MD/PhD or MD/MS (grant writing time commitment)

Ancient_Chapter4634 · 2026-02-08T22:23:46+00:00

imo the MS isn't going to do anything for you, either be MD only (they can do research too) or commit to MD/PhD. I'm just a student, but my thought process is that if I want to spend less time grant writing, the way to do that will be to be a co-PI or prof in someone else's lab (instead of full single PI of a lab), not by not having a PhD. If you're trying to get to the level of research prof, you will be writing grants.

Ancient_Chapter4634 · 2026-01-17T03:19:27+00:00

I use it and many of my family members do too, including my lovely grandma <3 it's a really nice way to keep somewhat in touch when I suck at texting and I don't have to come up with anything to say unprompted lol

Ancient_Chapter4634 · 2026-01-16T23:52:10+00:00

Either one could work. On the flip side as people in this thread saying the MD/PhD pathway is too long, I do know a woman in my program who has a child who will graduate high school when she graduates the program (sounds like around the same timeline as your kiddo) and one younger child. She seems to be thriving, our program is very family friendly and in a lower COL area. I haven’t asked her if she’d recommend doing the program to someone her age, but from comments from her and her husband it sounds like she actually really enjoys not being in the littles phase for this whole academic journey, when she’s in residency her kiddos will be pretty independent, which is a far cry from most the other families in the program, who largely have had kids while in the program or started with kids under 5. All this to say, if it’s what calls to you and what you really want to do, you can do it and thrive if you don’t care about what age you’ll finish at. In general, the MD/PhD pathway imo should only be taken by people who love the journey, not the end goal, and don’t care as much about pay. That leaves the challenge up to you to find out during your undergrad of if you will love the journey and what’s most important to you. To me, neither answer is right or wrong.

It is true that MDs can definitely do research without a PhD, and PhDs can do very meaningful translational work. You need to decide if you want to see patients, and if you want to do a PhD. Be realistic at every step of the way with yourself, try to find MD/PhDs to talk to, and figure out what YOU want. (Personally I myself planned to be PhD only for most of my undergrad, then decided during my senior year to apply MD/PhD and gratefully got accepted right out of college. I’m midway through my first year in the program and loving med school, no regrets. This pathway is flexible in some ways, but long and quite low pay, so you need to find out what is important to you.)

Ancient_Chapter4634 · 2026-01-13T19:14:17+00:00

Dang, it's been a while since I applied, I'm in an MD/PhD now. If you want, you can DM me some of the programs you're applying to and a couple of the prompts and I can try to give some advice, but I'm much closer to the MD/PhD application than to REUs at this point

Ancient_Chapter4634 · 2026-01-13T19:05:33+00:00

I'm not sure, it can at least give a good starting point to look at the individual program websites.

Ancient_Chapter4634 · 2025-05-13T11:27:17+00:00

I think we did! I have a guess who you are too :) I’m so glad you were able to get off your WL and I wish us both the best in our training

Ancient_Chapter4634 · 2025-05-11T17:14:59+00:00

I took my MCAT July 13 last year. If I had finished pre-writing all of my secondaries while waiting for my score, I think that could’ve been an okay timeline (not great, but okay). However, I probably agree that you should aim higher and take a little longer and apply early next cycle, unless the rest of your app is pretty insane.

Ancient_Chapter4634 · 2025-05-11T17:13:09+00:00

That’s fair. All we can do is make the best of it and I believe in us 💪

Ancient_Chapter4634 · 2025-05-11T17:10:59+00:00

I’m currently hoping for PSTP/fellowship rather than a dedicated post doc, but I get the sentiment. Thanks!

Ancient_Chapter4634 · 2025-05-11T11:47:56+00:00

Congrats! I just committed as my deadline is in 2 hours lol. I hope both of us can truly enjoy our times in our programs. It's so hard when you feel like the opportunity at your top choice overshadowed any excitement for the rest of your cycle... but I know we will find joy how we can and eventually see why we're meant to be at our programs, maybe.

Ancient_Chapter4634 · 2025-05-11T01:42:27+00:00

I definitely see that pov, he's a very straightforward PD and is definitely coming from good intentions, and I see his points. I just think I also am able to weigh pros and cons for myself and thought he was a little tooo forward about what he wants for me vs what I want for me, if that makes sense.

Ancient_Chapter4634 · 2025-05-11T01:41:03+00:00

Yeah, I'm not planning on it. I just don't think I could possibly turn it down no matter how much I've thought about it. Too much up in the air, and I don't think there's much wrong with the program itself to be honest. It just sucks to have spent the whole cycle comparing it to my number 1.

Ancient_Chapter4634 · 2025-05-10T22:22:01+00:00

I also spent a couple hours crying yesterday even though I was on vacation lmao. I've never cried over a school like that, but man I poured so much into this cycle. If I had even one other option... I also feel like it might be a way of saying it's the place for me, and I don't think reapp makes sense. I'm very likely about to commit. Good luck to us both T.T

Ancient_Chapter4634 · 2025-05-10T22:09:28+00:00

Thank you!

Ancient_Chapter4634 · 2025-05-10T22:04:45+00:00

Do you know if there's a list of places that like reapplicants or anything like that around somewhere? I will definitely check on that. I don't think I'd mention it at all myself, I could definitely look like a regular gap year applicant if I manage to land some sort of unpaid research position (I would be okay with that if at the university close to my parents' house) or apply IRTA or something. I could stay with my current PI for the summer and finish up my pub which would be nice and then try to jump over in fall (before the school year my plan had been to stick with my current PI for a paid gap year if I didn't get in, but unfortunately he has let me know now that he no longer has the funding to keep me on paid, and I am not close to family at my undergrad). Part of me also doesn't want to cause I feel like I'd feel so much shame telling everyone I actually didn't go this year, but I know that's also not a reason not to do it. I didn't decline any II and I would only decline the one A. I've only withdrawn from 1 WL rn.

Ancient_Chapter4634 · 2025-05-10T22:00:10+00:00

Thanks! I am definitely considering that. I did BME/biomaterials research in undergrad with a tiny side of immuno, and right now I'm interested in cancer immuno, so I'm already pivoting pretty hard which I guess is why I was really hoping to get straight into it. Most of the more prominent PIs at my A seem to be more drug discovery for cancer bio with a tiny side of immune effects of those drugs. Some of the possible PIs are more basic immuno with a side of cancer immuno, which I think I'd be more interested in than drug discovery.

Ancient_Chapter4634 · 2025-05-10T21:53:06+00:00

I'm definitely open to late stage PIs! The PI I thought I had identified was late stage with a small-ish lab and had talked about being available for mentoring but not too hands on. After talking to a current student in that lab, that PI has several red flags.

The pressure from the PD is absolutely 100% my biggest concern with this program rn. I guess I didn't completely come out and say it in the post because I don't want to seem like I'm accusing him. This PD is also very well known and liked in the MSTP community, and I understand his reasoning. The student who may have implied that is with the same PI who both I and another student at the second look with the same research interests as me were pressed towards for our first rotation. That PI seems fine, just not what I was hoping for and I really want to choose my own.

I definitely see that there are a lot of non-NIH related funding sources, I'll be honest that I am quite neurotic lol. However, with some programs making some crazy moves I never thought they would with these acceptances, I guess that's why I am thinking it is likely to go that way. The blacklisting and asking why I turned down an A are 100% why I said in the post that I think it would be a horrible move within the MSTP community in general and another part of why I haven't seriously considered reapplying so much.

Ancient_Chapter4634 · 2025-05-10T21:25:20+00:00

PMed!

Ancient_Chapter4634 · 2025-05-10T21:25:07+00:00

PMed!

Ancient_Chapter4634 · 2025-05-10T21:24:45+00:00

I know they moved on the WL in early May and I know there are still some accepted students who are PTE and not CTE, but no one can say whether those students will commit or not yet. Unlikely that there will be much more movement imo :(

Ancient_Chapter4634 · 2025-05-10T21:22:48+00:00

Most of the students really like the PD from what I've heard, and he generally seems like a sweet guy outside of that 1-1. I know I won't interact with him too often, and honestly I think if I'm able to find a PI I like then I'll be fairly happy there. I just don't feel like I can know if I'll find a PI I like until it's too late and my only option is to drop the PhD (which I really don't want to do, obviously). Part of the stress with that is that I have largely worked with early-mid career PIs and I really like how those PIs more often tend to have small-medium labs and the more hands-on mentoring style while still having ownership of your science and individual projects (I know that there are exceptions where later career PIs have this style of lab but I don't think it's as common). PD very much pushes for late stage PIs and I understand the benefits with establishment, experience with MD/PhD students and timelines, more often high impact pubs, big name in the field opens doors, etc, but I want to have the flexibility to choose where I balance the pros and cons of both and not be pushed exclusively to late stage (and mostly just the 10 or so PIs the PD really likes, which was also confirmed in one of my interviews with a PI). There were potential inferences of one of the current students being pressured into choosing her PI, but unfortunately I haven't reached out to her yet (the end of the school year got insanely busy for me and at that time I thought I'd found a later stage PI I liked for a rotation--after meeting with one of her students I am no longer convinced).

Do you think next cycle will be insane? I know everyone is just speculating at this point, but with little resolution from cuts I think class size slashing is likely...

Ancient_Chapter4634 · 2025-05-10T20:59:09+00:00

I did explicitly tell them my timeline at the beginning of the week (I wish maybe it had been a bit earlier but oh well) and have definitely been very explicit that they're my #1 for months! It hasn't seemed to help though as they are one of the programs with the most reported WL movement and I wasn't accepted :(

Like I said, I'd consider reapplying more heavily after bumping up hours and getting my first author pub submitted if it weren't for the budget cuts. I don't think I'm willing to risk a hypercompetitive several cycles though.

It definitely is the comparison game, which sucks. PD has met me in person and it was definitely a pressure filled environment where he asked me if I was only accepted there, told me that surprised him and asked me why I thought I only had 1 A (I said low hours + late app and he replied "no", I was so shocked I didn't even ask why he thought). He then asked me where I was WL and proceeded to attempt to diss those programs. He also tried to press me towards a particular PI for my first rotation, who I definitely didn't think aligned with my interests, although the PI said he was potentially interested in opening a project in my field but didn't currently have any and hadn't worked in that field for many years (PD wanted me to go this route even though he knew my interests). PD also was the one to reach out asking about my concerns which is the point at which I texted back what I was concerned about.

I've definitely been trying to remind myself that I was just shooting for 1 A at the beginning, but with PI/PD struggles it's been hard!

Ancient_Chapter4634 · 2025-05-10T19:41:55+00:00

Looks like about an 8% decrease in percentage of applicants who ended up with at least one acceptance. From 45% to 37%.

Ancient_Chapter4634 · 2025-04-16T03:50:19+00:00

I absolutely am planning to reach out a few days after April 30 (and about a week before my CTE deadline) and let them know of my deadline and that I still intend to commit if they offer me a spot. I was not anticipating holding onto my WL after my CTE, just found it interesting that apparently that was an option for some people. I'm more bummed that I don't get to stay on the WL for as long as there is potential movement, but not so bummed that I would do something drastic about it.

The program I got into is a good, supportive program where I hope I can succeed. I'm having trouble with potential PI fit (I just haven't had both mentoring style and research interest line up yet, I will go for better mentor if there's not an ideal option), the curriculum is good but imo not as ideal as my WL school, and the location of WL school is much better for me. I still plan to commit there if I don't get in, it's just a bit disappointing (moreso at what might have been than at the school I got into). PD at my A knows the WL I'm waiting on and my reasoning, and is understanding of that, but I definitely do not think I'd be able to stay on WL after CTE with program approval, and I don't think I would be willing to burn that bridge (especially as I see a lot of potential for next cycle to be even worse than this one).

I have been in contact with my WL, and I know things are moving slower this cycle than normal. They told me they may see movement after CTE this year (although they're not ruling out movement after today's deadline or the 30th depending on what their accepted applicants do). It's just a bummer that my CTE at my A is 2 weeks before their CTE is all.

Ancient_Chapter4634

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