<p>I am considering doing this.</p>
<p>I'm a sophomore at UC Davis and a Physics major. I'm taking the pre-med courses on the side.</p>
<p>Would the application process, gathering extracurrics in the separate fields of physics research and hospital volunteering along with simultaneity of taking GRE and MCAT simply be too overwhelming?</p>
<p>I would be applying to both Physics Graduate schools and Medical schools in California. Is this feasible?</p>
<p>Thank.</p>
<p>Wouldn’t it be more prudent to figure out which path you would most like to take, and then commit yourself completely to that path? It doesn’t make much sense to keep one foot in each bucket, and I don’t think interviews for either schools would go well if that’s the case.</p>
<p>What do you mean by the interviews not going well?</p>
<p>Also, I’ve recently considered doing the MD/PHD route. Just how competitive are these programs?</p>
<p>Older D has done both the MCAT and the physics GRE. (She got her BS in physics, then decided she wanted to go to medical school instead.) She found the physics GRE much, much more difficult than the MCAT. You will need to prep as much for the physics GRE as the MCAT. Do not plan on taking them at or near the same time. </p>
<p>If you’re looking at going the MD/PhD route you will need to take both the MCAT and the GRE since you must be accepted independently into medical school AND graduate school. (Getting into one doesn’t guarantee you’ll get into both.)</p>
<p>Make sure you develop contacts with both your premed course profs and your upper level physics profs because you will letters of recommendation from both and the letters required for each admission process are substantially different. </p>
<p>Most MD/PhD programs appear to be geared toward the biological sciences; however, there is an increasing emphasis on getting engineers, computer scientists and, yes, physicists into the programs. But you should you decide to go this route, make sure you choose medical school programs that welcome physical science candidates–some are more flexible than others about research fields.</p>
<p>Admission to MD/PhD programs is extremely competitive.</p>
<p>And to nilesedge-- there’s no reason why a physicist can’t become a doctor. There can be a lot of overlap with certain subfields of physics and medicine. Biophysics, quantum systems, high energy physics all have substantial overlap with some fields in medicine.</p>
<p>Great advice. It is a long road, but there is a definite need for people with greater quantitative skills in medical research. PhD in physics along with an MD is a powerful combination. Negotiating it from the undergrad level could be tricky. You need strong performance in physics to qualify for grad school, and enough medical exposure to make them believe you have some idea what medical research is like. The ideal for you, if available, is working in a medically-related physics lab while in college. If your college has such professors, or if they are available at a nearby medical school, then you could ge the background to both strengthen your application, and find out whether that is really what you want to do.</p>
<p>Remember that the medical physics people rarely develop new ideas in physics. Instead, they use their physics backgrounds to develop new applications for biomedicine. Some people find this appealing because it is driven by practical considerations. Others find it less interesting than more pure physics fields.</p>
<p>
Check each program. Some of the MD/PhD programs my D was interested in did not require the GRE. (Sounds like the OP will have this base covered anyway.)</p>
<p>I’d also add that folks interested in research but not quite committed to a PhD. should consider Pitt’s PSTP and CSTP programs, as well as Cleveland Clinic’s program (5 years, no PhD). In addition, many med schools have research intensive versions of the MD program, some resulting in a Masters, some an M.D. with Research Distinction.</p>
<p>I don’t think MD/PhD combined programs require the GRE. Of course if you try to do them separately…</p>
<p>First off, kudos to you for wanting to do it all. With that in mind, it will involve some careful planning in order to do it all well.</p>
<p>I would suggest a couple things:
<ol>
<li><p>I can’t tell from your question if you are thinking about pure physics or biophysics. If you want to do biophysics, then an MD/PhD program would be a great option. However, they do not have MD/PhD programs for pure physics. The point of getting the PhD AND the MD is that one degree will support the other.</p></li>
<li><p>If you are referring to taking the general GRE, then assuming you do well in mathematics (based on your physics background) all you should need to do for that is flip through a GRE practice book and refresh your memory. For the verbal section, it may require a little more time, but I found that most of my GRE prep involved preparing myself for the format of the test and strategies than anything else.</p></li>
<li><p>If you are planning on taking the physics GRE, keep in mind only some graduate programs require subject GREs (at least so far). However, this seems to be a regional thing. I applied for highly ranked biosciences graduate programs in the Midwest (Washington University in St. Louis, University of Chicago, Northwestern University, University of Michigan) for the '10-'11 year and none of them required a subject GRE. If you find that none of your schools require the subject test - GREAT - DON’T TAKE IT. It did not hurt my application at all by not having it, even though some schools said it would be “recommended.”</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Christine,</p>
<p>yea, I’m solely interested in pure physics. I want to learn more about the inner workings of the universe! ok, that sounded nerdy lol</p>
<p>but yeah. the only reason I wanted to pursue an MD degree is because I want to be able to take care of my family once they age, and I would be one of the select few who have that medical know-how to save/prolong lives!</p>
<p>that in itself is very appealing.</p>
<p>but physics to me is more of a treat, an intellectually pleasing endeavor.</p>
<p>Cyber,</p>
<p>Not sure that makes sense. There is little overlap between pure physics and medicine. Getting a PhD in physics, then not using it for medicine, would be a huge waste of time, money and effort. There are a few areas of medical research that MIGHT stimulate a pure physics person. But unless you want to chase them, you are not likely get an opportunity to use your physics background.</p>
<p>Cyber–</p>
<p>If you’re genuinely interested in pure physics, then pursue that. I can guarantee than that a PhD in pure physics can support his/her family just as well as a doctor can. </p>
<p>(My DH got his PhD in pure physics in 1980 from a top 5 program and was a researcher in basic–not applied–physics at a National Lab until his death 5 years ago. We’ve always had a very comfortable life financially. I know many, many other physicists, both friends from grad school and DH’s professional colleagues. I assure you they all have comfortable lives financially.)</p>
<p>D1 studied physics, found it challenging and fascinating (her passion is for quantum mechanics), and was accepted into grad school for physics, but her heart told her she wanted to be doctor so that’s what’s she doing. She didn’t choose medicine because she thought she couldn’t support herself as a physicist.</p>
<p>As a fan of physics, I wish I could agree. I think there are lots of people who get doctoral degrees in physics and have a great deal of trouble finding jobs, particularly if pure physics research is what they want to do. The ranks of college professors are pretty full. Those jobs come along only rarely. It may be different for the handful who come from the top 5 programs, but that just means the outlook is even bleaker for those from the rest of the physics graduate programs.</p>
<p>Universities, while the primary loci for pure research, are not the only places that “pure” physics is done. Government labs and some private corporations (though not nearly as many as 25 years ago) also support basic research.</p>
<p>It’s important to distinguish what kind of “pure” physics one is interested in. Theoretical high energy physics? Astrophysics? You might as well apply for unemployment right now. Quantum computing? Quantum measurement and control? Lots of demand right now. And condensed matter physics is always “in fashion”–even if you’re a theorist. </p>
<p>Experimentalists always have an easier time finding jobs than theorists. (And experimentalists can do “pure” physics…it’s generally called basic research, as opposed to applied research.) It’s always been that way.</p>
<p>But I agree, PhDs from low ranked programs are unlikely to find jobs in academia right now.</p>