MSTP Boulevard part 01

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•••quote:•••Originally posted by baylor21:
•RNAgirl,

I liked both alot. Two things bother me slightly about Yale. 1) Job opportunities for my wife in New Haven (she's an IT/computer person) and 2) the living stipend is smaller than at other places. On the Yale website it states that some students may have trouble living within the stipend for the first couple of years.

I'm assuming Yale MSTP mails out acceptances at the same time the regular MD candidates are notified. I saw on the website that all letters are supposed to be sent by the end of March. Do you know anything more specific about the date than that?
•••••The stipend at Yale for the first two years is a little low, but there was also something on the website that said MSTP students can apply for financial aid to supplement their stipend. In terms of jobs, your wife might be able to get an IT position at the university itself.

I think Yale does actually send out MSTP offers a few weeks before they send out MD offers. Susan Sansone told us we may hear from them by the beginning of March.

Anyway, congratulations on your Wash U acceptance! I guess I would have known about it if I had read back through some of the earlier posts on this thread. Speaking of Wash U, I'm heading out there next Monday for an MD interview.

This brings me to another question I have been wanting to ask my fellow applicants here. Have any of you interviewed at schools where you were only offered an MD interview? This is my situation with two of my top choices, Wash U, and my alma mater, Duke. Do any of you have thoughts on whether it would be a good idea to turn down a decent MSTP for a school that has only accepted you for the MD program, with the plan to immediately reapply for the MSTP during the first year?
 
RNAgirl:
Hi,
It all depends. It wouldn't hurt to interview there first. During your interview, speak with the MSTP program director about the possibility of matriculating there and joining the program in 2nd year. Ask him/her how many people have successfully done this in the past. How many in recent years; and how many have attempted this just to not be accepted into the MSTP come 2nd round application. With that knowledge, you'll be better positioned to guage the risk involved. I cancelled my Yale regular MD interview after getting the boot from their MSTP. Same for Columbia P&S. On the other hand I attended my Harvard HST interview (Sonic declined his). It's all dependent on stuff. Will I do HST over an MD/PhD? Nah! But hey I got to see Faennis Guage's crow bar or whatever.
 
RNAGirl:
You might also want to consider the fact that getting into any MSTP is pretty darn good. While where you go might have some effect on your future, it won't have as big an effect as where you do your residency. I'm sure you know that MSTP grads tend to do very well in terms of residency placement. And by placing well for residency, you put yourself in a better position for a strong fellowship and/or academic appointment if that is where you are looking to end up(since most MD/PHDs go into academics).

However, based on those top choices of yours, going there for MD and a possible MSTP might not be that big a deal since most of their grads place well for residency anyway.

On another note, any word from UChicago?
 
Original,

Thanks for the advice! It's pretty much what I had in mind. So, are you all set to head to Duke this summer/fall? I can certainly understand your enthusiasm for the MSTP there and the school itself. I absolutely loved it there, and that's the main reason I would consider entering an MD program there this fall and reapplying for the MSTP. Sadly, I've talked to a few of my MSTP friends there, and it's pretty unheard of for anyone to enter the program 2nd year.

So, I'm curious...who was it that you ran into at the cell biology conference? Bob Lefkowitz? Marc Caron? If you're interested in receptor biology, Duke's definitely the place to go. Well, I hope it goes well for you, and take a walk through the Duke Gardens for me while you're there!
 
•••quote:•••Originally posted by shogun:
•On another note, any word from UChicago?•••••shogun,

Good news! I just got off the phone with someone from the MSTP office at Chicago, and she said that they are thinking about having another MSTP interview in March. It all depends on what the people they've already accepted decide to do, and the quality of the remaining apps they have to consider. So, there's still hope for us!

I am definitely happy about my acceptance to Pittsburgh! Yes, the residency placements for MSTP students at any school are very impressive. It's mainly a matter of comparing the programs and thinking about how and where I'm going to spend the next 7-8 years.
 
RNAgirl:
Sorry to hear about the rarity of 2nd year entries at Duke. But still certainly go to your interview and have a word with Pizzo in person. I believe there are always exceptions to these trends (or even rules). At WashU I know they are much more flexible with 2nd yr entries. They have more spots and funding than most programs. I've heard of 2 people that got in there 2nd round. But in anycase, Pitt is definitely awesome as well.

Yes I think I'm pretty much set on Duke. I'm interested in cell bio, receptors, and signal transduction within neuroscience. Both Lefkowitz and Caron interviewed me at Duke. It was Caron I ran into at the neuroscience meeting in SD. I thought Lefkowitz was amazing. He is extremely enthusiastic about his work. Halfway through my "interview" I was like; "you're from New York!!" and then he goes; "ow did ju know?". Great guy.
 
•••quote:•••Originally posted by RNAgirl:
•This brings me to another question I have been wanting to ask my fellow applicants here. Have any of you interviewed at schools where you were only offered an MD interview? This is my situation with two of my top choices, Wash U, and my alma mater, Duke. Do any of you have thoughts on whether it would be a good idea to turn down a decent MSTP for a school that has only accepted you for the MD program, with the plan to immediately reapply for the MSTP during the first year?•••••Unless there are pressing personal circumstances, I would go to the MSTP program instead of going somewhere MD and then reapplying. There are obvious disadvantages to doing the latter: 1) a year of tuition/debt, 2) you won't really be a part of the 1st year MSTP class, and 3) the hassle and uncertainty of having to reapply. The benefits are much less profound, as virtually any MSTP will make you very marketable for residency, fellowships, or jobs after you graduate. So unless there are other factors that might make you consider going MD and then reapplying (i.e. family in a particular area, not sure whether you really want to do the PhD, etc), I would stick with the MSTP. Hope this helps. 😀
 
Hey RNAgirl,

I got an email from Clayton Wiley offering a spot in the Pitt MSTP today. He said this year that they had a 40% increase in applications, which I thought was surprising since nationwide the number of med school applicants keeps decreasing every year. I applied to Northwestern but havent been offerd an interview yet. I'm going to withdraw from there at some point, I've just been lazy about it.

I second Vader's advice. If I were you, i would definitely go to Pitt MSTP (provided you really want the PhD) over going somewhere else for regular MD (even if its Harvard/Duke/WashU) and then applying for MSTP. Although I'm sure you'd probably be successful in getting accepted in the 2nd round, in my opinion its just not worth the risk because you still have to apply. And then theres the financial factor for the first year you would lose out on.

To everybody applying MSTP:

I know that most programs let you come in this summer to start a lab rotation. Are any of you considering this?
 
•••quote:•••Originally posted by RNAgirl:
•Did anyone else get an e-mail from Dave Engman at Northwestern today?!•••••No, what was it about? I got an interview invite a couple weeks ago, but couldn't make that date, but I haven't heard anything from them regarding re-scheduling or anything.

Later,

Adam
 
Hey Vader -- I was thinking the same thing. Sinai and Mayo said July 1st. But I'm not so sure yet. I mean -- we're gonna be in this for the long haul so I dunno if this is my last opportunity to take a vacation or just do nothing.
 
Sorry I meant baylor21
 
Hey Baylor21,

I'm not 100% certain about going to Hopkins over Cornell yet... but Cornell/Rockefeller/SKI requires you to do the first summer rotation (mandatory), versus at Hopkins it's optional.

The way I see it, I'm not going to be doing anything productive over the summer anyways, and doing a rotation is not that time intensive, but even now, I'm beginning to eye people at both institutions I'd love to work with.
So either way, whether I end up at Cornell or at Hopkins, I'll be doing my first lab rotation over the summer.

ORIGINAL -- Did you happen to meet Vann Bennett at Duke? He's a fantastic cell biology guy. Vann is an MD/PhD graduate from the Hopkins program and decided to do a postdoc instead of going to residency. He does amazing work on cytoskeleton (cloned Ankyrin among other things).. Meeting him was definitely inspirational for me, so I thought you might be interested - if you're interested in cell bio. He really makes you understand where both the MD and PhD come into play in research.
 
Vann's a great guy. We collaborated on a lot of projects during my work with cell adhesion molecules. Actually, before he shifted gears to working on ankyrin and related transmembrane binding proteins he was our group's competitor. Now its very communal. Wow -- so are you thinking about working with Vann Bennet? Thats awesome...I'll have a JCB paper out next year concerning an ankyrin binding protein with interesing neurodevelopmental implications. Let me know if you are considering to work with Vann.
 
Sonic:
I didn't meet him. His work sounds interesting though.

JJ4:
Wow! That's some hardcore research experience. You're waaay ahead of the game. I don't know who I'll work with. In the 1st couple of years I'll just attend as many seminars and departmental retreats as Duke's condensed curriculum will allow. That way I'll know what and who's out there. Good luck with your decision. It is tough. Have you checked your PM? After I recommended Sinai I came across some impressive Mayo stuff. You really can't go wrong either way. I have no clue though so don't ask me 😀
 
hey Rummit and academic,

I'm interviewing at UCLA sooon, just wanted to know how your interviews went and what to expect. I'm from LA, so its my number one choice, and also my first MSTP interview. My other interviews were MD only...WASHU and UCDAVIS. I"m still waiting on my other apps, i submitted extremely late since i had difficulties with my letters of Recs. I loved WashU tho...its a wonderful schoool and I think i had a really great interview, it was with Dr. Ross (Dean of Diversity affairs). I'm interviewing at Caltech also....did you guys go there too?

Javi
 
JRUCB -

I interviewed with Will Ross at Wash.U too... He was my MD-interviewer for the MD/PhD... I was fantastic. I loved the interview, and at the end, he told me that he was going to recommend that WashU accept me. Anyway, I don't think you can go wrong after interviewing with Dr. ross.

Good luck
 
•••quote:•••Originally posted by Rumit:
• •••quote:•••Originally posted by RNAgirl:
•Did anyone else get an e-mail from Dave Engman at Northwestern today?!•••••No, what was it about? I got an interview invite a couple weeks ago, but couldn't make that date, but I haven't heard anything from them regarding re-scheduling or anything.

Later,

Adam•••••Hi Adam,

The e-mail was to offer me a spot in the Northwestern MSTP!!! If you still want to interview there, you should probably try to contact them again. If it were me, I wouldn't count on them to contact me about rescheduling. Good luck!

Andrea
 
Hey original I got your PM. Thanks for the message. Yea, between Sinai and Mayo it's a tough choice. In any case may God's will be done.
 
Anyone apply to or hear from UIC MD/PhD? I have been waiting for the committee to review my application, which was completed after my MD acceptance. For anyone who has been accepted or at least interviewed, how were your experiences during your visit? Thanks in advance.
 
Hey guys! Thanks for all of the advice. As of today, it looks like I will probably be heading to Ann Arbor this summer!!! Ron Koenig at the University of Michigan just e-mailed me to offer me a position in their MSTP!!!!! I guess I'm just waiting to hear from Yale now. It would be a difficult decision if I were accepted there, too. But not a bad decision to have to make 🙂
 
Wow! Congrats.
 
AWESOME!!! CONGRATS!!! MICHIGAN'S GREAT!
 
•••quote:•••Originally posted by jrucb:
•hey Rummit and academic,

I'm interviewing at UCLA sooon, just wanted to know how your interviews went and what to expect. I'm from LA, so its my number one choice, and also my first MSTP interview. My other interviews were MD only...WASHU and UCDAVIS. I"m still waiting on my other apps, i submitted extremely late since i had difficulties with my letters of Recs. I loved WashU tho...its a wonderful schoool and I think i had a really great interview, it was with Dr. Ross (Dean of Diversity affairs). I'm interviewing at Caltech also....did you guys go there too?

Javi•••••Hey. I loved my interviews at LA. I didn't expect to either, because I don't really like the city that much, but I was so impressed that I am seriously considering it. I didn't interview at caltech though. My interviewers were awsome...there were four overall. Three were with people I picked or were in my areas of interest, and I had a blast with two of them. I walked out of them totally pumped because they'd given me all kinds of cool ideas for new experiments on my project. It was great. There was only one interview with a committee member, and it was more like a recruiting talk than anything else. I had a blast there. The only thing that sucked were the tours...they were the most boring things I've ever been a part of...but that's pretty insignificant. In any event, relax and enjoy. The faculty are totally awsome.

Good luck,

Adam
 
•••quote:•••Originally posted by RNAgirl:
Hi Adam,

The e-mail was to offer me a spot in the Northwestern MSTP!!! If you still want to interview there, you should probably try to contact them again. If it were me, I wouldn't count on them to contact me about rescheduling. Good luck!

Andrea</font>•••What did you think of the school/program?Obviously, you didn't like it as much as Michigan. My wife really wants me to interview there, because I think she secretly wants me to end up in Chicago...that's the main reason I'm interested in the school...all about the location. 🙂

Later,

Adam
 
Hey guys, I just got a letter from harvard (dated 2/9) saying that they'll review my file and decide whether to grant an interview.

Didn't someone here say harvard only has 4 interview days and the last one is in middle of Feb???
😕
 
Hey you guys,

Congrats to all of you who got accepted.
I just got an interview invite from Harvard's MD/PhD program. My interview is scheduled for Feb. 21st. I still can't believe I got an interview from Harvard!
For those of you who interviewed there for MD/PhD can you tell me what to expect? Also, do they pay for the trip or should I start searching for plane tickets.

I don't know who asked me about UCLA's MD/PhD program but I'll be happy to answer. I personally was not very impressed with their program. It seemed a bit unorganized. I really like the location of UCLA, but they don't have as good a med school or research as Harvard or WashU or UCSF. I had 4 interviews. They went well, except for one of them. I still have not heard from them so I guess they did not really like me... Anyways, their campus is very pretty.
I hope this helped.
 
Congrats on the big one! Go dazzle em' real quick.
 
•••quote:•••Originally posted by academic:
[QB]Hey you guys,

Congrats to all of you who got accepted.
I just got an interview invite from Harvard's MD/PhD program. My interview is scheduled for Feb. 21st. I still can't believe I got an interview from Harvard!
QB]••••Hi academic,

Congratulations on your Harvard interview!!! I hope it goes well! Did you receive your invitation via e-mail or regular mail? Also, do you remember the date of the letter they sent you to say your application was complete?

Thanks!
 
•••quote:•••Originally posted by Rumit:
• •••quote:•••Originally posted by RNAgirl:
Hi Adam,

The e-mail was to offer me a spot in the Northwestern MSTP!!! If you still want to interview there, you should probably try to contact them again. If it were me, I wouldn't count on them to contact me about rescheduling. Good luck!

Andrea</font>•••What did you think of the school/program?Obviously, you didn't like it as much as Michigan. My wife really wants me to interview there, because I think she secretly wants me to end up in Chicago...that's the main reason I'm interested in the school...all about the location. 🙂

Later,

Adam•••••Hi Adam,

Actually, I really liked Northwestern a lot, and I am still considering them. It sounds like you already know that the location is unbelievable. The medical center/school is a few blocks away from the Magnificant Mile, and bordered by Lake Michigan on the east side. I would love to live there for the next 7 or 8 years. The hospital is also one of the nicest I've seen. The research facilities on the Chicago campus were not in the greatest shape, but undergoing rennovations. I also really liked the director of the program, David Engman. He met with all of us in small groups to ask how our interviews were going and answer any questions/concerns we had about the program. He is young, enthusiastic, and very personable. Overall, I had a great time interviewing at Northwestern. I would definitely recommend that you interview there if you are at all considering it. I guess it depends on what type of curriculum you're looking for and what type of research you're interested in. Hope this helps, and let me know if I can answer any other questions.
 
Hey RNAgirl,

I am also seriously considering UM. It's a great program and I got a feel they will really take care of their fellows.

About Northwestern... Yeah, the location is great, I went to high school two blocks away. Still, it is VERY expensive. You will most likely (unless you have big outside resources) not be able to live anywhere close to the school, except for their dorm. If you're thinking of getting your own place (even a 1 bedroom condo) anywhere in the proximity, forget about it.

I might be a little bitter, though. They offered me the MD, but not MSTP interview, so take my advice with a grain of salt.
 
•••quote:•••Originally posted by academic:
• I still can't believe I got an interview from Harvard!
For those of you who interviewed there for MD/PhD can you tell me what to expect? Also, do they pay for the trip or should I start searching for plane tickets.
•••••Hey ACADEMIC!

I also had a bunch of questions about the Harvard trip. When I called the MD/PhD coordinator, she answered all of them and also hooked me up (within an hour!) with a student host. Definitely start looking for plane tickets because they don't pay.

I enjoyed staying at the med school dorm (Vanderbilt Hall) with students because I met a lot of them and got a better feel for what it's like. Unfortunately, the room I stayed in faced a construction site and I was woken up every morning at exactly 6am. It wasn't too bad since the interview days start early anyhow. Other applicants stayed at a nearby Holiday Inn or with friends in Cambridge (& took a shuttle).

You'll get two MD/PhD interviews and they will NOT tell you who you'll meet until that morning. The number of regular MD interview you'll get depends on whether you're doing NP, HST, or both.

If you have any specific questions after you've given them a call, feel free to message me.

MapK
 
Hey JRUCB!

Good luck on your UCLA-Caltech interview!

MapK

P.S. GO BEARS! (and PMHS=)
 
I got an offer (via email) to interview with the Harvard New Pathways program. It doesnt mention anything about MSTP interviews of HST (I applied to both NP and HST).

However, its on March 4th, so it must be for MD only, plus I assume they would have sent me a single correspondence for both NP and MSTP instead of sending out 2 separate notices of interview. I havent been able to check my snail mail for a couple of weeks (i'm going to check it again this saturday) but as far as I know there are no Harvard MSTP interview dates after Feb 21st.

Can anybody say with certainty that Harvard MSTP is done granting interviews?
 
•••quote:•••Originally posted by baylor21:
•I got an offer (via email) to interview with the Harvard New Pathways program. It doesnt mention anything about MSTP interviews of HST (I applied to both NP and HST).

However, its on March 4th, so it must be for MD only, plus I assume they would have sent me a single correspondence for both NP and MSTP instead of sending out 2 separate notices of interview. I havent been able to check my snail mail for a couple of weeks (i'm going to check it again this saturday) but as far as I know there are no Harvard MSTP interview dates after Feb 21st.

Can anybody say with certainty that Harvard MSTP is done granting interviews?•••••Hi baylor!

I also received an e-mail offer for a New Pathways interview on March 4th! In my e-mail, they said that you should call the MD/PhD and HST offices to see if they wish to interview you, so that the dates can be coordinated. I'm pretty nervous about calling, but I guess I better find out. Anyway, I'll still go to the interview regardless since I've never been to Harvard/Boston. How about you?
 
has anyone interviewed at Penn State MSTP? Would you share your experiences there?

thanks
 
anyone going to baylor's candidate review? i JUST decided i should go. one school is being particularly aggressive in trying to make me narrow down options/make a decision, but i really want to make sure i do all the exploration necessary. this is 7-9 years and i want to explore all the possibilities! the admissions office saying, "you know, the funded slots will fill up" makes things even more difficult. why would they want me to attend just because i was afraid my spot would get taken away? ok, just had to vent.

maybe i'll see some of y'all in texas?

-s
 
"y'all" already? woohoo funny 😀 . That's pretty messed up that they should be pressuring you like that. Complete B.S! Have fun in Texas.
 
About Northwestern.....

I got back from the MSTP interviews last week and I wasn't all that impressed. Of course, maybe it was because the idiots in administration somehow forgot that I was coming (I confirmed at least twice), there was no hotel for me (at first anyway), and they scheduled all my interviews about a half an hour before, which I think might hurt my chances because none of the faculty really shared my interests. Basically they screwed me and didn't seem to feel too bad about it. But hey, at least they take you out for some good meals. But besides my isolated bad experience, I can see that the school is good.... it's just that I get a sense of profound elitism from a school that is good but not great. The research programs are broad and pretty good, but it's the students that really turned me off from the program. They seemed like very one-track, intense, antisocial people. Not all of them, or course, but the school seems to attract them in swarms. Not exactly who I want to see for 8 years or more, which is how long most Northwesterners take.
 
Whoever interviewed at UCLA MSTP: I am curious as to your impressions of UCLA's MSTP. I got the impression that it is sort of stagnant and that the director has been there for ages and it really isnt his first priority. Although the med school is great and in a really beautiful campus, I heard the MST Program is not that established. Was that your impression?
 
Hey Sarah -

They can't do that!! So you want to go to Baylor's Candidate Review... I heard they treat you *really* nicely there... Go for it. I'm sure you'll love it.

I'm having a little pressure now because BOTH Cornell/Rock/SKI and Johns Hopkins have their "revisit dates" on the same weekend. I have to go to one event over the other now because BOTH schools are reluctant to give me an alternate date.

Sonic
 
Hi Baylor21,

I first got an e-mail from Harvard offering me an interview for the NP program. Once I got that e-mail I called their MSTP office to see if they are going to grant me an interview. They told me that they are in the process of making their final decisions and that my application is still being considered. Then two days later I got an e-mail from their MSTP office (on a Saturday!) telling me that I can interview for MSTP when I go up for the NP program interview on Feb. 21st.

Hi RNAgirl,

I got that letter (ie about me still being considered) from Harvard the day after I already got an interview offer.

I hope this helps. Sorry I did not reply earlier, but I was out of town for a research conference.
 
•••quote:•••Originally posted by LilMissDrDoolittle:
•Whoever interviewed at UCLA MSTP: I am curious as to your impressions of UCLA's MSTP. I got the impression that it is sort of stagnant and that the director has been there for ages and it really isnt his first priority. Although the med school is great and in a really beautiful campus, I heard the MST Program is not that established. Was that your impression?•••••I wouldn't say that the program is stagnant, just that it isn't the best organized program. It's more like doing a PhD and an MD, separately. My impression of the people running the program was that they really did care about and are trying to improve it, so it may well get better soon. The research faculty are awsome, and I've heard it's a good med school, but I don't think I could take 8 years in LA.

Good luck,

Adam
 
I had my Stanford interview on Monday, and it was very cool. I was very impressed. I went into it with a somewhat negative attitude and came away feeling excited about the prospect of going there. Of course, I still have to wait to see if I'll even have the choice. I was very impressed with the research, and I also really liked the flexibility and integration of the curriculum. I'm not convinced that I'd get as good clinical training there as I might at a place like UCSF, but I'm also not sure how important that is to me. But, I liked the research in my area more and I also liked the idea of being on a big undergrad campus. Anyhow, if I'm lucky enough to be able to make that decision (between UCSF and Stanford) I'll be very fortunate indeed.

I'd love to hear what any of you guys think of the place. Also, if anyone has any questions I can try and answer them. They did tell us that they're probably going to have two more interview dates, so even if you haven't heard anything, yet don't give up hope.

Good luck all,

Adam
 
Hey all,

I got my first rejection today, pretty funny actually. It's from Michigan State MD. I applied there back when I was really really paranoid and thought I should apply to some MD only schools in places I might want to live. They rejected me pre-secondary even 🙂 Now I'm just waiting for Davis (that hellpit of a school) and Loyola (the other MD only schools that I applied to) to reject me. I guess it's like mutual rejection.

I also got a financial aid packet from U of Michigan. I wonder, do we need to fill out FAFSA/Financial Aid stuff in order to qualify for on-campus/subsidized housing at whichever school we get into?

Oh, well...I hope things are going well for everyone else.

Later,

Adam
 
Hey Adam!

Similar here. I got rejected (1st) yesterday from a school I had withdrawn my apps from. They said in my rejection letter that I'll get my $65 back. Cool! I wouldn't mind a whole pile of rejection letters if they each came with a $65 token and a note saying:
"Dear Rejected applicant,
since you're certainly not going to become a physician now that we've rejected you, please accept this cash donation and apply it towards learning a trade" 😛

Anyhow, congrats on everything people! Hope we meet someday. In the time being, lets keep posting.
 
•••quote:•••Originally posted by Rumit:
• They did tell us that they're probably going to have two more interview dates, so even if you haven't heard anything, yet don't give up hope.

Good luck all,

Adam•••••Hi Adam, did they tell you when those 2 interview dates will be held? I myself am praying over here I'll get an interview .. my gf got into stanford (regular md)..
 
Chef:

I know that they will have one on March 11 for Stanford MSTP. Lamentably I called yesterday and Marjorie told me that they finished sending interview invites for the MSTP. 🙁 I am now praying to see if I can get the MD invite. Oh well, let's see what happens.

Retro
 
For those interested,

I called the MSTP office at Yale yesterday. Since they are running a little behind schedule, acceptance letters will not be mailed out until the first week of March.

Is anyone else here waiting to hear from them?
 
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