*** 2019-2020 MD/PhD cycle - Questions, Comments, and other things ***

[Fencer]

Here is the national MD/PhD interview calendar:

MD-PhD Interviews and Revisit Days

calendar.google.com

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[narla_hotep]

Damn lol, how long have they had that? Not sure if this calendar is a new thing or if I just hella missed out on a good resource a couple years ago

 

[mtoboggan]

Here is the national MD/PhD interview calendar:

MD-PhD Interviews and Revisit Days

calendar.google.com

FYI to other applicants - not all programs are listed on the calendar, so there may be even more interview days left than what appears here

 

[JoaoMoutinho]

Damn lol, how long have they had that? Not sure if this calendar is a new thing or if I just hella missed out on a good resource a couple years ago

It's been around for several years. It is not always completely accurate (some programs change interview days and forget to update), and as another poster pointed out not all programs use it. It is pretty valuable though, and it includes a lot of second look dates as well.

 

[CaliforniaAsian]

I agree with Fencer in that the cycle is far from over. A ton of schools interview for MD/PhD in January. Just a partial list of those I know of: UT Southwestern, Johns Hopkins, University of Colorado, University of Chicago, Northwestern, and University of Washington

It's true that most schools still interview in January, but the spots are already filled. I think it's misleading to say the cycle is "far from over" because I've called programs and they have either just filled their last date or are filling them as we speak.

 

[narla_hotep]

I've definitely gotten interview invites in mid-December though, and it's still pretty early in the month. But in retrospect those could have been spots opening up from other applicants declining interviews because they'd gotten their A elsewhere.

 

[CaliforniaAsian]

I've definitely gotten interview invites in mid-December though, and it's still pretty early in the month. But in retrospect those could have been spots opening up from other applicants declining interviews because they'd gotten their A elsewhere.

Yes I received an II in the beginning of this month for a program’s last day. I declined (no A yet but scheduling conflicts), but I don’t think it helped another applicant because it turns out the day was already filled over capacity!

 

[Seihai]

Schools I interviewed at in the past few weeks with dates in January all said they were still filling spots and offering interviews, in part (but not entirely) due to cancellations. It seems that a lot of people start cancelling January interviews after hearing back from some schools earlier in the cycle, and some schools are still finally fully reviewing their later applicants.

 

[Fr4nklin]

Is there a real disadvantage when interviewing on the last offered day for a school with rolling admissions? Nothing I can do about it, but I also don't want to get my hopes up

 

[tilapiaexpress]

Is there a real disadvantage when interviewing on the last offered day for a school with rolling admissions? Nothing I can do about it, but I also don't want to get my hopes up

yes and no. they will have certainly offered positions to their top candidates from earlier in the cycle, but you can certainly still snag a spot!I know people who interviewed in similar positions and got an offer soon after their interview. An unfortunate but likely alternative is that you might get a WL and have to wait for those other candidates to decide elsewhere. Even at the most desirable institutions there are usually a few pull ins from the WL. If in march/april you are still interested, then let them know.

Anecdotally, I believe it is best to send a LOI later when possible. It is far more potent when sent then because schools are deciding between a few candidates, and they know you have finished interviewing.

good luck!

 

[deleted1017698]

Related question: if we interviewed at schools with rolling admissions in September/October and haven’t heard back (other applicants have been accepted), when and how should we let them know we are still interested?


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[tilapiaexpress]

uary, but the spots are already filled. I think it's misleading to say the cycle is "far from over" because I've called programs and they have either just filled their last date or are filling them as we speak.

i can appreciate why you feel this way, but I am not sure how universally true this is.

I called a program around three weeks before their final interview explained that I knew they had an interview date forthcoming, and explained I would be excited to be there and just wanted to know if they were still giving out II's so I could plan accordingly. I followed up with a brief email saying thanks for chatting. They said they would "let me know soon". I got a call from the PD the next day with an II. I believe this only worked because I was from a very far away area, and my application had some rarer circumstances that may have gotten it passed it up on a first glance.

That interview was only half full compared to all their other dates. Apparently they had run out of candidates they were excited about interviewing. Anyways, i ended up getting accepted, and my friend who got one of their first IIs and went to the first interview was rejected.

I got four II's in december and january and got into all of them. it isn't too late at all. if you're interested and haven't heard anything, I encourage you to send a short but personal update reaffirming your interest. Don't do it unless you're truly interested. I know that my own institution has a few II's left.

 

[tilapiaexpress]

Related question: if we interviewed at schools with rolling admissions in September/October and haven’t heard back (other applicants have been accepted), when and how should we let them know we are still interested?


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IMO, I would wait. They know you haven't interviewed everywhere and they are unlikely to have a lot of wiggle room at the moment. Unless you've finished interviewing, I would hold off.

 

[Seihai]

Is there a real disadvantage when interviewing on the last offered day for a school with rolling admissions? Nothing I can do about it, but I also don't want to get my hopes up

Somewhat yes in the idea that you will be compared not only to the applicants from that interview day, but the applicants from all prior interview days when they determine to whom to offer their final acceptances to.

However, this disadvantage is small considering they save spots specifically because they know there will be strong applicants arising from the final interview days (like you!) that they will likely want to accept.

 

[heavymetal_celldeath]

Radio silence from half my schools lol...I guess I'm in the "If someone withdraws from an interview date then maybe we'll invite him but otherwise we won't but let's keep him hanging on for as long as possible" pile

 

[CaliforniaAsian]

Radio silence from half my schools lol...I guess I'm in the "If someone withdraws from an interview date then maybe we'll invite him but otherwise we won't but let's keep him hanging on for as long as possible" pile

For some reason it seems some schools are lethargic in sending rejections even if you’re not in the aforementioned pile...a la me calling and hearing “you’ll get an email containing the official rejection soon” -> email arrives one month later.

 

[puzzlesmith]

Radio silence from half my schools lol...I guess I'm in the "If someone withdraws from an interview date then maybe we'll invite him but otherwise we won't but let's keep him hanging on for as long as possible" pile

Still seems better than what I have going in my signature... lol

 

[OHCA]

Could use some quick advice here. I got offered to interview for the MD-only program at my top choice MD/PhD program. I know that the MD/PhD admissions is separate from the MD-only, and that I still remain under consideration for interview for the last couple dates remaining at the MD/PhD side. I'm usually against these kinds of things prior to interviewing, but do you think it is reasonable to send a LOI/"in the area" type of message to the MD/PhD admissions to let them know that I will be on campus interviewing for the MD-only program?

 

[Fencer]

Absolutely, yes...

 

[sourpatch fetish]

So I have a question...I was recently waitlisted at a program where I thought all my interviews went brilliantly. Thinking back, I recall one of the faculty interviewers interviewed me without having read my file (although they're supposed to). I was wondering if it's worth it to bring this to the program's attention, in addition to any updates I may have?

 

[CaliforniaAsian]

So I have a question...I was recently waitlisted at a program where I thought all my interviews went brilliantly. Thinking back, I recall one of the faculty interviewers interviewed me without having read my file (although they're supposed to). I was wondering if it's worth it to bring this to the program's attention, in addition to any updates I may have?

Personally, I would stick with the updates. Any misconduct by the interviewer should be brought up as soon as possible, including the day-of. Complaining about your interviewer now and in this context would probably be viewed negatively for obvious reasons.

Also, I don’t think interviewing without reading your file is particularly unusual. Faculty are busy, and you don’t even know how this interviewer impacted your admissions decision anyway. He/she could’ve given you the best review of your life.

 

[sourpatch fetish]

Personally, I would stick with the updates. Any misconduct by the interviewer should be brought up as soon as possible, including the day-of. Complaining about your interviewer now and in this context would probably be viewed negatively for obvious reasons.

Also, I don’t think interviewing without reading your file is particularly unusual. Faculty are busy, and you don’t even know how this interviewer impacted your admissions decision anyway. He/she could’ve given you the best review of your life.

Yeah, I thought bringing it up now would come off more as "whining", too. Thanks for chiming in!

 

[langwang3]

So I have a question...I was recently waitlisted at a program where I thought all my interviews went brilliantly. Thinking back, I recall one of the faculty interviewers interviewed me without having read my file (although they're supposed to). I was wondering if it's worth it to bring this to the program's attention, in addition to any updates I may have?

Like half my interviewers didnt bother to read my file beyond skimming my name and undergrad college name, that's nothing out of the ordinary lol

 

[heavymetal_celldeath]

I had an interviewer print out my entire packet, essays, transcripts, LoRs and bring it into the interview, then look over it for weak spots in front of me and ask me about them

 

[hrqtalwq]

I had an interviewer print out my entire packet, essays, transcripts, LoRs and bring it into the interview, then look over it for weak spots in front of me and ask me about them

I had a similar experience where the interviewer pulled up my primary and went through it page by page. I lowkey found it refreshing though because I got a chance to explain everything rather than they just reading the few sentences or numbers on the application.

 

[deleted993768]

Question for MD/PhD Committee Admins:

So after graduation I started my Master's program and wasn't sure if it would be impactful to submit an update with my first semester's grades to school that I'm still waiting for an interview and even schools that I've already interviewed at to increase my chances of getting accepted.

Wasn't sure if that was worth my time sending.

 

[Maebea]

Question for MD/PhD Committee Admins:

So after graduation I started my Master's program and wasn't sure if it would be impactful to submit an update with my first semester's grades to school that I'm still waiting for an interview and even schools that I've already interviewed at to increase my chances of getting accepted.

Wasn't sure if that was worth my time sending.

It wouldn't hurt, but I am not sure how much it would help. Presumably, your academic record was fine, otherwise they would not have interviewed you. The other information in your update (e.g., research progress, interest in particular faculty or aspects of the program) will be more important to the admissions committee.

 

[Michael Burry]

Quick question--should I send an update letter (accepted manuscript) to Columbia pre-II? Apparently they are finished with all the interview dates listed on their website, but I haven't been rejected yet and don't know what to think. Thanks!

 

[Fencer]

Yes... That is a significant update.

 

[Cherry1997]

Quick question--should I send an update letter (accepted manuscript) to Columbia pre-II? Apparently they are finished with all the interview dates listed on their website, but I haven't been rejected yet and don't know what to think. Thanks!

I am interviewing there on Jan 9 so they do still have a date left! It would probably be a cancellation at this point since I received invite in October and one of my friends received invite for that date in November. Still worth a try though as people may start canceling interviews now with acceptances starting to roll out from places

 

[babykarat]

I just withdrew from a program and they asked me what other schools I was considering as well as the reason(s) why I am withdrawing.

Does this seem odd to anyone else? Why should I have to give them this information?

 

[931kra]

I just withdrew from a program and they asked me what other schools I was considering as well as the reason(s) why I am withdrawing.

Does this seem odd to anyone else? Why should I have to give them this information?

I’ve been asked a couple of times for specific reasons as to why I’ve withdrawn (at any stage in the process from pre-II to post-A) and I think that’s fair game! It probably helps them improve their interview process. Or at least, I would hope they use it for that!

Them asking for other specific schools seems less normal—they might ask so they can figure out which schools have most overlap with them, but it still feels pushy to me. I would probably respond with reasons why I withdrew and not comment on their question about other schools!

 

[deleted1005053]

I just withdrew from a program and they asked me what other schools I was considering as well as the reason(s) why I am withdrawing.

Does this seem odd to anyone else? Why should I have to give them this information?

You’re a scientist. Data is data. How is this any different from you spending your time on here figuring out who interviewed where and when, who got accepted where and when, so on and so forth? They’re just as interested as you are. Withholding this information after they have spent their time/money/interest on you seems standoffish. If you are withdrawing from their program I’m assuming you’re going somewhere else, and, correct me if I’m wrong, I don’t think they can prevent that.

 

[shacoleblanconly]

You’re a scientist. Data is data. How is this any different from you spending your time on here figuring out who interviewed where and when, who got accepted where and when, so on and so forth? They’re just as interested as you are. Withholding this information after they have spent their time/money/interest on you seems standoffish. If you are withdrawing from their program I’m assuming you’re going somewhere else, and, correct me if I’m wrong, I don’t think they can prevent that.

Ayy if we’re going to be answering questions like this nobody’s going to want to ask anything.

 

[babykarat]

Data is data? Of the 3 places I withdrew, only 1 asked all this, so forgive me if it came off as odd. Maybe my phrasing was off, but my question was fair and your response was not.

 

[deleted1005053]

My response was certainly unnecessarily terse and rude and I apologize for that. I’m really sorry; probably projecting my own stresses and anxieties into rushed responses like this. Supposed to be a safe place to come to ask questions and have them answered.

That being said, I don’t think it’s weird. What I think was weird was PDs asking me the question during my interview. I don’t think there’s any harm in telling them at this point. You don’t “have” to give them the requested info but I think it’s just their curiosity.

Again, I’m sorry (to you and all readers). Best of luck all.

 

[babykarat]

No worries, have probably been there. Yeah "have" was the wrong word. I think I will reply, but to give all the reasons for my decision would feel rude...I'll just pick a few major ones

 

[mdphd_applicant]

Hey everyone! I'm kinda having a bad time this cycle. Got a lot of II's, but I am not getting any acceptances. I've sent updates (first author publication accepted) and I will send another update (4.0 this term) soon. But I did not get interviews from programs I thought I was competitive at (my undergrad for example, or really any T10s). Curious if there's anything I should be doing to really push for an acceptance at my top choices.

 

[CaliforniaAsian]

Hey everyone! I'm kinda having a bad time this cycle. Got a lot of II's, but I am not getting any acceptances. I've sent updates (first author publication accepted) and I will send another update (4.0 this term) soon. But I did not get interviews from programs I thought I was competitive at (my undergrad for example, or really any T10s). Curious if there's anything I should be doing to really push for an acceptance at my top choices.

Well, do you know what the timeline is for your schools? For me, the majority of the schools I have interviewed/will interview at don’t release their decisions until their interview season is over. T20s included. I wouldn’t start sweating until February.

 

[Seihai]

Hey everyone! I'm kinda having a bad time this cycle. Got a lot of II's, but I am not getting any acceptances. I've sent updates (first author publication accepted) and I will send another update (4.0 this term) soon. But I did not get interviews from programs I thought I was competitive at (my undergrad for example, or really any T10s). Curious if there's anything I should be doing to really push for an acceptance at my top choices.

Most of the programs I've interviewed at straight up told me not to expect to hear back until February/March. I wouldn't be too concerned about not having any acceptances yet.

 

[Fencer]

Update on 2020 Cycle - as of 01/03/2020 (overnight sync to 1/4) - sorry, I haven't been updating.

A few months into the 2020 cycle... This is the BEST result for each individual applicant (WA or AC is better than Active/Looking, which is better than Rejected - PW, PR, RJ).

	January 4, 2020
Total Applicants	1795
Withdrawn Before Acceptance (WB)	31
Rejected (Prelim Rj, Passive Withdrawal, RJ)	959
Active in the cycle (not rejected)	805
At least 1 MD/PhD Acceptance (AC, DF, WA)	319
Defer to a later application cycle (DF)	0
Withdrawal After Acceptance (WA)	3
Currently Accepted for MD/PhD (AC)	316
Seeking a position (NA, HO, RS, AL, IN)	486

Last year, we ended up with 803 applicants receiving at least 1 MD/PhD acceptance, and 708 first-year MD/PhD matriculants. Therefore, less than 40% of the eventual applicants who are given at least 1 MD/PhD acceptance have a MD/PhD acceptance - which means that >60% of eventual 2020 MD/PhD accepted applicants are still waiting for their first acceptance.

 

[mdphd_to_be]

Hey everyone! I'm kinda having a bad time this cycle. Got a lot of II's, but I am not getting any acceptances. I've sent updates (first author publication accepted) and I will send another update (4.0 this term) soon. But I did not get interviews from programs I thought I was competitive at (my undergrad for example, or really any T10s). Curious if there's anything I should be doing to really push for an acceptance at my top choices.

Have you been rejected/waitlisted from places post-II? If all you have heard is silence right now and the programs have either not sent any acceptances or are rolling admissions, I wouldn't worry yet. As Fencer said above, 60% of people eventually accepted to MD/PhD programs haven't been accepted anywhere yet. You probably won't get any more II this cycle since it is getting late, but I definitely don't think you should worry about not getting in anywhere yet.

 

[mdphd_applicant]

Have you been rejected/waitlisted from places post-II? If all you have heard is silence right now and the programs have either not sent any acceptances or are rolling admissions, I wouldn't worry yet. As Fencer said above, 60% of people eventually accepted to MD/PhD programs haven't been accepted anywhere yet. You probably won't get any more II this cycle since it is getting late, but I definitely don't think you should worry about not getting in anywhere yet.

Thank you for the reassurance. I have not gotten any R's after II yet. Hopefully something works out.

 

[Cherry1997]

Update on 2020 Cycle - as of 01/03/2020 (overnight sync to 1/4) - sorry, I haven't been updating.

A few months into the 2020 cycle... This is the BEST result for each individual applicant (WA or AC is better than Active/Looking, which is better than Rejected - PW, PR, RJ).

	January 4, 2020
Total Applicants	1795
Withdrawn Before Acceptance (WB)	31
Rejected (Prelim Rj, Passive Withdrawal, RJ)	959
Active in the cycle (not rejected)	805
At least 1 MD/PhD Acceptance (AC, DF, WA)	319
Defer to a later application cycle (DF)	0
Withdrawal After Acceptance (WA)	3
Currently Accepted for MD/PhD (AC)	316
Seeking a position (NA, HO, RS, AL, IN)	486

Last year, we ended up with 803 applicants receiving at least 1 MD/PhD acceptance, and 708 first-year MD/PhD matriculants. Therefore, less than 40% of the eventual applicants who are given at least 1 MD/PhD acceptance have a MD/PhD acceptance - which means that >60% of eventual 2020 MD/PhD accepted applicants are still waiting for their first acceptance.

Does this mean that 959 have been rejected from every MD/PhD program they applied to?

 

[Seihai]

Does this mean that 959 have been rejected from every MD/PhD program they applied to?

Yes (or they withdrew prior to an acceptance). This is roughly on par with stats from last year (quote of Fencer's post in the 2018-2019 thread):

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.

A lot of people will apply MD-PhD to just one or two schools and apply MD to the rest (and so they are considered an MD-PhD applicant for these stats). When they're rejected from the limited number of MD-PhD programs they applied to, they are no longer in the cycle (though a very small number do seem to be able to be reconsidered, as seen above).

 

[Cherry1997]

Yes (or they withdrew prior to an acceptance). This is roughly on par with stats from last year (quote of Fencer's post in the 2018-2019 thread):



A lot of people will apply MD-PhD to just one or two schools and apply MD to the rest (and so they are considered an MD-PhD applicant for these stats). When they're rejected from the limited number of MD-PhD programs they applied to, they are no longer in the cycle (though a very small number do seem to be able to be reconsidered, as seen above).

Ahh that make sense!!! Thank you

 

[deleted993768]

So I just learned what a letter of intent actually is....

I just interviewed in early December at what I know is going to be my dream school. I submitted an update letter to the school a couple days ago with reasons from the interview why the school made a big impact on me, a bit about why I’d be a good fit, status on my current research, and updated graduate school transcript.

Since the school isn’t rolling and releases around February, is it worth while to send a letter of intent or just wait it out? I didn’t delve too much in my update why I would be a good fit for the school since I wanted to keep it under a page. I mostly focused on the research people were doing and research environment that I really loved.

 

[CaliforniaAsian]

So I just learned what a letter of intent actually is....

I just interviewed in early December at what I know is going to be my dream school. I submitted an update letter to the school a couple days ago with reasons from the interview why the school made a big impact on me, a bit about why I’d be a good fit, status on my current research, and updated graduate school transcript.

Since the school isn’t rolling and releases around February, is it worth while to send a letter of intent or just wait it out? I didn’t delve too much in my update why I would be a good fit for the school since I wanted to keep it under a page. I mostly focused on the research people were doing and research environment that I really loved.

I think sending one so soon after your last update would be seen as a bit insistent. Personally, I would wait it out until February.

 

[deleted993768]

I think sending one so soon after your last update would be seen as a bit insistent. Personally, I would wait it out until February.

Yeah I wouldn’t even consider sending an LOI until end of January since they send out in mid February.

 

[OHCA]

Absolutely, yes...

UPDATE: It worked ! Thanks for the advice!