<p>Hello everyone, this is my first time posting so I thought I would start of by saying hi.</p>
<p>I am a senior in high school so it might be a bit early to make any definitive plans, but it never hurts to plan ahead, right. So anyway, two of the fields that really interest me are physics and medicine. The problem is that I do not know which one to go into after I graduate university. For anyone out there: if you are a physicist, doctor, or studying to become either or both, I would like to know if getting both a phd in theoretical physics and an MD is really worth it? </p>
<p>By the way I am planing on double majoring in Physics and Chemistry for undergrad, which I plan to do no matter what path I go on for graduate school, but I will have my bases covered for both the knowledge of a physics student and a pre-med. </p>
<p>Some other questions I have are: how much does each cost? How long is each? Are there any careers that combine both, theoretical physics and Medicine?</p>
Do you want to make >$150k for 14/7 work while paying $150k loan for the first few years? Go MD
Do you want to make $40k/year for the same 14/7 work but paying no loan for the fun of it (or we call it “passion”)? Go PhD
Do you want to work 20/7 on two subjects that requires 10-14 years to complete? Get both!</p>
<p>Jokes aside, I honestly think that doing both MD and Physics PhD is not worth it. They do not overlap. I know people who take e.g. biomedicine-related PhD + MD which do overlap, the advantage is there are MD/PhD program which condense it to 6-8 years total. Also, you can do research on something related with disease in hospital (although sure you can do radiology if you take physics PhD). But if it’s not condensed, then it will take 10+ years. With that time you can get MD and then one other specialization, which means more $$. Or you can focus on PhD and get halfway postdoc - prob faculty if you’re lucky - within 12 years.</p>
<p>That’s my 1 cent, maybe other people in CC can chip in another answer.</p>
<p>This is not a decision you should really be making now.
Whether to get a Phd in Physics or an MD…</p>
<p>When you get to college, you can take some pre-med classes and some physics courses. Then you will gain a better understanding of whether or not you want to pursue physics or the “pre-med” route.</p>
<p>I know it may be difficult for you to understand now while you’re still in high school, but graduate education is not something you undertake just because you like to study a subject. You will find that undergraduate education is a different animal from high school, and that graduate education is a different animal from a different planet. When (if) you attend graduate school, it will be to highly specialized in a field. You will work toward becoming an expert with (hopefully) career options directly related to your graduate work. Just as it’s rare to find an MD who is also a theoretical physicist, it’s uncommon to find people who get top degrees in disparate fields.</p>
<p>You have plenty of time to decide, although you can certainly prepare for both options as an undergraduate. If you are like a majority of incoming freshman, your interests and goals will change radically from matriculation to graduation. For instance, a huge percentage of freshmen start out as pre-meds, and most of them drop the idea by the end of sophomore year, either because of grades or because they find something that interests them more.</p>
<p>I’d like to clarify a couple points. Most MD/PhD programs have 7-8 years as a target for graduation, not 8-14. However, relatively few of them offer PhDs in pure theoretical physics. I think the closest you can get to that is the type of program that I’m applying for this year: molecular structure and energy/dynamics thereof. MD/PhD is also super competitive; average MCAT scores tend to range from 35-38, rather than 30-33 for a pure MD program and spots are limited nation-wide. However, don’t let that stop you from trying; I didn’t let it stop me (not that I have anything to show for it yet ).</p>
<p>As for your other questions:</p>
<p>Someone else covered the MD cost; PhD’s and MD/PhD are generally covered by a stipend. I’ve been advised that for my field (biochemistry), if a grad school doesn’t offer me funding I should exercise the luxury of choosing another school. Many MD/PhD programs are funded by the NIH and therefore cover you if you’re able to get in.</p>
<p>The problem is that I do not know which one to go into after I graduate university.</p>
<p>That’s because you are a senior in high school. There are seniors in college who don’t know what they want to do next.</p>
<p>Chill out, enjoy the rest of your high school career and get into a good college. Then during your first year, take some pre-med classes and some physics classes, and try to do some research in theoretical physics and volunteer at a hospital or clinic. If you love the research, and you feel like you really want to do that, then the PhD and following a career path to be a professor of physics/physics researcher might be the way for you. If the hospital is what gets you, try med school.</p>
<p>As a note to vitiatethis’s comment:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Physicians make more than $150K. Primary care physicians average about $180K per year, and specialists make more. They also typically borrow more than $150K; even the cheapest medical schools cost about $50K per year, meaning that you’ll borrow closer to $200K.</p></li>
<li><p>Theoretical physicists make more than $40K a year. That’s like a postdoctoral salary. A first year assistant professor in physics can probably expect to make $65-85K per year depending on where he or she lives and works. As you get promoted and gain tenure, you can expect your salary to push up against six figures. After ~12-15 years in the field, if you become a full professor, you can expect to make in excess of $100K+ - perhaps much more, depending on where you live and work. This faculty salary survey is a useful tool:</p></li>
</ol>
<p>As you can see, almost everywhere even assistant profs make more than $40K a year, and associate professors can expect to bring in $70-80K in low-cost areas and $90-100K in higher cost ones. These starting salaries are also pulled down by humanities and social science professors, who generally make less. Pure natural science professors can expect to make a little more than the averages.</p>
<p>That said, I really think should relax and enjoy the rest of high school, then when you’re in college, take some classes and do some research and explore the areas. See what you like first. You don’t have to have your whole life planned at 17.</p>
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