Advice for a future MD/PhD applicant

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cw205

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Hi everyone!

I'm finishing up my sophomore year at an ivy league school with the hopes of applying to MD/PhD programs in the future. I was hoping I could get some feedback on my progress so far, areas I should improve in and some general questions.

I've worked in the same lab since last February (so a bit over a year) and I plan on continuing until I graduate. I have one publication that's currently under review and I hope to have another done by next year.
My GPA is a 3.8 right now and should be 3.8-3.9 by the time I apply or graduate.
I haven't taken the MCAT yet

I have around 100 hours of nonclinical volunteering as a tutor/mentor and I'm employed as a peer tutor on campus
I'm on the executive board for a cultural club on campus and the quizbowl team
I have 30ish hours shadowing a general practitioner and I'll have the chance to shadow a cardiologist and or oncologist in the near future.

I understand I'm lacking clinical experience at this point. I hope to volunteer in a local hospital over the next year or two. Would this be a sufficient amount of clinical exposure? How important is this for md/phd programs?

How does my progress seem so far? Other than clinical volunteering, what are some areas I can improve in? I'm not sure whether to apply after my junior year or senior year. I feel like taking an extra year to work at the NIH or gain more research experience will make me a better applicant for more competitive schools. What do you guys think?

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Take a look at the FAQ on applying MD/PhD by Neuronix at the top of this board. Based on that, it seems like you are in great shape. Keep those grades up, keep working hard on your research and make sure you know it in and out and sideways and diagonally and in French for interviews and you will most likely be a successful applicant.

I can't comment on the NIH gap year but if you have 3 years of productive lab work (assuming you get published in that time, which it seems you might be) then you are already competitive for MD/PhD programs. Knocking the MCAT out of the park should be the focal point. You may want to consider going into the MD/PhD pathway as soon as possible provided you are competitive for it. I'm in a similar position as you (3.9+ going on 2 years of lab XP, applying next year) and I decided against a gap year so that I could start as soon as possible. That's just me though.

The consensus on here (and from what I've heard elsewhere) is research > everything else in terms of ECs for this pathway.
 
Agree with advice. PM me if you need to discuss details.... For MD/PhD programs, don't waste your time with any more clinical activities other than beefing up the physician shadowing as you described. It is only to convince that you have been exposed enough to be a MD/PhD rather than just a PhD. Good luck to both of you.
 
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