To strengthen or accept

[Schlockinz]

---

Members do not see this ad.

OK, so I've had a somewhat circuitous path to come to applying to MSTPs, but I have a feeling that I may not make it with my current app, and I have some questions regarding what I should be looking at doing for the future.

Just a quick synopsis of my past: I am an engineering physics major, with an emphasis (almost double major) in chemical engineering and a chemistry minor. I have a 3.2 GPA, mainly due to course load and the fact that I was grooming myself to be an engineer, not a 4.0 kid. I have 3 years of experience in a bioengineering lab doing microfluidics research, and photolithography optimization. I have another year of experience in a catalysis lab. My MCAT score was disappointing 32T, but I didn't have time to study for the test (other than 2 practices, which I made 36+ on). I've had an internship and a coop as an engineer as well.

My question is, since on paper I appear to be sub par, what should I be doing to prep myself for another round of apps. I feel that since I've had more biology as of now that I can do much better on the MCAT, I have 190hrs of credit, so raising the GPA is out of the question. I graduate in December, and I'm not sure that I can find a job in my town that will pay the bills, and I cannot matriculate into the grad school (and get a stipend) until next fall. Also, my AMCAS app had a hickup and I am consequently still filling out some of my secondary apps.

Should I go ahead and take a position as an engineer, and retake the MCAT next year? If I get an offer to matriculate as an MD, how hard would it be to move into the MD/PhD program? The engineers that are recruiting me some to be very impressed once they get past the transcripts, especially since I can explain my research, the tasks at my coop and internship (including a patent that I co-authored, but apparently will not be filed) very fluently. I'm just worried that I will not be able to make it past the first round of scrutiny, I think that if I get an interview that my chances will drastically improve.

Any thoughts, opinions? I'm starting to kinda freak out with my apps.

 

[magwi11]

I have 190hrs of credit, so raising the GPA is out of the question.

I also had FAR too many credits to hope that any extra coursework would make an actual difference in my GPA, but I was told that taking high level biology classes (and getting As) would make a difference in my application, even if the actual GPA number didn't change much. You might want to look into this if you don't have a huge positive trend or a big skew to As in the non-engineering classes. Showing a school that now that you have decided on medicine, you're focused and you can kick ass in more challenging courses might make a difference. I suspect it helped me a lot.

As for what you should do, how hard it will be to switch form MD to MD/PhD will depend on the school that you got accepted to. Make sure that you have talked over your chances pretty throughly with the people at that particular school before you accept a position in the MD class assuming that you will be able to transition internally.

 

[Calf]

You got a 32 without studying?? I more than doubled my score from my first (pre-studying) practice test to my final score lol... I think if you give yourself time to study you'll be able to pull that up quite a bit.

 

[Schlockinz]

WRT to pre-medical courses I have a 3.4 (3.6 if my honors physics for physics majors courses are removed). I have a chance to make a 4.0 this semester with courses like Physics capstone, Biochemical methods (chemistry lab and lecture), Cell biology (3000 level), and Physical Mechanics II (course that it will be hardest to attain an A, breaking into the top 10% of the students in a physics course is tough).

So, would taking higher level biology courses be much of a help, or would it be better for me to matriculate into a bioengineering masters program (this way I can afford to live, at this point in the game I am out of $ for college, and since I held engineering positions in the last few years, I don't expect to get much if any financial aid)

Oh well, I guess I'll just have to wait and see, maybe my tribe will lend me a hand for finances first year if I matriculate as an MD (especially since the whole point of the degree is to become a practicing MD, and being a researcher is a huge bonus, but not necessarily a deal breaker).

 

[Brunette1981]

Oh well, I guess I'll just have to wait and see, maybe my tribe will lend me a hand for finances first year if I matriculate as an MD (especially since the whole point of the degree is to become a practicing MD, and being a researcher is a huge bonus, but not necessarily a deal breaker).

Your tribe? 😕

So, do you actually want to be do basic science research as an MD/PhD or are you applying in order to get a free ride to medical school? I definitely wouldn't apply to an MSTP just to improve the financial picture of medical school. You can make more money as a straight-MD (and pay back your loans) anyway and won't have to spend 4 years in a lab if that's not really want you want to do. Plus, to be honest, you would be a waste of a slot and of limited resources.

If you do want to do MSTP in order to do research, I would retake the MCAT if you have time to study and think you can do significantly better. Then I would apply broadly and also apply to some MD programs that have MSTPs that are friendly to in-house transfers (my own program comes to mind although the med school admissions are quite competitive).

Also, can you publish any of your research? You don't have to be first author or anything. Or at least submit it as a poster at a scientific meeting, that would probably help.

If you don't get in this round, you're probably better off doing a master's than just getting an engineering job. The job wouldn't really add to your application. With your stats, though, you would be a fine candidate for a straight-MD program so it might be better to take that than to sit out another year. Bear in mind it's almost impossible to transfer between medical schools, unlike college.

 

[Schlockinz]

Definitely interested in the MD/PhD as number one, I'm not looking to be a mercenary and take it just for a free ride (doesn't make since either since I'd be looking at 7yrs of work to get my degree, assuming that research goes well).

It might take another year of work for me to be able to publish, if I were able to solve the governing equations for pulsatile flow and correlate it to my experiment, I might be able to write a paper as 2nd or 1st author. Thats an iffy goal though, I'm not sure if anyone has solved Navier Stokes for a system with my dimensions, and I'm not sure that I have the math to solve the equation myself (haven't taken a PDE course before), however, the cell interactions with the surface proteins I can get, and write about that, I guess it all depends on where the lab is going.

The goal for the joint degree is that I would like to work as a pathologist and continue research on cardiovascular pathogenesis, but if it came down to MD or PhD, I'd choose MD since I could still swing my long term career goals with it, just not as easily as I could with a Md/PhD

And tribe: I am a Cherokee

 

[Ariodant]

A post-bacc may help with your GPA, and you can always retake the MCAT. Did you poke around to see if a lab manager or short term staff position was available? They don't pay you too much, but you can live off it. I don't know how many Native American MD/PhDs are out there, but I'd love to see one more.