My PI is not allowing me to submit posters or abstracts to symposiums/conferences containing data or even our research concept given how easy it is to scoop ideas in our sector of bioengineering technology/technique development. I believe the level of information he is allowing me to present would not be accepted at any notable conference or symposium due to lack of novelty, or how I didn't contribute to the technique design (I would be presenting my executions of techniques he has already published); please correct me if I am mistaken. Additionally, my campus will not have undergrad symposiums for my area of work this semester.

I will be applying with a co-author paper in progress, but that is truly the only 'proof of research' I have aside from long-form lab presentations. I do have two awarded research grants--I honestly don't know much this weighs against symposiums/conferences because I've been told I need those experiences. Please advise.

I have the ability to articulate my research and research experience to a high level of understanding when prompted, I just cannot present to a public audience in what seems like the next 1.5 years (or whenever my mentor publishes the paper). I will have >2000 hours of research by the end of the summer.

With a lack of research proof through posters/conferences, will my research experience be viewed as flawed? Thank you for any guidance, I have been getting mixed responses from my mentors.

I don’t want to bore you with my whole life story, but things have been hard for a long time and I was never set up for success in academia. Still, I’m incredibly passionate about my research and know that I am intelligent and my contributions are valuable. My GPA is destroying me. I have dealt with chronic pain and illness throughout college among other issues, which has only pushed me to pursue an MD/PhD more. How many DIY postbac credits should I take? I broke it down and to get up to a 3.6 (still incredibly low) I would have to take around 20-26 classes. It is like I am doing undergrad over again. How can I afford this? How can I do this in 2-3 years? I want to work in a lab while taking classes because this is where I am happiest, but I don’t know how I will manage all this and for a 3.6 gpa nonetheless (still not competitive for top programs). Please please help. I’m so stressed out.

Ah yes, summer break. When your med school classmates are booking beach trips, and you're here wondering if you'll ever see daylight again between writing papers, running experiments, and, oh right, pretending to “relax.” Shoutout to the 2 weeks we get off in between semesters... because that’s practically a vacation, right? 😅

This can be activities or experiences you recommend or anything.

I am copying my stats from a previous post of mine:
In my third year of Med Sci at western doing an Hsp.

520 MCAT (131/129/132/128)

1st year GPA 3.69, 2nd year 3.93. Expecting 4.0 or close for this year

1 First author pub and expecting another, 1 poster presentation

A junior investigator award from the journal I was published in

1500+ research hours so far (worked in same pharmacology lab past 2 summers), Going to try to get some experience in an orgo lab as well.

Do a varsity sport (~20 hours a week)

I am very interested in doing an MD/PhD. I would like to do the PhD in something related to drug design, particularly in neuropharmacology. If i can include organic synthesis in that it would be ideal (so potentially a PhD in chemistry). I have a few labs in mind for PhD.

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I am Canadian in my third year of undergrad hoping to do an MD/PhD. I am planning on applying broadly in Canada, but am struggling a bit to come up with a school list for US schools. I should mention that because of the way my school (maybe all canadian schools?) reports grades to AMCAS, my GPA will be 3.7 in first year, and 4.0 in second and third. I have also recently started volunteering with a psychiatrist.

What are some mid-tier schools that match my stats? I plan on applying to some reach schools (T10ish), mostly because I will kick myself for not trying, but I am having a little more trouble coming up with which mid-tiers to apply to.

I am also curious about the importance of applying early, as I plan on getting some more things on my resume this summer (including a first author pub), and I worry that my application will be light without it. Canadian schools open up mid summer so its less of a concern with them.

Hi folks. I’m a senior who was planning on taking a couple gap years to work for my current PI as a lab tech to build up my resume before applying. Today I learned that due to the uncertainty around federal research money, he can’t hire me anymore. He’s new faculty, still on startup funds, so he felt he couldn’t make the commitment anymore. He offered that if I apply to a MS program at our uni, he’d advocate for me even though the priority deadline has passed and I could continue working with him for continuity.

However, my school has absolutely 0 funding/stipend for MS students. And to be honest, I was kind of relying on using that tech position to save up some money for grad school. I could take out loans for it, but it’d basically be a difference of $100,000 in my financial situation in two years if you include both the lost revenue and the price of tuition. And honestly, it’s been a really awful two years for me. I’ve had two undergrad research positions fall through (one PI had a medical emergency and went on permanent sabbatical, the other dropped me at the start of the semester because she suddenly realized she didn’t have time for undergrads) and there’s a voice in my head telling me it’s the universe trying to get me to stop pursuing research even though my dream is to be an MD/PhD. On top of that, I’m super burnt out and the last thing I want to do right now is take more classes. On the other hand, I doubt most labs are hiring lab techs right now given the situation, and I already signed a rental lease near the university since he had told me I had the position. I feel completely hopeless, and like there’s no good options. What do I do?

I broke my back once in 2018 and again in 2020 and my chronic pain recently has been debilitating. I am studying for the MCAT (taking in April) while working full time+ and it has been really hard because I am in constant pain. I am working with my PCP, getting acupuncture, etc. and I am hoping things get better. If things don’t improve, I am wondering if I am simply being delusional by thinking I can apply successfully this cycle.

Hi everyone,

I've been struggling with my thesis project for a while now. I've loved research for as long as I can remember, but for almost a year, I've been questioning my future as a physician-scientist. I dread going to the lab, and despite my efforts, I have little to show for my work.

The main issue is that my thesis project is completely unrealistic. I've had multiple discussions with my advisor, trying to pivot toward a more feasible project—one that fits my timeline and aligns with my lab’s expertise. But my advisor refuses to budge. As a result, I feel exhausted, trapped, and completely drained of my passion for research.

Lately, I’ve been seriously considering dropping the PhD and returning to medical school to pursue a full-time clinical career. My biggest concerns are whether leaving the program would hurt my chances of matching into a good residency and whether it's a smart financial decision. At this point, I just don’t see the value in finishing the PhD if I no longer want to do research.

Has anyone been in a similar situation? Would love to hear your thoughts.

I’m a currently a sophomore at a T20 leaning towards going for an MD/PhD, but don’t even know if I’m just wasting my time with my current status as an applicant. For reference, I work at a T25 med school research lab, about to be included on a massive publication (multi-year, international effort. Granted, I’m not going to be a first author, but my work will be in it 🙏). I also have active volunteering positions at two of the best hospitals in the country, one of them in post anesthesia care and another in oncology. I am only active in a handful of ECs, but I’m very dedicated to them and have work/events to prove that.

Currently 3.91 gpa, but I predict (lol) that it will probably get closer to around a 3.93/4by the time I graduate. Wishful thinking, but I know I can do it. Haven’t taken MCAT yet. I’m only in advanced biology classes from here on out thanks to AP credits. I’ve also secured a summer research internship focused on transplant immunology, if that’s helpful for anyone reading. I’m also going to be a TA for my uni’s immunology course next semester. I rlly hope anyone reading didn’t take any of that as trying to brag, I’m trying to be pretty objective here since exaggerating accomplishments won’t help me.

I know my gpa isn’t quite stellar with regard to MD/PhD programs, but like I said I’m confident I can bring it up. What areas of my app should I focus on, and do you think I should strongly consider a post-bacc research year if I want to be competitive?

Thanks!

Hi all, I was lucky to interview at my dream school and I am absolutely obsessed with the program. The school will like start making decisions next week and sending them out at the end of Feb.

I was thinking of sending a letter of intent (there is nowhere else I would send this letter to). I have some small updates (I.e new volunteering and poster presentations). But it’s two early for some other updates (a paper currently in post revision review and an educational outreach event).

Should I send the LOI now and then follow up with an update letter later?

The school waitlists a lot of applicants and has very little movement, so I wanted to send my LOI this/next week.

Thoughts?

Thank you :)

'm an IMG considering applying for the NIH IRTA program, but I wonder if any international students or non-U.S. citizens have applied and been accepted.

I am currently an MD student at a school that does not have an affiliated MD/PhD program.

I've been very much toying between med school & research, especially MD-PhD and I think I'm sort of randomly cracking on what exactly I want to do with my career, so I'm curious if the plan I'm explaining makes sense.

So I'm rn majoring in Computational Biology & Genomics, with minors in CS & Stats. I always wanted to be a doctor but then got introduced to CS classes and thought they were rly cool. The field of comp bio is super fascinating to me and it rly rapidly growing. I've realized I don't really like hardcore CS work since I'm not great at math, but hardcore wet lab too is a lot for me and something I just don't really have the skill for. So bioinformatics, medical informatics, etc. is research that I would really be interested in. Most of our comp bio classes are related into stuff like population genetics & genomics which seems pretty cool but has been somewhat harder for me to consider how it could be applied in a medical context.

That is, until I had a weird epiphany. See, medically I rly wanna specialize in pediatric allergy & immunology, mostly due to my experiences with severe allergies growing up. A lot of what I've experience from allergies is how much they are related to environmental factors (ex. pollen, dust, mites, etc), and it randomly occurred to me how we could use computational modeling to map environmental & genetic factors that contribute to allergic reactions.

As such, I'm thinking of running a clinical-type lab, doing patient practice in allergy medicine, but also conducting research looking at genomic factors & analyzing how allergies occur and some form of epidemiological modeling to examine spread & risk factors of environmental health hazards in contributing to allergic reactions.

I'm wondering if this type of research plan is amendable to an MD-PhD, or maybe just an MD with an MS or a research fellowship. Part of me thinks I'm talking out of my ass, especially considering I'm not really a scientist or anything, I'm still in school. But I'm just curious if this would work, and honestly feel free to roast me too.

I have headd some rumors

hey, sorry if this isn’t the right place for this but i’ve kind of been spiraling and i don’t know who would else would be able to give me an answer.

I’m a sophomore at a relatively competitive college, i’ve taken most of my basic sciences (currently in orgo 2 and biochem) and i’ve have horrific anxiety over not being the perfect premed student. I can’t find clinical volunteering, my extracurriculars are meh, and my grades tend to slip due to stupid reasons (taking finals with a 104 fever, making little mistakes).

I don’t know if it’s a sign from the world or something but I feel like i’m not smart enough or “special” enough to do it. Chem isn’t easy for me, I don’t get awards, I get tired and discouraged. I care so much about wanting to pursue my chosen field that I feel like it would be better to not chase it at all because working so hard and failing would be devastating.

I don’t know what to do because the stress is killing me but I cannot picture myself doing anything else in my life.

Has anyone else ever had similar feelings? How did it work out? Does anyone else feel “too stupid” or “too average”? Does anyone have any advice?

Thank you

Hi all,

I just wanted to ask for some advice on prepping for Step II. I recently met with one of the deans of my medical school and learned that due to the change in curriculum that occurred at my school while I was in my PhD training that I will have much less time allotted to me to prepare for USMLE step II compared to the normal MD class. Are there any resources or guides you might recommend to use to as I’m afraid I need to start prepping for step much earlier than I anticipated. Thank you!

Hey everyone!

I’m currently in a class where we’re exploring careers in health research, and I’m doing my presentation on physician-scientists—both because it’s a fascinating career path and because it’s one I’m seriously considering myself.

I’d love to hear from those who have been through (or are currently in) an MD-PhD program. What do you wish you had known before starting? What were the biggest surprises or misconceptions about the journey? And what advice would you give to someone considering this path?

I’d really appreciate any insights—both to share with my peers and for my own learning! Thanks in advance.

Hi Everyone,

i’m a current junior on the pre med track who is very confused with life right now. basically i’m not sure if i should graduate late to finish my pre reqs and possibly get a better gpa or if i should just graduate on time. it sounds silly but im rlly not sure about just a phd or mdphd. i don’t want to take a post bacc because thats more expensive and ive taking some pre reqs. however my biggest issue is just the debate between both scopes of careers. i love research i get easily invested in it. i love coming up with my own questions and working in labs that are more neuro and psych. however i also love patient interaction from what ive seen from shadowing. the only thing is ive heard that most doctors just prescribe medication if they’re not surgeons. i definitely want a phd. research will always be a part of my career but i want to work with patients and possibly treat them doing hands on procedures not only prescribing them medication. i’m not sure i just wanted to put my thoughts onto a post and see everyone’s perspective

I was placed on the waitlist at Pitt and was told that they would review waitlisted applicants early 2025. Does anyone have any idea roughly what time frame we can expect to hear from them?

Can some folks that are in co-mentorship experiences for their PhDs describe what this is like for them, why they did it, and how they facilitated getting it set up?

Are the grant freezes impacting anyone else's decision on when to defend and go back to med school? I'm funded through my F30 so I was previously debating spending an extra year in grad school to round things out.

But with the current admin's clear stance on NIH funding, almost my entire cohort is scrambling to get papers out / defend to avoid the worst of it (and also so we can get the hell out of the south lol). Although with many PSTPs being funded by T32s, applying into research-track residencies next year may not be ideal either

So I’m debating right now between applying Md or Md/phd, I’m confident in my app and have a lot of research experience so I’m not worried about it for those reasons but I am really debating on if it will be a viable path for having children. I’ve always wanted to be a young parent and over time got used to the idea of having a child at 30 (once I’ve graduated med school and finished residency), with Md/phd I wouldn’t even start residency til 30. Do you guys think it would be possible to have a child during my actual Md/phd years of schooling/residency or should I just go Md. I love research and idk if I would enjoy my job half as much without it but I also don’t know if I’ll enjoy my life half as much without kids. (I’m also a cis man so no pregnancy if that changes matters)

Just wondering what my chances are, given that it sounds like most people who weren't accepted ended up on the waitlist according to the director during interviews.

Just curious if anyone knew anything. I have been applying to PREP programs for this upcoming summer/ fall, but don’t know how that will be affected by current administration freezes on the NIH. Does anyone know anything?

hello! apologies if this is against the rules but i was hoping to get some outside reflection on my applicant profile and see what other people think about my chances. i'm a senior in college right now and i decided md phd pretty late in my undergrad (literally last semester). so i'm just a little nervous about this whole process

i'm at a T20 university in the US. my gpa is 3.928 at time of application, MCAT 523.

i have ~3.5yrs (edit: i'd guess 2000+ hours...? right now i do 16-18 hrs/week) of research in one cancer immunology lab and i plan to continue working there during my gap year. i started independent project work in my third year and i've been doing that since, along with helping my phd student mentor. attended a neuro-oncology conference + was chosen for a mini-oral talk there, and have several abstracts but no "real" article pubs. i'm going to be 2nd/3rd author on at least 2 manuscripts at some point but probably not before i apply.

paid employment: 2 years ~600 hours working as a statistics learning assistant/tutor for campus department that focuses on working with students from underserved background

volunteering: honestly not much, i'll have ~175hrs clinical hospital volunteering, ~80hrs nonclinical volunteering for an org that provides free clothing + supplies to students in need

shadowing: ~60 hours combined shadowing pediatrician, neurosurgeon, cardiologist

other extracurriculars: 2 years review board member for school's undergrad science journal (reviewed student articles for publication), 2 years arts + entertainment writer for school newspaper where i applied for and was accepted for my own column one semester.

LORs: 2 from PIs, 1 from professor that taught me in 2 classes, most likely 1 from work supervisor. PI + professor letters will be strong and unique to me, work supervisor one probably more generic

sadly i dont have any scholarships or any "notable" awards but i have a couple minor things affiliated with my major i would include. sorry this is so long but i'd really appreciate any thoughts anyone has

I wanted to share a resource that I created and used to generate my school list for the current application cycle. The document is published online from Google Sheets, and you will get an excel file format download from the link below.

The first tab of the document includes all MD-PhD programs (n = 100) with at least one matriculant from 2020-2023. This tab includes program location, affiliated institutions, and USNWR research and primary care rankings (before they went away). I also took information from AAMC Table B-8 and averaged the number of applicants and matriculants from the 2020-2023 admissions cycles to calculate the applicant to matriculant ratio, which I thought was a useful metric to see if it's worth applying to certain programs.

The second tab of the document narrows down the list of schools (n = 62) based on low average number of matriculants and some other subjective criteria I don't remember. In addition to the previous information, I tried to include if the program is funded as an MSTP by the NIH (may not be up to date), if the program is fully funded, 2023 Blue Ridge rankings for NIH funding awards (total and some categories), and 2023 NTU rankings (supposed to give some insight into publications/productivity).

Disclaimers: Information only goes to 2023, does not include any updated information from 2024, so there could be schools that have started to admit students very recently (i.e. Kaiser is not on the list). Rankings (USNWR, Blue Ridge, NTU) only tell you part of the story, so please do your own research to determine if a school fits your personal needs and professional/research interests.

List of All MD-PhD Programs

So, my defense date has been set and I have a lotttt to do then (including finishing experiments, ack!). But I can't help but think ahead about returning to medical school. I feel like I've forgotten so much stuff and will almost certainly be behind my classmates who apparently not only have studied for step 1 and taken it, but are well into step 2 studying as well. I was just wondering if anyone here had any advice or tips they'd like to share on how to transition back? For medical reasons, I can't do anything surgical, so that kind of rules out a lot of specialties, but I am interested in psych, anesthesia, perhaps rads? Ideally, I would go on to a PSTP.

Thank you!

Above. Do you giys think that this (or next) cycle will be affected by the freeze in terms of acceptance rates and waitlist movements? Getting a little concerned that my chances are dwindling given I haven't gotten any As yet.