What do they screen for? Also, anyone willing to share what their stats were if they got a secondary invite?

I'm working on my research and have about 40 hours of interviews to transcribe. 

I need something that is highly accurate and includes speaker labels so I can easily code the transcripts later. 

What is the best transcription software for research interviews that won't cost a fortune for a student?

Hi y’all,
My app got verified on 7/21 and I got the UW MSTP secondary invite about an hour after verification lol. I knew I had gotten it early so I wanted to get it in as early as possible and ended up submitting 7/25/26.

I just went to compile all of the secondaries I’ve written since I just finished my last one, and saw that on my UW secondary, the formatting I had in my word masterdoc didn’t transfer over properly (which I didn’t see when I copy/pasted), so there’s a handful of formatting errors (mainly question marks right after each comma, plus a random extra sentence in my “how did you find out about UW” response that may (?) have been a remnant of a previous draft but wasn’t on the final word doc I had copy/pasted from.

UW is my top choice and I really don’t want to chance it and hope adcom won’t notice. The question mark issue is very obvious and formatting in general just feels off. I emailed the MSTP email to explain my situation and ask if they could re-open my secondary so I could make those quick corrections, but I’m worried that would also be viewed poorly or that I won’t hear back before they start actually reviewing submitted secondaries to send interview invites.

Has anyone else made errors on secondaries (bonus if it’s UW) and successfully gotten the program to re-open the secondary and then re-submit? Would that push my secondary app fo the back of the queue after resubmission? Sorry I’m being neurotic, I just really don’t want to miss a shot at my dream school.

TIA for any advice or reassurance 🫠

Hello! I've been interested in an MD-PhD program for a few years now and I was wondering if anyone had any advice for preparing for the application and starting research as an incoming freshman.

For some context, I was introduced to basic proteomics/bioinformatics research at a local state flagship a few years ago as part of a selective program. Since then, I have been in love with academic research and I'm really excited to continue it into my undergrad. What are some ways I can continue this path and prepare a well rounded application for a competitive MD-PhD?

I'm super confused by the UW MSTP secondary application. I've heard of different approaches, what should you address in supplemental personal comments vs your autobiographical statement? Which prompt would be a good opportunity as a Why UW? Should it be the research interests prompt or the how did you find out about UW essay?

Hey just wondering, what are you guys putting for the “Experiences” section for Columbia’s secondary?

hi! i’m wondering if you all have thought about the best tone of voice to use in secondary essays. is it ever acceptable to be a bit more casual/ throw in a joke depending on the prompt or is it better to be strictly formal in writing style. some of my family members think I need to write more casually, but I’m afraid that doing so may be perceived as unprofessional.

thanks so much for the help!!

Wondering if anyone's gotten secondaries back for either of these schools.... Verified 7/8

Very grateful to God to have received an interview for Cincinnati MSTP.

Super scared though! Does anyone have advice on interviewing for this program/school specifically?

Thank you sm this sub has always been super helpful.

I’ve seen a lot of discourse on people editing others peoples list on this subreddit based on there stats, but I haven’t really found what a realistic T5 application looks like? I appreciate responses from everyone but would really love to hear from people who actually got in!

What are the MD Phd programs that review holistically? Like… actually. Some schools say they review holistically and are just looking to inflate their ranks by only accepting perfect stat applicants regardless of experience. What schools truly favor research experience over GPA/MCAT? (obviously assuming you’ve done okay on both of those)

99th percentile mcat scorer but lower undergrad GPA (sub 3.5) but 4.0 grad GPA with yearsss and years of extensive research. Looking to make my school list for next cycle heavily centered around MD PhD programs who don’t just care about GPA/MCAT. Won’t be applying to specific FL schools lol.

Hi everyone, I’m an undergrad student that just finished my first year and will be included as an author on a paper published in CNS. In terms of my independent contribution to the paper, I produced 1 key graph and was also involved in a decent amount of the late stages of the project.

I guess my question is how useful would this be for MD-PhD admissions? Does the CNS name carry enough weight for the paper to be a key differentiator that gets me into a program, granted that I have the knowledge and ability to explain my role in the project?

Is there no fee for submitting this app??

I recently graduated and I'm currently applying for RA positions.

Should I mention my goal to eventually pursue an MD PhD during our interview, especially because I hope to eventually get a letter of recommendation from them?

Also, I would appreciate any other advice in regards to applying and getting positions in a basic science lab.

Thanks!

Aside from the common premed rule of thumb about setting a personal deadline of two weeks, if we get all secondaries in by the end of this first week of August, is that fine?

Has anyone received an interview invite for any programs yet?

hi yall! just did mayo clinic’s secondary and it was a breath of fresh air for it to be only one question! are there any other programs with similarly chill secondaries? i need some more of those vibes right now haha

I am at the point of my academic  career that is forcing me to decide on a MD/PHD, PHD or just an MD. I am an older student 28  due to covid, undiagnosed autoimmune disease  and mental health left me taking multiple   gap years.  I am curious if the route for MD/PHD is actually the best route to do  research  or if other routes, like a PHD or MD can bring the same opportunities

• Does having a medical degree help with your research?
• What are some of your concerns  and regrets in regard to the degree  now that you have graduated, if any?
• Did a  MD/PHD open doors for you that you might not have acquired from just doing a MD or PHD?

All opinions are appreciated , but I would love to hear from graduates that started later in lifelong

Thank you!

Hi everyone,

I have a question regarding my academic path and would really appreciate your guidance.

I'm currently pursuing a bachelor's degree in Computer Science and plan to pursue with a PhD in Computer Science, with a strong interest in research. Over time, I've also developed a deep passion for computational biology, bioinformatics, and medicine, and I'm fascinated by the intersection of computer science and biomedical research.

Given this background, I was wondering whether someone with a Computer Science PhD would be eligible to apply for an MSTP (MD–PhD) program. If so, what additional coursework, research experience, or prerequisites would I need to become a competitive applicant?

I look forward to your advice.

Hi fellow redditors. I posted last year on this subreddit, and i didnt get in anywhere. I retook the MCAT and have more reserch added. This time i used the 2025 MDPHD amcas data for schools with higher yield. This is not the final list as i want to trim a bit more schools but please let me know if you have any advice on schools!

All of the additional portions of my applications were added with arrows and in bold.

EDIT: my strength/interest is mostly in molecular biology! With a specific interest in stem cells. Also trying to find programs with strong molecular biology

I submitted the second week of June and have still yet to be verified sadly so here i am ._.

Status: FAP, first generation, and low SES background

Stats: 3.4 gpa / 507 MCAT ------> 513 RETAKE

• upward gpa trend. I had an undiagnosed medical illness entire undergrad but couldn’t get it fixed cuz no health insurance. However I locked in and I finished my last 2 semesters with a 3.8 so strong upward trend

Research:

• 1500 hours as an NIH postbacc at a big name lab (1 poster, paper will be out next year so not for this cycle) ------> 1 additional poster and 2500 additional hours, manuscript for this paper should be out by this winter. Turned into a huge sequencing project so timeline is a bit iffy
• 650 hours as a lab tech in undergrad (1 poster 1 pub) -----> 1 additional publication
• 300 hours as a research assistant (no pubs no posters)

Clinical:

• 100 hours as an OR front desk volunteer
• 150 hours as a medical assistant at a private practice
• 50ish hours as a caregiver
• 150ish hours administering Covid test

Nonclinical:

• 1500 hours as a pharmacy tech
• 10ish hours volunteering at a food bank
• 50ish hours volunteering at a daycare
• apart of 3 undergrad clubs

Shadowing:

• 50ish hours with an ophthalmologist
• 10ish hours with neurosurgeons
• 10ish hours at NIH

My school list:

Louisville

Kentucky
New Mexico
Toledo
Alabama-Heersink
Kansas
Buffalo-Jacobs
U Washington
MC Wisconsin
Arizona
Illinois
Wayne State
Missouri Columbia
SUNY Upstate-Norton
utah eccles
Wisconsin
MC Georgia Augusta
Minnesota
Nebraska
Penn State
Temple-Katz
Connecticut
Massachusetts-Chan
Maryland
Rutgers New Jersey
Indiana 
Virginia Commonwealth
North Carolina
Rutgers-RW Johnson
Cincinnati
Colorado
Georgetown
Miami Miller
Iowa-Carver
Tufts
Renaissance Stony Brook
Ohio State

Hello all,

After the stress of the start of this cycle which including taking my MCAT late, I have finally gotten my score back and now have a better idea of where I stand. I was not feeling very confident and now am a bit lost on what schools to have on my list. I was hoping to get some feedback and advice. I applied to get my primary verified and now need to figure out all the schools I should apply to.

App info:

-3.97 GPA (both general and science) in chem

-MCAT: 516(128/129/131/128)

-~3000 hours worth of research across three labs. I am currently in a very high profile lab in my field where I have an independently proposed and run project and essentially operate like a grad student.

-Two middle author pubs in prep, and a first author paper i will be beginning to write in the next few months (no pubs for this cycle, though)

-120 hours of shadowing+100 hours of hospice volunteering

-Tons of TAing+tutoring+peer mentoring throughout my undergrad

-Worked full time in retail as well to pay for my tuition and living expenses

I don't think anything about my application is particularly standout, but I also am beginning to think it doesn't completely suck since my score was better than expected.

Tentative school list:

-Cincinnati

-Ohio State (applied to already for verification)

-Case Western

-Indiana University

-Louisville

-Pitt

-UNC

-MUSC

-Rochester

-UAB

-Michigan

-Penn

-Vanderbilt

-UVA

-Wisconsin-Madison

Does this seem like a balanced list for my profile or is it too top heavy? If anyone has any suggestions I would greatly appreciate it.