Becoming an MD/PhD Student Karina Diaz BUSP/BSHARP Alum UC Davis Class of 2013 University of Washington MSTP

MD/PhD….MSTP......what? MD/PhD: A dual degree program in which a student completes both medical and graduate school. Graduate school is usually in the biomedical sciences and often in a basic science lab, but not always. MSTP: Medical Scientist Training Program NIH/NIGMS granst that fund MD/PhD programs. The grant helps cover part of the cost of the student’s training. All MSTPs are MD/PhD programs, but not all MD/PhD programs are MSTPs https://www.nigms.nih.gov/Training/InstPredoc/Pages/PredocOverview-MSTP.aspx

Funding….all MSTPs and most MD/PhDs Tuition: both your medical school and graduate tuition are fully funded. MSTPs will pay for all 4 years of medical school. Graduate school is often covered by the graduate program/PI. Stipend: MSTP students receive essentially a paycheck that covers personal costs (ie: rent, bills, food, etc...) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medical_Scientist_Training_Program

From Start to Finish…8 years

How do I get in? Prep Work: Research!!!! Great Letters of Recommendation Research at your home institution Other: Research at an away institution Leadership  clubs NIH IRTA Post-baccalaureate Program Medically related: MAPS, CHE, Publications Research related: SACNAS Presentations (Posters, talks) Passions: Dance club, bowling, IM teams, anything else you took charge of and really enjoying doing Medical Experience Volunteering (free clinics, student run clinics) Community Service Awards/Scholarships Shadowing Dedication, persistence, recognition Medical Jobs: scribe, EMS Prep Programs: MCAT BUSP, BSHARP Good Grades

Requirements Every school can be different Look at the MSTP’s website first, and usually they will refer you to their medical school website: http://hms.harvard.edu/departments/admissions/applying/requirements- admission Biology: 1yr Chemistry: 2 yrs (gen. chem, o-chem, biochem) Physics: 1yr Mathematics: 1yr (calculus and statistics) Writing: 1yr

Actually Applying AMCAS Financial Assistance Program (FAP) You can apply to both medical school and MD/PhD programs https://students-residents.aamc.org/applying-medical-school/applying- medical-school-process/applying-medical-school-amcas/ Financial Assistance Program (FAP) Free access to the Medical School Admission Requirements (MSAR) Apply to 15 medical schools for free Reduced MCAT fee Free hard copy of the Official Guide to the MCAT Exam https://students-residents.aamc.org/applying-medical-school/faq/fap-faq/

AMCAS Personal Statement Why MD/PhD? Significant Research Experiences Work and Activities Letters of Evaluation (Recommendation) Course Work It is a LONG PROCESS, give yourself plenty of time to complete each section and submit it early!!! (shoot for the first month)

Secondary Applications The AMCAS is almost never enough for a school. The secondary application is also required (and is also an extra fee if you don’t have the FAP) Be smart about your essays, you can definitely use one more than once but try to personalize it every time. Watch out for name changes! Create a goal for yourself of no more than a 1 week turn-around for each secondary. The sooner you get it in, the earlier a school will look at your application.

Interviews You passed the initial screening, congrats!! Now they want to talk to you and see if you can really walk the walk. KNOW YOUR SCIENCE! You will be asked over and over about it. Try to not have a rehearsed spiel, but definitely have a solid understanding of your hypothesis driven work. Try to do mock interviews, there are people at UC Davis that are willing to help, just ask. Most of the interviews are like grad school interviews, but having mock MMIs as well as one-on-one medical school like interviews are also helpful. Also practice giving chalk talks and oral presentations to groups of people (10-20). DON’T lie on your application, you never know what you will be asked!

Interview….them! Interview them! This is your chance to meet their students, see what they do for fun, how they like their program, what they think are the positives and negatives. You will also meet with lots of faculty. Ask about: lifestyle, collaboration projects, average time to graduate What makes this program stand out and different from others? Can you imagine yourself living there for 7+ years?

Getting to your interviews Get a couple (or more) suits! (and good, comfortable shoes) Flights: most schools will not cover your flight costs so be prepared to cover this, however, if you ask, some will provide financial assistance Lodging: most schools will provide you with a hotel room (single or shared) or will match you with a current student who will house you. Food: they will feed you more than you can eat Entertainment: Most schools will plan additional activities for you to get to know their city and students, so remember to bring normal clothes…yes jeans are ok!

Getting In! The Stats https://www.aamc.org/download/321548/data/factstableb10.pdf About 1/3 of applicants matriculate

Remember It’s a hard road to get in, but medical school and the MD/PhD are harder. The point is to make sure you have the persistence, endurance, and skills necessary to be successful in such a rigorous program. Definitely do some internal soul searching and make sure that this is the path you want to follow It is a 7+ year commitment, plus all the training that comes after

Don’t be discouraged! If this is the path for you then follow it! Do your best and your intelligence and passion for science and medicine will shine on your application and at interviews. I am here to help. If you have any questions feel free to contact me and good luck! Karina Diaz, diazk2@uw.edu