Possible MD/PhD Interview Question

[johncalvin]

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Hello,

So as an MD/PhD applicant, I'm also applying to some schools for just their MD program. I'm guessing many of you are doing the same.

At MD-only school : "Why aren't you applying to your MD/PhD program?"

At MD/PhD school: "Why are you also applying to just MD-program at other schools?"

[extraneous information]:
I'm doing this because I want to have at least 1 or 2 schools where I (hopefully) will have a quick enough response from the MD-board, and I can hold me place, waiting for MD/PhD decisions to come about. I understand that most schools consider the two applications simultaneously and separately, but I'm a little paranoid.

I am comfortable with this because I feel that I can get into research as an MD at a later stage (fellowship, etc.). I would like to work with patients, and do research ideally. But who knows if I'll ever have enough time to devote to both? However, how do you answer the above questions?

 

[NeuroChaos]

Will schools know that we are MD/Ph.D applicants even if we are only MD at that particular school?

I am also applying a few MDs only, but primarily focusing on MD/Ph.Ds

Y MD only? If no MD/ Ph.D luck, I will declare MD/Ph.D during first year. All MSTP-MD/Phd schools have this option, I checked. But I am definitely getting a MD/Ph.D. I am not to confident about those fellowships.

 

[johncalvin]

Will schools know that we are MD/Ph.D applicants even if we are only MD at that particular school?

I am also applying a few MDs only, but primarily focusing on MD/Ph.Ds

Y MD only? If no MD/ Ph.D luck, I will declare MD/Ph.D during first year. All MSTP-MD/Phd schools have this option, I checked. But I am definitely getting a MD/Ph.D. I am not to confident about those fellowships.

I didn't think too much about MD/PhD option during the first year. Either way, even if the schools don't know from AMCAS, they may ask, either in secondaries or in the interview--and you can't lie. Also, when you are interviewed by the MD-only committee of a school you applied to as MD/PhD, then they definitely know.

 

[Neuronix]

I'm doing this because I want to have at least 1 or 2 schools where I (hopefully) will have a quick enough response from the MD-board, and I can hold me place, waiting for MD/PhD decisions to come about. I understand that most schools consider the two applications simultaneously and separately, but I'm a little paranoid.

I think this is silly logic and I think most adcoms are going to think so as well. You want to get an acceptance faster so you're applying MD in addition to MD/PhD? What? Why not just apply to some MD/PhD programs that make decisions sooner rather than later?

There are some good answers to the question if it's asked, but I haven't heard them from you yet. If adcoms want to know why you're applying MD in addition to MD/PhD, they're not going to think you're committed to the MD/PhD pathway. You need some serious commitment (or insanity) to do both med school and grad school, harder and faster than anyone else to some uncertain future. The only good reason I can see to also apply MD somewhere is if your application is borderline/mediocre for MD/PhD programs or you have some very strong location biases.

The MD side is liable to think you're never going to come to their medical school if they think you're applying to mostly MD/PhD programs.

These are the sorts of issues I'd be paranoid about. You may be successful regardless. But I don't think your strategy is a sound for maximizing your success. Then again I don't know your app either so what do I know. With the way AMCAS is set up these days I don't know if the MD schools will even know you're applying MD/PhD, so it may not matter to them at all because they may not even know. Though it's a common MD/PhD interview question to ask if the applicant is applying MD-only as well, for the reasons I stated above.

 

[johncalvin]

I think this is silly logic and I think most adcoms are going to think so as well. You want to get an acceptance faster so you're applying MD in addition to MD/PhD? What? Why not just apply to some MD/PhD programs that make decisions sooner rather than later?

There are some good answers to the question if it's asked, but I haven't heard them from you yet. If adcoms want to know why you're applying MD in addition to MD/PhD, they're not going to think you're committed to the MD/PhD pathway. You need some serious commitment (or insanity) to do both med school and grad school, harder and faster than anyone else to some uncertain future. The only good reason I can see to also apply MD somewhere is if your application is borderline/mediocre for MD/PhD programs or you have some very strong location biases.

The MD side is liable to think you're never going to come to their medical school if they think you're applying to mostly MD/PhD programs.

These are the sorts of issues I'd be paranoid about. You may be successful regardless. But I don't think your strategy is a sound for maximizing your success. Then again I don't know your app either so what do I know. With the way AMCAS is set up these days I don't know if the MD schools will even know you're applying MD/PhD, so it may not matter to them at all because they may not even know. Though it's a common MD/PhD interview question to ask if the applicant is applying MD-only as well, for the reasons I stated above.

You hit it spot-on with the borderline/mediocrity. I have strong research experience, and a strong GPA, but I'm not taking the MCAT till June 18th. So I will be sending in my primaries before knowing my score. My practice scores range from 29-36. So I'm all over the place.

 

[Neuronix]

I have strong research experience, and a strong GPA, but I'm not taking the MCAT till June 18th. So I will be sending in my primaries before knowing my score.

Why? If you submit your primary at the end of July you're stil early. You won't start getting most secondaries until August/September anyway.

 

[plsletmein]

You won't start getting most secondaries until August/September anyway.

You just made my day 😀

(do you think they send them out en masse, or will these also get significantly staggered depending on how soon your application gets in? I guess it would depend on whether the school screens or not as well, but is this done numerically and just on computer so it should go rather quickly? I'm so paranoid...)

 

[johncalvin]

Why? If you submit your primary at the end of July you're stil early. You won't start getting most secondaries until August/September anyway.

Two of my state medical colleges, I believe, send out secondaries as soon as AMCAS delivers them the verified primaries. Submitting at the end of July means it won't be verified till end of August. The only good thing is that my state schools don't require secondary essays if you're an in-state applicant. Basically, I was thinking of applying MD-only to these two med schools, and MD/PhD everywhere else.

This would be so much easier if so many schools didn't offer rolling admissions.