<p>I know exactly what you're talking about. But, it seems to me that, just based on a cursory look at the FAQs of the MD/PhD programs, the average admitted applicant is AT LEAST as competitive as his MD only counterpart. </p>
<p>This includes the "no-names." Average MCATs and GPAs were pretty much the same or higher at all of the programs. The biggest difference was a much greater focus on research than clinical experience.</p>
<p>But let me clarify something: All MD programs are, for the most part, difficult to get into. I know plenty of people with fantastic stats who got turned down from every program they applied to (including no-names.) Similarly, the MD/PhD programs don't really seem to be, statistically at least, any easier to get into. I really don't (again, based on the stats and "what we look for pages" on a semi-random sample of programs) think that they're any easier to get into than MD programs. At the very least, they seem comparably difficult.</p>