Good MD/PhD programs that are not ultra competitive

[emiko]

I am trying to compose a final list of the schools that I am applying to. I have a 3.88 GPA in undergrad (with some poor grades coming from community college courses taken in high school so I think my overall AAMC GPA is lower than this.. probably around 3.6-3.7), 4 years of research experience, and 36+ on MCAT. I don't have publications but have won some reseaerch awards and am working on a couple manuscripts. I was looking at my AMCAS list and I think it's way top heavy:

Albert Einstein
Baylor
Columbia
Duke
Emory
Harvard
Johns Hopkins
USC
New York University
Stanford
UCSF
UCSD
UCI
UC Davis
University of Pennsylvania
University of Washington
Cornell
Yale

Can you guys give me some suggestions on where else (with a good research reputation) I should apply to? I would like to either stay in California or go to a major city on the East Coast.... Thanks!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[sanktank7]

My opinion is that you make a list of factors that you care about in order of priority and then fit your school list accordingly. Here is my list:

1) Research - ie. capacity of the institution, funding, strength in your broad area of interest
2) Location - culture, cost of living, family, weather etc.
3) Med School - curriculum, teaching style, grades

I think people tend to prioritize location more than anything for MSTP even if they say they don't. Understandable because its 8+ years in the prime of your life. This is why I think the schools with the best ratio of quality of program vs. competitiveness are located in the south and the midwest. Schools that come to mind are UAB, UT Southwestern, Case Western. Some schools that I think are overrated and very competitive simply because of location are Albert Einstein, NYU, UC Davis, UC Irvine.

You'll fight an uphill battle during admissions by restricting yourself to prime location. Just something to think about.

 

[flashback]

your stats are fine and assuming your letters are good, you're not crazy, and you have atleast something to show for the last 4 years of research (not even necessarily a pub) you'll be competitive for about anywhere. The key for your is likely going to be applying many places, having awesome amcas essays and being damn well prepared for your interviews. Many excelelnt people will be applying to all of those schools and adcoms will likely end up essentially drawing out of a hat to select from the best applicants they interviewed (they will encounter many well qualified people who will be good fits for their school). As long as you apply broadly you'll have a high chance of being one of those people.

If you're looking for some less competitive places.... as the other person said, UTSW is a great place- it will be up there with the very top places one days- they're definitely picky about their admisions though. If you're interested in clinical cancer research, check out UT Houston/MD-Anderson's program, it doesn't get a whole lot of attention due to it not being an MSTP. You may just want to browse the official list of MSTPs and find ones that don't have prestigious names. As long as its an MSTP and they have research you're interested in, odds are that you will be getting great training there.