26 yo, military, low undergrad GPA, in Lehigh M.S. Program - M.D or M.D-PhD?

[xfactor121893]

So... I originally attended the University of Pittsburgh and partied my face off. I joined the Marine Corps for a good ol' kick in the butt and I've served in the reserves for 6 years. I meanwhile finished school elsewhere and attained a B.S. in Cell & Molecular Biology with a Chem minor. I had very demanding military obligations during the school year and often had to withdraw from classes or miss quizzes/tests if my professors weren't sympathetic. I graduated with a 2.9 GPA, mostly due to my liberal arts professors. My senior year I took all graduate-level biology courses and got a 3.75 quite easily. I am currently in a M.S. program in Molecular Biology at Lehigh University, a fairly prestigious institution. I am also currently working at a local lab doing research and development working on COVID-19 immunoassay tests (ELIZA kits) among other projects.

I believe my resume is starting to rise again from the grave so I am considering medical school. My question is: assuming I have adequate graduate GPA and MCAT scores, would it be smarter to apply for an M.D/PhD or just a M.D.? I don't have a strong background in medicine, though I participate in clinical research through my job. With my concentrated background in molecular biology and private-sector research experience, I feel I'd be more attractive as a Medical Researcher to an institution where I could potentially contribute to their program's research portfolio. Plus I can potentially transfer credits and shave off a year or two of the PhD program. So what do you guys think? I wonder if in my case a M.D/PhD is actually the smarter choice..

As a side note: I am not a combat veteran (no G.I. Bill) and I do not yet have my name on research publications.

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[DocJanItor]

MD/PhD programs generally accept students with higher stats than regular MD students. Additionally, your MS degree probably won't help you; most non-SMP masters degrees aren't valued highly because there's a significant amount of grade inflation in masters programs and no one has time to assess them all.

Your strengths right now are military service and research (hopefully with future publications). Your weakness is your GPA; a cGPA below 3.0 will often be autoscreened before the application is ever seen by human eyes. If you can take a few undergrad courses to boost your GPA above a 3.0 that will relieve that problem.

The last issue is that MCAT. MD matriculants are averaging 510-511 while MD/PhDs are averaging 514, and both figures are rising each year. Given your lower GPA you'd need an even higher MCAT.

Overall, if you're interested in research you'd probably have an easier time with a direct PhD route considering your current program. While you can certainly make yourself an attractive candidate for MD or DO schools, I think the MD/PhD path is going to be a long road with long odds.

 

[DO_or_Die]

The average MCAT scores are much higher for MD/PhD, with your GPA it would be a long shot. The 3.75 in senior year is great but many applying have a solid 3.9 throughout. Reinvention can really only do so much. I'm an RN with thousands of clinical hours, solid GPA, average MCAT and everything else solidly well rounded and only received 1 MD interview. DO schools like non trads and without a very solid MCAT I would say I believe that to be your best bet. It's all hypothetical at this point until your MCAT score is in.

 

[jhmmd]

Bottom line is that a MD degree w/out a PhD would be easier, but if you're really into research then it might be worth it. Perhaps make a list of pros and cons in order to decide?

 

[cmk0302]

As a side note: I am not a combat veteran (no G.I. Bill) and I do not yet have my name on research publications.
[/QUOTE]

You don't need to be a combat veteran to rate the G.I. Bill....

 

[emergencydancing]

This looks like an MD application, and with med school applications as competitive as it is, this would be a fairly average MD application (without the MCAT, there's no way to be sure).

I am currently in a M.S. program in Molecular Biology at Lehigh University, a fairly prestigious institution.

I had to google Lehigh University, and if most laymen have not heard of it, it will very likely not confer any prestige factor. Just something to keep in mind if you were expecting to get a prestige boost.

 

[dingdong28]

As a side note: I am not a combat veteran (no G.I. Bill) and I do not yet have my name on research publications.

Hey bud, thank you for your service. I can't comment on what your next step should be (see edit below), but want to let you know about your education benefits. Just so you know, you don't have to be a combat veteran to receive the Post 9/11 GI Bill. If you have 90 days of active duty service on title 10 orders, you are *possibly* eligible for the Post 9/11 GI Bill. I did a lot of research for another troop of mine when he started chiropractic school. He was denied his benefits at first. He fought the decision and after review, he will be reimbursed from the date when his program started/would have started using his benefits. Let's not forget you also have the Select Reserve GI Bill and tuition assistance/reimbursement from the United States Marine Corps, unless you ETS before starting medical school. Once you ETS, both your service tuition assistance/reimbursement (I believe) and Select Reserve GI Bill stop unless you receive an honorable discharge (I know it's extended but don't know for how long exactly).

Edit: The more that I read your post, I feel like I'm talking to myself in the mirror. We have a similar background, similar stats, previous school experiences, etc. Would you consider DO school? With your background, stats and a decent MCAT, you should look into DO schools if you're not boning for the MD/prestige. If your goal is to become a physician and not necessarily a physician scientist, look into DO schools. You can still do research with only an MD/DO degree. I don't know how common it is to only have an MD/DO, but there are plenty of PI profiles at hospitals/universities with only those credentials.

 

[MusicDOc124]

MD/PhD is likely out of the question.

MD would take a lot of GPA work.

DO is a viable option which will consider grad work for GPA purposes.

Also a Marine vet here, already finished with school and all. Feel free to reach out directly.

 

[maikelm]

I know Lehigh University very well, and I had a few friends attend. Granted, they were in engineer programs. Being in Philadelphia myself, I know the surrounding areas fairly well. I am not sure what PhD programs offered by Lehigh, but did you take a look at those?

In your case, consider the duration and commitment that may be needed for a MD/PhD road. At the same time, these programs are very picky with their applicants. The last time I checked, most schools choose a handful of students (maybe less than 10) per year. Most of these students have high GPA and MCAT scores too, so the competition may be tough. I wouldn't want you to invest your time and money with minimal chance of success.

Furthermore, many MD programs will offer research to students, so you can always do that.

Looking at things in the future, what do you want to do? Work with patients and offer them clinical trials (which is technically research)? Use your PhD skills in the lab while working with patients? Maybe you can decide on one of these programs instead of a joint one.

I can't say about DO/PhD route, because I am not familiar with that realm of things. It might be easier I hope.