happydays said:
This is a generic question regarding transfering. Under what circumstances would someone be able to transfer to MSTP from an MD only program? What do directors look for in your first or second MD year?
Has anyone been able to transfer successfully? If so, please share your experience. (Why you transfered, what was the process like, and anything that you know now that you wished that you had known before?)
Thanks!
I don't have first-hand experience of transferring into the MSTP, but this is what I've gathered from observation and from discussions with friends who have done it and with various admin/faculty associated with the MSTP.
* The vital factor is the commitment to research. The more ways you can demonstrate that as a transfer applicant, the better.
* Research during the summer before M1 and between M1 and M2 is a must. If this research can be done with a PI who has a good relationship with the MSTP, has mentored students in the MSTP, or currently has MSTP students, this is even better. A letter from said PI comparing you (hopefully favorably) to current/past MSTP students will go a long way.
* Get to know MSTP admins/director and let them know of your intention to transfer as early as possible. They might be able to help you plan, and while they might not be able to give you any information you didn't already know, you really want to get to know these people and talk to them as much as possible, without being annoying of course.
* Some MSTP students depending on the program take grad classes during the first two years of med school to reduce coursework down the line. You can do this as well before being accepted into the MSTP - this shows your commitment but comes with the caveat that it's a gamble. If you don't get in, you may feel like you wasted your time.
* Have a very clear and convincing picture of why you need both degrees, what you plan on doing with them, and where you see yourself in the future. This goes beyond the usual idealistic answers the adcoms hear from straight MSTP applicants ...a student who has gone through a year or two of medical school is probably expected to be less naive than a straight MSTP applicant about where they want to go in the future and the realities of such a future.
* Be ready for some stiff competition! Depends on the program, but there are more applicants applying internally than there are spots for! At my program, usually one internal applicant (sometimes two) joins the rising MSTP IIIs each year. Students are typically discouraged from applying during the first year. But this probably differs at every program.
Ok, hope this helped, and sorry if it was too obvious!
