Why DON'T you get in?

[4Me0]

Hi everyone,
I've been reading a variety of these posts, but, I'm having trouble understanding why some people with excellent scores and research experience don't get accepted. I know that there's the essays and interviews to consider as well, but are there any common, overarching reasons why stellar applicants don't get in?

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[tiamat360]

Heh. For starters, the average MD/PhD acceptee has higher scores than the average MD-only acceptee - so while our scores would make us excellent MD-only applicants, we're probably closer to average for MD/PhD. (Indeed, many of us have been denied from MD/PhD programs only to receive interviews from the accompanying MD-only program).

For another thing, unlike MD-only, once you get to the interview stage it doesn't get much easier. People on the MD Penn thread, for example, were complaining that their chances were only 1/4 or so after the interview. With at least half the MD/PhD programs I've interviewed at, post-interview chances are closer to 1/10. This leaves far less room for error in your interviewing, and a lot more room for dumb luck to play a role.

 

[dmblue]

I agree with tiatmat mostly. You definitely do need higher scores to get in. I have a 36, and WashU's MSTP indirectly told me that I should have retaken the mcat. You will NEVER see that in the MD forums. A lot of schools accept ~1/2 of the students that they interview for mdphd's, but most of those students will go elsewhere, so it is more like they only accepted 1/5 or 1/8 etc. Columbia for example accepts 30-40/80 that they interview. Only 8-10 usually matriculate though.

 

[Jorje286]

My major issue this cycle has been justifying why I want the MD, given my very limited clinical exposure. And I didn't stress enough that I want to do disease-oriented research in my essays. I guess the normal thing is that usually you have to justify the PhD part (so they don't think you want a free MD), but there could be an issue the other way around too. So my point is that rationalizing why MD/PhD is almost as important as your GPA, MCAT and research.

 

[ParabolaMDPHd]

Also, in my experience, it can depend on what the school is looking for out of you research wise. At a couple of places where I intereviewed, the research I wanted to do wasn't simply offered, or wasn't as much of a concern so therefore I wouldn't be high priority for an acceptance. For example, a school that just pumped millions into a new building for neuro, more likely than not, would probably be looking for people interested in neuro. That being said, for straight MD acceptances, there isnt that sense of fit to it, its more of if you have the grades and you not a total nutcase for the interviews. However, there are those MD/PhD applicants who have ungodly good credentials (multiple publications, 40s MCAT, high GPA and a myriad of other things) that a school would take on and try to find a fit for research, but those are few and far between

 

[GliaGirl]

luck, essays, and interviews

Make sure your essays make you sounds interesting enough to want to meet, and they will invite you for an interview. Once you're there, live up to what you said in your application. Read over the info and essays you sent to each school before you go to the interview.

Also, I think that sending thank you emails after each interview is a nice touch.

Finally, I tended to ask a lot of questions during the interviews, which I was told on multiple occasions they really like. It shows that you are interested and actively trying to imagine life at the program.

But mostly, luck.

 

[itsallthesame]

From talking to the program director at my current place, the reason most people don't get in who get interviewed stems from an inability to either defend their research from criticism and really explain it well or the inability to hear a description of faculty member's research, ask meaningful questions about methodology and intent and "guess" where he/she's going with it.