For all accepted future MSTP students, what were your undergrad majors and minors?

[dave613]

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I am a rising junior, and I am majoring in Biology, with a dual minor in chemistry and philosophy..what do you guys think of that?

 

[surge]

I think that if that is what you are truly interested in studying, you're doing great!
If that's not what you are interested in, you're wasting your time.

Seriously, it doesn't matter to MD/PhD people...

 

[agp4]

Ya, as long as you're passionate about what you're doing now, and can show that to your schools, you're set.

 

[dave613]

Thanks for the reply guys, but now can you tell me what you majored in in undergrad?

thanks

 

[SaltySqueegee]

I know I'm not technically MSTP, but my major was the quintessential Biology with a Systems Physiology focus. I also had two minors; one in Chemistry and the other in Comparative Religious Studies (which is essentially a teleological version of Philosophy).

Best of luck 👍

 

[dave613]

I know I'm not technically MSTP, but my major was the quintessential Biology with a Systems Physiology focus. I also had two minors; one in Chemistry and the other in Comparative Religious Studies (which is essentially a teleological version of Philosophy).

Best of luck 👍

how did you do on your MCATs?

 

[agp4]

I went the engineering route - major in biomedical engineering. I ended up with 3 minors (mostly inadvertant from pre-med courses) in bio, chem, and classical studies. As for MSTP, it really doesn't matter what your major is as long as you're doing hardcore, serious research. If you've got a long-term, indepth research project going on already, you're in good shape.

 

[SaltySqueegee]

how did you do on your MCATs?

Dave,

I understand your question is probably in good intention, much like I asked very similar questions when I was at your stage in the game, which really was not that long ago. Understand this; the whole package is what counts, not necessarily just an MCAT score. So when asking another applicant what their major was, or what their MCAT was, is only giving you 5% of the picture of why an applicant may or may not have been successful.

This is essentially what the other posters here are trying to echo in this forum. With that small preamble, I kicked ass in BS and PS, as was to be expected from my Chemistry and Biology Background, but majorly bit the dust in the VR section (scored 8). However, that was one bad mark in my critical reasoning skills that flew in the face of what I had my letter writers comment on, how I did in all of my later Religious Studies Humanities courses, and the painstaking detail and time I put into my Medical Application essays.

Remember, scores and GPA will get you over the first hurdle (i.e. the "computer-system" will pass you as someone to consider). But if you do not come across as a human in your application in your activities and essays, your 'file' reviewer will trash your app for someone with lower scores, but whom is more personable.

FYI, and best of luck in your adventure through life. 👍

 

[dave613]

Thanks for the replies guys, but I have one more issue that i'de like to hear what you guys have to say about: basically, I attend a religious university, and thus, I have to go to classes usually for almost ten hours a day. As a result, I have onle done one summer of research so far, ten weeks of microbiology research. This summer I am involved in a 6 month internship at an ER, and next summer I plan on doing more research. What I am worried about is if this si good enough to get me into any MSTP program? I know they will understand that I have a dual curriculum, but I hope they understand that my situation in undergrad precluded me from doing as much research as most other MSTP candidates.

So what do you guys think my chances would be? (Also, note, I will be a TA in a molecular biology lab for this upcoming semester).. So with 2 summers of research, a 5 month TA job in molec, and a 6 month internship in an ER, plus my dual curriculum...do you think I would have a shot at MSTPs like stony brook, downstate etc?

 

[SaltySqueegee]

Thanks for the replies guys, but I have one more issue that i'de like to hear what you guys have to say about: basically, I attend a religious university, and thus, I have to go to classes usually for almost ten hours a day. As a result, I have onle done one summer of research so far, ten weeks of microbiology research. This summer I am involved in a 6 month internship at an ER, and next summer I plan on doing more research. What I am worried about is if this si good enough to get me into any MSTP program? I know they will understand that I have a dual curriculum, but I hope they understand that my situation in undergrad precluded me from doing as much research as most other MSTP candidates.

So what do you guys think my chances would be? (Also, note, I will be a TA in a molecular biology lab for this upcoming semester).. So with 2 summers of research, a 5 month TA job in molec, and a 6 month internship in an ER, plus my dual curriculum...do you think I would have a shot at MSTPs like stony brook, downstate etc?

Sorry, I'd like to help, but I can't prognosticate the future.

Returning to understanding the WHOLE application makes the applicant, not just scores, etc. If you feel as though you did your best, and you have a solid experience in research (make sure to get at least one letter writer for research for your application), then cast your perverbial stones, and see where they lay.

Again best of luck, we have all been through it, and can testify to only being able to do so much to CYA in this application game.

 

[agp4]

I think SaltySqueegee's right here. We can give you advice on things to think about during your application process, but it would be irresponsible for anyone to guess at your chances. The MD application is a complicated and somewhat mystical process, and weird things happen all the time. That fact is compounded by the nature of the MD-PhD program, where there are very limited spots available.

If I have any advice for you, its that you need to demonstrate that you are ready to devote your life to academic research. To an MD-PhD admissions committee, their way of evaluating that is through your previous research. I'm not sure what your summer research experiences are going to be like, but they'll need to be an indepth project(s). The interviews I faced usually centered on checking to make sure I knew my research inside out and could speak intelligently (I was told to treat faculty interviews as a colleague-to-colleague discussion) about its application to other fields. I'm just concerned that you might not be able to get much headway during the summers - in my experience the 3 or 4 month stretch was never long enough to get more than a couple of experiments done. As I'm sure you know, your research experience ought to be the crown jewel of your MD-PhD application. Hope this helps, and good luck!

 

[dave613]

I think SaltySqueegee's right here. We can give you advice on things to think about during your application process, but it would be irresponsible for anyone to guess at your chances. The MD application is a complicated and somewhat mystical process, and weird things happen all the time. That fact is compounded by the nature of the MD-PhD program, where there are very limited spots available.

If I have any advice for you, its that you need to demonstrate that you are ready to devote your life to academic research. To an MD-PhD admissions committee, their way of evaluating that is through your previous research. I'm not sure what your summer research experiences are going to be like, but they'll need to be an indepth project(s). The interviews I faced usually centered on checking to make sure I knew my research inside out and could speak intelligently (I was told to treat faculty interviews as a colleague-to-colleague discussion) about its application to other fields. I'm just concerned that you might not be able to get much headway during the summers - in my experience the 3 or 4 month stretch was never long enough to get more than a couple of experiments done. As I'm sure you know, your research experience ought to be the crown jewel of your MD-PhD application. Hope this helps, and good luck!

Thanks , I now finally understand what the mstp admissions process is all about. Also, I know that you guys can't predict the future, I was curious to know about what you all felt, that's all.

Thanks for all of your time.

 

[hockebob]

on a not necessarily irrelevant note, i don't believe that downstate has an MSTP. just a word to the wise, in case you were serious about applying there.

also, a quick, general thought about md/phd admissions:
while perhaps it's true that mcat scores and gpa are not the most important factors in the process, it seems reasonable that they would need to be correspondingly better for a candidate with less (or lower quality) research experience. that being said, i've spoken with several mstp directors and most of them have indicated (either explicitly or otherwise) that one summer of research is the absolute minimum for an applicant to be considered seriously. furthermore, every admissions cycle people apply with a year or more of high quality research experience (just to give you an idea of the field of competition).

finally, i feel that one of the most important aspects of any potential candidacy is explaining why md/phd and not just md (or phd, for argument's sake i guess). this can often be well-illustrated by examples directly from research experiences, so maybe try approaching the md/phd portions of your application in that manner.

just my thoughts. best wishes,
aaron

 

[dave613]

on a not necessarily irrelevant note, i don't believe that downstate has an MSTP. just a word to the wise, in case you were serious about applying there.

also, a quick, general thought about md/phd admissions:
while perhaps it's true that mcat scores and gpa are not the most important factors in the process, it seems reasonable that they would need to be correspondingly better for a candidate with less (or lower quality) research experience. that being said, i've spoken with several mstp directors and most of them have indicated (either explicitly or otherwise) that one summer of research is the absolute minimum for an applicant to be considered seriously. furthermore, every admissions cycle people apply with a year or more of high quality research experience (just to give you an idea of the field of competition).

finally, i feel that one of the most important aspects of any potential candidacy is explaining why md/phd and not just md (or phd, for argument's sake i guess). this can often be well-illustrated by examples directly from research experiences, so maybe try approaching the md/phd portions of your application in that manner.

just my thoughts. best wishes,
aaron

Thank you aaron,--by the way, I know that downstate doesn't have mstp, but they do have an md/phd program, that I might be interested in.
Thanks for the input though

 

[b&ierstiefel]

Also, during interviews, don't say the phrase, "just an MD". MD interviewers may flip 🙂 It happened to me once

 

[SaltySqueegee]

Sorry,

I normally post this link to help along budding MSTP/MD/PhD applicants. It should answer a few questions that you might still have:

Medical Scientist Training Programs

Again, Best of luck! 👍 🙂

 

[dave613]

Sorry,

I normally post this link to help along budding MSTP/MD/PhD applicants. It should answer a few questions that you might still have:

Medical Scientist Training Programs

Again, Best of luck! 👍 🙂

Thanks, I've read through that site already.