Very self conscious about my own score. Anyone willing to share their success stories with <515 mcat? Thanks in advance!

In the title

For those of you in surgical sub specialties, what does your career look like now? What does your clinical/research split look like and how have you been able to marry your clinical and research focuses? Thanks! -an MS2 coming off of their surgery rotation

Hi there, I am an applicant for this cycle, but I still have not gotten an acceptance yet. Also, I have received only 2 II’s so far. I was asked to notify my supervisor to renew for another year by tomorrow. What would be your advice?

Thanks in advance.

For those who have graduated med school with a MD/PhD already - which do you use more now? As in, are you more into research or more into clinical/patient-seeing?

I know most MD/PhDs work 80/20 in the lab and in the clinic (i.e. private practice where they can choose their own hours), but what about hospitalist specialties like rads, paths, etc? I wouldn't assume hospitals would be willing to hire physicians who cannot work a full work week. Sorry for the naive question, I'm relatively new to this

So long story short I plan on applying next cycle and have a very strong research background with and MS in molecular biology and an elaborate thesis + pubs. I was going to apply MD at first but I am very interested in MD-PhD and wanted to clarify what the consensus is about applying to both programs at a school ( California schools as a Cali resident URM) and if you get considered for just MD after a denial or referral. I know most everything I read says do not apply both but I just want to confirm so I can pick a school or 2 to just apply MD-PhD

I'm a current high school senior, and I’ve been seriously considering pursuing an MD-PhD. Initially, I planned to pursue a PhD and become a professor in computational biology, but I’ve realized I’m also drawn to the clinical side of medicine, which a PhD alone can't provide. My goal is to work in academic medicine, combining research, patient care, and teaching.

That said, I know an MD-PhD is a much longer and more demanding path, and I’m weighing the impact it might have on starting a family or balancing work and life in the future.

I was wondering if you could share your experiences and pathways, like what inspired you to pursue an MD-PhD, how you balanced the demands of training, and what advice you might have for someone at the start of this journey. Any insights would be deeply appreciated as I consider this path.

I'm interested in applying for the NIH PREP programs of various institutions, but I'm noticing that the program is mostly geared towards PhD only candidates. Some programs seem to either discourage MD/PhD applicants or have stringent requirements like you must already have taken the MCAT and be in the process of applying by the time you are in the program. I am a senior right now and I'm hoping to take the MCAT and begin my application process while I'm in the program, so that wouldn't work. I also plan to apply just straight MD to some programs and I wouldn't apply straight PhD to any programs.

I plan to shoot my shot broadly regardless (I don't have super big qualms about location as long as the research is interesting and the program is respectable which they all are). But does anyone have any insight into which programs are more welcoming towards MD/PhD applicants?

EDIT: Also as an aside, I am also graduating from a four-year dual degree program with a masters in bioinformatics. Will having a non-doctoral graduate degree already hurt or help my chances in the selection process (I'm trying to decide whether it's something I should try to emphasize on my application)?

 Hi everyone,

I’m planning to apply for a PhD (microbiology or related fields) or preferably an MSTP, and I’m seeking advice on strengthening my application and addressing gaps. Here’s where I currently stand:

Background

• Education:
  • BS in Biology (2020) from a small private college, GPA: 2.95 (finished with honors in my last semesters).
  • MS in Biology, completing in 2025, GPA: ~3.8.
• Work Experience:
  • 4 years in industry: Microbiologist contractor, Chemist I/II, and now a Microbiologist.
  • Focused on bioprocessing and fermentation (operations and R&D), with benchtop bioreactor experience along with various other bench scale work.
• Volunteer Work:
  • Limited but varied: roadside cleanup, food banks, city park renovations, etc…

Strengths

• Upward academic and career trajectory.
• Industry experiences blending research and operations, which feels like an industrial version of MSTP.
• Graduate coursework while working full-time.

Weaknesses

• No clinical/healthcare experience yet.
• No publications (small undergrad school and industry R&D tied to IP).
• Likely missing key prerequisites: no physics, calculus, or inorganic chemistry. (Background: Gen Chem I/II, O Chem, pre-calc in high school, undergrad stats, grad biostats, and grad biochem.)
• Low undergrad GPA (2.95).

My Plan for the Next Year

1. Finish my MS and complete any missing prerequisites (online if necessary).
2. Gain relevant research experience by volunteering in microbiome labs in my area. Any advice on how to approach this?
3. Volunteer in hospice or a clinical setting to gain healthcare experience.
4. Take an MCAT prep course (offered by my college) and then the exam.

Questions

1. With my current background, do I stand a chance for MSTP or PhD acceptance? Would my plan for the next year strengthen my application enough?
2. What prerequisites are essential for these programs, especially given my missing physics and calculus?
3. How should I best approach labs for volunteer/internship opportunities, especially as a 27-year-old?
4. Any additional advice on how to stand out, particularly for MSTP applications?

My goal is to apply in Fall 2025 and start full-time in 2026. I’m trying to maximize the next year and make up for lost time, so any advice is greatly appreciated!

Thank you for taking the time to read and help!

Hey so I am a first generation college student. I also transferred after my freshmen year. I got sick with mono for like three months my second year and it tanked my gpa. I have been on a slow increase/trend of a better GPA since but overall looking at graduating with a 2.8. So my trasncriptics will be from the two schools: a 3.8 from college 1 (small liberal arts school) and then the 2.8 from college 2. I will be graduating from BU which I know is considered a "rigorous college". But I want to do an MD-PhD program. So I am looking at SMP, Masters in Medical sceiences and programs like that. But do I even have a chance at these programs with that type of record? If anyone has advice or similar story and know what to do I would be grateful. Also if you know of any schools with programs that can help studetns that need to improve their work before grad school please let me know so I can look into it. So far I am only finding Ivy leagues and low acceptance rate schools that have these programs.

Hi guys, I'm interested in pursuing a PhD related to polymers and material science. I wonder if anyone here has done something similar and could share their experience applying to MD/PhD programs, finding a PI that fits into the program, how they were viewed compared to other more "traditional" PhD interests, and their overall experience. Thank you guys in advance :)

Got an ii to a t5 mstp very early on in the cycle does that mean they ranked me higher?

I've always wanted to do an MD PhD since my first or second year of undergrad. I did research at a lab in my last year of high school and got two low impact pubs. However, my undergrad research experiences didn't go very well, and in my four years of college I wasn't able to get any project that succeeded in producing data that contributed to a publication nor any good LORs from PIs.

It has increasingly dawned on me that my undergrad was all a useless waste of time and money, and I would have to take 3-4 gap years working low-paying research assistant jobs just to undo all the damage from undergrad. And what if I still can't get into an MSTP after all of that hard work? I would be aimless, burnt out, with no money and years behind everyone else. It's still a very real possibility considering how insanely competitive MSTP admissions have become. Maybe it's because I'm only 22, but the thought of waiting four years after college working towards a non-guaranteed result is extremely daunting.

This cycle, I applied to 15 MSTPs and 20+ regular MD programs, knowing that I wasn't that competitive for MSTP and needed to also apply MD as a backup. I've already gotten pre-II rejections from 10 of the MSTPs and zero interviews, but as of right now I have had two regular MD interviews, which both went pretty well. I've increasingly felt that the MD PhD process is just too long and too competitive to be worth it. I would rather get into a MD program first so I have that security of knowing I will be a doctor no matter what and can still be involved with science in some capacity even without a PhD. And if I really am filled with regret later down the line, I can always bite the bullet and go back to school for a PhD or some kind of research fellowship, I guess.

It really saddens me to be thinking about giving up because I know the world needs more physician scientists who hope to use science to bring positive change to medicine. But I've realized that I'm just not smart or talented enough to get into an MSTP within the timeframe that I want. My undergrad school is full of people with Goldwater and multiple high impact pubs getting into top MSTPs after only 0-1 gap years, and my experiences pale in comparison. As much as I would like to be like them someday, I just can't accept the idea of starting the MSTP at 26-27 and being in school until I'm 42.

I've always been a very stubborn person who wants to persevere and never give up, but what I've learned from undergrad is that you can't have everything you want in this world. Maybe an MD PhD is just another example of something where I need to accept defeat and move on. Sorry if this is a bit of a rant; I just felt like I needed to get out my emotions, because none of my friends are on the MD PhD path and I don't have anyone to talk to about this. I wish everyone on this sub the best of luck, and hope you all become amazing physician scientists!

Hello! I am currently in a masters that’s related to pharmacology/toxicology, so I do enjoy that, but in my research so far we’ve been able to make many connections to things like public health concerns. My undergrad degree was public health related too. I was wondering if anyone here is pursing or applying to any programs that are more social science based? I know there aren’t many but just wondering :)

Hi all, I am thinking of applying to MD/PhD programs this cycle but need some advice. I graduated in 2020 with degrees in computer science and bio. I wanted to do MD/PhD late in undergrad, but decided on a career as a software engineer post graduation in 2020. I have 5000+ hours of research from 2017-2022 while in undergrad and part time post undergrad in 2 different labs (chemistry and machine learning, 2 publications, 2 poster presentations), but have been working full time as an engineer for the last 2 years. My MCAT is 520 and GPA is 3.89.

I’ve been out of touch with research for awhile, and I’m wondering what things I can use in my application as the activities are a bit outdated (i.e. my shadowing, volunteering, etc). If I were to apply with just my old research and other experiences, would I still stand a decent chance? I’m planning on beginning clinical volunteering and other ec’s again, but want to keep working so maybe considering joining a lab part time for research.

Hi everyone. I’m a current neuroscience masters student on my way to applying for MD-PhD programs. My undergraduate gpa was a 3.0 and I will be finishing my masters in neuroscience with a 4.0. I have publications and pretty much everything for a well rounded application but I’m scared my gpa will hold me back from top schools. (Mainly looking at top schools for research funding reasons and lab interest, not for prestige but I will be applying broadly regardless)

Should I full send my prep for the MCAT and apply to programs with my current stats or maybe do a diy post bacc to raise my gpa after my masters for my actual undergrad gpa?

I’m worried that if I full send now with my current stats even with a high MCAT score that I will be wasting money applying and not get in anywhere.

Hi guys. I'm an undergrad who is looking at doing a MD/PhD with a very computational PhD. I don't have a great idea of what specific PhD I'd want, but I'm broadly interested in bioinformatics, computational biology, biostatistics, and epidemiology (though I know epidemiology is the least "hard science" out of the few I named).

For those pursuing a MD/PhD in a computational field, what does your PhD program actually look like? What kinds of classes are you taking and what type of research are you doing? How much time do you spend in classes versus doing research? How long does your PhD take and how intensive is it? How do you plan on applying your computational skills in your career? How do you plan to integrate your computational background into advancing your chosen medical speciality? What would your ideal post-residency position look like?

I'm just not so sure what the "day-to-day" for a computational MSTP student looks like since it seems like most people choose a more traditional bench/wet lab type of program.

Hi - using a throwaway for privacy, but been a lurker here on my main account for a few months. Basically, similar to a few other posts, I'm a current senior in undergrad wondering about my chances for getting into an MSTP and what kind of experience I should aim for during a gap year after I graduate.

Stats:

ORM (son of Indian immigrants), undergrad at a T10 LAC, STEM GPA is 3.9X (all A's except for a B+ in statistics), neuroscience/english double major, planning to take the MCAT early 2025, 30 hrs shadowing (easily can increase this), 300 hrs clinical volunteering, 200 hrs health-adjacent volunteering

Research/story:

My dad is a neurologist, and I started undergrad already knowing I wanted to major in neuroscience and be pre-med. I started doing neuro research in my academic advisor's lab in the spring of my sophomore year and started to develop more of an interest in the research side of medicine. I have continued to work in his lab each semester, and am currently doing my senior thesis under his guidance (~250 hrs once I graduate). I am really passionate about what I'm researching - the molecular effects of chronic stress/depression on learning and memory in the hippocampus, focusing on the role psychedelics can play - and would ideally like to continue this research for my PhD. During my sophomore summer, I lightly assisted with some clinical research (~50 hrs) and during my junior summer I got a cancer research internship where I prepared a manuscript and presented a poster (~400 hrs). No pubs.

Extracurriculars/misc:

I have worked as a TA for almost every STEM class I have taken. My volunteering is with an organization that provides health resources to underserved local communities; in the hospital I help provide language translations for Spanish-speakers and the non-clinical stuff is educational outreach. This year, I am part of the organization's leadership , specifically responsible for coordinating the clinical research. I'm cautiously optimistic about my LORs, and the cancer research internship was in a high-level lab.

Questions:

Essentially, I'm wondering what my next steps should be. I'm looking to do full-time neuro research during my gap year, as it has really captivated me, but I'm also weighing neuro master's programs. I think that I could fairly easily continue with the cancer research, although it is a lot less interesting to me. Broadly, what sort of research experience should I look for during my gap year? What's the best way to go about getting that experience? Are there specific research programs that are better suited for helping get into MSTPs? What parts of my profile need improving? Is it better to apply during my gap year, or should I wait until I have the research under my belt and then apply? Also, it's MSTP or just MD for me (not really considering standard MD/PhD), because I can't justify putting off being a doctor if I'm not earning in the meantime. Thanks for all your help!

TL;DR: need help figuring out what research to do during a gap year

I'm currently a sophomore, expecting to graduate in Spring of 2027, and in the past few months I've begun to think about graduate programs. I have a very specific research interest (congenital metabolic neurodegenerative disease) and I've been looking specifically for programs with labs that can accomodate this, as well as the clinical side of the same, and my top choics is UPenn. However, I can't find much information online about how to be competitive for this program. If any of you got in, how? What were your stats and extracurriculars? Thanks in advance.

(I would have put this on the UPenn subreddit, but they have a 'no stats' rule.)

hi, had to make a burner because of personal details, but i'm a senior at a t10 getting ready for the upcoming cycle but just wanted a bit of advice since my prehealth committee isn't being super helpful

i'm graduating with around a 3.68 cGPA (downward freshman to sophomore, upward since), 525 MCAT and planning on doing a PhD in social sciences. i have a ton of research, over 4000 hours during undergrad, won multiple research/academic fellowships at my institution, one pub and a few presentations, and am planning on publishing with my PI and my thesis during my gap year. i have hundreds of clinical hours, enough shadowing, and have researched with/under many top people in my field and i'm absolutely certain i will have great LORs. i know my GPA isn't the best, i was dealing with chronic health issues /losses and didn't have the most support during ugrad

i'm applying to a few programs abroad to do research specifically in my field/areas of interest along with looking into labs at institutions i am interested in, but i was told by my prehealth advisors that there is no point in applying because of my GPA. in looking at programs, i find myself drawn to t20 programs due to my field and research interests + need funding via MSTPs, but i'm not sure if i can dream of attending at this point. i honestly have felt a bit lost the past few days since this meeting, and was hoping to get a bit of advice/maybe harsh honesty for steps forward. should i look into a post bacc/are there ways i can maximize my profile during my gap year?

Kind of the opposite of the recent post about having no publications...

I've been pretty lucky to have a decent number of publications throughout high school and undergrad. I originally got into public health research back in high school and had a few publications from that experience, which got published during my senior year of high school and freshman year of college. Then I switched to wetlab research and had three publications during freshman year from my time working in that lab.

Starting sophomore year, I moved into computational research and have stuck with the same lab since then. I've got three publications from this lab, with a first-author one currently under review. I expect to have one or two more by the time I graduate.

Recently, I joined a new lab because of funding limitations in my old lab (i'm still sticking with the old computational lab), and I’ve got opportunities to contribute to a couple of conference papers here. Both recent labs are focused on computational work related to AI in healthcare/surgical robotics.

I'm looking to apply for a PhD in EE/BME/CS (or something along those lines). But honestly, I'm worried about how all this looks. I’m debating whether I should take a gap year to grind out a few more publications to show I'm not just lab hopping. I'm also considering turning down an REU opportunity at another university so I can show more continuous involvement with my current lab.

For context: I'm a junior at a T10 university majoring in BME + CS. I also wanted to note that I have posters/abstracts for all lab experiences thus far.

Would love some advice—is a gap year worth it to prove stability in research? Or am I overthinking the lab-hopping thing? I'm also familiar with all of my publications but at this point i don't remember the fine details of everything starting from high school. Would an interviewer for a more engineering-y program even care to ask about my earlier research experiences given it's not that relevant to my current research focus/interests?

I currently have no publications and maybe 2 in preparation which I am a middle author in, both not at my ugrad institution. I’m really stressed that by the time I apply all the work I have done will be a “manuscript in preparation” at best and other data I have generated won’t be used for years if at all. (Last time my PI at my ugrad published a non-review paper was 2020). The project I’m working is extremely difficult and I’m leading the project myself but there’s no guarantee I can succeed in time.

I was very lucky to do a research internship last summer where I got to work on developmental stem cell biology with a leader in the field and loved it. Thats where I hope to get the 2 middle author papers. I’m even still doing bioinformatics for them to maybe get on some other pubs.

I wasn’t planning on taking a gap year but now I feel like I should bc I have literally 0 publications in the 2.5 years I’ve been doing research. But even if I do my PI probably won’t publish until like 2028 at this rate.

How important are publications really? How can I show/prove my ability as a researcher without depending on publication count? Do I need to take a gap year to wait for papers?

Sorry for a lot of questions in one.

Here are my other stats if curious. Currently a junior at a T10 ugrad majoring in bioengineering+CS and heavy focus on robotics/imaging.

MCAT: 520 GPA: 3.93 Research hours: ~2500 hrs Clinical volunteer: 70 hrs Shadowing: ~50 hrs Service: 400 hrs LORs should be good from PIs but not sure about profs from class.

I know a couple of medical students applying to residency right now and in talking with them, I was shocked to hear that some med students apply with 20+ or 30+ research publications, especially given how busy you are in med school. Granted, I know these are not all first-author pubs and there are a lot of research projects to be had in doing chart review work, etc. But having watched how one pub can take over a year/years in my undergrad lab, I'm still struggling to wrap my mind around having 20+ publications as a med student haha

I'm currently in the application cycle so I'm far from an expert on what the mindset toward publications for residency is on the MD/PhD side of things, so I just wanted to hear others' thoughts on what seems like quantity > quality sometimes for research output to apply to residency. Do MD/PhD students also work to have as many papers published, if not more?

And this is definitely not to talk down on anyone's research at all, the research arms race for residency spots seems exhausting. But I have observed a general cynicism toward the research you do as a medical student from some medical students I've talked to, and it's very different from my experience in research/how I hope to view research as an MD/PhD student.

hi everyone. I’m using a burner account in case my other has some info that might ID me. I really just needed to get this out and express myself a bit and if anyone has had a similar experience and how to try to process it.

So, I got rejected from my alma mater today. I feel so disappointed because all of my research was done there, I worked so hard there, I’m about to get a DEGREE from there, and I feel like it was all for nothing. I also feel selfish because I have gotten other interviews that I am eternally grateful for because of how grueling this process is. But, the thought that I have to leave behind all of the friends and the community I built, without even having the opportunity to interview, makes me upset.

Now, let me just say I’m not saying I don’t deserve it. My MCAT was on the weaker side and I definitely could have improved my application. But, I thought I had a shot, especially because I don’t even think my UG is a top 30 med school.

Anyways. Absolute best of luck to everyone, and I wish all the best and good vibes to everyone this cycle. I will get over this eventually, but I just needed to air out my disappointment and ask if anyone has any advice to keep me going through it (still got one semester left…)

Currently searching for a PI mentor as an UG student. Any tips on finding good faculty members/mentors to reach out to and work under?

Hey all,

I'm a nontraditional student completing a premed postbacc right now. I still have 1.5-2 years left of my program, and I'm trying to strategize how to maximize my research before applying to MSTP programs when the time comes. I'm currently working with an epidemiology lab where our PI gives us a lot of autonomy, and there are a lot of opportunities to publish. It's a great lab that I'm grateful to be part of. I love the work I'm doing with the lab, and I'm excited to continue growing as a researcher under the guidance of my PI.

That said, I'm wondering if it'd be a good idea to pursue an REU next summer to get more research hours, connect with more researchers and clinician-researchers outside of my team, and get at least an independent research presentation done at the program's end. I'd intend to continue doing work with my original lab on the side during the REU, if possible. I anticipate that a potential upside of pursuing the REU is the ability to explore another research area of interest (neuroscience/neurology) that is not addressed by the work I do with my current lab. I also could pursue an epidemiology REU and get exposure to other epi research modalities/tools/etc that I haven't yet explored at my current lab.

Or would it be a better use of my time to focus on going deeper on my work with my current lab during the summer?

Would doing the REU be spreading myself too thin?

I'm first-gen American and there are no doctors in my family, so I'm navigating all of this sort of blind --- would really appreciate some insight from others who have walked this path.

Many thanks

I work at a Clinical Research Institute that does not publish research. I want to be working on at least 1 Publication before I apply to MSTP programs. I know they are not required, but would still like to publish research that I assisted with. I am even willing to conduct my own research and publish my own findings if I can find out how to do it properly.

Any help, advice or opportunities would be greatly appreciated.

Interviewed at Pitt a couple of weeks ago and saw that on their website that the MSTP makes admissions acceptance calls in ~3 weeks. I haven't heard anything from them so far, does anyone know what that means admissions wise?

I am not an international student, I live in the US since I was 15 and my family has pending political asylum. However I do not qualify for any type of government aid (no NIH funded anything) so even though am very enthusiastic about MD/PhD but I don't want to get my hopes up knowing I cannot go to MSTP programs :( Is there any one that has overcome this challenge? Is there any schools that take "undocumented" students? I don't know if I should just pursue a PhD (original plan) and give up my dream of being a physician scientist, or should I just continue my path and figure it out later (currently sophomore/junior)