MSTP Applicant

[purplerainbow]

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[eteshoe]

You are competitive for quite a few programs. Are you planning on continuing your PhD in BME/Bioengineering?

 

[purplerainbow]

When you say 'quite a few', could you name specific schools? It will also help me build a school list.

As for PhD, I'm sort of torn. I really enjoy computational genetics and immunology, so a combination of the two would be ideal. I know Yale has a computational immunology department. It would truly be my dream to go there. http://immunobiology.yale.edu/research/CompImm.aspx

 

[purplerainbow]

Another question: will I get screened out of any MSTP programs by stats alone? I know mine are about average, if not slightly low, for these programs.

 

[nonamesleft]

When you say 'quite a few', could you name specific schools? It will also help me build a school list.

As for PhD, I'm sort of torn. I really enjoy computational genetics and immunology, so a combination of the two would be ideal. I know Yale has a computational immunology department. It would truly be my dream to go there. http://immunobiology.yale.edu/research/CompImm.aspx

1) Look up your schools of interest for their "typical accepted applicant" profile
2) Look at their MD/PhD program student profiles
3) Compare yourself to the information shown. If your profile is above what the school shows, and assuming that you have no red flags and that you write/interview well, then you would be considered competitive.

 

[purplerainbow]

1) Look up your schools of interest for their "typical accepted applicant" profile
2) Look at their MD/PhD program student profiles
3) Compare yourself to the information shown. If your profile is above what the school shows, and assuming that you have no red flags and that you write/interview well, then you would be considered competitive.

Unfortunately, it seems like many schools do not have typical accepted applicant profiles (at least in terms of GPA/MCAT). For example, UCSD and NYU do not. I think that once I get an interview, I will be okay, but I'm worried I'll be screened out on stats alone.

 

[eteshoe]

When you say 'quite a few', could you name specific schools? It will also help me build a school list.

As for PhD, I'm sort of torn. I really enjoy computational genetics and immunology, so a combination of the two would be ideal. I know Yale has a computational immunology department. It would truly be my dream to go there. http://immunobiology.yale.edu/research/CompImm.aspx

@nonamesleft said most of it. It's honestly as simple as looking up every top 20-30 research med schools (and/or alternatively looking up top immunology PhD programs), going through the departments of interest and finding 3-5 PI's whose research you like. Looking up some papers from their lab, looking where students from that lab went, etc, etc. And you start building up your list from there. Cast a wide net, and narrow it down as you learn more about your interests/goals.

I know from experience that going from engineering to the more computational side of biomedical science can be a pretty cool transition with plenty of labs looking for people with that type of skill set.

 

[Neuronix]

Unfortunately, it seems like many schools do not have typical accepted applicant profiles (at least in terms of GPA/MCAT). For example, UCSD and NYU do not. I think that once I get an interview, I will be okay, but I'm worried I'll be screened out on stats alone.

Nobody will screen you out on stats alone with a 3.7 / 517 and several years of research. Whether they invite you to interview is much more nebulous. That is why everyone applies to a dozen or more programs.

 

[purplerainbow]

I know people say to get 100 hours of clinical experience, but does that really matter? Will adcoms actually care about that? I have 50 shadowing but that's it. Are there schools that are notorious for caring about it more than others?

 

[Student's T]

Nobody will screen you out on stats alone with a 3.7 / 517 and several years of research. Whether they invite you to interview is much more nebulous. That is why everyone applies to a dozen or more programs.

QFT. Just apply to all of the MSTP programs that have appropriate research programs in bioengineering (and that you would be willing to go to geographically). You can make a decision after interviewing (and comparing, to the extent that you can based on that) at several programs.

Actual interview decision are pretty random for even well-qualified candidates unless you have a connection or are some kind of superstar. So don't get your heart set on a few programs.

 

[Thienyl15]

I know people say to get 100 hours of clinical experience, but does that really matter? Will adcoms actually care about that? I have 50 shadowing but that's it. Are there schools that are notorious for caring about it more than others?

There are schools that are extremely anal about clinical/volunteer requirements (like Rush if memory serves?) but I wouldn't sweat it too much. As the admissions dean for the University of Washington School of Medicine puts it, "You wouldn't buy a Ferrari without test driving it, would you?"