Chances for MD/PhD?

[PhysicianScientist]

Hello, do you think I would have a chance at getting into an MD/PhD program? What about UCLA/Caltech MD/PhD or one of the top 10 MD/PhD programs? I took the MCAT twice so I am kind of worried about that.

Academics

• sGPA: 3.65
• cGPA: 3.66
• MCAT(2, latest): (9VR/14PS/13BS) = 36
• MCAT(1): (7VR/13PS/13BS) = 33

ECs

• 1000+ hours research with multiple (> 3) publications.
• 1 summer research program
• Vice president of a soccer club
• ~100 hours volunteering in a hospital with lots of patient contact
• ~50 hours of non-clinical volunteering
• shadowed 3 doctors for a total of maybe 60 hours (~20 hrs/doc)

Honors/Awards
None.. besides Dean's list

What would my chances be for any of the following MD/PhD programs?:

UCLA/Caltech
Yale
JHU
UPenn
Brown
Vanderbilt
Baylor
Case Western Reserve

Do you think having taken the MCAT twice will be hurtful? I retook it hoping to improve on verbal reasoning but only got a 1 point improvement. Also am I even competitive enough for MD/PhD in general? I'd rather apply MD than getting rejected from every MD/PhD.

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[gyngyn]

Are you a CA applicant? Basically you have a nice MCAT and a decent gpa. You are above average for an MD applicant on research and MCAT, but marginal on the rest. You are therefore a modest candidate for top flight MD/PhD programs and a fair to good candidate for many MD programs (with a little more work).

 

[PhysicianScientist]

Are you a CA applicant?

No I'm not a CA applicant but I've heard that UCLA doesn't differentiate between CA/out of state applicants. Not sure how true that is, but I was counting on it for the UCLA/Caltech program.

 

[gyngyn]

No I'm not a CA applicant but I've heard that UCLA doesn't differentiate between CA/out of state applicants. Not sure how true that is, but I was counting on it for the UCLA/Caltech program.

I was asking about state of residence more for an assessment of your regular MD chances. See above.

 

[PhysicianScientist]

I was asking about state of residence more for an assessment of your regular MD chances. See above.

Ah I see. My apologies, I'm a VA resident. Do you think having taken the MCAT twice will hurt me significantly when it comes to admissions?

 

[gyngyn]

Ah I see. My apologies, I'm a PA resident. Do you think having taken the MCAT twice will hurt me significantly when it comes to admissions?

No. You have a decent chance at several MD PhD programs you have not listed (depending on the quality of your research) and a good chance at several MD programs if you can articulate how you are a good fit for their school or demonstrate a strong commitment to service in some way not evident in your post.

 

[AlbinoHawk DO]

With research I think it matters heavily the length of time (as opposed to raw hours) and techniques you know. I would recommend getting familiar with faculty and the work they do. People say the PhD part is easy to get into, but I'd argue MD programs know your career is likely 90% research and thus will not emphasize clinical volunteering and all that stuff.

 

[PhysicianScientist]

With research I think it matters heavily the length of time (as opposed to raw hours) and techniques you know. I would recommend getting familiar with faculty and the work they do. People say the PhD part is easy to get into, but I'd argue MD programs know your career is likely 90% research and thus will not emphasize clinical volunteering and all that stuff.

I hope you're right. I was under the impression that with MD/PhD applicants, the emphasize was a lot more on research and not so much on clinical volunteering. That said, I'm sure additional clinical volunteering hours will only help.

I'm mainly just worried that I don't have the numerical stats to get into an MD/PhD. 3.65 and 36 is not exactly competitive for MD/PhD right?

 

[gyngyn]

With research I think it matters heavily the length of time (as opposed to raw hours) and techniques you know. I would recommend getting familiar with faculty and the work they do. People say the PhD part is easy to get into, but I'd argue MD programs know your career is likely 90% research and thus will not emphasize clinical volunteering and all that stuff.

Considering that many MD/PhD's will, indeed, practice medicine and that we are paying for their tuition and stipend, we expect these applicants to be of the very highest caliber in every category.

 

[PhysicianScientist]

Considering that many MD/PhD's will, indeed, practice medicine and that we are paying for their tuition and stipend, we expect these applicants to be of the very highest caliber in every category.

Would you suggest I take a gap year to gain more volunteer hours and potentially increase my GPA? Or do you suggest I apply this cycle with what I have?

 

[gyngyn]

Would you suggest I take a gap year to gain more volunteer hours and potentially increase my GPA? Or do you suggest I apply this cycle with what I have?

Your options will broaden significantly with a validated commitment to service. You can probably get in somewhere with your current stats. It all depends on how much you are willing to work to maximize chances for your desired outcome.

 

[AlbinoHawk DO]

I hope you're right. I was under the impression that with MD/PhD applicants, the emphasize was a lot more on research and not so much on clinical volunteering. That said, I'm sure additional clinical volunteering hours will only help.

I'm mainly just worried that I don't have the numerical stats to get into an MD/PhD. 3.65 and 36 is not exactly competitive for MD/PhD right?

I would consider you very competitive if you can make the case for an upward trend. Otherwise, you're still good but maybe not T20.