Internal Admissions at Cornell?

[troszic]

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Does anyone know if med students at Cornell can apply to the MSTP?

 

[Habari]

Does anyone know if med students at Cornell can apply to the MSTP?

Yes, medical students can, and there is one in my year, and one in the year ahead of me. It would be false advertising, however, to portray it as easy. There isn't one particular route to entering the program, but one needs to be able to demonstrate a committment to research in some substantive manner. For example, a couple medical students did HHMI research years before joining.

The director is the best person to speak about regarding ones chances of entering the program and how to go about preparing a competitive application. The applications are generally handeled on a case-by-case basis, though there is a standard formal component.

 

[WMC08?]

Yes, medical students can, and there is one in my year, and one in the year ahead of me. It would be false advertising, however, to portray it as easy. There isn't one particular route to entering the program, but one needs to be able to demonstrate a committment to research in some substantive manner. For example, a couple medical students did HHMI research years before joining.

The director is the best person to speak about regarding ones chances of entering the program and how to go about preparing a competitive application. The applications are generally handeled on a case-by-case basis, though there is a standard formal component.

The director of the program has recently formalized the transfer process. As indicated by the last post, it isn't easy or common, but essentially consists of the personal statement, new letters of recommendation, and transfer of your admissions file from the MD admissions office. The only concern is that as I understand it, the process takes place after the regular MSTP admissions season is closed, so you need to hope there is funding left.

Is the OP a student at Cornell?

 

[troszic]

Is the OP a student at Cornell?

I have an MD-only interview on Feb. 28, and my question relates to the hypothetical case in which I get in and decide to go there.

And thanks for the info, Habari and WMC08.

 

[Habari]

The director of the program has recently formalized the transfer process. As indicated by the last post, it isn't easy or common, but essentially consists of the personal statement, new letters of recommendation, and transfer of your admissions file from the MD admissions office. The only concern is that as I understand it, the process takes place after the regular MSTP admissions season is closed, so you need to hope there is funding left.

The above is correct as I understand it: by "many routes" I meant that there isn't one formula to gaining acceptance (i.e. rotating before and after first year in a lab etc...)

 

[NunoBR]

I am happy I found this thread because I have been thinking the same thing.
I interviewed at Cornell in Novemeber and the student I stayed with was doing a year of research between third and fourth year. He actually tried getting into MD/PhD and was denied, so it sounds like it is not easy at all.
He did initially apply to the MSTP but only got into regular MD.
I even asked him: "would you likely go to a diff med school here in NYC if you knew you wouldn't get into the MD/PhD? He answered he probably would have".
To the OP, apparently it is possible, but sounds like it is not an easy road and definitely not guaranteed.
You might be better off just going with your Columbia P&S acceptance. I would.

I know I am very late, applying this year (regular MD), but have been debating whether to do MD/PhD or not once I start med school.
The thing is I've already been accepted to two NYC med schools, both of them "encourage" MD/PhD applications while in your 1st and 2nd years of med school (NYU an MSSM) and I am currently waiting to hear from Cornell (March).
So we will see...
I have significant 2.5+ years of research in undergrad and a very strong interest in academic medicine. However I dont know if I should do the MD/PhD.
The hard part will be if I get into Cornell to decide whether to go there (and most likely not to MD/PhD) or go to NYU or MSSM and still have that option available.
Any thoughts.

 

[Habari]

The thing is I've already been accepted to two NYC med schools, both of them "encourage" MD/PhD applications while in your 1st and 2nd years of med school (NYU an MSSM) and I am currently waiting to hear from Cornell (March).
So we will see...

While Cornell doesn't solicit general applications to the md/phd program, if a strong interest is demonstrated (as I mentioned above), then the director will give you specific advice about how to go about the process. You may want to ask him about the prospects given your application before you choose to attend or not, he is very forthright if he is in the position to give you an answer. In some cases, if one did not have a competitive application during the regular cycle, being an in house candidate may not help that much, unless the issue was too little research experience, or other aspects that can be strengthened during medical school.

Since our medical school class is 100 people, and MD/PhD's make up anywhere from 12-17 people a year, there isn't a large impetus to increase that number for the sake of having a larger MD/PhD population; money for spots isn't a rate-limiting factor. There is a large investment both monetarily as well as in advising, support, trouble-shooting if problems arise, pointing out opportunities that are specific to student interests, and the program wants to make sure that there is a reciprocal interest in the aim of the program.

There are, of course, many cornell medical students who are not in the program, both by choice or otherwise, who have a strong interest in academic medicine (clinical interests are a given, but there are quite a number with more basic/translational career interests) and have been very happy with the research opportunities. The Tri-Institutional community is still open to all students, and students have spent time at all of the institutions (and their off-shoots, including the Aaron Diamond Aids Research Center) during med school, in the summers, or by taking a year away (through HHMI or otherwise).

As for attending Cornell med over NYU/Mt.Sinai/Columbia - I'd simply go with the school you like the most, whichever it is. It isn't trivial to join MD/PhD programs anywhere, given the large investment made in the student. But at each of those schools, there are students who do join regularly from the MD pool.