MCAT now or later?

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.

Endoxifen

Full Member
7+ Year Member
Joined
Jul 26, 2016
Messages
1,095
Reaction score
1,182
I'm in a bit of an interesting situation and I'd like some advice. I have the opportunity to go to th UK for a masters in epidemiology. I want to earn an MD/PhD and I'd like to continue on to the PhD at that school. I've been laying the groundwork for getting into the NIH OxCam program. However, the timeline for the MCAT is really unfortunate. If I go straight through from my masters into the PhD, I may be able to graduate from my PhD in just 3-3.5 years, making the total time for the masters and PhD approximately 4 years. However, there is a significant risk of my MCAT expiring. If I do the standard path for an MD/PhD (2 MD, 4 PhD, 2 MD), I will likely be forced to take an additional gap year (can't interview while in the UK) and I likely won't be able to cut down on the time of my PhD anymore, making the total time for masters, gap year, and PhD, approximately 6 years. However, the MCAT won't be an issue. I do have the option of using the GRE to get into the OxCam program, if I would like to do the first option, but then I would be wasting the extensive amount of studying I have done for the MCAT already. What does everyone think? Should I continue studying the MCAT and risk having to retake it, do the GRE, or just take the normal path? I would really appreciate any advice you have to give. Thank you!

Edit: I should mention that by taking the first option (PhD, then MD), I also put myself at risk of not having MSTP funding for MD, which is guaranteed for the formal path. When I spoke to the NIH, they said there are no statistics about students not getting funding through this path and they could not tell me of a time when it happened, but it is a risk.

Members don't see this ad.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
FWIW, you can interview while in the UK - many people do it/have done it. Term time at Cambridge is short. If you're doing research, hours should be relatively flexible. There is a current Gates scholar even applying and interviewing at MSTP programs
 
FWIW, you can interview while in the UK - many people do it/have done it. Term time at Cambridge is short. If you're doing research, hours should be relatively flexible. There is a current Gates scholar even applying and interviewing at MSTP programs
Really? How are they managing the flights back and forth? With the frequency of interviews that many of my friends have received, I'd think it'd break the bank.
 
Really? How are they managing the flights back and forth? With the frequency of interviews that many of my friends have received, I'd think it'd break the bank.
You just schedule them together. And push them back a bit. Admissions offices are generally quite flexible with scheduling. Although there are fewer MSTP interview dates in general so maybe it would be difficult. But theoretically, still do-able!
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Top