jameslynton said:
NIH is great experience to have - have a friend there in infectious - That is a real resume - CV builder. Being an RA = ok it will help - Better to have hands on teaching also as a TA if you can get it. I was a TA in orgainc lab senior year. Also did some teaching during masters. That helps also.
Forget the TA! I've been reading MD-PhD applications since many of you were reading Goosebumps or the Babysitters Club, and I can tell you that we never even consider whether applicants have had teaching experience. Heck, most biomedical research faculty spend less than 10 hours a year in the classroom; many see teaching as something you are forced to do if you are tenured but have no grant support. The TA and/or RA experience may impress MD admissions committees, but MD-PhD committees would rather you spend your time in lab doing something that will develop your abilities as a researcher.
Also, I would dispute the statement that "having the grades and MCAT is 95% of the battle" Good grades and MCATs only get you to the table for consideration; you need to have the goods as a researcher to have any serious chance of being accepted. We've shot down many 3.97 40T applicants over the years because they did not sufficiently demonstrate the qualities we feel are essential for a successful researcher. Think about the GPA and MCAT in terms of thresholds: if your GPA is below 3.3 or the MCAT is below 30, you have a very slim chance of getting into a MSTP. GPAs between 3.3 and 3.5 and MCATs between 30 and 33 are considered on the less competitive side. Applicants that cross the threshold of 3.6 and 35 are considered to be equivalent with one another. (It is like the Tour de France, where the riders at the back of the pelton are awarded the same time as riders at the front of the peleton, despite crossing the finish line 10 to 15 seconds later.) By way of illustration, here are the average GPAs and MCATs for applicants to our program over the past 5 years:
Applicants 3.7/35Q
Interviewees 3.8/36R
Accepts 3.8/36Q
In spite of the closeness of these numbers, it is very clear to us that better than half of the applicants are not competitive for our program. Another 25% are somewhat competitive, but are not offered interviews. That leaves about 20% that are interviewed. Better than 95% of those interviewed here are offered admission to one or more MD-PhD programs across the country.
In the end, admissions decisions come down to our assessment of an applicant's ability to become an independent biomedical investigator, based on the individual's research experience and our interactions with him/her. Peripheral considerations like teaching experience have no impact. The impact of GPA and MCAT are very significant if they fall below 3.3/30, less significant if 3.3-3.5 / 30-33, and insignificant for those 3.6+ and 34+.
Your GPA is above average, your MCAT is above average, your research is at least average (if not above average), and your publication is above average. Of course you have a good chance of getting in this cycle. 
