Goldwater/MD Application

[tennisguy896]

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Hey Guys- I'm just curious if being a Goldwater scholar helps at all in the app process for straight MDs, or do med schools not care at all? I won last year as a soph, and I checked MD and MD/PhD because I was leaning towards MD/PhD then. I've since decided to apply straight MD, and maybe follow it up w/ a research fellowship. Do admissions committees give us any preference or "bonus points" 🙂 ? Would it help compensate for an mcat of 30 or something (I take the mcat for the 1st time in April)?

 

[solitude]

Hey Guys- I'm just curious if being a Goldwater scholar helps at all in the app process for straight MDs, or do med schools not care at all? I won last year as a soph, and I checked MD and MD/PhD because I was leaning towards MD/PhD then. I've since decided to apply straight MD, and maybe follow it up w/ a research fellowship. Do admissions committees give us any preference or "bonus points" 🙂 ? Would it help compensate for an mcat of 30 or something (I take the mcat for the 1st time in April)?

Of course being a Goldwater Scholar will help in applying to any type of graduate school or additional fellowship. It is an extremely selective award. The scholarship will enhance your application, but the rest of your application will still need to be strong. In other words, simply having won that scholarship alone is not going to get you in anywhere. However, you probably have at least a pretty good application if you were able to win the Goldwater. I don't know what you mean by "compensate" for an MCAT of 30. If you will be applying to the most selective medical schools, a 30 MCAT is mediocre to poor, and I personally doubt that the Goldwater will compensate for that MCAT. If you are applying to the medical schools intermediate or low in selectivity, a 30 MCAT will probably be fine, and perhaps the Goldwater will tip your application into the admit pile.

With that said, why did you decide to apply straight MD and then do a research fellowship? The general consensus is that if you plan to do basic science, you would be better served by completing both degrees. I think the Goldwater award, seeing as it rewards "demonstrated potential for a career in research", would be more beneficial to your application if you were entering a research (MD/PhD) program.

 

[Blue Planet]

Well, you don't have to do an MD/PhD or PhD to win the Goldwater. A student a few years ago my my university won the Goldwater, and he's planning to earn an MD and do clinical research.

 

[tennisguy896]

The Goldwater is not limited to the basic sciences, although many of the applicants generally are planning on only doing research. They are open to MDs interested in translational/clinical research.

 

[Mr. Tee]

If you will be applying to the most selective medical schools, a 30 MCAT is mediocre to poor, and I personally doubt that the Goldwater will compensate for that MCAT. If you are applying to the medical schools intermediate or low in selectivity, a 30 MCAT will probably be fine, and perhaps the Goldwater will tip your application into the admit pile.

I wouldn't exactly say that. A friend of mine, Goldwater Scholar with a 32 MCAT, got into the Cornell/MSKCC/Rockefeller Tri-I program. Another Goldwater Scholar at my school got into the MSTP program at Washington University with a 32 MCAT as well.

 

[Reimat]

I'm sure the Goldwater will definately help your app, but it's not extremely selective (~1 in 3 who apply get one), so it probably would not make up for a low MCAT.

 

[Booyakasha]

I' ...but it's not extremely selective (~1 in 3 who apply get one)....

Well... yes,1/3 who actually get nominated by their university/college. There are many more who apply for this initial nomination that do not get nominated, so we must consider those as well, which is not so easy. It is, however, safe to assume that a large number of people seek the nominations due to the prestige of the scholarship. But I do agree that getting a Goldwater will not make up for a low MCAT. I think that someone must be 33+ in order to be competetive for a spot at any of the top MSTP's--barring a few exceptions I suppose.

 

[tennisguy896]

I'm sure the Goldwater will definately help your app, but it's not extremely selective (~1 in 3 who apply get one), so it probably would not make up for a low MCAT.

t

 

[solitude]

I wouldn't exactly say that. A friend of mine, Goldwater Scholar with a 32 MCAT, got into the Cornell/MSKCC/Rockefeller Tri-I program. Another Goldwater Scholar at my school got into the MSTP program at Washington University with a 32 MCAT as well.

Well, I would consider your friends exceptions. The average MCAT at programs of that caliber is usually around 36. Thus, I hypothesize that your friends either got lucky, or had absolutely spectacular research (as reflected by their Goldwater win). It doesn't sound like the OP has similarly spectacular research that would compensate for such a mediocre MCAT.

 

[solitude]

I'm sure the Goldwater will definately help your app, but it's not extremely selective (~1 in 3 who apply get one), so it probably would not make up for a low MCAT.

At my school it is much more difficult to actually get the institution's nomination than to win the scholarship itself. The fact that every university is allowed to only nominate their four best applicants out of every science, math, or engineering major in the sophomore or junior class, speaks to the selectivity of the award. To beat out 2/3 of the very best science students from every other university is, in my opinion, an accomplishment.

Not saying that it helps in admissions, but I do think it is extremely selective.

 

[tennisguy896]

thanks for your replies

 

[Mr. Tee]

Well, I would consider your friends exceptions. The average MCAT at programs of that caliber is usually around 36. Thus, I hypothesize that your friends either got lucky, or had absolutely spectacular research (as reflected by their Goldwater win). It doesn't sound like the OP has similarly spectacular research that would compensate for such a mediocre MCAT.

"Average" or not, I wouldn't be discouraged from applying, especially since tennisguy896 sounds like he has stuff together. If it has been done, it can be done. For MSTP, a large part of it is luck anyway.

 

[tennisguy896]

"Average" or not, I wouldn't be discouraged from applying, especially since tennisguy896 sounds like he has stuff together. If it has been done, it can be done. For MSTP, a large part of it is luck anyway.

Thanks for the encouragement Teerawit- I appreciate it. I need all the good thoughts I can get since the MCAT is in 2 weeks! 🙂

 

[solitude]

"Average" or not, I wouldn't be discouraged from applying, especially since tennisguy896 sounds like he has stuff together. If it has been done, it can be done. For MSTP, a large part of it is luck anyway.

I agree, I don't mean to discourage the OP from applying.

However, I disagree that a large part of MSTP admissions is luck. This has been discussed ad nauseum in other threads, though, so I will leave it be.

 

[Mr. Tee]

However, I disagree that a large part of MSTP admissions is luck. This has been discussed ad nauseum in other threads, though, so I will leave it be.

We will see this app cycle instead of living vicariously 😉