From what I have seen, bonuses are very rare. I have only heard of Iowa and Northwestern offering bonuses (think like $10K lump sum during M1). I believe University of Washington and like a few other schools offer a lump sum of $1-2K for moving expenses. Moving expenses are rare, recruiting bonuses are *much* rarer.
I don't think you're an idiot. You've worked crazy hard to be here and your success shows it. At the end of the day HMS-MIT is an amazing program that some people would give anything to attend (even two years tuition). If you think you'd be happier there over any of your other options I'd say go for it. Otherwise, if you think another program would satisfy you take the chance to get away from the Boston winters for 8 years! Just don't let your family make the decision for you, your happiness and potential for success (whatever you define that as) matter most and can be attained elsewhere than HMS.
The year is 2037. You’ve just finished your 7 years of PSTP at MGH after doing 8 years as a Harvard affiliated MD/PhD. 38 year old you is hanging their degrees and accolades on the wall of their first lab space as an attending whose still wet behind the ears. You are proud of your accomplishments and you reminisce on how your decisions until now have shaped what will be the next 30 years of your career. When 38 year old Harvard-Affiliate you looks on at those documents and thinks about the choices they have made until now, were those choices driven by the desire for the name and the prestige or were those choices driven by wanting to be in the most supportive environment? Did 38 year old you seek out mentors whose name had clout or did they seek out the best mentor to teach them how to be a scientist? Upon reflection, does 38 year old you ponder “what if I went to XYZ whose research fit/geography/support network was far superior?” or do they feel satisfied with where they have been and the trajectory they are going?
I would talk to a student in the program and see if they would do it differently a second time. You can figure out what they value and if those values align with your own.
Vandy and Case offer them now from the emails I have gotten.
Hi there, I also interviewed and received the MSTP R along with the subsequent but-you-can-affiliate! email. I chose to withdraw for some of the reasons you mentioned.
I wanted to jump in and comment on "avenues for individual support feel[ing] adequate to most" so students preparing to apply are aware. My partner and I ended up interviewing at 10 of the 20 T20s, including Harvard, and it was evident that some of the "tippy-top" ranked schools do not put *as much* effort into how their programs are run. One of those schools was Harvard, as Aspiring MD-PhD also picked up on. Definitely didn't get that sense from many of the other top schools, so I'd like to hear more about why you think feeling a lack of support structures is the case everywhere.
Sure! Happy to clarify.
| Action | n | MCAT | cGPA |
| TOTAL MD/PhD APPLICANTS | 1767 | 511.4 | 3.69 |
| At least 1 MD/PhD AC | 646 | 516.8 | 3.84 |
| Currently holding at least 1 (or more) MD/PhD AC | 643 | 516.8 | 3.83 |
I think it means that 3 people were given ACs but have withdrawn them, and now have 0.
It means three people have succumbed to the “Graduating in 2030? That’s not even a real year…” syndrome.
Expanding on Fencer's response, the NIH awards a specific number of slots to funded programs. For established programs without any identified major problems, the NIH typically awards enough slots to cover 20-25% of current trainees. Each slot comes with stipend, tuition, and training expense allocation. If a program receives 20 slots, they can appoint 20 students to the grant at any one time. The stipend and tuition from the NIH are not enough to cover the full cost, so the program supplements with institutional funds.
Just my opinion, but if I were you I would send the LOI ASAP and explain your situation to SLU. Assuming both SLU and USF have research you are interested in (since you took the time to apply and interview), I don’t think you having never visited the city trumps the incredible opportunity your partner has by going with WashU for her PhD. You are considering two MD/PhD programs that are similar enough in prestige/opportunity so it’s not like you would be giving up your #1 choice for your last choice, but your partner would be giving up a huge opportunity just because you haven’t visited the city yet. If I were you, I would also put living with my partner for the next several years above your concern about not having visited the city. Also, it is not a guarantee that the LOI will have an impact at all, but it is basically all you can do at this point to improve your chances of getting in unless you have an update on your application to send in.
As someone who has been on both sides (withdrawn from several interview invites and an acceptance, and also on another waitlist), think about how you felt before you had any interviews or acceptances. There are still many people out there who feel like that (and even worse since we are at the end of March) as they haven't received their first acceptance yet. If you have your top choice A, you have no reason to hold onto another one. If you are thinking in terms of not hurting the feelings of the other program, that is not solid logic as I am sure they would be happier to know that you will not be attending their program sooner rather than later so they can start to fill their class.
Sorry, I should have been more clear, I didnt mean for that post to sound like I am postponing withdrawing or not sending my withdrawal. I made the decision and communicated it when I knew to be courteous of their time and other applicants. I meant the like general feeling I get when actually typing and hitting send on the email is just weird*/anxiety even though I know that doesnt make any sense
| Action | n | cGPA | MCAT |
| Total MD/PhD applicants | 1768 | 3.69 | 511.4 |
| At least 1 MD/PhD AC | 680 | 3.83 | 516.7 |
| Currently w 1+ MD/PhD AC | 672 | 3.83 | 516.7 |
This part bugs me. I have been lucky and thankful enough to have received 4 MD/PhD acceptances, but I currently only hold two because early communication 1) helps reduce my stress by narrowing my choices 2) helps the school and other applicants who may want to go there. There really should be no reason to hold on to more than 2 or 3 As, right? 6+ is just completely silly. It isn’t like we are MD only waiting for financial aid offers…you should know what you want out of a location and research….
So if I have friends on 4 or 7 WLs, no As - it would not be bad advice for me to just tell them “prepare a reapplication, but April/May will likely be good to you.”
Thank you for continuing to share these statistics! Out of curiosity, do you know why the total number of applicants on the AMCAS report has fluctuated despite applications being long since closed? I've noticed this is a phenomenon that has appeared in past cycles as well.
Yes, it is quite normal! I am not certain of how many programs do this, but I know at least at the University of Colorado it sounds like half the people at second look were on the waitlist so that’s at least one example of a school that does it. I know other schools do it as well. I think you’re in an excellent position to take advantage of the situation and ask what a high priority waitlist means, but also just ask normal questions. What does the research look like, what will your rotations look like, ask current students about the culture, email potential graduate students in the lab you’re interested in. While you are there, maybe come a little bit better dressed and be a little more professional just to try to give a good impression since you are still under consideration, but the biggest thing is going to be to show your interest. Let them know that you want to be there.
I'm very grateful but also do not have an As so I'm hoping this goes well!
Good luck! Be professional, but most importantly be you
Would you like to vent/talk? Everything OK?
WashU just got an absolute stud!
# of Applicants | MCAT | cGPA | |
| Total MD/PhD Applicants | 1768 | 511.4 | 3.69 |
| At least 1 MD/PhD AC | 692 | 516.7 | 3.83 |
| Currently Accepted MD/PhD | 679 | 516.8 | 3.83 |
