Applications 21 12MSTP + 8MD/PhD + 1DO/PhD
Invites 19 10MSTP + 8MD/PhD + 1DO/PhD
Interviews 14 9MSTP + 4MD/PhD + 1DO/PhD
Acceptances 10 6MSTP + 2MD/PhD + 1DO/PhD + 1MD only
School Impressions:
Baylor:
It was a fairly large interview group. I met with some very energetic faculty, many of whom were involved with interesting global health projects. The program director seems to have put together a large and seemingly quite tangible group of mentors that are involved with the MSTP. Current students came from a variety of backgrounds, and seemed happy with the program. The focus here seems pretty translational, but also has some good opportunities for more basic research. Houston seems like everything I would want in a city (minus subpar public transportation outside the metro-rail). Post interview top 5. Post second look top 3.
Boston:
This interview had a great start to the interview day with a charismatic monologue by the dean. This was the only school I visited where I felt like the mission statement meant something. The current students were very welcoming and thoughtful people. The program seems decent with some strong faculty, though my interviewers on the research side seemed fairly out of touch with several issues pertaining to the actual MD/PhD program. The lack of a stipend makes it a questionable investment if other fully funded programs are an option. (Winners for slowest elevators!!!)
Duke:
The interview day was pretty straight forward with a small interview group. The faculty were all pretty enthusiastic and the MSTP director seemed nice. Current students seemed very bright and diverse. I got the sense that students were under more pressure here than at other places I visited partly due to the condensed pre-clinical curriculum, but that is not to say that this is not a valid trade off to finish it in one year. The focus here felt very translational, with a push for students to think in these terms rather than more basic research. That being said I feel like this condensed format is inherently difficult to fuse with the PhD portion in a useful way. Durham seemed like a pleasant enough city, but by no means ideal for the duration of an MD/PhD.
Harvard:
A hands off interview day for NP, HST, and MSTP was pretty refreshing. All of these were fairly large groups of interviewees. All of the faculty I met seemed great and really in touch with many aspects of medicine and research. The current students all seem very happy with their education, but it does appear like there is less of a hands on approach to guiding MSTP students, which may not be a bad thing depending on the individual. Overall a clearly a great med school and superb research, but maybe not the strongest MD/PhD program if that is something you are specifically looking for.
Stanford:
I thought the MMI here was pretty fun. The program leadership seemed pretty chill and this program seemed to be capable of providing very personalized levels of mentorship depending on the student. I had very scientifically stimulating conversations with the faculty here, and the students were all fairly relaxed compared to other schools. There is so much great innovation going on at Stanford on the research end, it is pretty impressive. I wonder if one really receives the same kind of diverse clinical training here given the area, but clearly Stanford is putting out good physicians. Definitely an expensive place to live makes it a hard sell to some extent. Post interview top 5.
Texas A&M:
I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the program here. A very small group of MD/PhD interviewees is invited per day. The faculty I spoke with were quirky, but seemed like good scientists. The current students were all very driven and the program administration seemed especially supportive for such a small program. That being said, I am not sure much is being done to grow or strengthen the existing program. New med school facilities make this seem like a nice place to do preclinical training (granted I did not see the Temple campus). I am not sure how I would feel about the area since it is so much of a college town.
Texas Tech:
Only a couple additional interviews compose the MD/PhD interview. There are a handful of strong faculty in some areas, but researchers here do have access to an impressive array of human tumor xenografts to work with thanks to a huge repository (leaving aside the my skepticism towards a lot of xenograft work). The program here was one of the least developed of those I visited. There are very few current MD/PhD students and one does not meet any during the interview day. Lubbock is in a unique and extremely affordable area and I am sure one would get some unique clinical training out there, but it is far from everything.
UChicago:
This was my favorite interview day in terms of how relaxed it was including an endless stream of ice cream between interviews/tours. The research here seems a bit more skewed towards basic research with some very strong work being done in fundamental mechanisms and organismal development. The students were very enthusiastic about their program and school. The faculty here seemed brilliant but a couple did strike me as a bit more pretentious in some ways than those I met at other schools. Chicago is an amazing city with a lot to offer and the clinical training seems superb.
UNT-TCOM:
Only one additional interview made the DO/PhD interview different from the base DO interview. This is an interesting place, but I felt like the faculty I met were kind of standoffish and in fact were pretty harsh in an interview setting. The program here was the least developed that I interviewed with and I was not given an opportunity to meet any current DO/PhD students. The program was also consistently unclear about how much support was provided for students. I absolutely loved Fort Worth which was completely different than I imagined.
UPenn:
This was the largest interview group I was a part of. The interviews were wonderful and were really not interviews, but just great conversations about science! I did not meet anyone I did not like here. The current students were all kind and thoughtful. The program leadership seemed to be extremely committed to the program and there was a really tangible supportive atmosphere to the whole MSTP. Philadelphia Seemed like a city I could definitely spend quite a long time in. Post interview top 5.
UTHSCSA:
This was the longest and most thorough interview I went through. The current students all seemed really close and very happy with the program. There is a smattering of everything in terms of research, with some very strong labs spread across the departments. The program director here is absolutely amazing! He really believes in the MD/PhD training and what it offers the world as well as the individual engaged in it. Students in the program have a great role model to say the least. The med school and its facilities on the other hand seemed a little dated and I don�t think San Antonio is the best city for me though it is definitely affordable.
UTSW:
The interview day here is fairly standard. While here I really gained an appreciation for the rigor of the clinical education here at Parkland as well as the huge commitment to basic science. The students here were really fun to talk to and get to know. The faculty all seemed really committed to their research and even to the MSTP here. The director is reserved but pretty funny, and the new assistant director is an inspiring individual and a quintessential MD/PhD himself. I liked Dallas and it seems pretty affordable. Post interview top 5.
WashU:
I did not know much about WashU before my interview, but it was the most organized and well thought out interview day I had. The faculty were truly impressive and given the number of WashU MSTP grads in faculty positions I met throughout my interviews here and at other institutions, this seems like a well-oiled MD/PhD machine. The Leadership seems really supportive and all of the current students were a testament to this support. Saint Louis has a great cost of living and seemed more diverse than I had expected. I thought the physical med school was also really attractive. I did not get a thorough sense of the clinical training quality but I heard no complaints from the older students I met, only positive things. Post interview top 5. Post second look top 3.
Yale:
There was lots of down time to explore and talk to fellow applicants at this interview, which was nice. I met with some really friendly faculty who seemed to like being at Yale. The students had a wide range of interests and could pursue them whether in the med school or even in the undergraduate college. I thought the leadership seemed nice, but a bit more hands off than at many other places I interviewed. I actually think I really liked New Haven and the diversity it offers, but Yale-New Haven hospital seems somewhat limited as the central place for clinical education as compared to other programs. Post second look top 3.
