Advice needed: MD/PhD vs MD

[tyrsa]

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Hi all!
I'm finalizing my med school list, and I'm hoping for some advice. I love both the research and clinical aspects of medicine, and I want to do a combined MD/PhD program. How good of an MD/PhD applicant I am?

Given my stats:
- MCAT Score 36
- Cum. Undergrad GPA 3.6; Cum. Undergrad BCPM GPA 3.6; Cum. All Other GPA 3.5
-Almost 2 years of research experience in Genomics
-1 first author publication & 1 mid-author publication

Realistically, how competitive of a MD/PhD applicant do you think I am? Will it be wiser for me to apply to MD only programs, and then apply to PhD programs as an internal applicant.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Lucca]

If you read the FAQ your GPA would fall under OK and your MCAT and Research are in the Excellent range. It sounds to me like you would have a good shot at many programs and a more borderline chances at more competitive MSTPs like Yale, WashU, Penn, etc.

I don't think there is a need for you to apply MD and then apply internally. If you want to make your application stronger the best thing you could probably do is do an extra research year after you graduate and try to bring the GPA up. However, it is probably unnecessary.