MD/PhD rejection, MD consideration

[PathToMDPhD]

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I haven't posted here on SDN much, but wanted to see whether others are experiencing this as well, as I haven't seen mention of it: rejection from the MD/PhD program, and an e-mail (or letter) inviting you to be considered for the MD-only program. I've gotten a few of these, including MD-only interview invitations. (I'm interviewing MSTP as well 🙂 )

Anybody else seeing this? Just curious ...

 

[mynameistoolong]

I haven't posted here on SDN much, but wanted to see whether others are experiencing this as well, as I haven't seen mention of it: rejection from the MD/PhD program, and an e-mail (or letter) inviting you to be considered for the MD-only program. I've gotten a few of these, including MD-only interview invitations. (I'm interviewing MSTP as well 🙂 )

Anybody else seeing this? Just curious ...

Yeah got this as well. It's pretty common; in fact, only a few schools don't do this as far as I know.

 

[plumazul]

I haven't posted here on SDN much, but wanted to see whether others are experiencing this as well, as I haven't seen mention of it: rejection from the MD/PhD program, and an e-mail (or letter) inviting you to be considered for the MD-only program. I've gotten a few of these, including MD-only interview invitations. (I'm interviewing MSTP as well 🙂 )

Anybody else seeing this? Just curious ...

I got an MD II. 😕 It seemed strange considering that I explicitly ruled this out in my application. Perhaps it's an automated process?

 

[pomona012]

When I applied last year, I interviewed at every one of these post-rejection invitations for an MD-only interview. I ended up at an MSTP, but I didn't want to close doors before I got into one (and I didn't want to wait another cycle, I didn't want to take another gap year). I interviewed at a range of USNWR-ranked MD-only programs (1 top-10, 1 top-20, 1 top-30, 1 top-50, 1 top-60). One of those interviews came after I got my first MSTP acceptance because I had already bought the plane tickets. Some of these interviews went much better than the ones that got me accepted or waitlisted at MSTPs, but I was straight rejected from every single school I did the MD-only interview at. Most of those rejections came after the schools would have seen the mid-cycle accept report (which may or may not have listed me as an accept at at least one MSTP); I don't know if that mattered.

I was honest when asked if I was still applying MSTP to other places, and I was honest that I would take any MSTP acceptance over any MD acceptance (there were always doubts - and they became pretty serious at one point - but I never told anyone; if you don't have doubts you probably aren't thinking about this carefully enough). I think admitting that stuff really sunk me, as getting into 0/5 seems to be rather unlikely. I thought I did super-excellent at three of those MD-interviews, and rather mediocre at the other two. I am betting that MD-only committees will be really wary if they know you are applying MD-PhD (I wasn't going to lie when those questions came up), and I am betting that if they do find out you will need to tell them that you (a) changed your mind or (b) aren't getting any MD-PhD interviews.

 

[OCDOCDOCD]

I've gotten them too, although most schools have said you get automatically considered for MD admissions after being rejected MSTP. I don't really see the point though, at least not in my case; my app is extremely research heavy with very little volunteering or ECs, so if I couldn't get into the MSTP there's no way I'm getting accepted by the MD committee.

 

[StIGMA]

I've gotten them too, although most schools have said you get automatically considered for MD admissions after being rejected MSTP. I don't really see the point though, at least not in my case; my app is extremely research heavy with very little volunteering or ECs, so if I couldn't get into the MSTP there's no way I'm getting accepted by the MD committee.

Most schools, especially schools with high NIH funding, want a proportion of their MD class to be research-focused. Don't discount your chances- still play to your strengths during these interviews if you are interested in them.

 

[Jimsy]

Semi-related question:

So I have an mdphd interview coming up, and I noticed that it will be a two-day interview where I will be interviewing for the MD first followed by an interview with the mdphd folk. How should I approach this MD interview? Should I mention that I'm there for the mdphd program or just treat it like a regular MD interview?

 

[OCDOCDOCD]

Semi-related question:

So I have an mdphd interview coming up, and I noticed that it will be a two-day interview where I will be interviewing for the MD first followed by an interview with the mdphd folk. How should I approach this MD interview? Should I mention that I'm there for the mdphd program or just treat it like a regular MD interview?

Most MD/PhD interviews are set up like that. The MD interviewers will be well aware that you're there for the MD/PhD programs, though the interviews will still proceed the same way as a normal MD interview.

 

[MSTPlease]

Most MD/PhD interviews are set up like that. The MD interviewers will be well aware that you're there for the MD/PhD programs, though the interviews will still proceed the same way as a normal MD interview.

I don't think most are. I know my program certainly isn't. At the one place I went to that had a distinct "MD only" interview, I was still being evaluated as an MD/PhD applicant. The difference was just that I didn't spend the bulk of the interview discussing my research.

I, like plumazul, checked off (or didn't check off, don't remember) the box indicating that I DID NOT wish to be considered for MD only at every school but still had a couple offer MD interviews or asked me again after I got rejected from MD/PhD if I wanted to be considered for MD only. I personally didn't accept any of them because my plan B was to reapply (my employer would have happily let me work for them another year or two - don't know if the reapply option would have been so appealing had I not had that job as a fall back), not make due with MD only but to each his own and there's nothing wrong with pursuing the MD only route as a backup.

 

[OCDOCDOCD]

I don't think most are. I know my program certainly isn't. At the one place I went to that had a distinct "MD only" interview, I was still being evaluated as an MD/PhD applicant. The difference was just that I didn't spend the bulk of the interview discussing my research.

I, like plumazul, checked off (or didn't check off, don't remember) the box indicating that I DID NOT wish to be considered for MD only at every school but still had a couple offer MD interviews or asked me again after I got rejected from MD/PhD if I wanted to be considered for MD only. I personally didn't accept any of them because my plan B was to reapply (my employer would have happily let me work for them another year or two - don't know if the reapply option would have been so appealing had I not had that job as a fall back), not make due with MD only but to each his own and there's nothing wrong with pursuing the MD only route as a backup.

I also checked "no" to those questions whenever a school asked (almost none did to my surprise). So far every interview I've had (2 so far) or will have (4 more) have distinct MD interviews. The pattern has so far been that all the MD stuff will be on one day and then all the MSTP stuff is on another day, or they'll be mixed together but still need two full days to fit everything in. The idea seems to be that the MD program at least wants to check off on the MSTP candidates since they're going to be students at the school. The only difference I've seen between programs thus far is that some schools give more weight to the MD interview(s) than others. I had one school, for example, tell us that the MD interview was just a formality.

At least from my experience, the programs that don't require you to do an MD interview are the exceptions to the norm.

 

[Microglia]

I also checked "no" to those questions whenever a school asked (almost none did to my surprise). So far every interview I've had (2 so far) or will have (4 more) have distinct MD interviews. The pattern has so far been that all the MD stuff will be on one day and then all the MSTP stuff is on another day, or they'll be mixed together but still need two full days to fit everything in. The idea seems to be that the MD program at least wants to check off on the MSTP candidates since they're going to be students at the school. The only difference I've seen between programs thus far is that some schools give more weight to the MD interview(s) than others. I had one school, for example, tell us that the MD interview was just a formality.

At least from my experience, the programs that don't require you to do an MD interview are the exceptions to the norm.

Gonna agree with OCD, most of them have an MD day, followed by an MSTP/PhD interview day, or vice versa. The schools that don't are the exception, not the rule. Both days can matter for your admission, but often the MD side interview is weighted less heavily.

 

[MSTPlease]

Gonna agree with OCD, most of them have an MD day, followed by an MSTP/PhD interview day, or vice versa. The schools that don't are the exception, not the rule. Both days can matter for your admission, but often the MD side interview is weighted less heavily.

Good to know for current/future people. I only went to 6 interviews 4 years ago but 5/6 did not have an MD specific interview (or at least, 5/6 did not tell us that we were getting a specific MD interview). I guess either places are doing it differently now, or I got all the exception schools. The 1 that gave me an MD specific interview wasn't even the 1/6 schools that had us meet/attend info sessions with MD applicants.

FWIW, I think the system you guys are describing is better than what my school does.