*** 2021-2022 MD/PhD cycle - Questions, Comments, and other things ***

[toofastdan]

Update as of last night sync (4/15 --> 4/16):

	# 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​

We still have capacity for >150 applicants who will be earning their first MD/PhD acceptance in the next 4-6 weeks to reach ~850 applicants with at least one MD/PhD AC as in prior cycles. Please also note that the national MD/PhD class has ~750-760 slots, and that means that there are at the moment 70-80 empty chairs. The problem is that we (PDs) don't know who among our applicants with multiple ACs will be withdrawing.

Thanks for the updated info! Do you know how many acceptances your accepted applicants generally hold after April 15th? I was wondering how the slim down to 3 acceptances moved the waitlist.

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[Fencer]

Unfortunately, I am below the target of 10 ACs, which does not allow me to see that number anymore. However, as of Thursday overnight to Friday, we had 10 accepted with 22 acceptances. The prior week, we had 10 accepted with 36 acceptances. Thus, people are beginning to make decisions but many PDs are able to budget some of them by extending more ACs than slots. As you can tell, we had 10 ACs with 8 slots, but I can't go beyond that as some other programs and have 18-25 outstanding ACs for the eventual 8-10 matriculants.

 

[MD-PhD-NonTrad]

but I can't go beyond that as some other programs and have 18-25 outstanding ACs for the eventual 8-10 matriculants.

Is this portion to say you anticipate admitting another ~8-15 off of your waitlist, you just can’t have that volume all at once?

 

[Fencer]

No... Every year, I end up admitting a total of 22-29 applicants out of 220-270 applicants to get 7 trainees. This year, we are aiming for 8 trainees. I just cant' admit 22 or 25 or 29 applicants at the beginning of the musical chair epoch (early Feb; musical chairs epoch is between completing interviews and landing your class). Some programs are able to do that, we just can't due to local rules. At the moment, we have had a total of 25 AC for our 8 projected slots and have had 17 withdrawals after AC.

 

[RunningMSN]

As an extension of Fencer's previous post about upcoming first acceptances... Below is a visual compiling the data he has shared over the past few years (big thank you for continuing to do this!). Early on it looked like we were tracking relatively similarly to 2020 but we've fallen a bit behind. If we anticipate the final number of applicants w/ a minimum of 1 acceptance to be similar to last year, we'll be in for a larger bump than we've seen in the past few years.

Edit: Updated graph title.

 

[Fencer]

As an extension of Fencer's previous post about upcoming first acceptances... Below is a visual compiling the data he has shared over the past few years (big thank you for continuing to do this!). Early on it looked like we were tracking relatively similarly to 2020 but we've fallen a bit behind. If we anticipate the final number of applicants w/ a minimum of 1 acceptance to be similar to last year, we'll be in for a larger bump than we've seen in the past few years.

View attachment 353488

Please note that this is the number of APPLICANTS with at least 1 MD/PhD Acceptance, and NOT the number of MD/PhD ACCEPTANCES, which is somewhere in the 2200 ballpark (~2.6 per MD/PhD accepted applicant).

 

[mdphd32940]

I am currently accepted into one MD/PhD Program and waitlisted at my top choice. I have sent updates and a letter of intent to my first choice program. I know I should set an internal deadline to officially commit to my accepted school (which is a great program and am very excited to join, but my top choices is just a slightly better fit for my personal life and the things that are going on with me now). When would be a good time to tell myself to blow out that last candle of hope for my top choice program?

 

[MD-PhD-NonTrad]

I am currently accepted into one MD/PhD Program and waitlisted at my top choice. I have sent updates and a letter of intent to my first choice program. I know I should set an internal deadline to officially commit to my accepted school (which is a great program and am very excited to join, but my top choices is just a slightly better fit for my personal life and the things that are going on with me now). When would be a good time to tell myself to blow out that last candle of hope for my top choice program?

This highly depends on two things:

1) Your current program CTE

2) Your openness to last minute moves.

Programs are not allowed to set a CTE until 21 days before the first day of classes. For MD/PhD programs, this 21 days can/does include summer rotations. In many cases, even if the summer rotation is optional, some MD/PhDs May still have a CTE based on that optional start date. Contact your program. If you have the funds and comfort to wait until that CTE date, do it.

For me personally, my tippy top choice has historically had WL movement in the first week of May. So if I am not admitted by May 6th, I am committing. Coincidentally, my two leading CTE dates are the following week anyways so this just works out perfectly in my case, but yours may differ.

I would make plans as if you were going to your current acceptance (get a U-Haul reservation or scope out apartments), but also get a reservation for the WL school made and make those backup plans so you are ready to go regardless of where it is.

 

[BRTaurus]

On a similar note, I have withdrawn from all acceptances and waitlists aside from one acceptance where I am PTE and one waitlist. I'm not sure I'd attend the waitlist school over the current acceptance even if I was holding both acceptances today, so don't feel comfortable sending a letter of intent (in the case that I end up not attending if accepted). Am I essentially throwing out the possibility of acceptance to the waitlist school by not sending a letter? I had sent a letter of interest/minor update earlier on in the cycle. I'm thrilled in any case, but just wanted to hear thoughts.

 

[MD-PhD-NonTrad]

On a similar note, I have withdrawn from all acceptances and waitlists aside from one acceptance where I am PTE and one waitlist. I'm not sure I'd attend the waitlist school over the current acceptance even if I was holding both acceptances today, so don't feel comfortable sending a letter of intent (in the case that I end up not attending if accepted). Am I essentially throwing out the possibility of acceptance to the waitlist school by not sending a letter? I had sent a letter of interest/minor update earlier on in the cycle. I'm thrilled in any case, but just wanted to hear thoughts.

No, you are not throwing that out. Some programs take letters of intent seriously, some take letters of interest into account, many don’t. My source on this is an n=2 where I have sent letters of interest not intent and gotten off of two waitlists, but a letter of intent to one school which I am still waitlisted at. Personally, if at this stage you don’t know that you would go to one over the other, save them and yourself the trouble by withdrawing. Cut ties now rather than later so you can focus on moving forward with your summer rotations/get a jump start on exploring an area.

 

[Fencer]

Brief update as of overnight sync (4/20 to 4/21):

Admission Group	n	cGPA	MCAT
Total MD/PhD Applicants	1768	3.69	511.4
At least 1 MD/PhD AC	701	3.83	516.7
Currently AC	684	3.83	516.7

 

[MD-PhD-NonTrad]

Brief update as of overnight sync (4/20 to 4/21):

Admission Group	n	cGPA	MCAT
Total MD/PhD Applicants	1768	3.69	511.4
At least 1 MD/PhD AC	701	3.83	516.7
Currently AC	684	3.83	516.7

Congrats to the 9 new double doc admits!

 

[yibs]

Hi everyone! I am in a tough spot and wanted to ask for advice. I narrowed down my acceptances to a T25 MSTP, which is a great fit, location and research-wise. I immigrated to the US recently and my family (parents and siblings) has been moving with me to school/undegrad and so on since then. They really want to move to that T25's locations for many reasons. However, I am on the waitlist for Penn, and they really don't want live near there (caused major conflict and awful mental health issues for me over many months because I got the Penn invite in September and the T25 acceptance in October). Now, the real problem is timing. The T25 starts in mid-July and my family are going to be in another county in June. We need to finalize my dad's work and house as soon as possible (he wants to now). They don't want to wait until mid-May because we would be in a time crunch. I think Penn is obviously a more prestigious school but I don't think it's a better fit in terms of location and research personally. In terms of my goals, as an MD/PhD, I am obviously interested in academic medicine but I don't have a specific interest in competitive specialties like neurosurgery or derm. Should I withdraw from Penn's waitlist? Is waiting till mid-May worth the trouble?

 

[mudfud26]

Bird in the hand is worth 2 in the bush. You may never get off the waitlist at Penn. I would (and did) run with my A so I could start figuring out my first rotation, housing, spouse's job, etc. You will likely be more relieved once you take your A and can moving forward with plans. It's a T25 MSTP! That is awesome! You even said it has great research and location for you.

Also, I was super happy to start adding my new school colors to my wardrobe and nail polish collection.

 

[lilfraumeni]

Hi everyone! I am in a tough spot and wanted to ask for advice. I narrowed down my acceptances to a T25 MSTP, which is a great fit, location and research-wise. I immigrated to the US recently and my family (parents and siblings) has been moving with me to school/undegrad and so on since then. They really want to move to that T25's locations for many reasons. However, I am on the waitlist for Penn, and they really don't want live near there (caused major conflict and awful mental health issues for me over many months because I got the Penn invite in September and the T25 acceptance in October). Now, the real problem is timing. The T25 starts in mid-July and my family are going to be in another county in June. We need to finalize my dad's work and house as soon as possible (he wants to now). They don't want to wait until mid-May because we would be in a time crunch. I think Penn is obviously a more prestigious school but I don't think it's a better fit in terms of location and research personally. In terms of my goals, as an MD/PhD, I am obviously interested in academic medicine but I don't have a specific interest in competitive specialties like neurosurgery or derm. Should I withdraw from Penn's waitlist? Is waiting till mid-May worth the trouble?

It seems like the school you have an acceptance to is a great fit for you (and your immediate family if you want them nearby). I personally would not wait for a school that seems like it’s not as good of a fit, just because it is more prestigious. As MD/PhDs we will already be very competitive when we apply for residency, especially if the other school you are already accepted at is in the T25. Personally I would run with the acceptance you already have because QOL >>> prestige.

 

[yibs]

Thank you so much for your reply! I might wait 2 weeks or so and then let it go. Hopefully, my family can make it work.

 

[eagle_123]

Hi everyone! I am in a tough spot and wanted to ask for advice. I narrowed down my acceptances to a T25 MSTP, which is a great fit, location and research-wise. I immigrated to the US recently and my family (parents and siblings) has been moving with me to school/undegrad and so on since then. They really want to move to that T25's locations for many reasons. However, I am on the waitlist for Penn, and they really don't want live near there (caused major conflict and awful mental health issues for me over many months because I got the Penn invite in September and the T25 acceptance in October). Now, the real problem is timing. The T25 starts in mid-July and my family are going to be in another county in June. We need to finalize my dad's work and house as soon as possible (he wants to now). They don't want to wait until mid-May because we would be in a time crunch. I think Penn is obviously a more prestigious school but I don't think it's a better fit in terms of location and research personally. In terms of my goals, as an MD/PhD, I am obviously interested in academic medicine but I don't have a specific interest in competitive specialties like neurosurgery or derm. Should I withdraw from Penn's waitlist? Is waiting till mid-May worth the trouble?

I think Penn is one of those few places with a very high amount of prestige and it might open doors for you that the other program might not. Especially if you want to run a lab one day, I would not withdraw from Penn waitlist based on your parents wanting you to attend a different location. I understand wanting/needing to live with your family during high school and maybe undergrad, but at this stage in life I personally think you need to prioritize your career. Philadelphia has a lot of options for careers so your parents should be able to find work there if they feel the need to live in the same city as you. Please do not let them make this decision for you. Go with the program you feel is best for you.

 

[yibs]

I think Penn is one of those few places with a very high amount of prestige and it might open doors for you that the other program might not. Especially if you want to run a lab one day, I would not withdraw from Penn waitlist based on your parents wanting you to attend a different location. I understand wanting/needing to live with your family during high school and maybe undergrad, but at this stage in life I personally think you need to prioritize your career. Philadelphia has a lot of options for careers so your parents should be able to find work there if they feel the need to live in the same city as you. Please do not let them make this decision for you. Go with the program you feel is best for you.

I understand! They have been supportive of all my decisions during this cycle. Due to the logistics of life, we (mostly I) have been in limbo on when I can decide where I am finally going. Moving a group of humans, their home, and their business across to a new state takes time, especially since my acceptance is at a school that starts in July.

 

[eagle_123]

I understand! They have been supportive of all my decisions during this cycle. Due to the logistics of life, we (mostly I) have been in limbo on when I can decide where I am finally going. Moving a group of humans, their home, and their business across to a new state takes time, especially since my acceptance is at a school that starts in July.

Would it be possible for your family to move a little bit after if they are not able to move their business right away? What if they move in August? That would give them 3 months, and would be the same as moving for the other city starting now for a july move. Does your family absolutely have to be in the same city as you on your very first day?

 

[yibs]

Would it be possible for your family to move a little bit after if they are not able to move their business right away? What if they move in August? That would give them 3 months, and would be the same as moving for the other city starting now for a july move. Does your family absolutely have to be in the same city as you on your very first day?

We are planning to move to the same house and our current house's lease ends in July. There are more logistical issues in their business that make it complicated. The problem is do I even have a chance at Penn? They waitlisted everyone they interviewed that did not get in. Plus their MSTP is one of the best so I imagine not many people are turning them down.

 

[eagle_123]

We are planning to move to the same house and our current house's lease ends in July. There are more logistical issues in their business that make it complicated. The problem is do I even have a chance at Penn? They waitlisted everyone they interviewed that did not get in. Plus their MSTP is one of the best so I imagine not many people are turning them down.

You and/or them might need to airbnb for a month or two (assuming 2 months is not enough time to find a home if you start looking mid-may). I obviously don’t know where you are on the waitlist list, but the waitlist wouldn’t exist if everyone that was accepted always matriculated. They also happen to have one of, if not the, most amount of spots. Let’s say you end up getting accepted to penn and have to deal with these logistical issues, would you look back on it and say it was or was not worth it? Only you can answer this. Either way, someone in this situation is making a sacrifice. Either you will make a major sacrifice by potentially giving up a penn acceptance or your parents will have to sacrifice by having 2 months instead of 3 to figure out the move.

 

[mudfud26]

You and/or them might need to airbnb for a month or two (assuming 2 months is not enough time to find a home if you start looking mid-may).

Do you know how expensive that is? Not everyone has endless resources to do something like that. They have an A for a T25. Not something ranked 95, a T25. T25 is prestige enough to open doors, especially when it’s a better fit environment and research wise.

Also, it’s super important to have your family as a support system during school. Having a family that is willing to move so they can support you during your MSTP is incredibly helpful. It’s awesome to just be able to focus on studying and not have to worry about chores or cooking. That’s why I’m really glad I’m married and have a spouse that’s coming with me to help.

 

[eagle_123]

Do you know how expensive that is? Not everyone has endless resources to do something like that. They have an A for a T25. Not something ranked 95, a T25. T25 is prestige enough to open doors, especially when it’s a better fit environment and research wise.

Also, it’s super important to have your family as a support system during school. Having a family that is willing to move so they can support you during your MSTP is incredibly helpful. It’s awesome to just be able to focus on studying and not have to worry about chores or cooking. That’s why I’m really glad I’m married and have a spouse that’s coming with me to help.

Instead of paying rent or a mortgage for that month or two, they would be paying for an airbnb. I am not advocating for paying two rents at once. Yes, the T25 will open a lot of doors (I am also going to a T25 and not a Penn level program), but Penn will have certain opportunities that are unique to schools of that caliber (T5). In this scenario the family will be moving there regardless based on what the commenter said. It’s just a matter of waiting a couple more weeks to see if they get off the waitlist.

Edit: if the commenter was not genuinely interested in the possibility of Penn and the other school was a way better fit, why would they still want to wait a couple more weeks after having said what their situation is?

 

[DrDriven07]

Hi everyone! I am in a tough spot and wanted to ask for advice. I narrowed down my acceptances to a T25 MSTP, which is a great fit, location and research-wise. I immigrated to the US recently and my family (parents and siblings) has been moving with me to school/undegrad and so on since then. They really want to move to that T25's locations for many reasons. However, I am on the waitlist for Penn, and they really don't want live near there (caused major conflict and awful mental health issues for me over many months because I got the Penn invite in September and the T25 acceptance in October). Now, the real problem is timing. The T25 starts in mid-July and my family are going to be in another county in June. We need to finalize my dad's work and house as soon as possible (he wants to now). They don't want to wait until mid-May because we would be in a time crunch. I think Penn is obviously a more prestigious school but I don't think it's a better fit in terms of location and research personally. In terms of my goals, as an MD/PhD, I am obviously interested in academic medicine but I don't have a specific interest in competitive specialties like neurosurgery or derm. Should I withdraw from Penn's waitlist? Is waiting till mid-May worth the trouble?

I would set a deadline for the latest you can wait to hear back from Penn. I would expect if there is any waitlist movement, it will be the first two weeks of May. However, I am also not sure how much waitlist movement Penn has. I believe everyone who gets interviewed is waitlisted if not accepted. Rooting for you but regardless of what happens, you are going to great.

 

[Hawk520]

So at this point if you had 5 MD/PhD interviews resulting in only waitlists and alternate lists, what would you recommend doing? I have already sent out letters of intent/interest in March, but should I consider doing it again? Fencer's data looks promising for me given how many new MD/PhD ACs that could happen soon, but how do I try and make me one of those?

 

[Fencer]

This morning, I still had 3/8 accepted applicants who were holding 3 choices. Those applicants are beginning to make their choices this week, leading to movement on the MD/PhD list over the next 2 weeks.
As of last night

Total Applications	1768	3.69	511.4
At least 1 MD/PhD AC	708	3.83	516.7
Currently MD/PhD AC	688	3.83	516.7

 

[DesperatePremed123]

Currently classified as an alternate by the one and only MSTP/MDPHD that interviewed me this cycle (happens to be a T10). Considering this predicament, would it be of any benefit to mention my status to the admissions committee? I am very fortunate to have received an MD only offer, but my heart is inclined towards becoming a physician scientist. So far, I have sent a letter of intent, updates, and have been in touch with the school’s program manager since the notification. For T5-T10 schools, can we really expect any movement?

 

[MD-PhD-NonTrad]

Currently classified as an alternate by the one and only MSTP/MDPHD that interviewed me this cycle (happens to be a T10). Considering this predicament, would it be of any benefit to mention my status to the admissions committee? I am very fortunate to have received an MD only offer, but my heart is inclined towards becoming a physician scientist. So far, I have sent a letter of intent, updates, and have been in touch with the school’s program manager since the notification. For T5-T10 schools, can we really expect any movement?

If it helps, I know at least 2 or 3 folks at Yale are from the waitlist every year. Same from Penn.

 

[DesperatePremed123]

If it helps, I know at least 2 or 3 folks at Yale are from the waitlist every year. Same from Penn.

That is a decent yield. Thanks for sharing!

 

[mosquitogfp]

So at this point if you had 5 MD/PhD interviews resulting in only waitlists and alternate lists, what would you recommend doing? I have already sent out letters of intent/interest in March, but should I consider doing it again? Fencer's data looks promising for me given how many new MD/PhD ACs that could happen soon, but how do I try and make me one of those?

Don't really have any advice, but I'm in a similar situation.

 

[MD-PhD-NonTrad]

With VCU announcing they are now an MSTP, does that mean a school had to lose an MSTP slot? Like, are there a certain number of MSTP slots or just funding that gets more and more diluted with each new program?

 

[Maebea]

With VCU announcing they are now an MSTP, does that mean a school had to lose an MSTP slot? Like, are there a certain number of MSTP slots or just funding that gets more and more diluted with each new program?

No, NIGMS just has more money for training grants. They sent us 4 additional slots last year out of the blue. Frankly, we had some trouble finding students to fill those slots, but you never send money back to the NIH. In the end, I made some mentors very happy when I told them that I would cover another year of stipend.

 

[MD-PhD-NonTrad]

No, NIGMS just has more money for training grants. They sent us 4 additional slots last year out of the blue. Frankly, we had some trouble finding students to fill those slots, but you never send money back to the NIH. In the end, I made some mentors very happy when I told them that I would cover another year of stipend.

This is surprisingly refreshing!

 

[Fencer]

We are at 720 MD/PhD applicants with at least one MD/PhD acceptance. While slightly below other years, we are still tracking up. I expect about 30 new applicants joining the benchmark by next Saturday.

 

[baz2020]

Does anyone have experience getting a school to change your AMCAS status after withdrawing? A program that placed me on an alternate list for interviewing has my status in CYMS as on an alternate list (even though that's not what it is). I've asked them to withdraw my app a long time ago but never heard back (also not available in the secondary portal). I'm wanting to commit to my current accepted school but want to make sure I am withdrawn correctly everywhere else

 

[mdphd32940]

To my understanding, after today the schools can see your selection on CYMS. So you can hit commit to your accepted schools and it seems from what most schools are saying that they will promptly withdraw your app. I'd say feel free to hit commit, and maybe send the school that still shows the alternate list another email. But seems like you're doing everything correctly!

 

[Fencer]

When applicants select Commit to Enroll, all other programs who have you as an alternate receive an email indicating that situation. As per policy, this is enough for us to withdraw you before acceptance. The nice thing is that the primary AMCAS contact, likely the one that makes the selection deep within the school, is the person receiving that email. Remember that there is a chain between you contacting the program, the program contacting this person, and then this person changing the AMCAS portal. Sorry, but it takes time and sometime people drop messages...

 

[Fencer]

What a difference a deadline does... yesterday, there were 20 additional first acceptances.
As of the overnight sync... (5/2 -->5/3)

Action	n	MCAT	cGPA
Total MD/PhD applicants	1768	511.4	3.69
At least 1 MD/PhD AC	740	516.5	3.82
Currently holding MD/PhD AC	699	516.5	3.82

 

[Fencer]

Another day and 13 more first MD/PhD ACs ... we might get to 50 by end of the week...

 

[SeaAtDusk]

How do CTE deadlines impact WL movement?

Specifically, if a school's deadline is on 5/10, does that mean that there are only 6 days left for any of their admitted applicants at school A to potentially receive an offer from school B and withdraw from school A? At this point everyone should only have 1 acceptance.
So, if I'm not accepted off the WL by 5/12(? or the end of next week), then I likely will not get an offer altogether from school A?

They also said that movement after the CTE deadline can happen. Is this due to applicants staying on WLs despite committing to a school? Or is there another reason?

 

[Fencer]

Every school is different, but as you saw from the prior two days when 33 applicants received their first MD/PhD AC, deadlines move people to make decisions, which creates the space (vacating the slots) to move people from the WL into an AC. The last two slots that I have offered in past 12 years were on June 1st and May 18th. Keep in mind that I have offered ~300 MD/PhD acceptances (20-30/year). Despite my experience, I was surprised this year with 2 withdrawals near the May 2nd deadline...

 

[Fencer]

As of Saturday 5/7:

Action​	n​	MCAT​	cGPA​
Total MD/PhD Applicants​	1768​	511.4​	3.69​
At least 1 MD/PhD AC​	765​	516.4​	3.82​
Current MD/PhD AC​	711​	516.4​	3.82​

This past week (vs 4/30), we got 48 new first MD/PhD acceptances... given a current class of 711, I still expect a few more acceptances. The largest national class that we have had (in 2021) consisted of 750 trainees. So, potentially, we still have capacity for 39 additional first MD/PhD AC.

 

[dualdegreepossibly]

As of Saturday 5/7:

Action​	n​	MCAT​	cGPA​
Total MD/PhD Applicants​	1768​	511.4​	3.69​
At least 1 MD/PhD AC​	765​	516.4​	3.82​
Current MD/PhD AC​	711​	516.4​	3.82​

Sorry, I'm sure this has been discussed already but I can't find the answer. What's the difference between "At least 1 MD/PhD AC" and "Current MD/PhD AC?" Thank you for your transparency!

 

[SeaAtDusk]

Sorry, I'm sure this has been discussed already but I can't find the answer. What's the difference between "At least 1 MD/PhD AC" and "Current MD/PhD AC?" Thank you for your transparency!

At least one AC = was given an acceptance
Current AC = is holding an acceptance

Current AC can be smaller if people withdraw from their MD/PhD acceptances (maybe in favor of a MD acceptance)

 

[MD-PhD-NonTrad]

Kind of a weird end of cycle question - So I will be giving a presentation on "What is MD/PhD and why might you want to do it" alongside 5-7 other incoming MD/PhD M1s at the end of the month to our alumni and some organizations of interest. Our group comes from a diverse array of backgrounds and experiences, and we want to try to share some of those experiences to freshman, nontrads, and maybe others who otherwise wouldn't know about MD/PhD or may not think they are competitive enough for admission. Given there is an abundance of resources online that cover this topic, we are looking for ways of making the presentation engaging, unique, and actually adding something contributory towards the discussion. I was curious, what would you guys want to have heard - or what did you experience - at the beginning of your journey here that could have inspired confidence, interest, or otherwise informed you more wholly on what the career path of an MD/PhD looks like and maybe what a pre-MD/PhD individual looks like?

In particular, given we are all simply incoming and can only speak to our own experiences, I would be interested in hearing what @MSTPadvocate @Fencer @Neuronix @Maebea @Neuro.Doc might have to say. Not looking at the actual admissions cycle or what it takes to get in (not yet at least, that topic has been exhausted ad nauseum), but if you were to give a presentation to sew seeds in the minds of new learners as recruitment toward the MD/PhD path....what would you say that couldn't really be found in an online guide? What is the path like, who might be interested, what activities should one do to see if they could be interested, what can one do with an MD/PhD beyond an 80/20 career path, etc etc.

tl;dr - what words of wisdom would you have for people who just learned what an MD/PhD is or don't even know the career exists in order to inspire them either towards the path or get them interested in learning more?

 

[Fencer]

There is still some waitlist movement but it is slowing down .... as of last night (two working days of this week) 5/10-->5/11

Action	n	MCAT	cGPA
Total MD/PhD Applicants	1768	511.4	3.69
At least 1 MD/PhD AC	776	516.4	3.82
Currently MD/PhD AC	716	516.4	3.82

Edit: on Thu. 5/12, we are up by 5 more, with At least 1 MD/PhD AC at 781 with currently AC remaining at 716.

 

[yibs]

There is still some waitlist movement but it is slowing down .... as of last night (two working days of this week) 5/10-->5/11

Action	n	MCAT	cGPA
Total MD/PhD Applicants	1768	511.4	3.69
At least 1 MD/PhD AC	776	516.4	3.82
Currently MD/PhD AC	716	516.4	3.82

Edit: on Thu. 5/12, we are up by 5 more, with At least 1 MD/PhD AC at 781 with currently AC remaining at 716.

I don't know why this is confusing. So does the edit means that 5 people got accepted into their first MD/PhDs and at the same time 5 decided not to do MD/PhD?

 

[Fencer]

I don't know why this is confusing. So does the edit means that 5 people got accepted into their first MD/PhDs and at the same time 5 decided not to do MD/PhD?

Yes... 4 decided to withdraw to MD, and 1 decided to defer to future year

 

[Fencer]

This is after overnight sync (5/14):

Action	n​	MCAT​	cGPA​
Total MD/PhD Applicants	1768​	511.4​	3.69​
At least 1 MD/PhD AC	787​	516.4​	3.82​
Current AC or MA	720​	516.4​	3.82​

Compare this to 5/7:

Total MD/PhD Applicants	1768​	511.4​	3.69​
At least 1 MD/PhD AC	765​	516.4​	3.82​
Current AC	711​	516.4​	3.82​

A total of 22 new first MD/PhD acceptances during the 2nd week (787-765; 5/14 - 5/7) after the scramble, while we had 69 new first MD/PhD acceptances during the 1st week (765-696; 5/7-4/30).

I suspect many programs thought that the 2021 cycle surge of MD/PhD applications was going to be sustained, implementing slightly more selective procedures for this year. The national class of 2021 consisted of over 2000 applicants, 850 were given 1 MD/PhD AC, and closed with a national matriculating class of 750 MD/PhD trainees. This year, we reverted to a pool size of applicants and acceptances similar to 2020 cycle, which will yield a class of about 725 +/- 10 matriculants. However, I expect still some movement in the waitlist. We will likely plateau below or at 800 +/- 10 applicants w at least 1 MD/PhD AC as a few more currently accepted consider deferrals or late withdrawals to MD.

 

[AlwaysLearningSomething!]

(First post, please be kind 😃)

One MSTP program approaches a waitlisted applicant as late as last weekend asking if an applicant is still interested in the program, after saying they have had some movement but still have not offered this applicant an Acceptance, how should it be interpreted?

Is it possible that they still have uncommitted applicants who may not commit and the program wants to keep someone ready for next offer (again, so late wrt summer rotations etc ? ) ?
Is it time enough to be a bit more transparent to say (May be ) “you are next in line” 😅?