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

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voxveritatisetlucis said:
Probably going to get a lot of hate for this but

I think that January through March interviews are a meme. They’re often touted on r/premed as antecdotes to cheer up discouraged applicants. Maybe people do in fact interview in those months but I’m guessing that they fill up in November and December.

ie. “Don’t worry bro! A friend of a friend received 14 interviews but didn’t get his first until December!!”
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No, it is definitely not a meme. I personally know someone got in Stanford and waitlisted by Harvard MSTP received both II in Dec. and interviewed at both in Jan.
 
MSTPadvocate said:
Our program is adjusting by filling each interview date about 6 weeks ahead of time. This means that for our February interview date, we will likely be giving interview offers out the first week in January. With a virtual year of experience behind us, we think this is advantageous for both the applicants and our MSTP (for reasons that could be the subject of an entire separate post).
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Thank you for sharing! This seems reflective of my personal experience and that of almost everyone else I have asked.
 
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How long should I wait before sending an update to a program I interviewed at? I have a paper that was published and another paper in review following revisions. Would it be better to wait and see if the second paper is accepted and submit them both in an update later?
 
TNF-α said:
How long should I wait before sending an update to a program I interviewed at? I have a paper that was published and another paper in review following revisions. Would it be better to wait and see if the second paper is accepted and submit them both in an update later?
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If it is a school with non-rolling admissions, wait until you have both papers and can provide the strongest update since you’ll be under continuous review until January or February or whatever.

If it’s a school with rolling admissions, I would personally send the update no later than maybe two weeks before the day they told you he would hear back at the interview. Sending an update with two publications is great, but you want to be able to get that update letter in early enough to actually be a part of your file when they convene to do final evaluation‘s, if the update letter has any impact at all. And if your paper is accepted earlier then awesome include it with the early update.

If the school has rolling admissions and you don’t get accepted in the first round, then the second paper can be a part of a later update in February or March and when the first update was October or November.

This is my personal strategy, not necessarily that it’ll make much of a difference since so many schools don’t even factor in updates anyways. But, would love to see if this reflects advice from others.
 
Im not sure where I remember seeing the graph, but would someone be able to point me to the graph of time (in months of the year) till first acceptance? (If that is even available or if I am misremembering things)
 
baz2020 said:
Im not sure where I remember seeing the graph, but would someone be able to point me to the graph of time (in months of the year) till first acceptance? (If that is even available or if I am misremembering things)
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I believe @Fencer has those graphs as a part of his interview day and NIH fair presentations, however I do not believe those graphs/data have been shared in public format.
 
mdphd63627 said:
Sheesh, slow week for acceptances compared to last year's thread
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Looking at last year's thread, this time last year only a few dozen out of 820+ future matriculants had any acceptances. I think it best in these early days not to stress out about the weekly acceptances.
 
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I am truly ecstatic! My T32 MSTP training grant under the new FOA received an impact score of 21. ✨ It is not just BS..., but we are really good!
😍...🤓...😎 now, we need to do all the stuff that we proposed (funded until 2027!!!) I am going to jump into the pool and sip some '98 Shafer Napa Cabernet... 🍷
 
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Fencer said:
I am truly ecstatic! My T32 MSTP training grant under the new FOA received an impact score of 21. ✨ It is not just BS..., but we are really good!
😍...🤓...😎 now, we need to do all the stuff that we proposed (funded until 2027!!!) I am going to jump into the pool and sip some '98 Shafer Napa Cabernet... 🍷
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Congrats !!

Awesome news ... enjoy the sip 👍
 
Fencer said:
I am truly ecstatic! My T32 MSTP training grant under the new FOA received an impact score of 21. ✨ It is not just BS..., but we are really good!
😍...🤓...😎 now, we need to do all the stuff that we proposed (funded until 2027!!!) I am going to jump into the pool and sip some '98 Shafer Napa Cabernet... 🍷
Click to expand...
this is the level of happiness we all seek to achieve
 
Fencer said:
I am truly ecstatic! My T32 MSTP training grant under the new FOA received an impact score of 21. ✨ It is not just BS..., but we are really good!
😍...🤓...😎 now, we need to do all the stuff that we proposed (funded until 2027!!!) I am going to jump into the pool and sip some '98 Shafer Napa Cabernet... 🍷
Click to expand...
You know it is cause for celebration when any faculty uses emojis on SDN let alone a Program Director. Congrats, that is a heck of a grant! May the MSTP continue to grow and give further educational and career support for your students!
 
Thank y'all... The wine tasted like heaven (perhaps colored by the study section score)! It could have still aged another 5 years. As you age, you collect a few things... I have a few red wine bottles for celebrations.

Now, back to the daily grind... Application deadlines for several programs are coming up (some already have passed). We still have 3 interview dates (Jan-Feb) that we haven't selected those to be invited, and we will be sending a few invites for Dec. on Monday.
 
When should we not expect to get interviews invites anymore?

I feel this advice is different then MD advice because many MDPhD prrograms have set interview dates that are mostly complete by the end of 2021
 
bagunme said:
When should we not expect to get interviews invites anymore?

I feel this advice is different then MD advice because many MDPhD prrograms have set interview dates that are mostly complete by the end of 2021
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There are still a significant number of MD/PhD interviews into February 2022. See this calendar for a list of interview dates: MD-PhD Interviews and Revisit Days

Given some of the comments in this thread along with anecdotal experiences of several applicants, invitations generally go out 4-6 weeks before the interview day(s). So you could expect that invites would be sent through January. You can get a better estimate by looking at the last interviews of programs you applied to.
 
bagunme said:
When should we not expect to get interviews invites anymore?

I feel this advice is different then MD advice because many MD-PhD programs have set interview dates that are mostly complete by the end of 2021
Click to expand...

Keep in mind that there are basically 2 types of schools and interview schedules - "rolling", and the other is "one-release-date."

If rolling, you are hoping to get an interview as early as possible so they can give you consideration while many spots remain open.

If "one-release-date" school - it should not matter when you interview. Such schools are probably more deliberate in their interview invites. Now that all the primaries are submitted and most of the secondaries should have been submitted, the schools can look at all applicants in total, and hand out interviews.

As @RunningMSN noted - you can get interview invites well into early January.

So, remain optimistic. If you have applied to programs appropriate to your field of interest and programs that fit your stats, then you should have a good chance of getting interviewed.
 
Fencer said:
Congrats on your interviews! Starting a sustained post-bac/research experience during the interview season is in itself a substantial update. I would suggest sending an email to all programs that have not rejected you, and particularly those who offered you an interview. Ask them for a contact email for your PI to send a LOR. This is a one-two punch..., most effective in those who interviewed you.
Good luck!
Fencer
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Hi, @Fencer,

Congratulations on your stellar T32 renewal!

I have a question about this advice and related advice as it pertains to my situation. A prominent scientist in my field, my PI's boss, has offered to write a LoR for me (I actually did not ask as I'm at the max limit for LoRs at most schools; she offered this in a conversation to my PI who was telling her about my MD/PhD applications). She's a senior author on a publication I'm on that was recently accepted. She's known me for several years and I've worked extensively with her post-docs and helped mentor one of her summer students.

Is this a situation where her emailing PDs (perhaps by bcc?) would be appropriate?
 
Thanks. She (your PI) could email a selected list of PDs of your top schools. A strong letter of recommendation waives your right to see it explicitly, thus, no BCC.


Applicants. Periodically check your spam/junk folders... often emails from the two main software vendors (WebAdMIT and AMP) end up there.
 
Fencer said:
Thanks. She (your PI) could email a selected list of PDs of your top schools. A strong letter of recommendation waives your right to see it explicitly, thus, no BCC.


Applicants. Periodically check your spam/junk folders... often emails from the two main software vendors (WebAdMIT and AMP) end up there.
Click to expand...

Sounds great. Thank you! I certainly wouldn't have them BCC me; I may have misunderstood a previous thread about a PI emailing PDs in a single email with PDs BCCed, presumably to save time for the PI.

I've also been checking spam religiously. Thank you for that tip.
 
Fencer said:
I am truly ecstatic! My T32 MSTP training grant under the new FOA received an impact score of 21. ✨ It is not just BS..., but we are really good!
😍...🤓...😎 now, we need to do all the stuff that we proposed (funded until 2027!!!) I am going to jump into the pool and sip some '98 Shafer Napa Cabernet... 🍷
Click to expand...
Congrats, Fencer. No surprise here; you have built an excellent program, and you contributions to the MD-PhD community are at the highest level. I am looking forward to celebrating with you in person sometime next year. I'll leave the wine choice up to you.
 
What kind of questions are asked at MSTP/Md-PhD interviews? I'm prepping for 1 in December and 1 in January.

I'm feeling really nervous about not hearing back from more schools. I've only heard from 4 of 23 so far.
 
laurafarr94 said:
What kind of questions are asked at MSTP/Md-PhD interviews? I'm prepping for 1 in December and 1 in January.

I'm feeling really nervous about not hearing back from more schools. I've only heard from 4 of 23 so far.
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I've just been googling "MD/PhD interview questions" and have seen some good stuff. Some typical ones I think are "Why MD/PhD" and describing your research in various levels of detail.

There was just a poll on reddit about what % of schools people have heard back from. Almost half have only heard from 25% or less and another chuck of people said 25-50%, so you're not alone. Hang in there!
 
laurafarr94 said:
What kind of questions are asked at MSTP/Md-PhD interviews? I'm prepping for 1 in December and 1 in January.

I'm feeling really nervous about not hearing back from more schools. I've only heard from 4 of 23 so far.
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Some of the more universal questions:

“Tell me about yourself”
“Why MD/PhD?”
“Why not just MD or PhD?”
“Tell me about your most recent research”
“Tell me about your most significant research”
“What would you like to study during your graduate years?”
“Where do you see your career in 15/20/30 years?”
“Why us/how will our school help you achieve those career goals?”
 
Here's my list of links I have been using to prepare:

medicalschoolhq.net

Bench to the Bedside: MD/PhD Student Interview

Session 40 In today's episode, I talk with Hanna about MD/PhD programs, along with the many other dual-degree programs such as MD/MPH, MD/MBA, and more.
medicalschoolhq.net medicalschoolhq.net
capd.mit.edu

MD-PhD Mock Interview Questions

MD-PhD Interview Describe your research. Why are you interested in a combined program, versus one or the other? How do you feel you are prepared to enter an MD-PhD program? If you had to choose bet…
capd.mit.edu capd.mit.edu

Interview Preparation & Sample Questions

Each August, OCS holds a medical school interview webinar for students who are currently in the application process. This webinar is an opportunity for advisers and students to discuss the medical school interview comprehensively. See the event calendar. Please reach out to your assigned House...
ocs.fas.harvard.edu ocs.fas.harvard.edu
blog.cambridgecoaching.com

3 essential questions to nail down before an MD/PhD interview

3 questions you want to perfect before you walk into an MD/PhD interview.
blog.cambridgecoaching.com blog.cambridgecoaching.com
forums.studentdoctor.net

Mstp interview tips?

Hi all, Planning to apply this coming cycle, very likely as MD PhD. I’m curious if you’ve got any tips for the research interviews. I know my project pretty well I think, but the prospect of being grilled by a PI in my field terrifies me... is it really as brutal as they say? What are some...
forums.studentdoctor.net forums.studentdoctor.net
 
Typically, you can have 4 types of interviews at any given school.

1 - Most students will interview with 1 or 2 people who are on the steering committee.

2 - You will also interview with 1 or 2 people who are interested in the same area of research as your application shows - and what you described as your "key research catch-phrases."

3 - You will also interview with possibly 1 person from the MD side.

4 - And finally, you will typically interview with a current MD-PhD student.

------------

Each of these interviews can be quite different.

The steering committee interviewers can sometimes be probing - as they are the ones making the final decision ... i.e. they want to make sure they are spending $1 million on the correct student.

The professors in your area of research are more conversational and more research oriented.

The MD interviewer is your typical MD interview (why med school, community service, shadowing, checking out your personality, etc).

The student interviewer is trying to make sure you are a "nice person" and not an arrogant jerk.

The above is very simplified, but that is the typical framework for the MD-PhD interviews I have been involved with.
 
Total MD/PhD applicants as 11/1/21 for 2022 cycle - 1710 applicants. This compares to 1984 and 1842 applicants on this date for the 2021 and 2020 cycles, respectively. Compared to prior cycles, this is a drop of 13.8% and 7.2% in applications, respectively.

At the moment, only 61 applicants have received at least one offer for MD/PhD acceptance.

Making the analogy to the real estate market, this is an Applicant market.
 
Fencer said:
Total MD/PhD applicants as 11/1/21 for 2022 cycle - 1710 applicants. This compares to 1984 and 1842 applicants on this date for the 2021 and 2020 cycles, respectively. Compared to prior cycles, this is a drop of 13.8% and 7.2% in applications, respectively.

At the moment, only 61 applicants have received at least one offer for MD/PhD acceptance.

Making the analogy to the real estate market, this is an Applicant market.
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Do you have the ability to see what applicants (from other schools) are in that "61" group? I ask only because I wondered if accepting an offer at another institution would affect the willingness of another school to offer if they can see you already have an acceptance
 
Fencer said:
Compared to prior cycles, this is a drop of 13.8% and 7.2% in applications, respectively.
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This tells me that, potentially, a lot of people who planned on applying this year ended up just deciding to apply last year. That combined with applicants recognizing they may be less competitive with a year in absence of research/strong research.

While some of us still decided to apply despite a year without significant academic research…..I am curious if anyone else has any hypothesis for this emergent “reverse-Fauci-effect ©”
 
We are probably seeing less applicants because of reduced access to research labs, little to no opportunities for shadowing, and restricted clinical volunteering. Unlike last year, this year's applicants have had to live through ~1.5+ years of the pandemic, which probably amounted to even more limitations on their activities.

Also, I'm more interested in seeing the number of applicants per school (AAMC table B8). While there are less overall applicants, I have bad feeling that individual schools might still see an increase in the number of applicants. It is much more convenient and cheaper to apply to a TON of schools in a virtual environment, at least compared to when interviews were in-person. Does anyone know when the AAMC updates table B8 with the 2021-2022 cycle numbers?
 
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toofastdan said:
We are probably seeing less applicants because of reduced access to research labs, little to no opportunities for shadowing, and restricted clinical volunteering. Unlike late year, this year's applicants have had to live through ~1.5+ years of the pandemic, which probably amounted to even more limitations on their activities.

Also, I'm more interested in seeing the number of applicants per school (AAMC table B8). While there are less overall applicants, I have bad feeling that individual schools might still see an increase in the number of applicants. It is much more convenient and cheaper to apply to a TON of schools in a virtual environment, at least compared to when interviews were in-person. Does anyone know when the AAMC updates table B8 with the 2021-2022 cycle numbers?
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Given that table B-8 includes information about matriculants, I assume that it wouldn't be updated until the school year begins.
 
RunningMSN said:
Given that table B-8 includes information about matriculants, I assume that it wouldn't be updated until the school year begins.
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oi I forgot about that... Well since we may not know the official AAMC table B8 numbers for a while, do any program directors want to weigh in on what they're seeing with their applicant numbers during the pandemic's virtual interviews vs a normal cycle?
 
Should I withdraw some applications at schools pre-II? I have done a few withdrawals, but I still have a bunch that I would not attend, even if I got an interview, over the schools I have been accepted at. Is this a thing applicants do or should I just leave them alone?
 
mdphd63627 said:
Should I withdraw some applications at schools pre-II? I have done a few withdrawals, but I still have a bunch that I would not attend, even if I got an interview, over the schools I have been accepted at. Is this a thing applicants do or should I just leave them alone?
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Yes absolutely. If they are more than a week out, withdraw from every interview at a school you would not attend over your current acceptance(s). If it is MD only and financial aid is a consideration that might pull you from MD/PhD, then that is a different story and a question you will have to answer yourself. Otherwise, they may still be able to hold open those seats for individuals who would want to attend.
 
Will do! I will definitely keep withdrawing, esp this and next weekend as I am supposed to hear back from two of my top choices
 
idk if its just me, but nowadays when i get a II i get even more sad since i still have yet to hear back from my top choices
 
bagunme said:
idk if its just me, but nowadays when i get a II i get even more sad since i still have yet to hear back from my top choices
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It is not just you, but my advice would be to focus on what is in front of you rather than what is not. Sure, one particular school may not want you for an interview at this very moment. But you do have other schools in front of you right now! You have a school who wants you as a student. What your ‘top choice’ may want is not under your control, what is under your control is giving your all to the schools who have chosen you. You are not “student who failed to get an interview at (top choice) school of medicine”. You ARE “successful student who got multiple interviews.” Interview invites are cause for celebration not worry or strife in all cases.

You got this.
 
bagunme said:
idk if its just me, but nowadays when i get a II i get even more sad since i still have yet to hear back from my top choices
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I sort of feel this, but I'm putting all my energy into prep for my interviews. The MSTP cycle is longer, so I have to remind myself that there are plenty of interview days to come. And like that other post said, only 61 MSTP applicant have gotten at least one A. There are plenty of spots left.
 
laurafarr94 said:
I sort of feel this, but I'm putting all my energy into prep for my interviews. The MSTP cycle is longer, so I have to remind myself that there are plenty of interview days to come. And like that other post said, only 61 MSTP applicant have gotten at least one A. There are plenty of spots left.
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Okay guys - let us all take a few happy pills and chill out for a bit.

This is a very unique MSTP season. This is the first year that all the programs PROPERLY planned for virtual interviews. This is the first year all the programs realized what mistakes were made last year and are trying to make significant corrections.

As you can see on this thread and many others on SDN, interviews are being given out 3-4 weeks into the future and not all dates are being opened up to everyone.

Due to the changes in II, many schools are "grouping" students into like-minded groups. For example, they might interview all the Neuroscience students together, all the Immunology students on a different date, all the Biochemistry students on a different date,

If you are not qualified for MD-PhD, they will typically switch you (BEFORE the interview) to MD alone.

So, if you have not heard from the MSTP program and have not been switched to MD alone, that is actually a good sign. The MSTP program still has your file, and they might not have reviewed your file OR they are waiting to fit you with the proper group for interviews.

I know this is very, VERY, anxiety provoking. But, if you have the GPA, have the MCAT score, have done the research, have the letters, and you have written a decent personal statement, then you are good. Just a wait for the process to play out.

Now, if you don't have the grades, or the MCAT, or have not done adequate research, or have written a horrible personal statement, then deep down inside you know that you are not qualified. If you are one of those, then have the anxiety, pray a lot, and make alternate plans.
 
I understand the general consensus is not to update when manuscripts are submitted, but many of my schools I interviewed at are making decisions within the next month. Is it appropriate to include a comment about a submission, in addition to re-iterating my interest in the programs?
 
baz2020 said:
I understand the general consensus is not to update when manuscripts are submitted, but many of my schools I interviewed at are making decisions within the next month. Is it appropriate to include a comment about a submission, in addition to re-iterating my interest in the programs?
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I had the same question! The review process can be so long and unpredictable...

Would it be better to include which stage the manuscript is in? For example, one of mine has been submitted and revised after considering reviewer comments. It may not have the authenticity of something formally accepted, but there is always the fear of missing out by not sending an update before acceptance decisions.
 
In general, we do not pay much attention to submitted or in revision, or in-peer review. It is about accepted and/or published manuscripts. The credibility of a PI letter indicating submission is greater as they do have track record of prior publications, and implicitly are endorsing that it will eventually be published.

Once again, this is a process... with 9 II ( @toofastdan ), you should have multiple MD/PhD choices eventually...
 
mdphd63627 said:
Do you have the ability to see what applicants (from other schools) are in that "61" group? I ask only because I wondered if accepting an offer at another institution would affect the willingness of another school to offer if they can see you already have an acceptance
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We do not have the ability to see any student-level information regarding acceptances or rejections, so your acceptance or rejection by School A will not have an impact on School B's decision. Beginning Feb 19, we will be able to see aggregate data through AAMC (3 individuals have 8 acceptances, 12 individuals have 7 acceptances, etc.) On April 30, we will see applicant-level data for individuals who have active acceptances at our school (Jamila Doe has 7 active acceptances and has committed to enroll at your school, Juan Publica has 3 active acceptances and plans to enroll at another (unnamed) program) .
 
Hi, I have a question about application updates! Would it be appropriate to send application updates to our interviewers in addition to uploading them on the application portal? Especially in the case that one or more of our interviewers were directors of the program?
 
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