Future Chances at MD/PhD Programs

Colleges & Universities A-Z University of Pittsburgh
1

<p>After receiving all of my acceptances/rejections from the colleges I applied to, finances have forced to to attend one of my safety schools, University of Pittsburgh. (I got into most of my top schools, Johns Hopkins and Cornell being at the top).</p>

<p>I was accepted to Pitt's University Honors College (UHC), and was given a full-tuition Honors Scholarship. Now, I am starting to turn my frustration and depression from not being able to attend my dream schools to motivation to succeed at Pitt.</p>

<p>After graduating Pitt, I will not only have earned a Bachelor's Degree in Bioengineering, but a Bachelor's of Philosophy (BPhil), which is a special degree presented to students who have completed an undergraduate thesis. I also plan on double majoring (I'm not sure in what yet).</p>

<p>Also, I plan to study abroad (hopefully at the University of Cambridge and somewhere in Australia).</p>

<p>Pretty much, I'm going to take advantage of every single opportunity I get at Pitt (i.e. fellowships, internships, scholarships, and other perks they give to Honors students). I also want to try to get a very close mentor to help me and eventually write me a stellar letter of recommendation (I hear those are very important when applying to these programs).</p>

<p>My greatest fear is that when I graduate, I will not be able to get accepted to the highly-selective programs that I want to attend for graduate school, which will hopefully an MD/PhD program. I've been looking at the admissions stats from Hopkins, Penn, Stanford, Cornell, and Harvard/MIT's, and they are approximately 4%......</p>

<p>Will being a superstar at Pitt increase my chances at getting into these programs, or would I have been better off being an average student at JHU or Cornell?</p>

<p>My other plan would be to attend Pitt for 2 years, then transfer to somewhere else. That would be more affordable, and I would get my degree from the school I transfered to. (I've heard Cornell is very transfer friendly...is this true?)</p>

<p>Thanks for your advice!!! This has really been taking a toll on me, so any thoughts are appreciated...</p>

2

<p>The only thing holding you back - would be you.</p>

<p>[Pitt</a> a Top Producer of Fulbright Student Winners, Placing 12th Among U.S. Public Research Universities | University of Pittsburgh News](<a href=“http://www.news.pitt.edu/news/pitt-top-producer-fulbright-student-winners-placing-12th-among-us-public-research-universities]Pitt”>Pitt a Top Producer of Fulbright Student Winners, Placing 12th Among U.S. Public Research Universities | University of Pittsburgh News)</p>

<p>[Pitt</a> grad named 2010 Rhodes Scholar](<a href=“http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09326/1015574-100.stm]Pitt”>http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09326/1015574-100.stm)</p>

<p>[G</a>. Alec Stewart, Dean of the University Honors College, Bernice L. and Morton S. Lerner Chair, and Professor of Physics at the University of Pittsburgh, Dies | University of Pittsburgh News](<a href=“http://www.news.pitt.edu/news/g-alec-stewart-dean-university-honors-college-bernice-l-and-morton-s-lerner-chair-and-professor]G”>G. Alec Stewart, Dean of the University Honors College, Bernice L. and Morton S. Lerner Chair, and Professor of Physics at the University of Pittsburgh, Dies | University of Pittsburgh News)
…To date, under his and his team’s guidance, Pitt students have won six Rhodes Scholarships, nine Marshall Scholarships, 42 Goldwater Scholarships, 11 Truman Scholarships, and five Udall Scholarships, as well as Churchill and Gates Cambridge scholarships…</p>

3

<p>In my opinion, your best bet is to be a stand-out student at Pitt. The most important factor for MD/PhD programs, in addition to stellar grades and a high MCAT score, is research. You want to establish yourself in a lab early on in your undergraduate career and have ample research experience by the time you apply. Pitt is a research mecca, so you should have no problem finding a lab that is a good fit for you here. If you’re solely interested in top MD/PhD programs, you’re probably going to need to have a publication or two under your belt. To me, transferring seems like a bad idea because I think it’s better to stay with one lab for a long time than to start out at a lab at Pitt and then have to establish yourself at a new lab at the school to which you’d transfer.</p>

<p>No matter where you go, you’re going to need to be a really, REALLY strong student with outstanding credentials to have a shot at top MD/PhD programs. Your stats and accomplishments will have more weight and open more doors for you than the name of your undergraduate institution.</p>

<p>Also, studying abroad will have no impact on your med school admissions. I’m not trying to discourage you from going abroad because I believe that any undergrad with the time and money should do it, but there are other factors that you will need to take into consideration. I’d suggest trying to go somewhere over the summer instead of during the school year because as a bioengineer, you’re going to have a pretty strict course schedule to follow, and also because some MD/PhD programs may look unfavorably at large gaps in your research undertakings. Basically, any MD/PhD program is going to want to see that you are 110% dedicated to research…and this is especially true of top programs.</p>

<p>Pitt has a pre-professional health committee that you will have to apply to before you apply to MD/PhD programs (more info here: <a href=“http://www.pitt.edu/~sorc/neuro/files/Stricker_PPH.pdf[/url]”>http://www.pitt.edu/~sorc/neuro/files/Stricker_PPH.pdf&lt;/a&gt;). In terms of letters of recommendation, you’ll need 3 from science professors you’ve had for class and 2 additional LORs. In your case, one of those additional LORs should be from your PI, and all of your LORs should be singing high praises. LORs are definitely important, but the 3 most important factors for MD/PhD programs are MCAT score, research, and grades (in no particular order).</p>

4

<p>I know of one guy who ended up doing what you aspire to do. He’s now at Duke’s MD/PhD program.</p>

<p>[Pitt</a> Chronicle Pitt Chancellor’s Scholar Named Emma Locke Award Winner](<a href=“http://www.chronicle.pitt.edu/?p=5446]Pitt”>http://www.chronicle.pitt.edu/?p=5446)</p>

<p>It’s nice to have high ambitions, but it sounds like you’re already trying too hard to create a laundry list of ECs. For example, you want to double major when you don’t know what subjects you want to double major in. Instead, you should first figure out the subjects you enjoy enough to consider double majoring, since double majoring in itself will not add much to a medical school application (GPA, MCAT, and research are much more important). </p>

<p>If you do end up being a superstar at Pitt, the fact that you attended Pitt as opposed to JHU/Cornell absolutely will not hurt you. However, it’s easier said than done and keep in mind that though you may be a much stronger student than the general student body, there’s still going to be a number of people here who are just as smart and ambitious as you.</p>

5

<p>

</p>

<p>Not to burst your bubble, ferrarman, but the two local kids I know chose Pitt over Cornell, Chicago, Georgetown, and CMU. There are many brilliant kids at Pitt who made the prudent choice of not getting into debt over a bachelor’s degree. I wish you luck.</p>

6

<p>no offense to you. But with all that you’re saying, you seem to be REALLY PUTTING DOWN pitt. </p>

<p>I don’t know what your major is. If it’s bioengineering, then I understand why you might be upset for not going to JHU, since it is first in biomedical. </p>

<p>I congratulate you for getting into your dream schools, but with this attitude “I’m sad I’m going to my safety school” you will have difficulty even at Pitt. </p>

<p>I will be a biomedical/bio engineering major at either Case Western or Pitt this fall. While I am truly upset that I cannot attend my dream school (Northwestern) I still have high hopes. I’m looking forward to what the future holds for me wherever I go.</p>

<p>I think if you have a positive attitude about things, you can have a great time at Pitt and do very well. If you stand out at Pitt, and graduate top 5%, you’ll have a much better shot at MD/PhD programs then getting top 50% at JHU or Cornell.</p>

<p>You seem like a bright student. I know that you will still do well, wherever you go too! :)</p>

7

<p>Well put, nextbestthing. That is definitely the attitude to have.</p>

<p>To the OP: if you end up here, I think you’ll be surprised at how challenging of an environment Pitt can be. Also, as others have pointed out, you won’t be the only student here who has turned down higher-ranked schools for Pitt. Your classmates–especially your BioE classmates, as that major is notoriously difficult here (and everywhere)–will be more intelligent than you’re thinking. Being at the very top of your class here, in addition to satisfying the numerous experiences required to meet your current career goals, will not be an easy undertaking. However, it is possible, and again I want to emphasize that it’s up to you, not the name of your undergrad institution, to open doors for yourself.</p>

<p>I’d also encourage you to hold off on planning out every detail of your undergraduate experience. It’s smart to make yourself aware of the wealth of opportunities available here early on; however, wait until you have at least a semester’s worth of classes and research under your belt before you lock yourself into a plan that you might not even want to follow. As a freshman, I thought I wanted to pursue an MD/PhD degree, so I started to work in a lab. Up until this point, I had never worked in a lab, so this career goal was pretty naive of me. I quickly found out that I hated lab work and couldn’t fathom spending 5 minutes in the lab, let alone 40% of my career. I ended up working there for the bare minimum length of time suggested for med school and not one second more. I’m not suggesting that this will be your experience; I just want to make a point that your current interests may change…and that’s okay. I have no idea what your motivation is for pursuing a dual MD/PhD degree, but I can tell you that the <em>best</em> (and only) reason for going that route is because in addition to wanting to be a physician, you absolutely love research. It should in no way be based on a desire to have two “impressive” degrees after your name.</p>

8

<p>Also, be thankful for the full-tuition scholarship you received. There are many deserving students (yes, with stats similar to yours) who would have been ecstatic to have the <em>opportunity</em> to come here without paying a dime for tuition. If these students were in your shoes, they would not be trying to figure out the merits (hint: none) of transferring out of Pitt, where their tuition was completely covered, in favor of a name brand school. Your education is what you make of it, and Pitt has all of the tools and resources one could possibly ask for in order to succeed. Keep an open-mind.</p>

<p>Sorry, this was harsh, but it needed to be said.</p>

9

<p>Honestly, why do you need to go to a tippy top MD/PhD program? My sister came from Yale and was delighted when she got into Yale Michigan and Vanderbilt MD/PhD programs! As long as its NIH funded, whether or not its top 5 or whatever becomes kind of irrelevant. And you’re disregarding Pitt, whose Medical School is one of the finest in the country (and not in a, "Oh Pitt Undergrad is one of the finest in the country way), its literally at the very top alongside schools like Vandy Penn Michigan Northwestern etc. </p>

<p>This is going to sound lecture-y but you’ll be at this place for 8 years of your life, maybe more. You want to like it more than for its ranking. Pitt can definitely offer you that much for the future–if you work hard, you’lll get in somewhere. Maybe not Harvard, maybe not Mt. Sinai or Rockefeller, but somewhere great.</p>