MD/PhD Less Competitive Than MD

[schmitta1573]

I came across this paragraph in The White Coat Investor Book: A Doctor's Guide to Personal Finance and Investing. I always assumed that MD/PhD programs were more competitive, but I suppose there are multiple variables and data to consider. I was wondering if anyone knew of any data on this. As a side note, I was disappointed with the generalizations and the tone the author decided to take toward MD/PhDs in this paragraph.

"The first option is to enroll in an MD/ PhD or DO/ PhD program. In return for committing to get the PhD, you not only get free tuition, but you also get a living stipend each year. These programs are fantastic options for someone who actually wants to get an MD AND a PhD. Unfortunately, there are a lot fewer students qualified to attend medical school who want an MD and a PhD than there are MD/ PhD slots available. But these slots do not go unfilled. They are filled either by students who cannot get into the regular MD program or by students who do not really want that PhD but do not want to borrow hundreds of thousands of dollars to pay for medical school. Sure, they will all convince themselves they really do want the PhD, but take a look at their faces as they head off to the lab for four to five years when you head off to the wards as an MS3. Do they really look that excited?"

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[mynameistoolong]

Yeah when I compare my MD and MD/PhD interviews this is clearly true... /sarcasm

Funny thing is that the White Coat Investor is actually a partner organization (person?) on SDN: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/members/the-white-coat-investor.143375/
I wonder what he thinks. I've read his blog a bit but this makes me question some of the things he say...

 

[OCDOCDOCD]

Wow, I wasn't aware it was possible to pack so much wrong into a single paragraph

Unfortunately, there are a lot fewer students qualified to attend medical school who want an MD and a PhD than there are MD/ PhD slots available.

As anyone who's gone through this process on any end can tell you, this is most definitely not the case. The applicant pool wouldn't be so ridiculous if it were. GPA, MCAT, and (of course) research experience are all much greater in the MD/PhD applicant pool than in the MD pool. They're no slouches on ECs, talents, and unique backgrounds either.

They are filled either by students who cannot get into the regular MD program

Quite the opposite actually. MD/PhD rejects often get passed down to the MD adcom for consideration. The reverse never happens. Furthermore, most MD applicants could not be successful MD/PhD applicants.

or by students who do not really want that PhD but do not want to borrow hundreds of thousands of dollars to pay for medical school.

Programs try to weed those people out. A lot of the admissions process is actually dedicated to finding out who's trying to enroll in a dual-degree program for the wrong reasons.

 

[QofQuimica]

Part of the problem here is that "competitiveness" is contextual. It means something different to be competitive for MD/PhD programs vs. MD-only programs. Sure, there are some superstar applicants who are so all-around stellar that they're competitive for everything. But depending on the school (because some schools require you to be accepted for the MD-only program in order to be accepted to the MD/PhD), it's entirely possible to be accepted for an MD/PhD program but rejected by an MD-only program. It happens because the programs place different values on various applicant qualities. At my med school, for example, the MD program puts a lot more weight on applicants' volunteering and civic involvement than the MD/PhD program does, which is an area where some MD/PhD applicants may be weaker. The MD program is also a lot more open to taking older applicants than the MD/PhD program is. And obviously people without much research experience won't be competitive for the MD/PhD program, even though they might be very competitive for the MD-only program.

BTW, I do think it can be a bit depressing for some people to be the one "left behind" when all of their med school friends go off and become clinical students while they're doing their PhD. Not to mention the weird situations that can ensue later, such as having prior classmates turn out to be your residents when you hit the third year of med school yourself.