MD/PhD Application- In need of advices.

[Music Therapy]

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Hello all,

I am in need of some serious advices from you all regarding my MD/PhD application. I have already submitted my primary, and am waiting for verification. I have been hesitating a lot in terms of applying to only MD/PhD programs, or a mix of MD/PhD and MD programs, mostly because of my first MCAT score. I took it in January and got a 30. I retook it in May and got a 32, 10/12/10, which I was hoping it to be a bit higher. I have a 3.77 cumulative GPA with 3.71 science GPA with 3 years of research in two labs, no publication.

Would it definitely hurt my chances if I chose to change some of my applications to MD only? And is it possible to change that part of the application after I have submitted? So far the schools I am applying to are:

UCI
UCLA
USC
U Chicago
RMDNJ
U Pitt
NYU
Georgetown
Texas A&M
Texas Tech
U Colorado
U Mich
U Wash
UT SA
UT Houston
UT MB
Baylor
Einstein

Should I convert some of the schools to MD-only, or rather, add more low-tier/mid-tier MD/PhD programs? Would having both MD and MD/PhD applications be frowned upon, and decrease my overall chance? I am aware that some schools, such as U Mich and Baylor consider applicants for both MD and MD/PhD simultaneously. Should I just leave them as they are?

Thank you all in advance.

 

[mercaptovizadeh]

Hello all,

I am in need of some serious advices from you all regarding my MD/PhD application. I have already submitted my primary, and am waiting for verification. I have been hesitating a lot in terms of applying to only MD/PhD programs, or a mix of MD/PhD and MD programs, mostly because of my first MCAT score. I took it in January and got a 30. I retook it in May and got a 32, 10/12/10, which I was hoping it to be a bit higher. I have a 3.77 cumulative GPA with 3.71 science GPA with 3 years of research in two labs, no publication.

Would it definitely hurt my chances if I chose to change some of my applications to MD only? And is it possible to change that part of the application after I have submitted? So far the schools I am applying to are:

UCI
UCLA
USC
U Chicago
RMDNJ
U Pitt
NYU
Georgetown
Texas A&M
Texas Tech
U Colorado
U Mich
U Wash
UT SA
UT Houston
UT MB
Baylor
Einstein

Should I convert some of the schools to MD-only, or rather, add more low-tier/mid-tier MD/PhD programs? Would having both MD and MD/PhD applications be frowned upon, and decrease my overall chance? I am aware that some schools, such as U Mich and Baylor consider applicants for both MD and MD/PhD simultaneously. Should I just leave them as they are?

Thank you all in advance.

As research is not necessarily the problem here (how strong is it?), I'm not sure that switching to MD-only would really help. The issue here is your MCAT score, which is on the lower side and this was seen on two diffferent testings, which makes it harder to argue that it was just a fluke. The MCAT score will be just as important for MD-only admissions.

Perhaps just leave the application as is (depending on how good your research is?) and see how this application cycle pans out...that is, if you are dedicated to doing the MD/PhD track.

 

[nysw]

For the Texas schools (UT system/A&M/Tech), if you have the time/money to apply through TMDSAS, I'd consider applying MD only as well. Your mileage may vary, but I don't think it hurt my chances at an MD/PhD when I applied for both, and the two programs usually work together to coordinate your interview day.

 

[Music Therapy]

Thank you for your advices. I have actually considered applying to TMDSAS schools but I think it might be too late to start the application. As for my research, I feel very comfortable discussing my research experiences, and enjoy answering others' questions. I think all research scientists sort of enjoy talking about their own research (I might be completely wrong). Perhaps I'll just keep all the schools as they are, and see how this cycle goes. If all goes wrong, I will retake my MCAT next year and strengthen my research an re-apply. Thank you all for your inputs, I sincerely appreciate it.