MD or MD/PhD competitiveness

[PurpleCow2016]

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[CerseiLannister]

try getting your mcat to a 515 (even if it takes some time) and you should be fine at top MSTP programs ...

The other decision is more personal - depending on how important it is to complete phd and how important prestige is to you

 

[ika.bear]

Hello! I hope you all are doing well. I am new here.
I am a biochemistry major at UT and I want to pursue an MD PHD program. Specifically I am interested in going to UT Southwestern.
I want to get other people's opinions on what should I do to make myself a better applicant. Especially because I have been doing well in school for the most part, but I got a C in physiology this semester (Outlier in my grades, but it happened- professor was really bad)

Will the C really hurt me? It did lower my gpa and I am worried about that C diminishing my application, especially because it was physiology.

 

[Fencer]

It isn't a killer for MD/PhD. UTSW has high MCAT/cGPA standards for both MD and MD/PhD. Look around you... MD will ask you for many hundredths of hours of volunteering, service and clinical shadowing, while MD/PhD will ask you for many hundredths of hours of research.

PM me if you need.

 

[Lucca]

Hello! I hope you all are doing well. I am new here.
I am a biochemistry major at UT and I want to pursue an MD PHD program. Specifically I am interested in going to UT Southwestern.
I want to get other people's opinions on what should I do to make myself a better applicant. Especially because I have been doing well in school for the most part, but I got a C in physiology this semester (Outlier in my grades, but it happened- professor was really bad)

Will the C really hurt me? It did lower my gpa and I am worried about that C diminishing my application, especially because it was physiology.

If your overall GPA is still strong then it will not be a problem. Check out the Neuronix sticky at the top of this forum for MD/PhD chance guidelines. There are essentially three components: Strong GPA, strong MCAT, strong research background. Unlike MD, research is king and everything else is minor compared to it. So, to get ahead, keep your GPA high, try to score above a 513 on the MCAT and work hard to build a robust research portfolio.