Chances for second cycle funding?

[Awesome80s]

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Does anyone have any experience or data on the likelihood of being considered for second cycle funding for an MSTP? I'm trying to decide if I should accept some MD-only interviews, and I really only would accept if I thought that there was a good chance of getting into the MSTP for grad school and M3/4.

Specifically I am wondering about Washington University STL, but I think it's possible that I will get more MD-only offers from other places. I know other applicants are probably dealing with the same question.

Does anyone know how this works? Does anyone know specifics for WashU? There is only a bit of data on the transfer page of the WashU website.

 

[K31]

I'm at an MSTP that takes lots of people in from the med school--usually 1 or 2 from each MS1 class are added to the program. However, I've never (in nearly 7 years) seen anyone who was interviewed for the MSTP initially and not given an offer reapply successfully while in med school. Usually there is a good reason someone is not accepted--typically research-related--and that is hard to fix while you are in he first year of med school.

If you get MSTP offers, I would take the sure thing over wagering on applying as a med student.

 

[justgo]

Call the Wash U program and ask them. They are very nice and will give you a straight answer I have no doubt. If you are already accepted as MD only there then they would have every reason to give you an honest answer. I know that they do accept students from M1 classes but I do not know anything about the whether they accept folks that they did not invite to interview for the MSTP. Seems somewhat unlikely as K31 has mentioned

At WashU that is a loooot of money for the first two years as well! I'd agree about taking an MSTP if you get one of those.

 

[Awesome80s]

That's interesting. I don't think I agree with either of you on the "You didn't get an interview from school A, therefore there is something wrong with you that will prevent you from ever getting into school A's program second-cycle."

If you look over the list of acceptance/rejection/interviews, you'll find many people who have somewhat random combinations of outcomes. For example, I applied to 9 of the "top 10" schools, and I have offers for 7 MSTP interviews (one acceptance) and 2 MD interviews. On all of the interviews I have gone on, other applicants tell the same story--interviews and acceptances at some places and not at others. I don't think that we have a major deficiency; I think that the admissions committee didn't like the way the application was put together or got the wrong vibe.

My hypothesis is that a lot of that "wrong vibe" could be overcome by meeting with the director of the program as an M1, expressing real interest, etc. This is what I was hoping to get at with this question.

ANYWAYS 🙂

It sounds like no one really knows, so maybe I'll give them a call. Thanks for the thoughts!