MD at Stanford or MD/PhD elsewhere?

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s_med

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First, congrats!!! Those are incredible options to have and any of those programs can set you up for success.

I'd normally think that an MD program of Stanford's caliber that offers such strong research opportunities for MD students might be worth considering over MD/PhD programs. However, the MD/PhD programs you're considering are at nearly the same caliber. If MD/PhD is what you really want, I can't see how turning down a guaranteed MD/PhD from any of those schools makes sense. This is particularly true if your only hold ups with accepting these offers is your "dream" to go to Stanford (versus more tangible concerns such as location of family/SO, lack of relevant research, lack of funding, etc.).

I feel you on the power of a dream, but those other programs are incredible, dream-worthy programs.

That said, if you really can't get past your Stanford dream (or have a really significant reason why Stanford is just absolutely the place you need to be), I'd recommend reaching out to the actual Stanford MD/PhD PD. They can probably give you a better sense than even the students on the process, your chances, next steps, etc. Some MD/PhD programs have students do their first lab rotation the summer before M1, so if you're planning on applying for an internal transfer, you could see if starting research then is an option for you.

Also: have you received your financial aid package for Stanford yet? How much would those 1-2years (best case scenario) cost?

I'm just another pre-med though, so not sure how much my insight is really worth! Best of luck!!
 
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Hi everyone -- In case anyone remembers me, I first want to write a heartfelt thank you to the support I received last September at the start of my interview process. I applied late due to a July MCAT date and spending a bit too much time on secondaries, and I'm happy and relieved to say that I had multiple interviews at top programs and currently have 3 MSTP offers. I'm very very grateful to be in this position!

I'm writing today to ask about one offer that I'm finding hard to turn down. It's an MD-only, unfunded offer from Stanford. It's a dream of mine to do an MD/PhD at Stanford, especially given my interests in computational neuroscience and neural engineering. Stanford's pedigree speaks for itself. If the offer had been for the MSTP, I would have accepted it on day one.

I've spoken to Stanford MSTP students that applied via the internal MSTP route, and they said that it is feasible to matriculate as an MD candidate with the intention of completing a PhD, and then apply for the funding and the position in the first or second year of medical school. However, neither the funding nor the PhD admission are guaranteed, and there is a financial burden involved in covering the first 1-2 years of medical school. Additionally, I would have to carve out a substantial amount of time during my first 1-2 med years to do focused research with a potential PhD mentor. Essentially, I might be sacrificing my peace of mind and tens of thousands of dollars during those first two years for the potential reward of earning an MD/PhD from Stanford.

On the flip side, I am considering three amazing MSTP offers: Wash U, U Chicago, and UCLA. The no-brainer answer is to take one of these offers, but I'm having a tough time considering these three at face value without having ruled out Stanford first. I'm planning to visit Stanford and speak to the MSTP office to sort out the details of the internal candidacy route, but I'm wondering how far I can push there: is there any chance they could "fast track" me to an MSTP position, and is it reasonable to ask them about this possibility? Is there any precedent for such a thing?

I'm wary of sounding like I am complaining when in this position -- I'd just really value some input on the benefits and disadvantages of considering the MD offer as someone who knows he wants to complete an MD/PhD and has other funded offers in hand. (It doesn't help that all four of these schools are holding their revisits during the same weekend in April.)

Thank you in advance for your input. I would sincerely appreciate it!

I was in the exact same boat many years ago, ended up walking away from the Stanford MD-only offer for another top-tier MSTP. It was the right decision. Go for the sure thing. Also your status and support structure around being actively recruited and matriculating in an MSTP is different than an internal transfer, especially to someone who applied MD/PhD initially (vs. someone that discovered that they wanted MD/PhD after applying/matriculating as MD-only). Furthermore, its entirely possible to earn your MD and PhD independently at Stanford, which some MD-only students elect to do, but without the medical school funding or MSTP administrative support. You can always go there later in your career.
 
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Hi everyone -- In case anyone remembers me, I first want to write a heartfelt thank you to the support I received last September at the start of my interview process. I applied late due to a July MCAT date and spending a bit too much time on secondaries, and I'm happy and relieved to say that I had multiple interviews at top programs and currently have 3 MSTP offers. I'm very very grateful to be in this position!

I'm writing today to ask about one offer that I'm finding hard to turn down. It's an MD-only, unfunded offer from Stanford. It's a dream of mine to do an MD/PhD at Stanford, especially given my interests in computational neuroscience and neural engineering. Stanford's pedigree speaks for itself. If the offer had been for the MSTP, I would have accepted it on day one.

I've spoken to Stanford MSTP students that applied via the internal MSTP route, and they said that it is feasible to matriculate as an MD candidate with the intention of completing a PhD, and then apply for the funding and the position in the first or second year of medical school. However, neither the funding nor the PhD admission are guaranteed, and there is a financial burden involved in covering the first 1-2 years of medical school. Additionally, I would have to carve out a substantial amount of time during my first 1-2 med years to do focused research with a potential PhD mentor. Essentially, I might be sacrificing my peace of mind and tens of thousands of dollars during those first two years for the potential reward of earning an MD/PhD from Stanford.

On the flip side, I am considering three amazing MSTP offers: Wash U, U Chicago, and UCLA. The no-brainer answer is to take one of these offers, but I'm having a tough time considering these three at face value without having ruled out Stanford first. I'm planning to visit Stanford and speak to the MSTP office to sort out the details of the internal candidacy route, but I'm wondering how far I can push there: is there any chance they could "fast track" me to an MSTP position, and is it reasonable to ask them about this possibility? Is there any precedent for such a thing?

I'm wary of sounding like I am complaining when in this position -- I'd just really value some input on the benefits and disadvantages of considering the MD offer as someone who knows he wants to complete an MD/PhD and has other funded offers in hand. (It doesn't help that all four of these schools are holding their revisits during the same weekend in April.)

Thank you in advance for your input. I would sincerely appreciate it!
Take the funded MSTP position at Wash U. That's your best option overall (from a science/medicine standpoint). Glad to chat with you at length if you want more input
 
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I completed the MD program at Stanford a few years ago and did an HHMI Fellowship while there, so I just wanted to add my experience. They offer excellent financial aid and I received some even though both my parents are physicians. In addition, their Medical Scholars program also markedly reduced my tuition. Hence, I am graduating residency now with < 25k of student debt (originally had 50k and paid some of it off during residency). They of course have excellent opportunities in neuroscience, and their Biomedical Informatics program is top notch. A good number of people in my class successfully transitioned to the MSTP program after a few years. Cost of living was not a big deal while I was there since I lived on-campus, but it would be a substantial burden especially now if you lived off-campus.

That being said, you have fully-funded offers from 3 of the best institutions in America, none of which you could go wrong with.
 
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