Early applications encouraged
Applications undergo a 4-stage review process, which typically takes 2-4 weeks. Interviews are awarded on a rolling basis between mid-August and late November. A select number of applicants may be placed on a waitlist for an interview slot to allow the MSTP Committee to assess additional applications before making a final interview determination.
As the chart below documents, candidates whose application is not completed significantly before the October 31st MSTP application deadline limit their chances of being offered an interview. Individuals who apply in October will compete for 45 available interview slots, as opposed to the 99 slots that were available to the earliest applicants. These data are for the 2019 applicant pool.
MCAT distribution
MCAT scores have predictive value in terms of performance in the preclinical curriculum and medical licensure exams. Therefore, they are considered in the evaluation of MD-PhD candidates. Individuals who score below the seventy-third percentile are rarely interviewed. The chart below plots the distribution of the percentile rank of the best MCAT scores for individuals in the 2019 applicant pool.
GPA distribution
Undergraduate GPA is predictive of success in the medical and graduate curriculum. Individuals who earn a GPA below 3.3 are rarely interviewed. The chart below plots the undergraduate GPA for the 2019 applicant pool.
(Scale used: 3.3 = values between 0.0 and 3.3; 3.4 = values between 3.31 and 3.4, etc.)
Research experience
The MSTP requires a minimum of two summers or semesters of research experience. Most competitive applicants will have two years of research at the time they submit their application. The chart below plots the number of hours 2019 candidates listed under the AMCAS Experience section. While early research experiences may have been relatively simple and limited in scope, competitive candidates will demonstrate their ability to independently develop and conduct hypothesis-driven research projects.
