Need Advice

[someday soon?]

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Edited to collaborator anonymity

 

[DarkChild]

honestly i think you're fine. your grades are good and the amount of research you have isnt bad - remember, its all about how you sell yourself.
just do well on your MCATs, get LORs from people who can speak well of you and APPLY EARLY and you'll be fine. 🙂

 

[dl2dp2]

we need more buff fisherman/construction work to rebuff the nerd/weak/geek MD/PhD stereotype

rock on!

 

[MPS]

Originally posted by someday soon?
P.S. I'm 24, married with one child on the way, and I have climbed a huge mountain to get to where I am today (no high school education, worked on my reservation for several years as a commercial fisherman and a construction laborer to save money for college) but I have a feeling that MST Programs don't take this into consideration as much as MD-only programs.
Again, I value the opinions of many people on this board and appreciate any and all input.
Thanks.

Sounds pretty admirable to me: I'm sure that an MST adcom would think the same.

 

[pathdr2b]

I also have family so, my comments more directly deal with that issue.

I think you should wait until next near to apply primarily because of the arrival of your daughter. Trying to prepare for the MCAT with a new baby in the house is going to be a real stretch especially since you'll be working 2 jobs and preparing for classes in the fall.

Also, taking the MCAT in August puts you behind a bit but as you know, there are plenty of folks on SDN that have over come this minor setback. I say why take the chance in the first place.

Finally I think the pre-IRTA is a great idea (I recently finished a pre-CRTA at NCI). The reason is because you'll met a ton of people that can help you get to the next step which for you is an MD/PhD program. Doing this program would also be a great time for you to get adjusted to the demands of combining family life with academic life which I have personally experieinced myself.

So, in my opinion it's not so much about whether or not your stats are good enough ( your starts are great and may I assume your Native American? That's a HUGE plus). The name of the game at this point is whether or not the timing is right which has to be considered when you have a family and are far away from other family members and friends.

If it were not for this issue I would agree with the previous posts. But I think I'm one of few on this thread that has a family and wants to pursue the MD/PhD.

Good Luck!

 

[someday soon?]

Thanks for all the replies. As for the family issue, I was thinking that it would be better to get into the MSTProgram right away so my wife and I can return to where our family is sooner. I really want my children to be close to our family, and yes I am Native American so I don't want our children to miss out on that part of their lives either. I was under the impression that being a URM was not an advantage in MD/PhD admissions because we aren't being trained as family physicians to return to where we came from like med schools try to do.
My main concern is that I won't be competitive applying this year due to relatively little research (compared to what I've heard other's have anyway) and taking the MCAT in August. I can't really afford to waste money going through the entire application process if I really don't have very good chance this year. I would definitely go for the pre-IRTA if that's what's needed to make me more competitive, but I would rather get started in an MD/PhD program ASAP.
So, do I have a decent shot or should I get more research experience before applying?

 

[surge]

Originally posted by someday soon?
Thanks for all the replies. As for the family issue, I was thinking that it would be better to get into the MSTProgram right away so my wife and I can return to where our family is sooner. I really want my children to be close to our family, and yes I am Native American so I don't want our children to miss out on that part of their lives either. I was under the impression that being a URM was not an advantage in MD/PhD admissions because we aren't being trained as family physicians to return to where we came from like med schools try to do.
My main concern is that I won't be competitive applying this year due to relatively little research (compared to what I've heard other's have anyway) and taking the MCAT in August. I can't really afford to waste money going through the entire application process if I really don't have very good chance this year. I would definitely go for the pre-IRTA if that's what's needed to make me more competitive, but I would rather get started in an MD/PhD program ASAP.
So, do I have a decent shot or should I get more research experience before applying?

I think you definitely have a decent shot, perhaps not at a top 10 school (you'd be giving up the name, but most certainly not the quality of education), provided you do really well on the MCAT (32-33+).
Now, having said this, I would weigh carefully all the factors you mentioned. As with that of other posters, take my advice with a grain of salt. It's a difficult judgement call, and yours alone to make.

I'm under the impression that you are very well aware of where you stand. All the issues you bring up are legitimate. The truth is that no matter how good you are now, taking the time to well prepare for the MCAT (esp. considering your family addition - BTW, CONGRATS!), taking a year to get some high profile research experience (MSTPs love the NIH) and another letter from a well respected researcher would clearly make you even better. I know that the question is whether you are good enough to get in right now, but that's not something any of us can tell you with any certainty. If you were taking the April MCAT, I would tell you to wait for your scores and if you do really well, go for it. In August, it may be too late (you won't get the scores until early October).
Because of your overall situation (financial included - and I now exactly how you feel from that point of view), I would suggest you take an extra year and play it safe.
I know the feeling of wanting to get it over with and go on with your life - but think about the long run - what's one year?

As far as the URM situation and your background is concerned, I'm under the impression that while you're probably right when you say there are no 'formal' advantages like in MD only programs, you should remember that it is people you are dealing with on the adcoms. In other words, everybody knows there is a clear and burning need for URMs in science and academia (for a multitude of reasons, that would be a whole new thread), and people tend to be touched by those that have overcome a lot to be where they are now. After all, it displays commitment, ambition, maturity and drive - all things cruical to a highly successful MD/PhD candidate. In other words, I think these things can and probably will help you somewhat, even if it's off the record.

Whatever you decide, I wish you best of luck.