Should I or shouldn't I?

[JulianCrane]

I have been working in my lab for about a year, and I am really enjoying the work. I have been increasingly thinking about applying MD/PhD. Can anyone offer their advice on how you chose to apply for this? How do you know if it is right for you? Thanks.

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[Neuronix]

My advice to you would be to check out Vader's MD/PhD guidebook at http://go.to/mdphd. That was one of the most helpful sources for me when I was trying to focus on why I wanted to go the MD/PhD route and how to put that eloquently in my personal statement and at interviews.

I had personal compelling reasons that pushed me towards medical research. A bunch of genetic disorders run in my family and all of these have impacted my parents in terrible ways. When my parents were sick and hospitalized for all those years, it radically changed our living conditions and I know it changed me from whatever person I probably would have been had I not been exposed to everything I was exposed to. Now I feel like I would only be happy working on medical disorders that we don't have treatments for.

I thought I would become a MD and do medical research, and all my energy was focused in my first couple years of undergrad on getting into a MD program and paying my way through school. When I found out about MSTP, I immediately wanted to do it and I haven't looked back since. Big thanks to my advisors during all of this, who were almost completely useless to me.

 

[surge]

Originally posted by Neuronix
...... When I found out about MSTP, I immediately wanted to do it and I haven't looked back since. Big thanks to my advisors during all of this, who were almost completely useless to me.

This is actually my situation precisely. I always thought it was funny how I probably ended up teaching my advisors about MD/PhD more than they ever 'advised' me... I'm not sure why MD/PhD is such a rare option, at least at my school (smaller liberal arts university)..... Oh, well....