How To Get Into MD PhD Program (My Experience)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 30 ก.ย. 2019
- Hi, my name is Da'Kuawn Johnson and I am an MD/PhD student at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. I started this channel to provide information on youtube that I could not find when I was considering to pursue an MD/PhD. I feel that the experience of an MD/PhD student and professional is underrepresented on TH-cam and I would like to fill in that space with my perspective. I hope to be a resource for anyone looking to understand what it means to pursue an MD/PhD.
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My essays mentioned in the video:
Personal Statement: docs.google.com/document/d/1a...
Why MD PhD: docs.google.com/document/d/1f...
Research Statement: docs.google.com/document/d/1H...
Financing Medical School:
7 Ways to Reduce Medical School Debt (AAMC): www.aamc.org/news-insights/7-...
Consumer and Federal Financial Aid Resources: students-residents.aamc.org/f...
Fee Assistance Program: students-residents.aamc.org/a...
Links to MCAT prep:
How To Prepare For The MCAT: • How I Studied For the ...
AAMC How I Prepared for the MCAT: students-residents.aamc.org/a...
Kaplan MCAT Study Prep Set: amzn.to/2lRvGN4
Kaplan Tuition Assistance For MCAT Prep: www.kaptest.com/tuitionassist...
Links to some of my favorite things I own :)
Laptop Stand -- amzn.to/2mKx7x1
Acer Monitor -- amzn.to/2lgNQrl
Solar Powered Keyboard and Wireless mouse combo -- amzn.to/2lSqQir
✅ SUBSCRIBE to my channel for more videos!!! th-cam.com/channels/jX5.html...
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✅ INSTAGRAM: @dakuawndoesscience
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✅ CONTACT ME: dakuawndoesscience@gmail.com
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paypal.me/dakuawn
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You are literally doing gods work! I was looking for resources for MD/PhD programs and had a hard time finding these resources as a first-gen BIPOC applicant. Thank you so much 🙏😭😭😭
@Medicine Obsessed Thanks so much for the encouragement. This comment literally put a smile on my face! I look forward to returning to making videos to help you all out after I take Step 1 this Friday! Take care until then.
Awesome video, thanks!
Thanks for the positive support!!
DaKuawnDoesScience it was super helpful as I am now working on my application. MD only resources are a lot easier to find than those specific to the MD-PhD track
@@youneedsomeyaalili That's definitely the case and the reason why my channel exists. I'm still working on and planning out a few videos with my undergrad roommate who is an MD/PhD student as well to get some content out for AMCAS and applications pretty. I know the content is running behind now that AMCAS is open, but it should be up soon!!
You are awesome for making this video to help people who are on this path.
Thanks for the support!! I am definitely looking forward to the new year and getting back on the grind to put out more content. Drop some ideas of what you want to see so that I can take them in and plan for it! My goal is to help all of my subscribers as much as possible and would like to answer all of the direct questions and requests first and then start sprinkling in my ideas of what you all want to see! Happy holidays.
@@DaKuawn Happy Holidays! I'm going to be applying MD/PhD in the upcoming cycle, and am currently preparing for the MCAT. I'm sure you've talked about it before, but any tips or advice about writing personal statements and essays would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for all your help. God Bless you.
@tal88 yeah. I have a video that I did with the AAMC on my channel about MCAT prep (th-cam.com/video/GKETv0r0I-c/w-d-xo.html ), I would probably suggest taking a prep course if you can afford it. It will probably be very helpful in terms of having a strict study plan. I may make a new video about studying to take the MCAT that I'd shorter than the AAMC one. I also have my approach to writing a personal statement, research statement, and why mdphd essay as well. I even put links to my essays so that you can see how I executed my own advice(th-cam.com/video/WYPlGYKRmNQ/w-d-xo.html ). Keep in mind not everyone wrote their essays this way. I personally got a lot of negative feedback from my scholarship program for the way Inchose to write my personal statement, but I decided it was the best representation of me and decided to keep it the way I wanted and got into almost all of my top choices. So take all advice with a grain of salt.
@@DaKuawn Thanks for all your advice, I really appreciate it! I’ll definitely take a look at your videos regarding the MCAT and essays for medical school. Best of luck to you in the future in research, medicine, and life.
@@tal8871 Thanks for the well wishes! Hopefully you will be seeing a lot more useful content on the application process in the new year!! Still working out getting friends and classmates to weigh on on some of these topics. So next year should be a great year for content that should be able to be applied to the next application cycle. Happy holidays and good luck on your MCAT!
Hi! Thanks for this. I am also interested in the UMSOM MD-PhD program. Very helpful!
Awesome. It's a great program with tons of opportunities
Hi!
I am reconsidering doing this program, I already want to do a PhD, and graduated with my BS in May 2021 (Applied Mathematics with an emphasis in Computational Biology).
The reason I am reconsidering is because with thinking about my career I have a couple of things I want to do: 1. Teaching at a medical school ( how to provide care to patients, and as well as my research ( math biology) ) 2. Using my research to potentially connect with my patients ( How does my research directly impact with the patients I am caring for if that is something this career path seriously does. )
Anyway, thank you for reading!
Well, you can still teach medical students as a PhD honestly (most of my didactic years were taught by PhDs and a few MDs, the MDs mostly focus on teaching the clinicals in the hospital)... I'm kinda in the same boat where I want to make sure that the education for professional students and grad students is good (aka I want to teach and better design programs) and I find that if I decided to practice that would destroy any time I would need to do that job well (which kinda made me step back from the clinical side of my training)... Unless you cannot imagine your life without treating patients (being the hospital, meeting your daily quotas, arguing with insurance companies and other non-healthcare professionals (politicians and more) telling you how to care for your patients then definitely do the MD/PhD.... But if you are more passionate about the teaching aspect and connecting to communities and populations, the PhD will be FAAAAAAR more flexible and give you more control over how you choose to do that.
Thank you so much for this post. I am a junior physics major and I’m wanting to get to Md/Phd program but there is barely information around to know about this. My advisors said they don’t know what to say about it
@Eva Isufi, it's my pleasure 🙏🏽! This is why my channel exists. In fact, I have a classmate who was a physics major who is currently in the same program as me (hopefully that provides some motivation that you can get there once you know the process). She has been able to balance her passion for physics and her love for the medical sciences and combine them in her interests for neuroscience! Feel free to ask any questions you may have!! I just finished the preclinical part of my MD/PhD program and now I am working on my next batch of videos to help you all out. If you get those questions to keep, I may be able to get your video into that batch!! Thank you for the support!!
Hey Everyone! If you more specific questions about applying to MD/PhD programs please drop a comment below! Also check out my essays up above to see what I wrote that got me into the MD/PhD program that I am currently in. Was it better or worse than you expected?
Hey, I was wondering do you receive a separate M.D and Ph.d or if you chose Microbiology then you earn a M.D/Ph.d in Microbiology. Also what is your path after you get licensed? Thank you
@@kekej1268 theybare separate degrees. I believe in one of my earlier videos, I mentioned that while you are in an MD/PhD program "you feel like a medical student then like a graduate student and then a medical student again".... this is because you are still finishing the full 4 years of medical school (in which a medical degree has no subject or specialty attached to it) and then you earn a real PhD from the graduate school, the real reason your PhD is "shortened" is because you get course credits from your medical school coursework.
Post graduation from thebprograk looks different for everyone. Some people choose to stop medical training and do a postdoc and focus on their research career from the very beginning, some finish and choose surgical careers that kinda kills their chances of getting their research career off the ground, most go through residency training that any other medical student would go through and during fellowship use that to return to the lab and start their research career that way, and each year more and more "physician scientists pathway programs" are being developed to help provide training specifically for those interested in being physician scientists... these will be residency programs that will have time allocated for research and still allow people focus on the essential clinical skills of their training.
Hello! Thank you so much for the awesome advice! I clicked on the links to see your essays but it says please request access. Would you be able ro update the settings? It would be much appreciated to see some examples!
@@hariniram8040 Should be fixed. Hopefully it helps. The goal isn't to copy my style (I definitely got pushback from my pre-med office saying my personal statement was definitely a bit arrogant and made it sound like I already "made it", but the goal for these essays is for the committee to understand that you know what you are committing to, that your desires align with the mission of the program (realistically you being a researcher that happens to practice medicine).
Thank you so muchhhh !!!! Also, do you think it is possible to read my essay for why M.D/Ph.D? I would highly appreciate it, I just need your advice.
Sure, I can glance at it. Shoot it over to me in an email at dakuawndoesscience@gmail.com. it may take me a day or two to get to it because I am studying for Step1, but I will definitely get to it within 48 hours
Hello. I wanted to ask if USA medical schools accept international students for MD-PHD programs with stipends?
Hey sorry for the late reply! For some reason youtube never notified me of the comment. Some MD/PhD programs do in fact accept international students. Depending on the size and the support the program gets from the medical school that is hosting the program will determine if they take international students! For example, MSTP (NIH funded programs) cannot put international students on the NIH funded seats, but if the program is big enough and the school of medicine funds a couple of seats programs will make those seats available to international students. One such program that does this is the MD/PhD program at University of Virginia (UVA). You'll have to make an effort to reach out to all of the programs and figure out if they accept international students because that info isn't always readily available. If you are doing research at an institution that you plan on applying to already, I would reach out to the director or program coordinator while you are at the institution and ask.
I really enjoyed your video and would love your opinion/help with my essays!
I'll get to your email in the coming days. I just got back in town and had a lot on my plate. Look forward to connecting soon😁.
@@DaKuawn Thank you so much for taking the time!!
Hello, what if I have a 3.1 cumulative GPA, but plan on doing a Special Master's Program? I'm also planning on working the next 4 years, where I'll be able to take and retake some classes to bring up my undergrad GPA to hopefully 3.3 or 3.4. I'm hoping that if I do that, in combination with the SMP and other things, I'll be able to get in. I'm also joining the military, so in 4 years I'll have the GI Bill. I'll be able to apply to any SMP in the country and tuition and housing will be paid for.
It sounds like a solid plan, but I can't speak on that specifically. I can ask a military classmate of mine and let you know what they say.
@@DaKuawn Thank you for the response! I also edited my comment but it posted weird for some reason. What I said is that I plan on doing a non-traditional PhD (philosophy). Does wanting to do philosophy make it harder to get into an MD/PhD? Should I still have a lot of lab-based experience in my application, or would that change anything?
Well, the majority of NIH funded programs in the US (which there are only 50) state that their goal is to produce clinically trained scientists (it's implied that it will either be basic science or some level of translational work). The only easy connection I immediately think of is bioethics, but even within that space there are very very few programs that offer that as an option for their MSTP students (this will likely be an option at some ivy league locations; however, I doubt your stats will put you in that category).
Now there are non-NIH funded MD/PHD programs that you may want to consider and reach out and see what those PhD pathways they allow... Over the next few years, if you truly want the philosophy pathway, "picking the right program" and being in their radar ASAP will help out a lot
@@DaKuawn Yes, the reason why I want to pursue Philosophy is because our moral principles, psychology, etc, are among the deepest factors making up our health. So I want to treat people’s visible diseases as a physician, while answering questions about why we suffer, for example, as a philosopher/Christian apologist. I know it sounds hard to get accepted for something like that, but I’m hoping that I’d have a decent chance if I prepare for 4-5 years, do a Masters in Biomedical Science, etc. I’m only accepting NIH funded haha
Haha, I relate to your thought process about how a lot of our health actually has components we don't often think of traditionally as lolife scientists (I often engage in many of my classmates of various faiths).
Given the small selection pool for your aspirations, you will have to start connecting with programs now.