I have a 34 MCAT which I'm debating on whether or not to retake. A 3.6 science GPA and 3.65 cGPA. I hope to improve my sGPA to a 3.7 which I think is entirely possible. I attend a top 20 undergrad that has a top 10 medschool attached. My biggest extracurricular has been work study in lab. My sophomore year I was just a lab tech but the summer after I started doing real research, presenter a poster, and will be published by the end of junior year. Other than that my EC's have been interning at a clinic doing office work (with patient interaction).
Chances at MSTP programs - WUSTL, Yale, Duke, etc...
- Thread starter ChemFreak
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So, from Neuronix's sticky:
Applicants who did not receive an offer: GPA 3.68 (SD .24)/MCAT 32.7 (3.7)
Applicants who received one offer: GPA 3.74 (SD .21)/MCAT 34 (3.7)
Applicants who received more than one offer: GPA 3.82 (SD .15)/MCAT 35.7 (2.5)
Basically, a 3.7 / 34 MCAT means you're likely to receive an offer. The difference between a 3.6 and a 3.7 is hard to say. I'd say if you can pull it up without killing your other ECs, go for it. If it's going to mean taking a lot of time away from the lab, might not be worth it.
As far as undergrad prestige...it might benefit you in terms of who you know (say, your PI is on an admissions committee or has friends) but is unlikely to help you in terms of GPA, at least that's the consensus I've heard (and gathered from perusing MDApps). Perhaps if you're a chemical engineering major at MIT or Caltech or something, you'll get some help, but a bio / chemistry / science major is more or less just as difficult at a state school as at a top 20 (at least in my experience...I'm at a top-20 and have a friend in the same major at state school...we've compared notes).
MSTP's are by virtue more competitive than partially/non-funded MD/PhD programs, and some of the programs you listed are the -most- competitive.
In my opinion you aren't completely out of the running at the schools you listed, but it would be very foolish to apply to just schools of those caliber. This isn't meant as an insult to you (your stats are pretty good), but it's just a fact of the matter that NO ONE is a sure thing at any of those schools MSTP's...a small number of spots and a lot of applicants with 3.9-4.0 and 36+ MCATs are applying. You can stand out in other ways, of course, but you have to be pragmatic, too.
In my opinion, your stats as well as your amount of research are all on the low end of average for MSTP applicants. The types of programs you're referring to generally have averages of around 37/3.8, and 2 years of research would be on the low end.
That said, I don't think that means you shouldn't apply to these types of schools. Plenty of people (myself included) only had 2 years of research when they applied. Plus if you're from a top undergrad, that does give you something of an advantage. They say it doesn't, but you'll notice that there is a disproportionate amount of interviewees from ivy league schools, Stanford, Duke, WashU, etc. Those names stand out, and many of the members of MSTP operating committees have connections to top schools. It's certainly less important than other things, but it will give you an edge over people with similar stats.
What is going to make or break your application will be your personal statement, MD/PhD and research essays, and your ECs. If these are excellent, you will be able to compete for interviews at these types of schools, but if they're average, you likely won't get many from the top tier. Once you get to the interview, it's all about how well you can talk about your research and express why you want to do an MD/PhD program.
That said, I don't think that means you shouldn't apply to these types of schools. Plenty of people (myself included) only had 2 years of research when they applied. Plus if you're from a top undergrad, that does give you something of an advantage. They say it doesn't, but you'll notice that there is a disproportionate amount of interviewees from ivy league schools, Stanford, Duke, WashU, etc. Those names stand out, and many of the members of MSTP operating committees have connections to top schools. It's certainly less important than other things, but it will give you an edge over people with similar stats.
What is going to make or break your application will be your personal statement, MD/PhD and research essays, and your ECs. If these are excellent, you will be able to compete for interviews at these types of schools, but if they're average, you likely won't get many from the top tier. Once you get to the interview, it's all about how well you can talk about your research and express why you want to do an MD/PhD program.
