going from MD to MD-PhD later on?

[musafirah]

So, i'm currently applying to med school and am still debating if i should go for MD-PhD. right now i feel like it's better not to expend the extra effort and just get my app in, focus on getting into MD. If I get in, can I decide in my first year of med school that i do indeed want to take the physician-scientist path and apply after acceptance? - just in case that i don't regret not applying now and changing my mind later

hmm

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[Naijaba]

Hi musafirah,

Many schools allow their first and second year medical students to apply for the MSTP. I'm not sure how competitive it is, but I would assume that you'd have to be near top of the class in coursework.

I know how you feel about the extra hoops we have to jump through when applying MD/PhD. 3,000 and 10,000 character essay in addition to the personal statement on AMCAS, another 4-5 more short essays on every secondary [Stanford even has another 2,500 character essay on their secondary.] I wish I could just walk up to them and say, "I love research, and I swear on my mother's soul that I won't bail after my first 2 years of med. school."

 

[musafirah]

Hi musafirah,

Many schools allow their first and second year medical students to apply for the MSTP. I'm not sure how competitive it is, but I would assume that you'd have to be near top of the class in coursework.

I know how you feel about the extra hoops we have to jump through when applying MD/PhD. 3,000 and 10,000 character essay in addition to the personal statement on AMCAS, another 4-5 more short essays on every secondary [Stanford even has another 2,500 character essay on their secondary.] I wish I could just walk up to them and say, "I love research, and I swear on my mother's soul that I won't bail after my first 2 years of med. school."

YEAH that's exactly how i feel.

so as long as the school in question allows it, its all good.. i think that's all i needed to know. thanks

 

[DeadCactus]

It's a few essays, compared to signing up for an extra 2 to 4 years of work. If you want to do MD-PhD, apply MD-PhD. You wouldn't apply to just one MD program, so why would you hinge your entry into an MD-PhD program on a single program?

 

[fMRI]

It's a few essays, compared to signing up for an extra 2 to 4 years of work. If you want to do MD-PhD, apply MD-PhD. You wouldn't apply to just one MD program, so why would you hinge your entry into an MD-PhD program on a single program?

As Dead Cactus says, if you want to go the MD/PhD route, apply directly.
MD/PhD students tend to get tuition waivers, merit scholarships and stuff, so this makes life a lot easier because you don't have to worry about completing the financial aid paperwork and arrange for loans.

 

[Hwan]

If you start the MSTP in your second year, will they retroactively apply funds to your first year's loans?

 

[URHere]

If you start the MSTP in your second year, will they retroactively apply funds to your first year's loans?

Generally, no.

Also, most if not all schools will allow you to apply MD/PhD internally, but this doesn't necessarily mean you'll get in, especially at schools with small programs. If a school only has funds for 5 students in a given year, you'll have to look better than all of their incoming applicants (or one of the current students will have to leave the program) for you to have a shot. At larger schools, it may be easier, but it is far from a sure thing. If you want to go MD/PhD, apply MD/PhD...at least you'll know whether or not you're in the program by the time you matriculate.

 

[fMRI]

If you start the MSTP in your second year, will they retroactively apply funds to your first year's loans?

I don't think so, as URHere already said. That must be an extremely well of school to cover *your* educational debt. Why should they? You took out the loan, you are responsible for paying it back. They'd rather spend it on attracting another student. Just because you changed your mind and they let you enter a program, doesn't mean they'll be paying for your previous expenses.

If you are serious about doing an MD/PhD program, apply from the start. Seriously. And, most importantly, don't do it for the money -- academic pay isn't great...

If you want to save money, rather get done with your degree earlier. Whatever you'll earn (mid-career annual income x years spent on PhD) will surely be more than what you saved by not paying tuition...

 

[dmblue]

I don't think so, as URHere already said. That must be an extremely well of school to cover *your* educational debt. Why should they? You took out the loan, you are responsible for paying it back. They'd rather spend it on attracting another student. Just because you changed your mind and they let you enter a program, doesn't mean they'll be paying for your previous expenses.

If you are serious about doing an MD/PhD program, apply from the start. Seriously. And, most importantly, don't do it for the money -- academic pay isn't great...

If you want to save money, rather get done with your degree earlier. Whatever you'll earn (mid-career annual income x years spent on PhD) will surely be more than what you saved by not paying tuition...

No schools will pay for your 1st year of medical school retroactively. I promise you this