This post won’t be very long because there isn’t much to say that hasn’t been said elsewhere, more for completion. I won’t be comparing MD versus MD-PhD programs because the difference is more straightforward.

There are many factors at play when deciding which programs to apply to and eventually attend. Everyone will have different weights that they apply to different factors of each program, and because this is so individualized it can be hard to talk about factors outside of the obvious. However, because the time of these programs are so long, I think it’s really important to consider factors that influence your life outside of training, as it will continue alongside your medical and graduate education. In this first post, I’m going to write about assessing research strengths of an institution, how to talk about the alignment of your research experience with institutional expertise, and how timing can influence your decision process.