What to do if I don’t get in this cycle

[CaffeineGoblin]

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This is my first time posting on here, so I don’t know if this is the right place. I’m in a predicament where I have two options for this coming semester to start prepping my reap again but I don’t know which would be better and need advice. I currently applied regular MD this cycle but am strongly thinking about switching to MD-PhD but still undecided. Here are the two options:
1. Work full-time in my undergraduate lab with my own project and basically be a grad student without the title and look for shadowing
2. Work full-time as an ophthalmology scribe

I have a year and a half of lab work and around 550 clinical hours that are mostly in orthopedics. I would rather do the lab but want to do what is best for my application. Sorry this was so long. Thanks for reading.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Welcome to the forums.

Figure out if you are serious about MD/PhD and training for a longer time than your medical school peers.

 

[dimplesage]

Would you be able to provide a little more context? Why do you want to switch to MD/PhD over MD? In my opinion, the extra years of training as an MD/PhD shouldn't be taken lightly, and generally the advice I have received is that if you have any doubt at all, apply just MD and decide later if you want a component of research to your career.

Could you elaborate on your current research experience? Total number of research hours? Do you have strong LORs that can attest to your research experience? Have you experienced challenges in research that don't deter you from the 4-5 year PhD? Also would these jobs be prospective hours when you go to apply?

In my opinion, if you were going to apply MD/PhD, you probably have a sufficient amount of clinical hours that you could take the research position full time while doing clinical stuff outside of working hours.

 

[CaffeineGoblin]

Would you be able to provide a little more context? Why do you want to switch to MD/PhD over MD? In my opinion, the extra years of training as an MD/PhD shouldn't be taken lightly, and generally the advice I have received is that if you have any doubt at all, apply just MD and decide later if you want a component of research to your career.

Could you elaborate on your current research experience? Total number of research hours? Do you have strong LORs that can attest to your research experience? Have you experienced challenges in research that don't deter you from the 4-5 year PhD? Also would these jobs be prospective hours when you go to apply?

In my opinion, if you were going to apply MD/PhD, you probably have a sufficient amount of clinical hours that you could take the research position full time while doing clinical stuff outside of working hours.

I want to switch to MD/PhD because I have come to love research and the exciting nature that new science brings. I’m okay with the extra schooling that does not bother me. I really want my career to be a blend of clinic, research, and teaching, and I just haven’t found a set way to do that yet, but I think doing an MD/PhD would make it easiest for me.

I have about 800 research hours in the same lab right now, and a very strong LOR from my current PI. The jobs would be prospective hours

 

[dimplesage]

In that case, if you're set on MD/PhD, I would opt to take the research position to gain more research experience. It would help boost the number of research hours and give you the chance to do research independently prior to starting MD/PhD.

One thing to keep in mind though, is that if the job is only offering prospective hours, your amount of research hours is on the lighter side based on my experience. It might make it challenging to apply MD/PhD next cycle, but also hours are not everything. Other factors will come into play.

 

[AJS59]

This is my first time posting on here, so I don’t know if this is the right place. I’m in a predicament where I have two options for this coming semester to start prepping my reap again but I don’t know which would be better and need advice. I currently applied regular MD this cycle but am strongly thinking about switching to MD-PhD but still undecided. Here are the two options:
1. Work full-time in my undergraduate lab with my own project and basically be a grad student without the title and look for shadowing
2. Work full-time as an ophthalmology scribe

I have a year and a half of lab work and around 550 clinical hours that are mostly in orthopedics. I would rather do the lab but want to do what is best for my application. Sorry this was so long. Thanks for reading.

Need a WAMC to see what's happened so far

 

[CaffeineGoblin]

Need a WAMC to see what's happened so far

I think this is what you are asking for:

cGPA: 3.96

sGPA: 4.0

MCAT: 518

State of residence: GA

Undergraduate institution: Georgia Tech

Clinical experience (volunteer and non-volunteer):

• Orthopedic Clinical Assistant: 550 hours
• Volunteer in radiology department at CHOA: 36 hours

Research experience and productivity:

• Undergraduate research in lab focused on diagnostic creation (one poster presentation, one oral conference presentation, undergrad research award/grant): 800 hours

Shadowing experience: 5 hours in ortho (didn’t out on app)

Non-clinical volunteering:

• Volunteer with poverty alleviation club helping homeless people and children: 10 hours
• Alpha phi sorority member (made cards for children, planted trees): 10 hours

Non-Clinical Paid Experience:

• Bartender: 1100 hours
• Waitress: 280 hours

Leadership:

• Teaching assistant for multiple courses: 200 hours
• Varying leadership positions in my sorority: 150 hours

Hobbies: soccer, crocheting, lifting weights

 

[VaultArmitage]

MD/PhD admissions are pretty competitive. MCAT and GPA look good, but research hours are pretty low as they stand right now. If you are serious about MD/PhD, the research position is a no-brainer.

 

[surelycalm]

What is the list of schools you applied to? Was it top heavy?

The only weakness I see in your application short of reading your PS and activities is that you need about 200 hours of underserved volunteering.
Non-clinical volunteering:

• Volunteer with poverty alleviation club helping homeless people and children: 10 hours
• Alpha phi sorority member (made cards for children, planted trees): 10 hours

 

[CaffeineGoblin]

What is the list of schools you applied to? Was it top heavy?

The only weakness I see in your application short of reading your PS and activities is that you need about 200 hours of underserved volunteering.
Non-clinical volunteering:

• Volunteer with poverty alleviation club helping homeless people and children: 10 hours
• Alpha phi sorority member (made cards for children, planted trees): 10 hours

Here is my schools list. I feel like it’s not too top heavy. I thought it was a good mix.

Albert Einstein
Boston University (R)
Columbia
Dartmouth
Duke
Emory
Harvard (HST program)
John’s Hopkins
Medical College of Georgia (II)
Michigan (R)
Miami
New York University (NYU) (R)
Ohio State
Penn State
Pitt (R)
Saint Louis
Texas A&M (EnMed) (II)
U of Alabama Birmingham (UAB) (R)
U of Arizona Phoenix (R)
U of Colorado
U of Iowa
U of Miami
U of South Florida (USF)
U of Virginia (UVA)
Vanderbilt
Wake Forest

All Rs are pre-interview.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

What advice did you get from your Georgia Tech prehealth advisors before you submitted your application the first time? The lack of shadowing and very low service orientation hours warrant a discussion. Were you working throughout college? It just seems that you were banking on getting more action from your metrics despite your inexperience.

 

[CaffeineGoblin]

What advice did you get from your Georgia Tech prehealth advisors before you submitted your application the first time? The lack of shadowing and very low service orientation hours warrant a discussion. Were you working throughout college? It just seems that you were banking on getting more action from your metrics despite your inexperience.

They didn’t say anything about it. I bartended all throughout college and was really involved in my sorority. They never brought up any concern about the fact that I didn’t have those things so I thought it was fine.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

They didn’t say anything about it. I bartended all throughout college and was really involved in my sorority. They never brought up any concern about the fact that I didn’t have those things so I thought it was fine.

How often did you meet with them (I presume for letters at least)? What do they think about your current application and lack of more attention?

 

[CaffeineGoblin]

How often did you meet with them (I presume for letters at least)? What do they think about your current application and lack of more attention?

I met with them about once a month to ask various questions for the last semester, but when i was crafting my application i met with them multiple times a week. They said my application was pretty competitive. You are actually the first person that I have met that has brought up that weakness, so I appreciate it.

 

[wysdoc]

They didn’t say anything about it. I bartended all throughout college and was really involved in my sorority. They never brought up any concern about the fact that I didn’t have those things so I thought it was fine.

Regrettable oversight in your application but in the coming six months hit the community service volunteering to those in need hard (not teaching/tutoring, but something off campus) and then start whatever interim job you like until you apply again. Be sure you have built up 150+ hours in this area before submitting your app (if it takes you until July to submit, so be it) because "projected" hours will not help you

 

[surelycalm]

Here is my schools list. I feel like it’s not too top heavy. I thought it was a good mix.

Albert Einstein
Boston University (R)
Columbia
Dartmouth
Duke
Emory
Harvard (HST program)
John’s Hopkins
Medical College of Georgia (II)
Michigan (R)
Miami
New York University (NYU) (R)
Ohio State
Penn State
Pitt (R)
Saint Louis
Texas A&M (EnMed) (II)
U of Alabama Birmingham (UAB) (R)
U of Arizona Phoenix (R)
U of Colorado
U of Iowa
U of Miami
U of South Florida (USF)
U of Virginia (UVA)
Vanderbilt
Wake Forest

All Rs are pre-interview.

I do think this list is a bit too top heavy, and also includes a combination of low yield schools as well as schools with too high of an instate bias.

I would revise your list and try to pick 30 schools with maybe 5 reach/low yield and maybe 5 schools where you are above the 90th percentile and the rest where you are in the 50th - 75th percentile.

Take Ohio State for example. They interview 22% of instate applicants but only 6% of out of state. Sure it's not 0, but it's going to be lower yield than other choices. Harvard, Hopkins and NYU I would just remove, they interview very few people with a 518 or lower.

I would take a look at admit.org (see what starting list it comes up with and then look through the cycle results to get some idea of what stats folks have that have gotten interviews and acceptances). Also look through MSAR, but keep in mind it doesn't always tell the full story.

Now you do have 2 IIs. Very good chance that at least one of them will turn into an A so don't give up hope just yet.

 

[LindaAccepted]

I think this is what you are asking for:

cGPA: 3.96

sGPA: 4.0

MCAT: 518

State of residence: GA

Undergraduate institution: Georgia Tech

Clinical experience (volunteer and non-volunteer):

• Orthopedic Clinical Assistant: 550 hours
• Volunteer in radiology department at CHOA: 36 hours

Research experience and productivity:

• Undergraduate research in lab focused on diagnostic creation (one poster presentation, one oral conference presentation, undergrad research award/grant): 800 hours

Shadowing experience: 5 hours in ortho (didn’t out on app)

Non-clinical volunteering:

• Volunteer with poverty alleviation club helping homeless people and children: 10 hours
• Alpha phi sorority member (made cards for children, planted trees): 10 hours

Non-Clinical Paid Experience:

• Bartender: 1100 hours
• Waitress: 280 hours

Leadership:

• Teaching assistant for multiple courses: 200 hours
• Varying leadership positions in my sorority: 150 hours

Hobbies: soccer, crocheting, lifting weights

I agree with those saying your list was top-heavy and too short on non-clinical community service. Start working on the latter ASAP. Also, some schools value shadowing and some don't. Since you probably will apply to some that do, increase your shadowing hours and do so outside of ortho because you have a lot of experience in that area. Use shadowing to gain insight into other areas of medicine.

Regarding what you should do next semester, if you want the MD/PhD, do the lab.

 

[dimplesage]

When creating the list, also know that for MD/PhD, whether or not you are in-state usually won't matter. MD/PhD programs make it a goal to recruit nationally and usually don't have in-state bias.

 

[chilly_md]

If you go the MD/PhD route, it would still be good to get some more shadowing along with working in the lab. We have a Physician Scientist's forum and Fencer can give more targeted advice regarding application strategy for MSTP programs:

Physician Scientists

For students interested & current students in Physician Scientist Training Programs or biomedical research programs.

forums.studentdoctor.net