MD/PhD schools

[youngin]

My cousin will be a junior next year and realized through a bunch of research he's done that he would actually prefer academic medicine and now wants to pursue an md/phd program. What he wanted to know was how much more difficult is it to apply to an md/phd program compared to a regular md program? Like would a md/phd program at a lower med school(ranking 40 or 50+) be as difficult and/or prestigious as getting into just a med school that is top 25? He is a good student with a gpa of 3.8 something right now and he thinks he will get around at least a 35 after taking 2 practice tests.

Edit: Yay! I hit 50 posts.

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[GeneGoddess]

I don't think it's a matter of numbers as much as research background and general motivation. I was accepted to both high and low "ranked" programs and chose a "lower" rank (I think, since I have NO idea where it's ranked) because I liked the school the best. I've seen people with excellent "numbers" turned away from every MD/PhD program and "so-so number" people accepted at top tier places.

 

[dave613]

I don't think it's a matter of numbers as much as research background and general motivation. I was accepted to both high and low "ranked" programs and chose a "lower" rank (I think, since I have NO idea where it's ranked) because I liked the school the best. I've seen people with excellent "numbers" turned away from every MD/PhD program and "so-so number" people accepted at top tier places.

I have a question about this topic too since I am in the same situation as the individual who asked the question about his cousin. Basically, I will be a junior this coming fall , and I have a gpa above 3.8 and I'm hoping to get a matching MCAT score, but by the time I will apply to md/phd, including that summer, I will only have had 11 months of laboratory experience. Additionally, I will have been a TA in molecular biology for a semester, and 6 months of volunteer ER service. Do you think I would be competitive at even lower tier md/phds, with my relatively limited amount of experience?

 

[Newquagmire]

yes

 

[GeneGoddess]

yes.

Don't sell yourself short!

 

[youngin]

So how would you determine which programs someone would be a good or at least competitive candidate for? My cousin is having trouble deciding where he would apply to.

 

[psyuk]

my thinking is the other way around. let's say you've been accepted to the md/phd program at "the worst us med school". granted it's very hard to get into a med school these days but why would you want to spend extra yrs to get the phd there? (unless you're doing it for free tuition.) i'd rank a harvard (or stanford) or mit (or caltech) phd higher than an md/phd from a 2nd tier school.

if he's unsure just have him apply as an md applicant. he could apply to the phd program afterwards.