Can you apply to both allo schools and grad school?

[DG2010]

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I want to go to medical school but psychology also interests me. Can I apply for both allopathic schools and also psych PhD programs?

The reason I'm asking is..I'm not sure I have good chances of getting into allopathic schools, but I think I can cut it for grad school. Is it a good idea to apply to grad school as a "safety"?

I am very interested in clinical pyschology..as well regular medicine.

 

[armybound]

so are you looking to get concurrent degrees, or is one a "backup"?

grad schools usually take applications later in the process than med schools, but you can definitely apply to both. that's how I did it when I got my Masters--applied for med school in July/August, applied for grad school in Novermber/December.

 

[Mobius1985]

The schools won't know unless you apply to the same institution for both programs, so it's better not to do that. Also, be careful with your letters of recommendation. Since you theoretically won't be able to review them before they are sent, if you use the same reference persons, you don't want them making inappropriate comments that might apply to the other program you're applying to.

 

[secants]

So I'm curious then, if one can also apply for dental/pharmacy granted they took the DAT/PCAT and have the relevant LORS etc and don't apply to the same school that also has a dental and or pharmacy program?

 

[armybound]

So I'm curious then, if one can also apply for dental/pharmacy granted they took the DAT/PCAT and have the relevant LORS etc and don't apply to the same school that also has a dental and or pharmacy program?

there are no rules anywhere saying you can't apply anywhere else.

 

[tiedyeddog]

Very possible. Just need to do both the GRE and the MCAT. GRE isn't hard to study for (in comparison to the MCAT...). Start planning for it now or the summer before you apply and you'll be solid.

 

[Law2Doc]

there are no rules anywhere saying you can't apply anywhere else.

Agreed.
But the general rule of thumb is that you can picture yourself being happy in a career other than medicine, then that is the career you should pursue. Because being in medicine is like being all in in poker, if you decide later you don't like the hand you drew, you are stuck. It is a long hard schooling and training, and more expensive and difficult to get disentangled from once you start (you borrow too much each year and don't have a degree you can use until 4). So think long and hard on this. If you think psych is your real calling, then psych is where you should put all your efforts.

 

[ACSurgeon]

I want to go to medical school but psychology also interests me. Can I apply for both allopathic schools and also psych PhD programs?

The reason I'm asking is..I'm not sure I have good chances of getting into allopathic schools, but I think I can cut it for grad school. Is it a good idea to apply to grad school as a "safety"?

I am very interested in clinical pyschology..as well regular medicine.

If you rather go to grad school than waiting a year and reapplying (or applying DO), then yes, apply to grad school as a back up.

 

[kavorca]

Psych grad programs might be more competitive than med programs.

 

[Gut Shot]

The reason I'm asking is..I'm not sure I have good chances of getting into allopathic schools, but I think I can cut it for grad school. Is it a good idea to apply to grad school as a "safety"?

Only if you're not planning on reapplying to med school from grad school. If your ultimate goal is to be a physician, your best bet is to buff up your application for med school without starting a massive, open-ended commitment like a PhD. If you'd rather by a clinical psychologist, then by all means head down the PhD path and never look back.

If you do apply to both, just make DAMN SURE your LOR writers know who they're writing to. When a PhD program gets a letter talking about how the applicant would make a great physician, said application invariably gets thrown in the trash. I'm sure allopathic admissions committees don't want to hear about your psychology acumen, either.

 

[Gut Shot]

Psych grad programs might be more competitive than med programs.

And I might be covered in hazelnuts and pastrami.

 

[ChemGrad08]

And I might be covered in hazelnuts and pastrami.

http://www.psichi.org/pubs/articles/article_549.asp
It looks like it's about 20% of all applicants to a doctoral clinical programs which is harder than the 40% allo rate.

 

[StIGMA]

Since when is percentage related to difficulty of admission or competitiveness of applicants? A strong applicant to medical school would be a stronger candidate to a clinical psychology program, equal effort given to each.

 

[FenixTx]

s

 

[Law2Doc]

It is my understanding that clinical psychology Ph.D. programs are as competitive as medical school admissions. If you look at some of the top Ph.D. Clinical programs, the average numbers are even higher than most top medical schools.

The goal isn't to get into whichever one you can. The goal is to get into which you WANT. This is your life. There shouldn't be an "oh well, if I can't be an X I'll be a Y". If you want to be an X, you find a way to improve yourself and be an X. If your real goal is to be a clinical psychologist, you are gonna be miserable in med school, because in med school you really do very little that is simiilar to clinical psych over the course of 4 years, maybe the month of psych during third year has some similarities, but generally you are going to spend 4 years doing something other than what interest you. Don't settle, if you know what you'd prefer.

 

[Gut Shot]

http://www.psichi.org/pubs/articles/article_549.asp
It looks like it's about 20% of all applicants to a doctoral clinical programs which is harder than the 40% allo rate.

A single statistic isn't going to do the job here. For instance, at any sizable undergraduate compare the number of freshman premeds with the number of senior premeds. Do those who apply to clinical pyschology PhD programs undergo a similar weeding out process in undergrad? How about the proportion of folks who bomb the MCAT versus bomb the GRE? What about the proportion of international applicants? What do the average GPAs look like for accepted applicants versus non-accepted? I don't know the answers, I'm asking.

And yes, I may actually be covered with hazelnuts and pastrami.

 

[ChemGrad08]

A single statistic isn't going to do the job here. For instance, at any sizable undergraduate compare the number of freshman premeds with the number of senior premeds. Do those who apply to clinical pyschology PhD programs undergo a similar weeding out process in undergrad? How about the proportion of folks who bomb the MCAT versus bomb the GRE? What about the proportion of international applicants? What do the average GPAs look like for accepted applicants versus non-accepted? I don't know the answers, I'm asking.

And yes, I may actually be covered with hazelnuts and pastrami.

I was under the impression that clinical psych PhD programs were as hard to get into as MD programs, so I did a google search and posted the first link. I just didn't think someone saying it was hard to get into the program deserved such a flippant response.

 

[Gut Shot]

I just didn't think someone saying it was hard to get into the program deserved such a flippant response.

I thought my lighthearted post was appropriate, given I was responding to a single ten word sentence with no supporting evidence.

 

[DocM13]

You can do that, but it will be considerably more expensive

 

[gopher22]

The schools won't know unless you apply to the same institution for both programs, so it's better not to do that. Also, be careful with your letters of recommendation. Since you theoretically won't be able to review them before they are sent, if you use the same reference persons, you don't want them making inappropriate comments that might apply to the other program you're applying to.

Good point, letters of rec will highlight your strong points, which may be dressed differently for different types of school.

 

[postnational]

It is my understanding that clinical psychology Ph.D. programs are as competitive as medical school admissions. If you look at some of the top Ph.D. Clinical programs, the average numbers are even higher than most top medical schools.

The same holds true for most discourses, although I can see why Psych Ph.D.s would be even more competitive. If one is not competitive for medical school, usually they won't be competitive for a decent PhD program (unless they have some other factor playing such as stellar research, connections, etc).

Seriously a Ph.D. should never be seen as a "safety" option. The only "safety" I would see in such a situation would be an MSc/MA that relates in some way to medicine and helps to boost a med school application.

 

[FenixTx]

f

 

[Law2Doc]

I was just commenting on the general notion in this thread that clinical psychology Ph.D. programs are significantly easier to get into. I agree with you completely and don't think it is a good idea to go into a field like clinical psychology as a backup, especially if the OP hasn't gone through at least 2 or 3 application cycles.

If you read the OP's first post, I think s/he actually prefers the psych, so it's unclear which is the backup. Either way, you only apply to med school if that's what you want to do. You don't throw out a bunch of applications and see what sticks and let that govern how you will spend the rest of your life. You pick a direction and go whole hog, even if that means attempts over multiple cycles.