pfaction's WAMC MD/PhD.

[pfaction]

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I posted this on the general WAMC, but with applications being sent tomorrow, the more the merrier!

Activities:
1) Hobby.
2) Nonclinical job.
3) Listed the scholarships/honors/honor society inductees.
4) Most Significant #1: clinical job.
5) Combined Labs Dr. B1 (2010-2010) and Dr. B2 (2010-present)
6) Lab: Dr. S (2010-present, poster on campus)
7) Clin Volunteer: Hospital (180 hrs in ER/Pharm) and pharmacy community events.
8) Extracurricular pre-health society nonclin volunteer work
9) I wrote two articles for a hospital newsletter, and 2 presentations while on rotations.
10) Most Significant #2: nonclinical volunteer
11) Most Significant #3: Dr. R MD/PhD Lab (2011-present: i took over the start of an experiment and carried it through)
12) Shadowing (50 hrs infectious disease at hosp, 50 hrs PCP)
13) 2nd author on oral international presentation.
14) Leadership as editor
15) My first official real citeable publication! Is out in August, clearly stated.

Here are my first round choices:

Anyone have any comments, or other locations where I may be competitive? 👍

 

[StIGMA]

Just glancing, your GPA is below average (but still decent, you did well once in college), your MCAT is below average for MSTP's, and your research is around average for accepted students. You are applying to a lot of reach schools, but if you are OK applying to all of these programs, then go for it. It will help if your letters/essays are exceptional (eg: pfaction is the best undergraduate student in my lab in the past 10 years and functions as a PhD student). You have a really average application, and I would expect less interest from high tier programs but some interest in mid-tier programs. The fact that you are finishing pharmacy school really could bite you in the ass if you are not very persuading about the 'why MD/PhD'. And if you do not have a Bachelor's degree, that could hurt you as well. Applying to both MD and MD/PhD programs makes your intent to be a researcher seem rather unconvincing.

 

[nysw]

I'm confused as to why you're applying MD only to some of the mid tier programs.. is this because they don't have an MD/PhD?

 

[soundnin]

i don't even remember having to report my high school gpa 😕

i wouldn't say your mcat is low... but it would be better if it were more balanced.

also wondering why you are applying to some programs that have mstp or md/phd programs as md only, and how you are currently working in 3 labs at once.

imho, i would list your posters and pubs in one heading, or under their respective research experience... spreading it out so thin just makes it more apparent that you don't have a lot, especially since you "only" have 1 publication (what is meant by presentation in #9? sounds like a lab/floor/dept meeting, #13 - 2nd author on oral presentation means you didn't even give the talk?).

i heavily second stigma's opinion that your list is quite top heavy, but apply as high as you want. however, i would add more schools that make more sense for you.

 

[gbwillner]

Will one of you young whipper-snappers answer me one question?

Is college still on a 4.0 GPA system, or can you get more than that now? I remember an earlier thread stating that the UCSF mean GPA was like 3.9... I still can't fathom how that's possible...

 

[StIGMA]

At my undergrad, the highest GPA was a 4.0 (A) and there was an A- (3.67) but no A+. So a 4.0 at graduation meant something- it meant you never had a single A- (a 93 in most classes was the cutoff for an A, but this was scaled in the hard sciences to the class). At my current institution, there is an A+, which is worth a 4.33. So if you get a B and a few A+'s, you can still have a 4.0. It is just rampant grade inflation. IMO grades higher than 4.0 should not be offered in college.

 

[red doctober]

At my undergrad, the highest GPA was a 4.0 (A) and there was an A- (3.67) but no A+. So a 4.0 at graduation meant something- it meant you never had a single A- (a 93 in most classes was the cutoff for an A, but this was scaled in the hard sciences to the class). At my current institution, there is an A+, which is worth a 4.33. So if you get a B and a few A+'s, you can still have a 4.0. It is just rampant grade inflation. IMO grades higher than 4.0 should not be offered in college.

The college may count an A+ as 4.33 but AMCAS won't. A's and A+'s are both 4.0. We were on the A, AB, B, etc. system which actually worked out in my favor (got a lot of A's that probably would have been A-'s,) but I think for the most part, it evens out in the long run.

To the OP, one school that popped out to me was Iowa. Is there a particular connection you have with the state/school that made you put it on your list? There are similar schools you did not include that you could add like Minnesota, Indiana, Wisconsin, and Michigan.

 

[pfaction]

Hi guys!

You have a really average application, and I would expect less interest from high tier programs but some interest in mid-tier programs. The fact that you are finishing pharmacy school really could bite you in the ass if you are not very persuading about the 'why MD/PhD'. And if you do not have a Bachelor's degree, that could hurt you as well. Applying to both MD and MD/PhD programs makes your intent to be a researcher seem rather unconvincing.

🙁 I know it's probably average. Which mid-tier programs are you referring to? I am applying MD as well just to make sure I can get in somewhere.

i don't even remember having to report my high school gpa 😕

I took college classes in high school.

also wondering why you are applying to some programs that have mstp or md/phd programs as md only, and how you are currently working in 3 labs at once.

I took a hiatus in all labs until last month. I pushed my ass off in summer - I worked ALL THREE, sometimes in one day. One cell culture, one animal lab, another animal lab (late at night). I should mention that the cell lab is over - I submitted all my data two weeks ago and for now I'm pretty much all done.

#13 - 2nd author on oral presentation means you didn't even give the talk?).

i heavily second stigma's opinion that your list is quite top heavy, but apply as high as you want. however, i would add more schools that make more sense for you.

Correct - I am on rotations while the presentation is being given. I cannot attend. Do you know more schools I could apply to?

To the OP, one school that popped out to me was Iowa. Is there a particular connection you have with the state/school that made you put it on your list? There are similar schools you did not include that you could add like Minnesota, Indiana, Wisconsin, and Michigan.

My pharmacist (now manager) is from Iowa and she said she loved doing rotations there, so I applied there. I will look into those schools as well! I think I looked into Indiana and they required a BS...some of these schools only accept neighboring states and IS applications.

 

[StIGMA]

http://www.nigms.nih.gov/Training/InstPredoc/PredocInst-MSTP.htm

Consider all the schools on that list, as they will all give you great training. There are many non-MSTP programs that also offer great training. Someone probably has this data, but you could go through the MSAR and consider any non-MSTP that accepts a reasonable number of MD/PhD students every year (3-5+ students/year).

You have a decent shot and could end up with multiple acceptances... but this process is very unpredictable, and your application is atypical, so there is no telling how you will do beforehand. Because of your atypical and around average application, it will be beneficial for you to apply to more programs than the average applicant. By the way, an 'average' application for MD/PhD students is still a very strong application. When I say an MD/PhD applicant is average (compared to stats of accepted MD/PhD students), it is a compliment.

 

[pfaction]

Oh cool, thanks for the link! And I'm glad you think I'm average, at least! 🙂

 

[Piper9132]

Oh cool, thanks for the link! And I'm glad you think I'm average, at least! 🙂

Look in to the University of Nebraska's MD/PhD program. It is not an MSTP but great school nonetheless. The medical school side of things is pretty amazing, brand new building, sims lab too.

Also University of South Dakota and MUSC are an option too for some more "safety" schools.

 

[miz]

Will one of you young whipper-snappers answer me one question?

Is college still on a 4.0 GPA system, or can you get more than that now? I remember an earlier thread stating that the UCSF mean GPA was like 3.9... I still can't fathom how that's possible...

Yeah, they're reported on a 4.0 system and for the most part, real (matriculated students). JHU's was an even more jaw-dropping 3.97 last year; it's plummeted to 3.94 from this past year's slackers