Medical MD, MD/PhD and applying PhD-only?

[Mr.Smile12]

I have applied to Texas MD/PhD programs, MD-only programs, and DO programs as well. My LizzyM score is a bit low at 67 but I am URM, I have a year of clinical experience, and I am finishing up my Master of Science degree. I am also a re-applicant and a Texas resident. Reading some of the posts on here it seems that getting admission into an MD/PhD for me might be a bit of a fat chance, but we shall see... My question is: if I really want to get a PhD from a certain school that I've already applied MD and MD/PhD, should I apply PhD-only as well or will it hurt my application? Should I contact the admissions department of that school directly? Thanks

Why would you want to do Md/PhD? That's the first question. PhD only route would likely be "cheaper" if you qualify for a training grant, which you might as a URM. If you want to do research, I'd check to see what the process is for applying for PhD but you may be able to do that later in the fall though I'd be in contact through my PI who is writing my recommendation letter.

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[Mr.Smile12]

Thanks for your response. I am very interested in doing research in addition to getting an MD degree. The PhD program I would be applying to would give me a 30k stipend every year besides any grants or fellowships I may manage to obtain. It will be possible for me to apply later in the fall so I will take your advice and just see how this round goes before I make any decisions. Thanks for your time!

As someone who wound up doing a Ph.D. instead of waiting for an MD spot because of my stronger desire to do research in a clinically-relevant area, the stipend versus the burden of loans was a strong factor for me to not pursue medical school. I still wound up doing a lot of clinically-based basic science research and still went to grand rounds and meetings. (I was interviewed at that same school for MD/PhD but got put on the MD-only waitlist... many years ago.)