<p>I was told that MD/PhD programs were tough to get into. But, with regular med school already being hard enough to get into, is a MD/PhD program really much harder to get into than a regular MD program?</p>
<p>Very much so.</p>
<p>There are something like 15-17,000 MD seats in the nation. There are less than 400 or so MD/PhD seats.</p>
<p>What are the programs listing offer MD/Phd program, also does Caltech/UCSD offer ?</p>
<p>You can only apply to MD/PhD if you are applying during undergrad. Many med schools have an MD/PhD program but most admit in single digits each year.</p>
<p>Caltech/UCSD is before undergrad and so it is a BS/MD program. People supposedly reapply while in Caltech to change it after 3rd year but you can’t apply for it in high school.</p>
<p>But is the PhD leg of the program fully funded?</p>
<p>Usually, MD/PhD programs considered funded for all 8 years with a small stipend to pay the bills.</p>
<p>The programs are limited to residents and citizens although some schools accept international applicants.</p>
<p>Actually, Stony Brook lets you apply to the their MSTP MD/PhD program during the first year of med school. The question is, would you really want to be in the same place for 12 years (undergrad, MD, PhD)?</p>
<p>@Thebomb -ingRange :)</p>
<p>It depends. Some if not most colleges will give complete tuition waiver [for med school] + stipend for students who elect to go the MD/Phd route, for the very reason that they have elected to spend extra years doing research.</p>
<p>As for the guy in my medical physics class who wanted to go to med school: I advised that guy to start looking at MD/PhD programs at CAMPEP-accredited med schools. All that I do know is that he can scratch Columbia off his list since he cannot do medical physics for the PhD leg of the program there.</p>
<p>bombingrange - My answer was meant to reflect it is not a high school application.</p>
<p>Applying in med school first year sounds too late. It is kind of a waste of time if you have already paid for your first year school and then try to figure out if you can get into the combined since it is a way to pay for medical school. Essentially it is a trade off between time spent and money.</p>
<p>One can do PhD research in virtually any subject and it does not need to be tied to undergrad major.</p>
<p>Yes, much harder.
It is free, you get paid stipend and it is 8 years after UG. Obviously, it is NOT for everyone.</p>
<p>I thought some MD/PhD programs had restrictions on what one could research for a PhD while enrolled in the MD/PhD program…</p>
<p>I am not disputing the topics may be limited. I am suggesting that it does not have to be tied to one’s undergrad major. An example is that someone I know got a PhD in an anesthesia related topic but we don’t see undergrad field in that topic. </p>
<p>OTOH, if your friend’s interest was specific to medical physics or something else and it is not widely available in the MD/PhD programs, then he does have a problem since he has put himself in an even tougher category. So the goal would be to find broad programs that offer subjects you are interested in or change your interest?</p>
<p>UG major does not have to be related to medicine when entering Medical School at all. There are applicants who graduated from Conservatories of Music, there are lawyers, English majors…whatever, nobody cares as long as you complete pre-reqs.</p>
<p>I told him UG major didn’t matter, but he came to me saying that he wanted to do medical physics for a PhD, if admitted to a MD/PhD program. As for doing stuff unrelated to one’s UG major for a PhD while in a MD/PhD program, the PhD leg typically begin after the pre-clinical years, so one could be exposed to a variety of medical fields beforehand.</p>
<p>So his first choice is, of course, a MD/PhD program where he could do medical physics for a PhD. Then goes regular med schools and, further down his list, medical physics PhD programs.</p>
<p>Yes, it is much harder to get into which has already been explained. And you should pursue an MD/Ph.D. program because you really have a fire in your belly to do research. The lack of debt is not a reason to do it because a) you are losing four years of a terminal income and b) researchers and academics make less money than those who do more patient care. Some MD/Ph.D. programs are certified by the NIH and those are called MSTP programs(Medical Scientist Training Program). Some of the funding for those programs comes from the NIH. Those programs go through a very rigorous certification process and that gives them a certain amount of credibility. MSTP programs are fully-funded. Other schools with MD/Ph.D. programs are usually funded, but you’d need to check with the individual school by going to their website. The entire education, including the Ph.D. is fully funded with most programs, particularly with MSTP programs. It is sometimes possible to get into an MD/Ph.D. track after getting into medical school, but that’s not a certainty. Also, there are other ways to get training to do research with and MD but you might feel a bit more on your own. </p>
<p>A good site to check that has a lot of helpful information is:</p>
<p>[medical</a> scientist training programs (MSTP/MD-PhD)](<a href=“http://www.mdphds.org/intransit/introduction.html]medical”>http://www.mdphds.org/intransit/introduction.html)</p>
<p>Not all schools fund the MD/PhD option. When I had looked into this I recall that it was some of the private med schools that did not fully fund it. Definitely check the school you are interested in.</p>
<p>Hi, I don’t know if this is the right place to post a question like this, but from the content, I would guess so. I’m in my senior year of high school, and all my college acceptances have come out. I’m up in the air between the three UC’s I’ve been accepted to (Berkeley, SD, and LA), and for a little background, I’m a pre-med major with a planned degree in the biological sciences, with a possibility of double majoring (probably a bad idea, but it’s where I’m at). I want to get started early on planning for graduate school, and I am really interested in the MD/PhD, specifically at schools such as JHU. I am just a little concerned about how my undergraduate college choice will have an impact on my ability to get into such a program, or a program as rigorous, and so I want to know if the school choice has any affect on my chances, assuming academic performance is up to par and whatnot. I’ve heard that SD is good for the biological sciences, but Berkeley and LA are also strong people, and those I talk to are telling me to go to LA or Berkeley. I would hope that it would not make much of a difference, as I heard the environment at SD is nice (it’s by the beach, etc.), but I wanted to double check. Thanks.</p>
<p>Your undergrad institution, especially between the three top UCs, will not make a huge difference. Pick whichever you think you’ll be happiest at.</p>