WAMC - URM (3.97/515) MD or MD/PHD

[Benny101]

[redacted]

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[Faha]

Where is your state of residence ?

 

[Benny101]

Where is your state of residence ?

CA

 

[Mr.Smile12]

MD vs. MD/PhD: I think you'd be a desirable candidate for either, but the paths are very different. Given your record with start-ups, do you want to remain a student for 4 years or 10? Many options are available to you, but I'm not sure if your goal is to be an entrepreneurial physician as opposed to a hospitalist. MD/PhD is great if you want to ultimately become entrenched in academia, though you could possibly be involved in startups with the right project and mentoring ecosystem.

Have you attended virtual information sessions with APSA (Physician Scientists)? Have you talked with members of the Physician Scientists subforum (where most of our MD/PhD's tend to meet)?

 

[Benny101]

MD vs. MD/PhD: I think you'd be a desirable candidate for either, but the paths are very different. Given your record with start-ups, do you want to remain a student for 4 years or 10? Many options are available to you, but I'm not sure if your goal is to be an entrepreneurial physician as opposed to a hospitalist. MD/PhD is great if you want to ultimately become entrenched in academia, though you could possibly be involved in startups with the right project and mentoring ecosystem.

Have you attended virtual information sessions with APSA (Physician Scientists)? Have you talked with members of the Physician Scientists subforum (where most of our MD/PhD's tend to meet)?

Thank you for the feedback. I was leaning towards an MD/PhD simply because I wanted a chance to bunker down for a few years to immerse myself with the knowledge necessary in my desired field to ultimately be able to create medical devices in the future. I wasn't sure if I could accomplish this with just an MD, as I know many biotech company founders tend to be MD/PHD. But what do you think? Also, I was wondering if there were any gaps in the rest of my application (i.e. w/ MCAT or nonclinical volunteering) for T10? (I think the reason for T10 is due to access resources that could help with the physician entrepreneurship path, specifically Stanford and UCSF)

 

[Faha]

Your MCAT is not your weakness. Before you apply you should accumulate 150+ hours of non clinical volunteering such as food bank, homeless shelter, etc. Otherwise, you could be screened out at some schools.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Do you know why founders like MD/PhD's? (I don't have a simple answer on this to present here.) There's no straight or exclusive path. Were you able to attend regional biotech conferences and make connections?

It depends on what you wind up doing, but with a solid research background and mentoring, you can do well as a physician entrepreneur. You have to boost your community service orientation activities. Solid research schools should have good programs or pathways to immerse you further in commercializing academic discoveries, but I don't know if this is something you expect to have as a medical student.

We have posted a few articles along this line:

How to Engineer a Health Professional Career - SDN

The Student Doctor Network provides free tools, resources, and advising services to help students become health professionals.

www.studentdoctor.net

Q&A with Carle Illinois College of Medicine: Developing Innovation and Entrepreneurship as Health Professionals - SDN

The Student Doctor Network provides free tools, resources, and advising services to help students become health professionals.

www.studentdoctor.net

Pharmapreneurship: Creating Your Career As a Pharmacist-Entrepreneur - SDN

The Student Doctor Network provides free tools, resources, and advising services to help students become health professionals.

www.studentdoctor.net

 

[Benny101]

Do you know why founders like MD/PhD's? (I don't have a simple answer on this to present here.) There's no straight or exclusive path. Were you able to attend regional biotech conferences and make connections?

It depends on what you wind up doing, but with a solid research background and mentoring, you can do well as a physician entrepreneur. You have to boost your community service orientation activities. Solid research schools should have good programs or pathways to immerse you further in commercializing academic discoveries, but I don't know if this is something you expect to have as a medical student.

We have posted a few articles along this line:

How to Engineer a Health Professional Career - SDN

The Student Doctor Network provides free tools, resources, and advising services to help students become health professionals.

www.studentdoctor.net

Q&A with Carle Illinois College of Medicine: Developing Innovation and Entrepreneurship as Health Professionals - SDN

The Student Doctor Network provides free tools, resources, and advising services to help students become health professionals.

www.studentdoctor.net

Pharmapreneurship: Creating Your Career As a Pharmacist-Entrepreneur - SDN

The Student Doctor Network provides free tools, resources, and advising services to help students become health professionals.

www.studentdoctor.net

Sounds good! I have about ~50 hours with the homeless shelter volunteering that I didn't include because of the low number of hours, but I can definitely continue that. Moreover, I have been fortunate enough to connect with some biotech founders. I was also wondering if there are any schools you recommend that I consider (I'm not sure what a good balance is between reaches and targets or even what those are in my case). Lastly, given the SCOTUS ruling, I wanted to know how or if being a URM AA male would even help or what I could do to leverage.

 

[Benny101]

Your MCAT is not your weakness. Before you apply you should accumulate 150+ hours of non clinical volunteering such as food bank, homeless shelter, etc. Otherwise, you could be screened out at some schools.

Sounds good, thanks! Any schools you recommend?

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Sounds good! I have about ~50 hours with the homeless shelter volunteering that I didn't include because of the low number of hours, but I can definitely continue that. Moreover, I have been fortunate enough to connect with some biotech founders. I was also wondering if there are any schools you recommend that I consider (I'm not sure what a good balance is between reaches and targets or even what those are in my case). Lastly, given the SCOTUS ruling, I wanted to know how or if being a URM AA male would even help or what I could do to leverage.

First, are any of your mentors also Black/AA males? Do you have any Black/AA male mentors? Are you connected with any mentoring organizations supporting Black males? We have promoted a few in our Underrepresented forums.

Your metrics should make you desirable at most schools once you get your service orientation activity up. Reach out to schools you are interested in and see if there are students doing similar things that you want to do. The interesting challenge is that as anti-diversity efforts are shuttering internal departments or programs for Blacks, is there any contraction occurring so that it's harder for you to find other Black entrepreneurs unless they are standalone organizations? Does NMA have a subgroup focused on entrepreneurship? Go to recruitment events and make sure admissions recruiters know who you are.

 

[mike-sheree]

I think Carle at U of Ill would roll out the welcome mat for you.

 

[Benny101]

First, are any of your mentors also Black/AA males? Do you have any Black/AA male mentors? Are you connected with any mentoring organizations supporting Black males? We have promoted a few in our Underrepresented forums.

Your metrics should make you desirable at most schools once you get your service orientation activity up. Reach out to schools you are interested in and see if there are students doing similar things that you want to do. The interesting challenge is that as anti-diversity efforts are shuttering internal departments or programs for Blacks, is there any contraction occurring so that it's harder for you to find other Black entrepreneurs unless they are standalone organizations? Does NMA have a subgroup focused on entrepreneurship? Go to recruitment events and make sure admissions recruiters know who you are.

Yes, I have some black AA mentors, mostly at my undergrad. I'll start getting connected with the mentoring organizations ASAP. Question: Is it advisable to combine my nonclinical volunteering (i..e the college consulting + homeless shelter) into one box for AMCAS, or would this look like I'm trying to offset my low service orientation hours with the mentoring? Lastly, do you have any schools in mind that you think I should apply to?

 

[Faha]

Sounds good, thanks! Any schools you recommend?

Sounds good, thanks! Any schools you recommend?

I suggest these schools with your stats:
Stanford
USC Keck
The UCs (except Riverside unless you are from that region)
Kaiser
Harvard
Yale
Dartmouth
Brown
Tufts
Hofstra
Einstein (free tuition)
NYU
Columbia
Cornell
Rochester
Pittsburgh
Jefferson
U Virginia
Duke
Vanderbilt
Miami
Emory
Northwestern
U Michigan
Cincinnati
Case Western
Ohio State
Mayo

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Yes, I have some black AA mentors, mostly at my undergrad. I'll start getting connected with the mentoring organizations ASAP. Question: Is it advisable to combine my nonclinical volunteering (i.e the college consulting + homeless shelter) into one box for AMCAS, or would this look like I'm trying to offset my low service orientation hours with the mentoring? Lastly, do you have any schools in mind that you think I should apply to?

Faha has your list. Mission fit and opportunities are important.

I prefer keeping those items separate, but it depends on the hours. If one is fewer than 50 hours, that activity won't impress me if I were a screener, but I don't speak for all screeners. Your responsibilities and impact are just as important as the number of hours.

 

[Benny101]

@Goro Would also appreciate any advice if you feel inclined!

 

[Benny101]

Faha has your list. Mission fit and opportunities are important.

I prefer keeping those items separate, but it depends on the hours. If one is fewer than 50 hours, that activity won't impress me if I were a screener, but I don't speak for all screeners. Your responsibilities and impact are just as important as the number of hours.

Got it. Thank you! And is scheduling an appointment with you the same as the advising you have linked?

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Got it. Thank you! And is scheduling an appointment with you the same as the advising you have linked?

Well, I hope there are additional details you might be able to disclose with a private appointment. That could help with more tailored advising.

 

[Benny101]

Well, I hope there are additional details you might be able to disclose with a private appointment. That could help with more tailored advising.

Yes, of course!

 

[Benny101]

Also @LizzyM would appreciate any guidance here, and if URM + ECs + GPA would make a difference?

 

[LizzyM]

Also @LizzyM would appreciate any guidance here, and if URM + ECs + GPA would make a difference?

URM is not supposed to make a difference. If there are ways to telegraph your engagement with people of color, it might count for something whereas your own race can't be considered. As the college consulting been for kids who would never be able to afford a paid service? (first gen/low income kids)? That might count for something.

 

[Benny101]

URM is not supposed to make a difference. If there are ways to telegraph your engagement with people of color, it might count for something whereas your own race can't be considered. As the college consulting been for kids who would never be able to afford a paid service? (first gen/low income kids)? That might count for something.

Understood! Yes, the college consulting is strictly for first gen/low income students. Lastly, I guess regarding my stats + ECs is it still worth applying to the T10s (obviously with a balanced school list) or would a MCAT retake be necessary? Thanks.

 

[jvquarterback]

I would include the HBCU’s.

 

[LizzyM]

Well, some schools have averages of 519 and 520 -- I don't know what their 10th percentile is, but I suspect you'd be in that bin. Not a good place to be and why the LizzyM score was developed in the first place. There are better measures now but strictly by the numbers, you will get tossed aside by some of the stat wh0res.