MD vs MD/PhD, are you really smarter?

[BlackPuma]

ok ok, these past couple of years as an undergrad, I was always under the impression that MD/PhDs were very gifted, smarted etc etc versus their medical student counterparts..

ok let me say this, I personally loved researched, and the past 3 years have like worked in 4 labs, tons of publications and awards (sorry dont mean to brag, but I'm trying to make a point)...

anyway, I had everything it took to go into an MD/PhD and virtually every interview I went to, pple asked me why I didnt chose such an option....I personally didnt want to commit 7 years of my life, and I also thought really deep down, that I wasnt super smart or genius like einstein to go into the program....

I know MD/PhD have better stats than the rest of us, but are they trule SMARTER than MDs, cuz I know so many pple going to MDs and THEIR REALLY BRIGHT, TALENTED AND HAVE ALSO DONE tons of research...

and the biggest reason I didnt apply to an MD/PhD program was because I spoke to medical students from a lot of medical schools and even md/phd and they all said that pple who chose that track really regretted.....which seems to be really the case with a lot of these pple...they just burn out...

so that makes me wonder, are they really that smarter than MDs? or is it, rather that a lot of pple don't apply to these programs, and in some schools ur chances are even better?

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[PelicanMan]

The MD/PHD people I have met have been amazing smart people. I don't know if they are smarter but they are at least at the same level. It is harder to get MD/PHD then other stuff.

 

[oldman]

that pathway requires a lot of dedication. as you said yourself, it is many years of training. as far as the stats being higher, that my be due to the lack of slots. They will obviously take the creamier of the crop. also it depends on your focus. mudphuds are geared more towards academic research. straight MDs are more for clinical careers. but don't be suprised if there are people with ph.ds getting their MDs. it takes all kinds!

 

[joehuf]

I think as a general rule you have to be a pretty smart cookie to get into medical school at all; MD or MDPhD or MDJD or MDMPH or MD and whatever else you want to do. I think that the difference is just what you said; a career choice. If you definitely want to go into a research related field and want to be the most qualified for that; then MDPhD is a smart way to go. An MD can also do research but he or she will probably spend at least a few years trying to establish himself/herself in the research field. The PhD contingent allows you to get exposure in research and get your name out there. I was kind of in the same boat as yourself; I had a lot of research experience when applying but I didn't apply to MDPhD. Basically I liked research but I'm not 100% sure that's what I'll be doing for a living. I didn't think it was worth it to spend all that time and work on what possibly might amount to the ability to write three more letters after my name. Are MDPhD's a little more dedicated than regular MD's? Probably. But I wouldn't say necessarily smarter. (Although I'm sure many of them would argue to the contrary). Take it easy. :wink:

 

[A. Caveman]

are they more knowledgeable? YES. they spend more time doing academically related stuff and thus have more breadth and depth of knowledge than the rest of us, even about trivia and other crap. they just don't play as much so they learn more stuff.

are they more naturally intelligent? YES. often, the people that are attracted by science and have the intellectual curiosity to do research for a living are very intelligent. if given an IQ test (which i don't even know if it tests all intelligence effectively enough) i'm pretty sure they'd score higher.

you can't look at mcat scores and gpas though to answer this question (which i didn't do), but even they will partially answer this question. give the average md/phd an sat or mcat and the average md (applicant) an sat or mcat and you'll see what happens.

CONS:
md/phd's are ugly, and their mothers dress them.
they are also dull, and boring. neener neener neener....jj.

 

[Hopkins2010]

I'm not going to touch the "whos smarter" aspect of this thread, because in my opinion no intelligent discussion can come of it. Pretty soon, it would boil down to a bunch of worthless personal anecdotes about how "I know an MD/PhD who worked on a Nobel prize project" or "I know an MD/PhD who only got a 22 on the MCAT"

That being said, I do think that MD/PhD applicants are forced a little more to think about their motivations. The time commitment is long, and from the MD/PhD vs MD interviews that I've been to, the MD/PhD ones really hammered away a lot more about my personal motivation to seek this particular career path. The regular MD interviews asked about that some as well, but the line of questioning was not nearly as intense.

Does this mean that MD/PhDs are more dedicated than regular MDs? Again, very hard to say. But I feel confident in saying that at least the application process forces MD/PhDs to think more about why they are choosing this program.

 

[JJ4]

Whoa Caveman -- I hope that "jj" at the end of your post were your initials -- and not referring to someone :wink:

Going MSTP has nothing to do with smarts or skills or anything. I guess the focus is just different. Most of us have probably toyed with the PhD idea and just decided that the MD will allow for a more unique research perspective.

As for not getting out much. That's crap. I never thought I'd ever go into academics or anything of the sort. I went to college after being recruited for football but after getting winded by other div-I teams freshman year, I figured my calling was different and I went to the lab (I always liked research even thru high school). Thus started my research career and the rest is history

 

[Trek]

Yes, I am smarter (refering to original title question). JJ=just joking. Me= --Trek

 

[Cdc28p]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by A. Caveman:

CONS:
md/phd's are ugly, and their mothers dress them.
they are also dull, and boring. neener neener neener....jj.••••Oh, God, a lot of my future-MD female friends at my school leave a lot to be desired. Science people in general are just ugly, aren't they?

J/k...

 

[BlackPuma]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by baylor21:
•I'm not going to touch the "whos smarter" aspect of this thread, because in my opinion no intelligent discussion can come of it. Pretty soon, it would boil down to a bunch of worthless personal anecdotes about how "I know an MD/PhD who worked on a Nobel prize project" or "I know an MD/PhD who only got a 22 on the MCAT"

That being said, I do think that MD/PhD applicants are forced a little more to think about their motivations. The time commitment is long, and from the MD/PhD vs MD interviews that I've been to, the MD/PhD ones really hammered away a lot more about my personal motivation to seek this particular career path. The regular MD interviews asked about that some as well, but the line of questioning was not nearly as intense.

Does this mean that MD/PhDs are more dedicated than regular MDs? Again, very hard to say. But I feel confident in saying that at least the application process forces MD/PhDs to think more about why they are choosing this program.•••••but you do realize that there are MD/PhDs who go into the program and eventually quit? or regret it later on? I don't think they forsaw that either....I think no MD/PhDs can at this point say, they can truly commmit 7 years of their life...it's ludicrious its like signing a deal with teh devil....life is transitory, people change...other issues in one's own life changes, ....we have to see what current MD/PhDs will say 10 years down the line....

 

[joehuf]

Hey, not all scientist are ugly... there are some VERY cute interns and residents at the hospital where I work and some graduate (PhD) students at the med school that are cute too. Maybe just like it is too grand of a generalization to say that all MDPhD's are super-geniuses it is also to much of a generalization to say that all scientists are ugly.

 

[MacGyver]

Watcha,

Just because you dont think the MD/PhD path is right for you doesnt mean that its not right for someone else. Yes, there are people who drop out, but there are also straight MD people who drop out also.

If you're passionate about doing medical research, I personally dont think there is a better way to do it than MD/PhD. I look forward to the graduate years as an added bonus, not a drag, because I love research. If you really like research, then the time commitment is not that big of a deal because you'll be doing what you love.

 

[leorl]

Neuronix, where are you? I dunno if he posts on the boards often or not, but he's like in the chat room quite a bit. He'll tell you all the reasons he's going MD/PhD, and they're really good, valid ones. While not a lot of us want to put in the committment or have a burning desire to lean towards a more research-oriented medical career, some people can see the worth of it . Plus come on, they're wined and dined!

 

[Apastron]

ok ok, these past couple of years as an undergrad, I was always under the impression that MD/PhDs were very gifted, smarted etc etc versus their medical student counterparts..

ok let me say this, I personally loved researched, and the past 3 years have like worked in 4 labs, tons of publications and awards (sorry dont mean to brag, but I'm trying to make a point)...

anyway, I had everything it took to go into an MD/PhD and virtually every interview I went to, pple asked me why I didnt chose such an option....I personally didnt want to commit 7 years of my life, and I also thought really deep down, that I wasnt super smart or genius like einstein to go into the program....

I know MD/PhD have better stats than the rest of us, but are they trule SMARTER than MDs, cuz I know so many pple going to MDs and THEIR REALLY BRIGHT, TALENTED AND HAVE ALSO DONE tons of research...

and the biggest reason I didnt apply to an MD/PhD program was because I spoke to medical students from a lot of medical schools and even md/phd and they all said that pple who chose that track really regretted.....which seems to be really the case with a lot of these pple...they just burn out...

so that makes me wonder, are they really that smarter than MDs? or is it, rather that a lot of pple don't apply to these programs, and in some schools ur chances are even better?

Look at a DSc for your answers.

 

[Tenk]

Look at a DSc for your answers.

Look at the op date for your answers.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

Wow. Let’s put this back into the grave and let it rest.