (excel is new), and their race/ethnicity tables now are providing data for self-identification alone or in combination (including all who claim that particular status). These AAMC data tables are updated every December after the completion of the admission cycle. They are entitled as 2018-19 but are truly reflecting a cross-sectional biopsy of a particular census date in the Fall 2018 of the 2018-19 academic year.
 
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Brief update as of admission actions by 12/15/18 for the 2019 AMCAS MD/PhD cycle (Changes since 11/30)

Total MD/PhD Applicants ----------- 1766 (no change)
Withdrawn BEFORE AC --------------------- 54 (-15)
Rejected/Deferred to MD ----------------- 897 (+94)
At least 1 MD/PhD AC ---------------- 235 (+49)
Withdrawn AFTER AC ------------------------ 1 (-1)
Currently MD/PhD Accepted -------------- 234 (+50)
Still looking for a MD/PhD position - 580 (-128)

Keep in mind that by the end of the cycle, based on 2013-18 data, we will have between 749-791 applicants (see post #225 of this thread) with at least ONE MD/PhD Acceptance. Thus, if you are having more than 4-5 interviews, your chances are pretty good. There are only 815 applicants who are competing for a MD/PhD position.

As I indicated previously, once you have an acceptance on hand, PLEASE cancel interviews to programs that you feel are lower in YOUR own personal ranking, giving others a chance. If you already know that you are not going to a program, don't collect acceptances but do the right thing and withdraw from an acceptance. Between Oct. 15 and Feb. 19, applicant voices are the only ones that we want to hear (or we will have). We are no longer able to know other details in the national system...

Beginning on Feb. 19, applicants are able to indicate in the upcoming AMCAS Choose your Medical School web-tool:
a) nothing, just keep getting acceptances passively without choosing (until April 15), or,
b) I plan to commit to this program (i.e.: if cycle ends today, this is where I will enroll but you are able to be waitlisted in other programs), or
c) I plan to enroll to this program (i.e.: I will enroll here, everywhere else is out of the running including waitlists).
Plan to commit or Plan to enroll can only be selected for a single school/program. Programs will know that you have other acceptances, and once they see these other "actively choosing" choices are able to contact applicants. Plan to commit "must" not result in a negative action until April 30 by the other schools, but Plan to enroll means that you are withdrawing from other schools. Keep also in mind that after April 15, you are only able to hold 3 acceptances.
 
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Does anyone know what being deferred from WUStL MSTP post-interview means? The email wording seemed ambiguous to me and I don't know whether or not I should get my hopes up or down.
 
psyduck1720 said:
Does anyone know what being deferred from WUStL MSTP post-interview means? The email wording seemed ambiguous to me and I don't know whether or not I should get my hopes up or down.
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They look at you in January and decide whether to accept you then. The chances are still pretty good.
 
Brief update as of admission actions by Friday 12/21/18 (overnight sync to today) for the 2019 AMCAS MD/PhD cycle (Changes since 12/15, just one week). Next week is a dead one from the standpoint of admissions, so more changes happen during the week of 12/17-12/21.

Total MD/PhD Applicants ----------- 1767 (+1)
Withdrawn BEFORE AC --------------------- 29 (-25) * comment #1
Rejected/Deferred to MD ----------------- 978 (+81) * comment #2
At least 1 MD/PhD AC ---------------- 312 (+77) * comment #3
Withdrawn AFTER AC ------------------------ 1 (-1)
Currently MD/PhD Accepted -------------- 311 (+77)
Still looking for a MD/PhD position - 448 (-132)

This was a very busy week for many MD/PhD Admission Committees. Many of them met and delivered initial admission decisions. I have 3 general comments for discussion based upon the numbers.

Comment #1
Why people go from already withdrawn from the cycle and join the ranks of the Passive Withdrawal (PW), Rejected (RJ), or Preliminary Rejection (PR). These later 3 admission actions are Final Actions (as defined by Admission protocols of AMCAS) while Withdrawn Before an acceptance (WB) is often seen by the Admission Officers as not a Final Action despite being one. What puzzles me is that an Admission Officer must first cancel the WB action, and then place PW, RJ or PR.

Comment #2
While this group consists of applicants with Passive Withdrawal (PW - no secondary, no show to interview, etc.), Preliminary Rejection (PR - often not making academic benchmark cut-offs for the school, before Committee review), and Rejection (RJ - Rejection after Committee review). An important point is that the group of RJ increases until March, but later in the cycle a few of these rejections are reversed and result in acceptances. At the present time, if you add those actively seeking a position and those with a current AC, you get 760 applicants which is within the historical number that we typically have as getting at least one MD/PhD acceptance (see post #225 of this thread).

Comment #3
A total 77 MD/PhD applicants received their first MD/PhD acceptance this week! Some might have received their 2nd or 3rd acceptance. This is awesome as many of you go back and visit your families, and are asked about when are you going to find out. Now, you can show that you have initial success and you are waiting for other schools to make decisions.

On a sad note - the NIH Director of the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), died early this morning after suffering a catastrophic stroke. He had a major impact on Lupus research. I was uplifted by the note that Dr. Collins wrote about him.

Happy Holidays to you'll!
 
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Brief update as of admission actions by Monday 12/31/18 (overnight sync to today - 1/1/19) for the 2019 AMCAS MD/PhD cycle (Changes since 12/21).

Total MD/PhD Applicants ----------- 1772 (+5) * comment #1
Withdrawn BEFORE AC --------------------- 29 (no change)
Rejected/Deferred to MD ----------------- 975 (-3) * comment #2
At least 1 MD/PhD AC ---------------- 321 (+9)
Withdrawn AFTER AC ------------------------ 2 (+1)
Currently MD/PhD Accepted -------------- 319 (+8)
Still looking for a MD/PhD position - 447 (-1) * comment #3

Comment #1
What happened this week is that some people who were deferred from a prior cycle submitted late their single school application. They are aiming to register into their MD/PhD program in Fall 2019. This happens every year, and often in two groups. The first one reads the email from the PD/PC, telling them "we don't see your application in AMCAS... are you planning to register in 2019?" The other group doesn't read the email, are away, but then, they come to their senses, and apply to AMCAS in March/April/May, when every week there are new applicants (after all interviews are completed).
Comment #2
Please notice that some people who were in the PR (preliminary rejection), RJ (rejected), or PW (passive withdrawal), are suddenly active interviewing or seeking an acceptance. It is only a few, but these 3 applicants were given a new chance.
Comment #3
All of these shifts leave a group of 766 applicants who haven't withdrawn (WB,WA) or haven't been rejected from MD/PhD programs. Out of them, 319 have a current acceptance and 447 are still looking. At the end of the cycle between 770 and 790 applicants will receive at least one MD/PhD acceptance (see prior posts), so your chances for an acceptance if you have multiple interviews but no acceptance are pretty high.
 
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Fencer said:
Brief update as of admission actions by Monday 12/31/18 (overnight sync to today - 1/1/19) for the 2019 AMCAS MD/PhD cycle (Changes since 12/21).

Total MD/PhD Applicants ----------- 1772 (+5) * comment #1
Withdrawn BEFORE AC --------------------- 29 (no change)
Rejected/Deferred to MD ----------------- 975 (-3) * comment #2
At least 1 MD/PhD AC ---------------- 321 (+9)
Withdrawn AFTER AC ------------------------ 2 (+1)
Currently MD/PhD Accepted -------------- 319 (+8)
Still looking for a MD/PhD position - 447 (-1) * comment #3

Comment #1
What happened this week is that some people who were deferred from a prior cycle submitted late their single school application. They are aiming to register into their MD/PhD program in Fall 2019. This happens every year, and often in two groups. The first one reads the email from the PD/PC, telling them "we don't see your application in AMCAS... are you planning to register in 2019?" The other group doesn't read the email, are away, but then, they come to their senses, and apply to AMCAS in March/April/May, when every week there are new applicants (after all interviews are completed).
Comment #2
Please notice that some people who were in the PR (preliminary rejection), RJ (rejected), or PW (passive withdrawal), are suddenly active interviewing or seeking an acceptance. It is only a few, but these 3 applicants were given a new chance.
Comment #3
All of these shifts leave a group of 766 applicants who haven't withdrawn (WB,WA) or haven't been rejected from MD/PhD programs. Out of them, 319 have a current acceptance and 447 are still looking. At the end of the cycle between 770 and 790 applicants will receive at least one MD/PhD acceptance (see prior posts), so your chances for an acceptance if you have multiple interviews but no acceptance are pretty high.
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Thanks for the update!

How is it that 8 people could be accepted but only 1 less person is seeking an acceptance? Even assuming that the 5 people who were added to the pool were immediately accepted the math doesn't work out on these categories.
 
squeakpeak said:
Thanks for the update!
How is it that 8 people could be accepted but only 1 less person is seeking an acceptance? Even assuming that the 5 people who were added to the pool were immediately accepted the math doesn't work out on these categories.
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This is the data. We can argue about what it means. If you read my comments, I tried to explain the movements. Here it goes again...
There were 5 new applicants this late in the season. I suspect that they are part of the group "deferred to a future class" from a prior cycle. Those are likely 5 of the 9 new acceptances. In addition, we got 3 people who were taken from the rejected groups who were likely offered an interview, thus, the seeking group had 3 additional people (+3) but we also had 4 additional accepted applicants (-4), leaving a -1 in the seeking group.

There are other potential permutations, but all of them end up leaving a -1 in the seeking group despite a +9 in the accepted group.
 
Brief update as of admission actions by Monday 1/5/19 (overnight sync to today - 1/6/19) for the 2019 AMCAS MD/PhD cycle (Changes since 12/31 actions).

Total MD/PhD Applicants ----------- 1773 (+1)
Withdrawn BEFORE AC --------------------- 26 (-3) * likely added to RJ
Rejected/Deferred to MD ----------------- 988 (+13)
At least 1 MD/PhD AC ---------------- 343 (+22)
Withdrawn AFTER AC ------------------------ 2 (no change)
Currently MD/PhD Accepted -------------- 341 (+22)
Still looking for a MD/PhD position - 416 (-31)

This past week, we had interviews and committees/faculty getting back to work...
 
Hey guys, I was wondering if anyone has gone to an MD interview at a school where they got rejected for MD-PhD and switched to MD? I’m not sure how to best approach the “What are you still doing here if you want to do MD-PhD?” type of questions. My answer would basically be along the lines of “I like the medical education program here, I can still pursue the research opportunities I was interested in as an MD, and I know I can try to affiliate with the MD-PhD” program later”, but I’m not sure if that is good enough? I applied all MD-PhD and I already have an acceptance and 5 other interviews to hear from/attend but the school in question was my first choice so that's the only MD invitation I accepted. Also I’m a non-Canadian international so I’m trying all my chances lol
 
bmm879 said:
I’m a non-Canadian international
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Hey, I saw from one of your older posts that you were applying to Mayo's MSTP. I thought they didn't accept non-Canadian internationals (as stated on their website). Have they changed their policy? Just asking because I'm a non-Canadian int'l as well and will apply next year. You can PM me if you prefer.
 
Hey guys, so I only had 3 MSTP interviews so far, but haven't got an acceptance yet.
I applied to 12 schools and am expecting silent rejections from the rest of the schools. My interviews went well in my humble opinion, but I am still worried because of my border line MCAT score. Any advice for me at this point?
I have started thinking about retaking the MCAT and re-apply next cycle if this cycle does not go well =(
 
As a group, the data is correct... From the standpoint of each of you, the issue would be to assess why your application only got X interviews. Not enough science, not enough grades, not enough MCAT, or a combination of them. Were you applying too selectively (i.e.: to programs with too many applicants with better numbers)?

Among the 15 experiences, I suggest to include a "passion" outside of medicine and science... ballet, varsity sport, chess, even video games... something that humanizes you. It is difficult to select interviewees when everyone has terrific numbers and science experiences.

With 3 interviews, the probability is pretty good to get at least one AC ... >80%. It could be better, if you felt that things went well on each of the interviews. Once a month (to 6 weeks), send an email to the PD expressing continuous interest all the way until May 10 or so.
 
Fencer said:
Once a month (to 6 weeks), send an email to the PD expressing continuous interest all the way until May 10 or so.
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Do you recommend sending an email to the director periodically even if the program limits the number of updates? Also, at some schools I interviewed the PD was also a full time practicing physician or researcher and it seemed that correspondence regarding admissions was to be directed to someone else in the office. If this is the case, would you still recommend reaching out to the director? How can you express continued interest in a school without being "overbearing"? How can you say different things in each correspondence beside saying why you are interested in the particular program?
 
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peanutbuttercup24 said:
Is anyone else still waiting to hear from schools that have sent out rejections, i.e. schools that don't silent reject? I'm not sure what to make of it at this point...
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My assumption was that they're hanging on to us in case they get people withdrawing from their IIs
 
Do a significant percentage of people actually get off the waitlists? I recognize this may be very program specific, but it feels like a lot of schools waitlist almost everyone who isn’t accepted post II...
 
Yes. A lot of people get off waitlist as late as mid-May. In prior years, when acceptance data was shared among PD, around 250-300 applicants (that is ~40% of the accepted class) got new acceptances between April 16 and May 15. For about 100 of them, it was their first MD/PhD acceptance.
Every program is a different world... We and almost every program do reject applicants post-interview. This cycle, perhaps, we are more cautious because of less information regarding the extent/type/location of the acceptances of our accepted and waitlist applicants.
 
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Brief update as of admission actions by Friday 1/18/19 (overnight sync to today - 1/19/19) for the 2019 AMCAS MD/PhD cycle (Changes since 1/5 actions).

Total MD/PhD Applicants ----------- 1774 (+1)
Withdrawn BEFORE AC --------------------- 20 (-6) * likely added to RJ
Rejected/Deferred to MD ----------------- 1021 (+33)
Actively seeking (not RJ) ----------------- 733
At least 1 MD/PhD AC ---------------- 406 (+63)
Withdrawn AFTER AC ------------------------ 8 (+6)
Currently MD/PhD Accepted -------------- 398 (+57)
Still looking for a MD/PhD position - 327 (-89)

Some observations... the non-rejected pool of applicants is now significantly below of the number of people who traditionally get at least one acceptance (770-790). That means that about 40 people who were interviewed and currently appear in the system as rejected might be eventually accepted. The pool of applicants this year at the present point is about 2.5 - 4 % smaller than prior recent years.
 
Administrators might be too eager and label applicants with the initial AdComm decisions after interviews in AMCAS. Some of these applicants might be unaware of that particular label as it is not communicated from AMCAS to the applicant. Later in the cycle, the program might be facing a decision between not filling a class or accepting a suitable applicant who might have not interviewed well at that particular school. Administrators might then need to reverse the "labeling" of reject to an applicant. It happens every year...
 
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Brief update as of admission actions by Sunday 1/27/19 (overnight sync to today - 1/28/19) for the 2019 AMCAS MD/PhD cycle (Changes since 1/18 actions).

Total MD/PhD Applicants ----------- 1773 (-1 ??)
Withdrawn BEFORE AC --------------------- 14 (-6) * likely added to RJ
Rejected/Deferred to MD ----------------- 1049 (+28)
Actively seeking (not RJ) ----------------- 710 (-23)
At least 1 MD/PhD AC ---------------- 429 (+23)
Withdrawn AFTER AC ------------------------ 6 (-2 ??)
Currently MD/PhD Accepted -------------- 423 (+25)
Still looking for a MD/PhD position - 281 (-46)

Some observations...
- One person who was in the RJ group somehow disappeared from the applications (without withdrawing before AC).
- The non-rejected pool of applicants continues to shrink to a level (710) significantly below of the number of people who traditionally get at least one acceptance (range: 749-791 - 6 year average 774 - see post #225). That means that about 60 people who were interviewed and currently appear in the system as rejected might be eventually accepted (note that some of these applicants haven't been notified of their status).
- The overall pool of applicants this year at the present point is about 2.5 - 6 % smaller than prior recent years (2016 - 1903 applicants, 2017 - 1824 applicants, 6-year average - 1860).
 
Hey guys, just wondering if Adcoms reply to thank you notes?
Some of my peers received some replies for their thank you notes after interviews, but I've never got one.
I know every school does things differently, but I'm just wondering how common do interviewers reply to thank you notes from interviewees?
 
wamcgims said:
Hey guys, just wondering if Adcoms reply to thank you notes?
Some of my peers received some replies for their thank you notes after interviews, but I've never got one.
I know every school does things differently, but I'm just wondering how common do interviewers reply to thank you notes from interviewees?
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Depends on the school and individual. From some I’ve received replies, from others nothing. Don’t worry if you don’t receive a reply, they are likely too busy 🙂.
 
wamcgims said:
Hey guys, just wondering if Adcoms reply to thank you notes?
Some of my peers received some replies for their thank you notes after interviews, but I've never got one.
I know every school does things differently, but I'm just wondering how common do interviewers reply to thank you notes from interviewees?
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It is hit or miss. I'd say the reply rate for my thank you notes has been ~ 30%
I definitely appreciate when I do get a response, knowing the letter was read, but I understand people are busy. And honestly, how do you reply to a thank you note? . unless it was truly a pleasure speaking with the applicant and you wanted to thank them back
 
wamcgims said:
Hey guys, just wondering if Adcoms reply to thank you notes?
Some of my peers received some replies for their thank you notes after interviews, but I've never got one.
I know every school does things differently, but I'm just wondering how common do interviewers reply to thank you notes from interviewees?
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Sometimes do sometimes don’t in my experience
 
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