Hi!

I’m taking the MCAT 6/26 and am wondering if it’ll negatively impact my application cycle. I have all my essays almost finished and my LORs so i’m planning to submit to a throwaway school so i can get verified while i wait for my score to get back. Is this a horrible plan?

Anyone who took a later MCAT and had success please lmk how it went for you.

Thanks!

Mainly just the title but I’ve been given a week notice to take a drug test from a third party provider. I smoke weed quite a bit but I’m quitting today and forever since this scared me straight. The school is in New York state so I wanted to know if anyone had any insight into how worried I should be if/when the THC results come back positive.

Anything I can do to prepare? The program is an MSTP.

Chance me: Targeting computational neuropsychiatry for the 2027 cycle without a gap year. Looking for a realistic check on my list given multiple B/B+ chemistry prereq grades.

Stats & Metrics

• MCAT: 518 (130/129/129/130) retake from a 512.
• GPA/School: 3.79 overall, a little lower sGPA. Neuro/Chem double major at T30 public undergrad. Scattered B/B+ grades in chemistry (Orgo I/II, Inorganic, Analytical). Upward trajectory with A/A- in Biochem and Anatomy/Physiology.

Experience Highlights

• Research: 1,925 total hours across three labs.
  • 1,100+ hours training machine learning models (transformers/LSTMs) to predict adolescent schizophrenia risk via EEG.
  • Full-time summer undergraduate research program at a top-tier medical center doing computational pathology scripting.
  • ~400 hours wet-lab rodent behavioral assays.
• Outputs: 7 total poster/abstract presentations, 1 oral presentation. Co-first author on an electrophysiological biomarker paper submitted to Nature Portfolio.
• Fun project: Engineered a 4-lead dry EEG machine using an Arduino for a self-taught AI accessibility project.
• Clinical & Leadership: 175 hours clinical EEG/fMRI data acquisition with pediatric cohorts (as clinical hours with participant interaction talking about health). 150 hours university hospital volunteering. President of a campus mental health club 501(c)(3) ($10k grants, IRB submissions)and president of the neuroscience honors society.

School List

• Albert Einstein College of Medicine
• Boston University Aram V. Chobanian & Edward Avedisian School of Medicine
• Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
• Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine & Science
• Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons
• Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell
• Duke University School of Medicine
• Emory University School of Medicine
• Georgetown University School of Medicine
• Harvard Medical School
• Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
• Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
• Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California
• Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine
• Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine
• Medical College of Wisconsin
• Northwestern University The Feinberg School of Medicine
• Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania
• Stanford University School of Medicine
• The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University
• Tufts University School of Medicine
• Tulane University School of Medicine
• University of Alabama at Birmingham Marnix E. Heersink School of Medicine
• University of California, Irvine, School of Medicine
• University of California, Los Angeles David Geffen School of Medicine
• University of California, San Diego School of Medicine
• University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine
• University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine
• University of Michigan Medical School
• University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine
• University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
• University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry
• University of Washington School of Medicine
• Vanderbilt University School of Medicine
• Wake Forest University School of Medicine
• Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine
• Weill Cornell Medicine
• Yale School of Medicine

Lmk what you think

Hi all, I’m torn between two opportunities. I was just offered a role as a research tech for 2 years at a T5 university that’s around an hour drive from my current house. I was also told by the HR of a private research company (20 minute drive away) that I’d be a shoe in for a research associate role. The difference in pay is \~48k vs 58k, but I’m more worried about the commute time eating up so many hours each week. My plans are to apply MDPHD and MD, so I eventually want to take the MCAT and start studying later in the summer. What would you guys choose?

I emailed one of my undergrad profs to ask for LOR for this cycle (MD-PhD) and this is the body of the response:

“Great to hear from you! And I am happy to hear you have been having a good experience in ***. I am happy to submit a letter for you, but I am not sure I am the best person. I am your “third”. I assume you will ask (Undergrad PI) and your current advisor as well.
 
Certainly, if you would like, I am happy to do it, and yes please send me your current CV and notes from the schools about what they want me to emphasize.”

This prof actually already submitted a letter for me for previous scholarships/fellowships that I ended up winning, so there is an existing letter that definitely isn’t bad, though it might not be super ultra outstanding.

My current letter confirmed situation is:

Two undergrad PIs, another undergrad prof, summer research PI, and my current PI in postgrad, so there’s 5 and this prof would make 6 if I do end up asking them for the letter.

I know that might already seem like a lot, but I am hoping to be competitive for top MD-PhD programs where I know I will be competing with lots of applicants with 6+ LORs.

Personally I don’t think her response is that dissuading, she’s already written for me in the past for things I’ve been successful applying for and she actually expressed a similar hesitation previously in the beginning, which struck me as a genuine sort of self conscious idk that im the right fit, not “I don’t like you or think you’re a good student”, but some friends seemed more hesitant to move forward with accepting the letter.

What do you recommend I do?

Hey! Applying this cycle. 21F, currently in a research program at a T10 uni. Biochemistry and physics major, graduated in 3yrs. Gpa: 3.79, mcat : 522.
Clinical volunteering: 700hrs EMT, 40hrs at a free clinic
Non clinical volunteering: abt 150 hrs
Shadowing: 80 hrs (three specialities)
Research : 7000 hrs (by matric), across three labs
Pubs: 1 first author, 1coauyhor submitted, 1coauthor in review, two first author abstracts
Presentations; abt three to four in each lab, national conference posters
Honors/awards; have a published thesis. Some college awards, and IRTA
School list:
Harvard
John’s Hopkins
Perelman
Stanford
Cornell
Columbia
Yale
UCSF
Duke
Mayo
Uni of Michigan
UCSD
Northwestern
Uni of Pitt
Icahn
Uni of Washington
WashU
Uni of Rochester
SUNY Upstate
Einstein
Also I’m a NY resident. Let me know your thoughts!

hey all - am applying this cycle for MD and DO programs with the following stats:

MCAT: 513 (first attempt got a 506)
GPA: 3.9
personal statement focused on how my own experience with autoimmune conditions made me want to go into medicine to hear other people’s stories
around 500 volunteer hours between multiple activities
6000 research hours (includes that I will work 2 years total as a research assistant at my current job before next Summer 2027)
250 shadowing hours
did a few posters and other presentations, only notable one I put in activities was one I got a travel scholarship for
did extracurriculars like tennis, some TAing, and other learning and leadership roles

I feel like everything I have seen on Reddit people have done so many more things which makes me nervous- am applying MD and DO but confused on what my actual chances are for this cycle? does anyone have any input

FYI - am an NJ resident and looking to stay in NJ

Hello,

I’m a rising senior at a small liberal arts college majoring in biochemistry. I came in undecided about whether I wanted to pursue the PhD or MD route, and it appears I’m leaving that way too!

I had a research internship at my college last summer, and I had so much fun working in the lab. I loved designing experiments and pursuing my own curiosities, despite the monotonies and “hiccups” that come with research projects. I’m passionate about problem-solving and applying techniques developed in molecular biology and biochemistry to further investigate living systems. I’ve also enjoyed my coursework in biochemistry, molecular biology, genetics, and orgo (well, just Orgo I though). I’m going to pursue a senior thesis in the same lab and will likely take a gap year or two devoted to research.

However, I’m not sure to what extent I enjoy research itself versus this particular lab environment. The people in this lab have been very sweet and collaborative, especially compared to the pre-med community at my school. I took an EMT course during our J-term and absolutely despised the competitive nature of the course, as well as the fast-paced, hands-on nature of the work. I passed the psychomotor exam but was ambivalent about taking the NREMT for years. I finally took it and failed—oops. I didn’t enjoy learning about much besides pharmacology, and even that felt fairly superficial. I also took an animal physiology course at school but ended up taking it pass/fail because I couldn’t motivate myself to study. I’m much more interested in molecular mechanisms of disease than in anatomy.

That said, I love taking care of people, and I think direct patient interaction could be an invaluable aspect of my career. My dad is in remission now, but he previously had stage III Non-Hodgkin lymphoma, so he frequently saw his hematologist-oncologist. I found it fascinating that he improved through a clinical trial involving a new immunotherapy, and it made me think about how cool it would be to work in translational medicine. I’ve also spoken with a pediatric hematologist-oncologist, and I could picture myself in her shoes: applying principles of basic science to help kids feel better. I also love working with kids, so I think I could enjoy her job despite the immense hardships.

If I worked in medicine, I think I’d want to pursue academic medicine because of the protected research time. I spent time shadowing a family medicine physician and an endocrinologist in community practice, and I was honestly pretty bored (sorry). However, I’m not sure whether pursuing an MD is worth it if I’d ultimately want to devote most of my time to researching or developing novel therapies, especially given the time and money required to obtain the degree. At the same time, I worry about waking up one day and realizing I made the wrong decision by pursuing a PhD—that I sacrificed the clinical aspect of my career and lost the ability to directly treat patients.

What attracts me to the MD is the breadth of options: you can do research as an MD, but you can’t treat patients with only a PhD. There’s also the job security. That said, I think a PhD aligns more closely with my values of autonomy and creativity. I also hate waking up early (before 9 a.m.), and I think the residency lifestyle and long hours in medicine might wreck me. If I pursued the PhD route, I’d be interested in roles in biotech or pharma. I also think teaching is fun—I enjoyed my years TAing and tutoring—but the competitive nature of academia scares me.

I care a lot about maintaining a happy, healthy lifestyle where I have time to travel, hike, read recreationally, and raise a family, so I’m wondering whether the PhD route might be more conducive to that than the MD route.

Apologies for the long-ass post, but I’d love to hear from anyone who faced a similar dilemma and how they ultimately decided what path to pursue. MD-PhD could potentially be an option, but spending so many additional years in school doesn’t sound especially appealing, particularly if most MD-PhDs end up primarily using one degree more than the other.

What questions should I be asking myself?
What should my next steps be?
Is it normal not to know what I want?
What is the lifestyle like in biotech/pharma?
Any career regrets?

Thank you :)

I have no accepted publications but 2 manuscripts under review. Should these go in the description of my research activity or in a separate activity under Publications?

Following the discussions under my previous MSCA video, I made another short video on a question that appeared repeatedly:

Why do technically strong MSCA proposals still get rejected?

The video discusses several recurring weaknesses observed in evaluation reports and reviewer comments, including:

• vague objectives,
• weak impact sections,
• poor implementation planning,
• generic host justification,
• and proposal readability.

One recurring point is that MSCA evaluation is often not only about the science itself, but also about the applicant’s potential for research independence, long-term impact, and fit within the European research ecosystem.

Interested to hear perspectives from others who applied for MSCA or similar European fellowships.

What do you think are the most underestimated reasons proposals fail?

Hello!

I just finished my freshman year and I’m worried about my gpa being low, it’s around 3.78, one of my course really screwed me over. My science gpa is around 3.9. I just wanted to ask if I’m aiming for the top MSTPs, what’s a good gpa to maintain?
For more context, I’m at a T5 institution and we are kind of known for our grade deflation. But I don’t know if where you go matters.
I apologize if this post comes off as a shit-post.

Hey Reddit,

This is my first time posting, but I wanted to get honest feed back on my chances of apply MD/PhD in the upcoming application cycle.

I go to a smaller school that does have the capacity for large scale research projects, so all of my research has been concentrated in the summer at about 1000 hours (half of those are expected this summer). I have been able to present a decent bit with 4 posters (one national conference), one oral presentation, and the opportunity to go to talk to legislature in D.C. about research funding (specifically for the summer program I did that is ultimately NIH funded) on behalf of my state. There is also a paper that is currently revision in progress that I will be third author on (out of 8). I will also be applying with some other research that is data analysis and math based, but it is my senior capstone so I am just starting. In total I will have around 1500 hours of research.

I don't have amazing clinical and showing hours (around 300 and 75 respectfully) and I take the MCAT May 30th. I am expecting around a 515 based on my practice exams but I am waiting to take AAMC 6th until the 25th, so I am not certain.

I am a triple major (Biology, Data Science, Mathematics) graduating with a little over 200 credits (in four years) and currently at a 3.93 GPA, so I think that helps but I am worried I don't have enough of a research backing at this point in time.

I tried to keep this as short as possible but still keep relevant details. I would truly appreciate any advise, I feel pretty lost in this regard. I would absolutely love to do MD/PhD, but I don't know if it would be better to focus on applying MD and seeing if I could potentially switch into MD/PhD after starting (I know this is highly school specific and probably not a great bet).

Hi everyone! Sorry if this doesn’t fit with the theme of the subreddit, but I’m an undergrad planning to apply to MD/PhD programs later. I’m currently looking at doing a summer internship in a field I’m interested in a different country (not US) either formally through a funded program aimed at future biomedical researchers or informally. Since MSTPs are funded by the NIH, I was wondering if this would give the impression that I wouldn’t stay in the US as a physician/scientist and researcher afterwards and, as a result, not look good for my applications. I really do plan to stay in the US of course, so I’d like to avoid leaving this kind of impression at all if possible. Does anyone know how this might be seen from the perspective of someone reviewing applications? Thanks everyone!

I'm an incoming freshman at UC Berkeley for Neuroscience but just got into USC through appeals for Computational Neuroscience starting in the spring. I'm a premed student thats really interested in Neurotech/AI + Entrepreneurship. I'm have trouble deciding whether to stay at Berkeley or recommit to USC. Any advice would be helpful.

Some background info:

• from a competitive bay area high school
• ultimate goal is to get into Stanford MD/PhD program
• lots of previous research experience in high school (poster presentations at conferences like SfN, RECOMB, SDDS, etc. and 2nd place at ISEF for comp bio)
• goal GPA range in undergrad: 3.9-4.0
• don't want to take any gap years
• want to do advanced compneuro research first two years to create startup; main thing in application hopefully

UC Berkeley Pros:

• access to advanced AI research at berkeley
• research opportunities at UCSF
• startup culture + proximity to SF
• 30 min drive from home, in-state tuition
• get to room with two of my bsfs from high school
• can start doing research as early as this summer since I'm in the bay
• Robinson's LSBE program; double at HAAS (not guaranteed)
• already created a lot of plans relating to internships, research, etc. since im local and have had time to create connections since committing
• gives me flexibility in the off chance that I mess up my gpa or realize med school is out of the cards for me to easily get a successful biotech job
• has prestige (even though its not important)
• overall; really like the research opportunities and party/work culture at berkeley since its what im used to

UC Berkeley Cons:

• "grade deflation"
• no attached med school or hospital
• know too many people from bay area
• toxic culture and very cutthroat
• HATED berkeley before i committed (i like it more now)
• terrible student to faculty ratio
• hard to get good LORs
• high competition for opportunities (but im used to this)
• startups very saturated; might not stand out
• honestly think ill get depressed and burnt out and realize ill never achieve my dream

USC Pros:

• has lots of clubs and clinical opportunities for pre-med students
• slight grade inflation (much easier to get 4.0)
• really like my major of Computational Neuroscience
• can double major in Bus Admin at Marshall
• Keck med school opportunities
• lots of advanced research and funding even if not as good as berkeley
• has been a dream school for past few years
• also has work hard party hard culture but would definitely be less stressed here
• gives me a chance to grow and be independent since i wont be close to home or know that many people
• a lot more handholding/ pre-med advising to help me stay focused and get opportunities
• i would likely be a more competitive applicant
• trojan network helps a lot later on
• third highest matriculation rate in the country

USC Cons:

• tuition is more expensive (but still affordable)
• spring start is my biggest reason for being hesitant; just feels kinda dumb and scared i lose a lot of opportunity because of it
• biggest thing about committing to USC is the fact that I lose berkeley, most people are calling me dumb for even considering USC
• probably wouldn't be as succesful in the biotech sphere if I shifted away from premed unlike berkeley (but honestly don't think I'll stop being premed)
• just doesn't have the same level of work hard culture; i feel like i might get too relaxed here even though thats not who I am

I'm just trying to understand where I can achieve everything that I'm passionate about and make sure I get into a T5 MD/PhD program.

Hello!
I recently attended a research symposium for my current undergraduate research and they did a career panel talking about what kind of careers are available for people with Phds and none of them sounded like something I could really imagine myself doing. I cannot sit and write grants and papers for the rest of my life, and I kinda came to terms with the fact that I would like to see my research directly help people, which is not realistic for an academia path. I’m very conflicted, as I have spent the last 2 years of my undergraduate degree excelling in all that Phd programs look for and i’m worried I will be behind if I change paths.

My main questions are

1. Will it be harder to get into a Phd program after doing the 2 years of med school?
2. What do Md Phd programs even look like application wise?
3. What should I do to make myself look better for these programs (I currently am treasurer of a Microbio program, will have 3.5 years of lab work by graduation, I will have ~5 publications with my name by graduation, around a 3.9 GPA, at least 4 symposiums, etc)
   3.1 Should I do EMT school? I don’t really want to volunteer in a hospital as I would like to stay in my unpaid lab internship as I really do love research
4. What are the main downsides/ what would make someone good or bad for this kind of education?

I am really not worried about it the length of education or the rigor, I have a very high affinity for biology and I am a nerd who loves learning.

Thank you for any help and if there is a thread that answered all of this I’m sorry! and let me know wha thread.

I have worked with 3 PIs during my undergraduate and the one I worked with first (my first experience with research in general) I have a rocky relationship with when deciding to leave the lab (was in the lab for roughly a year).

After my departure, she did write me a rec letter for a grad scholarship and I was told that all my rec letters were stellar when receiving committee feedback, so I don’t think it would be actively bad.

However, I believe my other two letters of recommendation from the other PIs where I’ve also had more output will be strong and talk about my aptitude and passion for research so I’m not sure if it will add anything. But would it be a red flag to not include at all?

Hi,

Gist is I am currently waitlisted still at two institutions, Buffalo and Iowa. I am praying and hoping to hear back, but am unsure if I should hold out hope. I've been informed by some that there is a difference between deadlines such as official CTE days, traffic rules, etc.

However, I am in a sticky predicament. This is technically my 4th time applying to MDPhD and MD. I realistically also won't be able to apply this cycle because my MCAT score will technically expire (outside 3 yrs of matriculation), so I have to retake it. And my contract for my current RA-ship ends too also due to lack of funding, but this will be already my third overall lab the past few years (1 official undergrad lab, 1 post-bac lab for 2 years under a NIH PREP, and my current lab which I have been for the past two years).

Overall, this has been a very excruciating process. If I am not able to matriculate this cycle and I have to reapply again, it will possibly put me in 6 overall gap years. I understand it is most likely that I have to reapply, but all these compounding factors like having to look for another position, retaking the MCAT, etc. will be challenging to face. And honestly relying on resiliency and hope is starting to fall apart.

However, since I have been reading posts, I want to appreciate that those waitlisted and accepted have given me hope so far. This was also the only cycle where I finally got 3 interviews instead of just one or none. I am just unsure at this point how to navigate this without losing more. Am just looking for clarity if more seats will open in those universities, how to get through this, etc. Thank you for all of your help and support.

I made a huge mistake by submitting a primary application to MD only programs 3 years ago, but not submitting secondaries because I decided I needed a gap year. This past year I shifted to MD/PhD programs and interviewed at 3 programs. Even though I did not submit my secondaries and applied MD only, I know I was still marked in their systems as a reapplicant. Now that it's looking like I need to apply again, I am super worried that I screwed myself over by applying when I shouldn't have the first time around, and now these schools will see "3 time applicant" next to my name and immediately discount me.