Volunteering for MD/PhD applicants?

[Naphtali]

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Hello, hello... I'm applying to MD/PhD programs right now. I've had 4 interviews already, and I'll have 7 more in Jan/Feb.

My research is fairly impressive, so I haven't been worried about that. But my problem is, I haven't done any sort of volunteer work. I didn't think much of it (I've stressed my research creds) until a few weeks ago when at an interview the interviewer ripped into me for not having any. Granted, it was the MD only interview (MD/PhD was earlier in the day)...

Has anyone else faced this? (Which begs the question: How?) I myself have grave doubts about the usefulness of most volunteer experiences in prep for med school. (Oh? You were a candy striper? Yeah, that REALLY prepares you for the intense experiences of he wards.)

Any advice on how to deal with this sort of situation (read: how to talk around it) would be much appreciated.

-Naphtali

 

[Doctor&Geek]

Originally posted by Naphtali
Hello, hello... I'm applying to MD/PhD programs right now. I've had 4 interviews already, and I'll have 7 more in Jan/Feb.

My research is fairly impressive, so I haven't been worried about that. But my problem is, I haven't done any sort of volunteer work. I didn't think much of it (I've stressed my research creds) until a few weeks ago when at an interview the interviewer ripped into me for not having any. Granted, it was the MD only interview (MD/PhD was earlier in the day)...

Has anyone else faced this? (Which begs the question: How?) I myself have grave doubts about the usefulness of most volunteer experiences in prep for med school. (Oh? You were a candy striper? Yeah, that REALLY prepares you for the intense experiences of he wards.)

Any advice on how to deal with this sort of situation (read: how to talk around it) would be much appreciated.

-Naphtali

The greatest dependence is on whether MD/PhD acceptance [by the MD/PhD committee/director] is contingent on MD-only acceptance.

Some places, like WashU, UAB, and others, essentially have the MD-only committee rubber stamp the acceptance decision by the MD/PhD committee.

Others, like UCSF and U of Washington, require you pass the screening of the MD-only committee [vis-a-vis other MD-only applicants] before getting admission, even though the MD/PhD program may love you.

These programs will be more likely to penalize you for weak volunteering experiences than programs which focus more on your research; since research isn't given a higher priority [and may in fact be less of a priority] than your volunteering accomplishments you could be in trouble.

I urge you to contact the schools you're interested in, specifically in relation to your question, and how their decision-making process is structured [and share your information with us!!]

Other advice will come with an edit 🙂

Yours,

Jason

 

[Neuronix]

While I agree with what Jason has said, I have been asked about my volunteer experiences and ECs even by MD/PhD interviewers at schools where the MD/PhD comes first. They still like to hear that you have prepared for the MD side as well as the PhD side. The reason for this is primarily to make sure that you understand what being a doctor is like and how our healthcare system works for those at least 2 years you'll be doing clinical medicine. They are also looking to make sure that you have other ECs/interests outside of medicine/research so that you know how to handle things beyond medicine/research.

So, have you ever shadowed a physician? Do you have good ECs besides research that you can show? If the interviewer is looking for you knowing about medicine, you should have some way to assure him of that. If the interviewer is looking for interests outside of research, I'm sure you will have some way to go that route.

BTW, I was a candy striper for 3 years and I enjoyed it! At 5 hours a week, it hardly interfered with the rest of my life.

 

[JackBauERfan]

I agree with jason also, but i'm not md/phd person, so what do i know.

 

[DarkChild]

well i'll be the dissenting voice. but I dont have any. and I havent got asked about it. it briefly came up on an MD only interview. but so far, 3 MD/PhD interviews and 2 MD only interviews (probably 20 something 30 minute interviews) it only came up on one interview

 

[Neuronix]

Interesting. Perhaps I get asked about my ECs because they're on my application and they wouldn't ask if they weren't. I still think they're important for the reasons listed previously, but perhaps they're not as crucial as I previous thought.

 

[canadagirl]

Some interesting responses, here.

I have heard, though, [from people in grad school completely unrelated to medicine] that PhD programs are interested in EC's unto themselves (vs. because of usefulness for the MD portion of the program) because they show characteristics that are useful for research - commitment to tasks, innovation, ability to multitask, and so on. Grad school, in the broadest sense, wants to know that students will be "productive" and want evidence of "productivity" - EC's can show that, just like previous research can. I mean, if I've got the energy and drive to create a new and innovative _whatever_, then that ought to translate to Science.

As well, to a large degree, whether or not you publish as an undergrad involves luck, right? Picking the right lab, being given the right project. E.g. last summer I was given a project that was doomed to fail from the beginning - crummy data, crummy hypothesis.

Anyways. That's my whiny justification for why MD-PhD's should accept me with great EC's but less-great research (no publications other than a couple umpteenth-author conference papers in an area completely unrelated to medicine)

 

[energy_girl]

I agree with Canada's reply. My ECs were a lot stronger than my research experience, and I really played up the ECs on my application as a way to showcase my dedication, leadership skills, organizational abilities, etc. Obviously, I was asked about my research a lot, but most interviewers asked me extensively about my other activities. Perhaps this is because I emphasized them so much on my apps, but I got terrific responses from the interviewers.

Then again, a lot of my classmates have great research experiences and very few ECs, and they obviously got in too. I suppose good research is necessary, but I think other activities can compensate for lack of publications and slightly weaker academics. Just my 2 cents 😉.

 

[canadagirl]

Are you in an MD-PhD program, energy_girl ?

 

[energy_girl]

Yes, I'm in the MSTP at Wash U.🙂