Simultaneous med and grad applications

[greycloud]

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This was briefly addressed in another thread that I started not too long ago (so, sorry if this is a little repetitive) but I'd like to get more suggestions and advice on this specific subject. I was wondering if anyone has had experience with applying to MD and PhD at the same time? What was the process and the outcome and was it worth it? Or, does anyone have any insight into this course of action?

I am torn between applying to grad school for clinical psychology and going to med school to follow a path in psychiatry. I really love psychology but I also love psychopharmacology/medications/drugs. I have yet to take any of my exams (GREs, MCATs) and I think a big barrier to me fully devoting my time to start studying is indecision over which route to go. Once I know, I will 100% be able to commit to studying and preparing the apps. I know that either path is not easy and that one is not to be a "back up" for the other. I see it as increasing my chances to do something I really love.

I double majored in bio and psych with GPA 3.5, 4 years biomedical research experience, some volunteering and lots of performing arts extracurriculars. Graduated in May, and working in a psych lab this year. What if I took the general GRE this November, MCAT in March/April, retake MCAT in July/August if necessary, and taking the psych subject GRE in Sept/Oct, while doing med school apps over the summer and grad school apps in the fall. I wonder what would happen with recommenders--would it be difficult to justify to them applying for both? Would they write sub-par letters if they don't think I'm fully dedicated to either one?

(This is all under the assumption that I will not go for a MD/PhD and that I would be happy in either track. Also, I am very clear on the difference between clinical psychologists and psychiatrists and the schooling required for each.)

Thanks in advance.

 

[vrazzles]

Your reason for considering to go the psychiatry route mentioned only science and no humanistic aspects of medicine.

If you are not interested in patient care, do a PhD. Have you explored patient care through medical volunteering? Have you observed the daily work life of a physician through shadowing?

 

[LizzyM]

You could always ask different recommenders for MD and PhD letters. Stick with bio/math/physics and non-science for the MD letters and Psychology professors for the PhD letters.

I think that it is clear to me that you are interested in working with pateints either as a clinical psychologist or a psychiatrist. Both are patient care roles but one includes the power to prescribe medications while the other does not.

 

[greycloud]

I think that it is clear to me that you are interested in working with pateints either as a clinical psychologist or a psychiatrist.

Yes, my strong interest in patient care is exactly the reason why I am having such a hard time deciding between the two. To address what @vrazzles said, you can practice with a PhD in clin psy, just not prescribe meds, hence why I did not mention the humanistic aspect in my initial post.

You could always ask different recommenders for MD and PhD letters.

I worry that by spreading out my recs in this way, I would have to have at least 1 or 2 not-as-strong recs for both applications. I have around 3 to 4 strong recommenders at the moment, and wonder if pooling them all towards one application would significantly strengthen it.

Any thoughts on what I mentioned with the testing timeline? This is keeping in mind that I am basically free every morning of the week. If I decide to undertake both GREs and MCATs, is it worth it to sign up for an extra volunteering opportunity as well or should I devote my time to getting the highest scores possible since I would be doing so much testing?

 

[efle]

What state are you from, and are you an underrepresented minority? A 3.5 GPA can make it tough to go MD depending on your demographics, unless you do very well on MCAT

 

[FroYoOreo]

I believe it is even more challenging to get into a clinical psychology program than an MD program, just because there are so few programs available and funding is limited (less than 10 people /program /year). Besides, almost every applicant has done some kind of post-grad internship. In addition, applicants usually have pretty high GPAs (especially with a psychology major).

 

[greycloud]

I am a Canadian citizen who just finished undergrad in the US. I would be hoping to apply to US med schools, and Canadian PhD programs. I have good grades in all my psych classes, and my bio classes are probably what led to my 3.5. The GPA requirements for Canadian med schools are way higher than in the US and considering that I've been in the US for the past 4 years for undergrad, I don't meet resident requirements for provinces in Canada anyway, so despite my citizenship, I don't think I would have much of an advantage over other out-of-province Canadian applicants in Canada.

So... are my chances higher for one over the other (US MD vs. Canadian PhD) or am I screwed either way?

 

[947830]

I am a Canadian citizen who just finished undergrad in the US. I would be hoping to apply to US med schools, and Canadian PhD programs. I have good grades in all my psych classes, and my bio classes are probably what led to my 3.5. The GPA requirements for Canadian med schools are way higher than in the US and considering that I've been in the US for the past 4 years for undergrad, I don't meet resident requirements for provinces in Canada anyway, so despite my citizenship, I don't think I would have much of an advantage over other out-of-province Canadian applicants in Canada.

So... are my chances higher for one over the other (US MD vs. Canadian PhD) or am I screwed either way?

Don't be discouraged! The numbers are just a rough guide. Look into the details of each Ph.D. programs and figure out what they are looking for. For MD schools in the US, 3.5 is not an automatic rejection! If your MCAT scores are high and have a good resume, you can still be an apt candidate. For now, network and learn more about the Ph.D. programs and make a list of things you need for MD programs, and start chipping away at it! Hope this helps! Hang in there.

 

[gyngyn]

Don't be discouraged! The numbers are just a rough guide. Look into the details of each Ph.D. programs and figure out what they are looking for. For MD schools in the US, 3.5 is not an automatic rejection! If your MCAT scores are high and have a good resume, you can still be an apt candidate. For now, network and learn more about the Ph.D. programs and make a list of things you need for MD programs, and start chipping away at it! Hope this helps! Hang in there.

The standard for international applicants is higher than for US.
The mean gpa for successful internationals is 3.75...

 

[greycloud]

Thanks for the encouragement @On the Waitlist Podcast !

The standard for international applicants is higher than for US.

Yes, I understand, which is why I wonder if I should solely focus on blowing the MCAT out of the water instead of also taking GREs, which is my current dilemma. I believe Canadians already have it easier than other non-Canadian international applicants. And I think some schools are more accepting of Canadian applicants than others, so I would need to target those schools specifically? I also hope that the good reputation of my US undergrad school can help (even if only a little), if that is taken into account at all in the process.

What if I took the general GRE this November, MCAT in March/April, retake MCAT in July/August if necessary, and taking the psych subject GRE in Sept/Oct, while doing med school apps over the summer and grad school apps in the fall.

Still haven't heard any thoughts on this timeline? I wonder if waiting until 2 months from now to start MCAT studying (after GRE) would compromise me?

 

[947830]

which is why I wonder if I should solely focus on blowing the MCAT out of the water instead of also taking GREs, which is my current dilemma.

The MCAT is definitely a much tougher test. I took both and I can tell you that studying for the GRE will pale in comparison to studying for the MCAT. I can't really say which path you should take, but considering that the MCAT is a much harder exam, beginning to study for that sooner rather than later is not a bad idea. Hope this helps!

 

[gyngyn]

I believe Canadians already have it easier than other non-Canadian international applicants.

There are 68 schools that consider Canadians. Only 49 of them also consider non-Canadian internationals. To that extent you are correct.

 

[greycloud]

There are 68 schools that consider Canadians. Only 49 of them also consider non-Canadian internationals. To that extent you are correct.

I'm assuming the Canadian applicants are still given lower priority/ consideration compared to the American applicants at these schools?

 

[gyngyn]

I'm assuming the Canadian applicants are still given lower priority/ consideration compared to the American applicants at these schools?

A school's recent experiences in the Match with international students will color their receptivity to similar candidates. If they have had relative success, they are likely to continue with their historical standards. We do not have Canadian stats to identify how standards may differ compared to their non-Canadian counterparts.