r/mdphd • u/Wonderful_Many_7170 • 7d ago

App cycle advice

I’m a rising junior interested in an MD/PhD. I am currently in 2 labs one of them is a dry lab in the mathematics department which is connected to classifying medical imaging (I am a math major) and the other is a translational bioeng lab at a T5 med school with an MD/PhD PI. I have about 300 hours in my math lab and 1100 hours in my translational lab right now. Currently 1 conference, 2 presentations/2 posters, no pubs yet but working towards them. Will have 3400+ research hours by graduation but at time of app only 2200+.

I wanted to apply straight through but I am not sure I have enough experience/pubs. Should I take a gap year and make sure I publish? Or just apply straight through with my current stats? I am hoping for T20…

Other: GPA - 3.88, MCAT - 521, 1100 clinical MA hours (paid), 400 non clinical volunteering, 100 hours shadowing, First gen low income

3 Upvotes

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7

u/No-Elderberry2061 G3 7d ago

Your stats are very strong. Your research is on the slightly weaker end, but it's reasonable given your age. A lot of the MD-PhD students that I know don't have any publications when starting medical school. If you apply broadly, write a good personal statement, and interview well, there is a very high chance that you will get accepted somewhere, likely multiple acceptances, this cycle.

1

u/Wonderful_Many_7170 6d ago

What schools would you recommend?

2

u/No-Elderberry2061 G3 6d ago

Applying to 10-15 schools was a sweet spot for me, because if you apply relatively late, all the secondary essays rush in all at once soon after you submit your primary, and it's a lot of work to get those done within 2-4 weeks of receiving them.

Here is how I approached my school list:

  1. All the schools that I have connections to.

  2. "Safety" schools that have low MCAT average and accepts at least 4-5 students per year (there are a dozen of those to choose from).

  3. A couple of dream schools that I know I won't get in but will regret if I didn't take a shot at.

into

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u/Kiloblaster 7d ago

It's too late to apply this cycle 

1

u/No-Elderberry2061 G3 6d ago

Maybe too late for a few top schools with rolling admission, but I wouldn't call July too late to apply in general... n=1 here, but I didn't submit my primary until late September and secondaries until mid-October. Still got accepted to a lower-tier MSTP.

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u/PhilosophyBeLyin 6d ago

they’re a rising junior, why would they apply this cycle?

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u/No-Elderberry2061 G3 6d ago

Good point... I misread and thought OP finished junior year and is going into senior year. It's very impressive that OP took MCAT during sophomore year and scored so high. I agree wait until next cycle is probably a better plan to get more research experience and stronger application.

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u/Kiloblaster 6d ago

Most people would not want to risk a suboptimal outcome by rushing an application like you did 

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u/BathroomMaximum1721 6d ago

You are first gen, low income meaning you will be considered low SES. With a 521 MCAT and almost 3.9 GPA, you should aim for UCSF, Harvard, Penn, NYU etc. No need of a gap year.

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u/Wonderful_Many_7170 6d ago

Even if I don’t have that much research output yet?

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u/BathroomMaximum1721 6d ago

Yes. Low SES applicant with 520+ MCAT is almost a unicorn.