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Bryce Mendelsohn is a senior at Emory University and will graduate in May 2002. He has applied to and interviewed with MD/PhD programs at Washington University, the University of Pennsylvania, Columbia and Johns Hopkins Universities, among others, and is a seasoned interview veteran. He received a Pfizer Undergraduate Summer Research Fellowship for Molecular Biology to continue work with Dr. Judy Fridovich-Keil in the summer of 2001. We will announce his final destination as soon as he makes his final decision. Bryce can be contacted by email at bamende@LearnLink.Emory.Edu.
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What classes should I take?
You have to take the standard pre-med classes, which vary from medical school to medical school. I won't go into much detail, since it's the same as regular medical school requirements. I will add that you should be wary of using AP credit to fill requirements. Many schools do not accept AP. While you don't have to retake a course you have AP credit for, you should take another class in the same subject area. Also, some schools require 2 semesters of English. Most of the schools I have contacted (UCLA, Columbia, Harvard) will take 1 semester of English and an Emory Writing Requirement to fill the English requirement. If you don't want to take a second semester of English, check with the schools you want to apply to and see if the writing requirement will make them happy.
Also, you should probably major in biology, chemistry, neuroscience, or whatever science it is in which you want to pursue graduate work. Most schools require this, and you will have a hard time in graduate school without a solid base in your science of choice.
What kind of grades/scores do I need to get into an MD/PhD program?
This question is very hard to answer, because people with high grades and scores get rejected every day, and people with lower grades/scores get accepted just as often. In general, higher "ranking" MD/PhD programs (top 20 or 30 in US News) have an MCAT average around 35, and a GPA average around 3.70-3.90. (These are just averages.) The thing to keep in mind is that MD/PhD programs get fewer applicants than regular medical school, so they don't need to rely on your grades/scores as much to get through their huge stack of applicants. I really believe they take a closer look at each applicant. Your grades and scores need to be competitive, but your research experiences and other activities are just as important.
MD/PhD programs are competitive. In terms of percentages, though, it's less competitive than regular medical school. It is normal for a medical school to receive 6,000 applications for a class of 120. This is less than 2% getting in. From the few schools I know a lot about, the MD/PhD programs get 250-400 applications, of which 50-80 are interviewed, and 20-40 are accepted to fill between 8 and 20 spots (not everyone who is admitted enrolls). Remember that these are very rough numbers. The point I'm trying to make is that the MD/PhD applicants rank highly among medical school applicants, but acceptance is by no means a dream.
How much research should I do?
Because research is at the heart of an MD/PhD program, you need to demonstrate a serious interest in research. While you don't have to start in a lab freshmen year, you should plan on spending at least 2 semesters in a lab, and more would be recommended. In general, you will probably spend 10-15 hours a week in lab during the school year, which is about the same amount of time (or more) as an upper-level class. Keep this in mind when scheduling your semesters. Also, remember that you start the application process before senior year, so make sure you have some significant lab experiences before then. (MD/PhD programs will take note if you plan on continuing lab work your senior year.)
I want to stress that you do not need to accomplish all of the following to be a good applicant. Research comes in many shapes and sizes, and here are a few suggestions of ways of pursuing research that will strengthen your application:
- Try and work in a lab for at least a year, preferably more. Doing 2 semesters of BIO 498R (or 499R for NBB) and then SURE in the summer is a great way to get a long-term lab experience. MD/PhD programs like to see commitment to a project and the ability to make real scientific progress. Plus, you'll probably get enough done to write an honors thesis and/or publish a paper, which makes them happy.
- Having diverse experiences can help. Working at a pharmaceutical company vs. an academic lab, or with yeast vs. mice, gives your application a sense of well-roundedness, and can improve your insights in your essays. Summer-long internships are the best way to do this. The only caveat is that you don't make a lot of progress on a project in just a summer, so don't let lab diversity entirely replace a long-term lab experience.
- This one's a must: Know your research! Know what you did, why, how, when, where, etc. You will have to talk about it ad nauseum in your essays and interviews, and people who know more than you do about your area of research will be asking you questions about it. They don't expect you to know more than a PhD, but they do expect you to be very familiar with the work you did.
How do I find a lab?
To find a lab not affiliated with Emory, I looked for internship programs, and sent my resume to a lot of companies. Talk to your advisor for some suggestions, and the good people at the Center for Science Education may be helpful as well.
To find a lab at Emory, go to the SURE website http://www.sciencenet.emory.edu/SURE, and find a list of mentors that are in your area of interest. You can talk with them, or have a trusted faculty member give you suggestions of labs that are helpful and good to undergraduates. Before entering a lab, be sure that your mentor understands that you want a real research project, and do not want to wash test tubes (but be nicer than that). Some undergraduates do get misused.
Do I have to be published?
It certainly does look good to be published, and I have my suspicions that some schools may prefer it. However, for most if not all schools, if you are working on a project, have made good progress, and can talk about it, you're 99% as good as published. In general, if you have made progress on a project, you will eventually publish it, and in the meantime you can tell the schools that you're going to publish, and that makes them happy. In summary, if you are able to start research earlier so you can publish before you begin applying, more power to you. If not, don't worry.
What other extracurricular activities should I pursue?
Besides research, the only MD/PhD-specific extracurricular I can think of is teaching. While certainly not mandatory, if you want to go into academic medicine, it might help to tutor for a few semesters. The multi-cultural office hires student tutors, and there's always Orgo Mentors. Other than that, extracurriculars such as community service and volunteering at medical establishments are the same as applying to regular medical school.
I'm interested in biomedical engineering. Are there any MD/PhD programs for me?
Yes! Many schools offer a PhD in some area of biomedical engineering, biophysics, etc. Significantly, some programs offer the joint degree in cooperation with another nearby school. I believe that Emory has a program with Georgia Tech, UCLA has a program with Caltech, and Harvard has a program with MIT, to name a few. Just be sure to indicate on your secondary application that you are interested in biomedical engineering, so when the school invites you to interview, they can arrange for you to visit the engineering school.
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