<p>How common is it for med students to apply to PhD programs in the middle of medical school? I've been reading about this. MD years still cost money, but PhD years are funded.</p>
<p>I know there are MD/PhD programs, but these are much more competitive, so I'm wondering about alternative pathways in case I don't get into an mstp program.</p>
<p>Not sure how common…</p>
<p>I have friends though who got rejected MD/PhD initially, but for whatever reason, my school begged for applications from the first and second year classes and had programs in place to pay for the years of school prior to getting into the MD/PhD track. </p>
<p>I think, that if you really want to go the MD/PhD route, there are ways to make it happen. You might have to go outside official channels, do a lot of leg work on your own, or otherwise find a way to make it happen, but it can be done. That said, as I’ve progressed through my medical education, I’m not convinced that the benefits of having a PhD are worth the extra three years of schooling…I’m sure there are very narrow, specific situations in which it is, but these are merely exceptions that prove the rule.</p>
<p>All the cost of MD and the time commitment of a PhD? Not very common.</p>