MD/PhD interview

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I got my first MSTP interview at Vanderbilt by phone. The lady on the phone was real nice. She says Vanderbilt will pay for everything. Didn't know that they do that. I am beginning to like the school immensely. I wonder what's up with Duke. I sent my letter of rec twice and they still say they haven't received them. Wondering what's going on with the school. Hope you guys luck.

 

[Vader]

Congratulations on getting that Vandy interview! That's really cool that they pay. Not all schools do, so don't expect it if you're applying all over. Know your research well and be able to explain "why the MD and PhD?" Also, they'll likely ask about outside interests, so be ready to talk about what you like to do for fun. Just some words of advice... 😀

 

[Rumit]

Vader,

You're at UCSF, right? I have an MSTP interview there next month. Can you give me any advice, or tell me what it's like? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Adam

 

[Vader]

Hi Adam,
Congratulations on getting an interview! I think the best advice is to just be yourself. Know answers to questions like:
"Why the MD and PhD?"
"Why not just one or the other?"
"Tell me about your research."
"What are your career goals?"
"What do you enjoy doing outside of academics?"

Also, you should have some questions in mind for your interviewers. It might be good to read a few papers just to get an idea of the type of research they do.

You will also have two medical school interviews, which are typically closed-file, so they know nothing about you going into the interview. You definitely want to highlight your interest in medicine to them, but also it might be good to describe your interests and research background.

If you don't mind me asking, who will you be interviewing with? What type of research are you interested in?

Good luck and if you have any other questions, please let me know. 😀

Originally posted by Rumit:
•Vader,

You're at UCSF, right? I have an MSTP interview there next month. Can you give me any advice, or tell me what it's like? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Adam•

 

[Hopkins2010]

UVA, Wash. U are a couple of others that pay for interview costs. They must be exceptions rather than the rule. Pitt, Hopkins, and Michigan definitely do not pay for interview costs, and I havent heard anything about trip costs from Yale or Ohio State yet.

I didnt apply MD/PhD to Vandy, because they dont have the fields of research that I'm interested in, but its a great school. On the shuttle over to the school, another applicant and I met about 10 patients who raved about the doctors at Vandy, so obviously they are doing something right.

Hopkins was the same way. Its not uncommon to see people fly in from other countries JUST to see the doctors there, and of course the Johns Hopkins University Hospital was ranked the best hospital in America the last 10 years or so.

Didnt apply to UCSF, so dont know much about that program.

Once you get an interview, your chances at getting accepted are somewhat better in many cases than the normal MD programs.

For example, at Pitt and Hopkins, they interview 60 people and give acceptances to about 30. Of course, the caveat is that not all 30 people will get MSTP funding. Hopkins operates the MD/PhD straight admissions on a rolling basis starting in November, but they wait to award MSTP funding until all MD/PhD applications have been renewed. Pitt is non rolling admissions.

Wash. U. seems to have the biggest MSTP program that I've ever heard of. I have an interview there next week, and I believe that they accept around 30 for full MSTP funding, which is MUCH higher than any other institution I've heard of. Hopkins is the biggest NIH MSTP fund school I believe, but overall Wash. U has greater MD/PhD funding because of outside funding sources. Another great thing I've heard about WUSTL is that they will notify you of acceptance/rejection within a couple of weeks after your interview, so you dont have to wait for months like at Pitt or Yale.

I just got back from Hopkins and like I expected they did not disapoint. The only thing I'm worried about is that if I were to be accepted there, its extremely more competitive to get funding. The director of the program told me that every year there are several people who chose Hopkins even if they are not awarded MSTP funding, which says something about the quality of the program there.

Good luck, I think that one person here at SDN has got an MD/PhD interview at Duke. I didnt apply to Duke, so cant help you there.

 

[Rumit]

Originally posted by Vader:
•
Also, you should have some questions in mind for your interviewers. It might be good to read a few papers just to get an idea of the type of research they do.

You will also have two medical school interviews, which are typically closed-file, so they know nothing about you going into the interview. You definitely want to highlight your interest in medicine to them, but also it might be good to describe your interests and research background.

If you don't mind me asking, who will you be interviewing with? What type of research are you interested in?

•

I'm not sure yet who I'll be interviewing with. I sent in the list yesterday, and I was told that they'd let me know about a week before the interview. I'm most interested in doing something involved in gene regulation. Most of my undergrad stuff was done in transcription, which I really liked. But, I'm pretty open, because most things in biology interest me. I want to interview with Keith Yamamota and Ira Herskowitz, but from what I've heard, they're both pretty busy...so we'll see. I'll definitely start reading papers once I find out who I'm interviewing with.

What area of research are you going into? How do you like the program so far, if you don't mind my asking?

Thanks,

Adam

 

[Vader]

Originally posted by Rumit:
•
What area of research are you going into? How do you like the program so far, if you don't mind my asking?

Thanks,

Adam•

Overall, I'm pretty happy here at UCSF. You should realize though that the program here is fairly disorganized relative to a lot of other MD/PhD programs. It requires much more independence than other programs which will hold your hand. Scheduling between the medical and graduate programs is not the best and there are often conflicts. The two programs often seem to be very disjointed and there is a general lack of communication.

That all being said, I think UCSF was an excellent choice. Some schools are fairly imbalanced in terms of the quality of the medical school versus graduate programs. UCSF, however, is outstanding in both medicine and research. Therefore, I felt as though I wouldn't be sacrificing anything. Also, the MSTP program administrators are very, very supportive and friendly. You definitely get a sense that they truly care.

I am interested in neuroscience, and UCSF is one of the best in the nation in terms of both clinical departments and basic neuroscience research. What makes it distinct from places like Harvard, Hopkins, and other top programs is that there is a tradition of collaboration and collegiality that allows for all sorts of scientific and clinical interactions.

In terms of life outside of school, San Francisco is definitely one of the best places to live, as the city offers an amazing assortment of activities, restaurants, bars, sporting events, recreation, and natural beauty. Remember, you'll be spending 7-8 years wherever you choose to go, so you should choose the place where you'll be happiest.

I think in terms of the new medical school curriculum, most of the bugs will be worked out by next year. Overall, it has been good so far, but definitely more work than previous first years have had. The faculty are very receptive to student input and are encouraging feedback.

Although we have had four weeks of classes so far, we have already gotten to interview patients and learn some physical exam skills. We are deep into anatomy and histology, and are learning some basic concepts in physiology, cell biology, pharmacology, radiology, and behavioral and social sciences. This probably sounds like a full plate, and it definitely is. However, that hasn't stopped students in my class for participating in many electives and also doing some serious partying on the side.

The next block (starting in a few weeks), will be organ systems, in which we learn the physiology, pathophysiology, pathology, pharmacology, and psychosociology relevant to each system we study (the first is cardiovascular, then pulmonary & renal). Following Organs, we have a Cancer block and then one on Brain, Mind & Behavior to finish off the first year. In addition to these blocks, we have Foundations of Patient Care (FPC) for the first two years, Problem Based Learning (PBL), and preceptorships. There are only 2 hours of lecture a day and then the rest is small group or lab. It will be interesting to see how the curriculum develops for next year's class.

Anyway, before I make this message any longer, I had better stop. If you have any questions or need to arrange a place to stay, I'd be happy to help. You can send me a private message with your e-mail address and I'll get back to you.

Best of luck! 😀

 

[Original]

I indicated my MSTP Duke interview in that thread, and Rositalola also did the same. Yes they offered to pay transportation and accomodation. They begin regular MD interviews on Oct 24. The lady I spoke with was real nice and she told me that Nov 8 is the first possible day for MSTP interviews. I went ahead and scheduled for that day. MSTP interviews will be held on Tues and Thurs. So picking a Tue will imply that you will have the MD interview on Mon; and you'll have a Wed MD interview if you pick a Thurs for your MSTP interview. I submitted my secondary on Aug 21 and had all my recs in by Sept 9, and I got AMCAS-verified on Sept 17. I got the invite on Oct 3. Hey Vader I read alot of your posts last year on the PR board and I found them real helpful. I know you're probably super-busy, but can you please drop in a wise word every so often to help us through the process. Does anyone know how many Duke MSTP interviews are given, compared to entering class size?