Just a youngin with a couple of questions...

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Fish3715

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Hello everyone-
I have a couple of questions about preparing to apply to MD/PhD programs. Although the questions may seem a bit basic, I don't really have anyone else to ask, so please bear with me:


1) First of all, like many applicants I'm not sure I will have enough research. This fall I will be entering my second year of undergrad, but I will be graduating after my 3rd year due to AP credit. After graduation, I want to do a post-bac research program e.g. PREP, NIH'S pre-IRTA for a year. I would be applying to med school while in the program and hopefully enter med school in the fall of 2007. In addition to that research, I will be applying to summer biomedical research programs to do next summer, such as BioSTEP, SURF, SURP.
Will this be enough? Am I better off not graduating early so I can take a lighter course load and do research during the school year? Is doing research with a professor sufficient (as opposed to the post-bac research)?

2) Will my being a psychology major be questionable? Or in other words, is there something I need to do to make up for my lack of science experience/classes because of my major?
My college only has about 20-something majors, so the options of majoring/concentrating in neuroscience, human biology, physiology, cognitive science, etc aren't there- just the basic liberal arts majors. Since my options
were mainly biology and psychology, I felt I was more interested in the field of psychology as a whole than biology as a whole, mainly because many biology upper level classes at my school aren't directly relevant to humans (e.g. no human anatomy, human physiology, pathology, immunology, etc, yet many plant, ecology, invertebrate zoology, etc courses).

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Fish3715 said:
Will this be enough? Am I better off not graduating early so I can take a lighter course load and do research during the school year? Is doing research with a professor sufficient (as opposed to the post-bac research)?

Taking a year off for research definitely shows your dedication and commitment to academics. I would recommend graduating in three years and getting a research position full-time. Any kind of scientific research is good as long as you remain focused. You really need to write an abstract or present at a national meeting. Publication is simply icing on the cake and will put you ahead of the pack.

2) Will my being a psychology major be questionable? Or in other words, is there something I need to do to make up for my lack of science experience/classes because of my major?

A few heavily basic science oriented MSTPs ask that you take some advanced science course. In reality, I don't think this is very strictly enforced, particularly if you do well on the MCAT and have substantial research under your belt. Pscyh majors are not uncommon MSTP applicants. Many choose to pursue neuroscience PhDs.

Good luck!
 
just from personal experience . . .

i did one year of thesis research at my liberal arts college and one summer before that. that's it. no nih, no publications, even. if you like what you're doing and understand the field you did research in well enough to expound intelligently on it during interviews, you will do fine.

i ended up matriculating at a top5 mstp (and got offers at several other programs).

now i'm scared going into lab next year, because i feel like i've never even worked in a "real" one (my thesis advisor would be very insulted!) but everyone tells me it will be ok.

good luck! i just wanted to put it out there that not everyone who gets into a top mstp has published 10 times in nature. (or even once in the New Zealand Annals of Toxicology).
 
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itsaliger said:
just from personal experience . . .

i did one year of thesis research at my liberal arts college and one summer before that. that's it. no nih, no publications, even. if you like what you're doing and understand the field you did research in well enough to expound intelligently on it during interviews, you will do fine.

i ended up matriculating at a top5 mstp (and got offers at several other programs).

now i'm scared going into lab next year, because i feel like i've never even worked in a "real" one (my thesis advisor would be very insulted!) but everyone tells me it will be ok.

good luck! i just wanted to put it out there that not everyone who gets into a top mstp has published 10 times in nature. (or even once in the New Zealand Annals of Toxicology).

wow, this really gives me confidence now.
thanks!
 
I am very interested in applying tfor the program at the NIH geard towards students who plan on going to medical/dental school. However, my GPA is only in the 3.0 range, so would I still have a realistic chance of being accepted into the program at the NIH?? By the way,does anybody know what the average GPA is of those applicants who are accepted??
 
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