Chances MD/Phd with 30 MCAT

[dlm2852]

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I will kept this short. I am wondering if I should bother applying to MD/Phd programs with 30 MCAT.

Overal gpa is 3.69 with science of 3.71.
I have 2.5 years of research with alot of independence in my work. wrote a thesis. strong letter from PI who is a Phd and a strong letter from MD who runs a lab.
No publications, done 6 posters presentations
100 plus hours of volunteer in hostipal
60 hours shadowing
worked throughout undergrad at sorority
volunteered and tutored at elementary school

If I have a chance, wondering any suggestions on schools.

Thanks guys

 

[StIGMA]

You have a reasonable chance (~30-50% if I had to guess) of admission that merits you applying. A major concern is the type of research you have conducted, which matters significantly. Obviously, your chances would be improved with a better MCAT (average matriculant MCAT is around 34.5). With your stats you are a 'borderline' candidate (who would very likely succeed in an MD/PhD program). What your PI says about you, your future goals, and how you present yourself in essays and interviews is paramount.

If you have done "real" research, ie: working in an NIH-funded lab on a basic science project, then: You should aim for non-top tier MSTPs (ranking 20-40) and non-MSTP MD/PhD's that have good class sizes (ie: take more than 1 person a year). Look at the current MSAR. You should apply to 20+ programs and be willing to go anywhere. You should also consider applying to MD programs as backup if that is acceptable to you. If you don't succeed this cycle, focus on improving your MCAT, keep doing research, and reapply.

Edit: I thought you were female b/c of work in a sorority, but your prior posts say you are male. This affects your chances because you are competing against ~50% more people (40% female applicants vs 60% male applicants). I still think the above applies- definitely consider how you "package" yourself in your application.

 

[dlm2852]

Yes I am a male. I worked in the kitchen of a sorority for four years.

My research would fall into "real" research. I am at a top 50 undergrad with a top 50 medical school. My PI is within the college of medicine and is funded through an R01. I just graduated and will be working full time in the lab for my gap year.

My research fouces on protein x-ray crystallography and drug discovery with computational methods. I have experience in the the whole process of x-ray crystallography, from protein expression to solving the structure with the x-ray data with various programs.

I do plan on applying to some MD only, mainly my state schools and some mid tier private schools. Even though I want MD/Phd, I can still fullfill my career goals with an MD. The MD I have collaborated with has a very succesful research career.

Thanks for your input

 

[peanutcashew]

Definitely play up your research. I was in a similar boat with a less than ideal MCAT and less than ideal GPA. Every school I interviewed at was impressed by the fact that I had done research in a crystallography lab (not many MD/PhDs do their research in that field). Of course there are other factors that will determine whether you get in or not (extracirrics/recs/how you interview). However, you can definitely do yourself a HUGE favor by being very well versed on your research. Be able to explain it to a CT surgeon and to a successful PI in crystallography.

 

[Shirafune]

As mentioned before, the selling point on your application has to be your research. Consider the following 2013 matriculant stats when choosing where to apply:
Your sGPA is average. Your cGPA sits 0.5 SD lower than the average, so you're probably around the bottom 30%. Your MCAT sits more than 1 SD below the mean, perhaps around the bottom 10%. (Source: https://www.aamc.org/download/321548/data/2013factstable35.pdf) The average matriculant has around 3 years of research experience (forgot the source). In any case, your numbers are very good and your research experience is just about average, but you can always make your research experience sound phenomenal by preparing well.

As StIGMA mentioned above, aim for non-top tier schools with larger class sizes to maximize your chances. I can't comment on in vs out of state bias for MD/PhD because I really don't know anything about it, but also consider that. https://www.aamc.org/download/321544/data/2013factstable33.pdf

Do some research and apply to schools you have a realistic chance of being accepted to.

Best of luck!

 

[Fencer]

Any of the MD/PhD programs that are MSTP (or aiming to become one) do not consider state of residence. All of the MD/PhD programs in Texas are NOT considering state of residence and are in AMCAS, while the MD programs (except BCM) must admit 90% of the class from Texas residents and utilize TMDSAS as their admission application system.