No it is not

it can be a part of regular MD if you chose physician scientist for a practice scenario

gah dang it, I should've chose something else brooooo

Wait I’m confused. Does the question automatically show up if you pick physician scientist? I thought they just highly recommend that those who choose physician scientist, chose PTSP, which would then display this question.

yeah, it automatically pops up if you pick physician scientist. Regardless of whether you choose MD or PTSP. If you choose physician scientist as a practice scenario, it does make sense to apply to PTSP. You don’t have to though

Ah, ok thanks yo

Title: International applicant with no research experience interested in Stanford Med School

Hi everyone! I’m an international student completing my undergraduate degree in the U.S. on an F-1 visa, and I’m hoping to apply to MD programs. Stanford Medical School is a school I’m very interested in, but I also understand that admission is extremely difficult, particularly for international applicants.

Honestly, I’m trying to figure out how realistic this goal is for me and what I would need to do to become a competitive applicant.

For context, I currently have around a 3.7 GPA, am working toward a 515+ MCAT, and have clinical, volunteering, and leadership experiences. However, I currently have 0 research experience, which is one of the areas I’m most concerned about.

For people who have applied to Stanford, especially international applicants:

How significant of a disadvantage is having no research experience at this point?

How much research experience would you recommend building before applying?

Does research need to result in publications/posters, or is meaningful involvement in a lab enough?

How important are clinical and non-clinical experiences compared with research?

How much does being an international or F-1 student affect the admissions process?

If you were in my position, what would you prioritize over the next 1–2 years?

Would you consider Stanford a realistic reach for someone with my current profile, or an extremely unlikely option?

I’m genuinely looking for realistic feedback, even if the answer is that I have a lot of work to do. I’d rather know that now and use the next couple of years wisely than build my application around unrealistic expectations.

Thank you!

Stanford (and every one of the super prestigious MD programs tbh) are research institutions first and foremost. While I'm sure people get in without research, they tend to be very accomplished in some other way. You don't need publications, but I'd imagine that most successful applicants at least have a poster/presentation or two; generally, research independence and leading a research project tends to lead to those sorts of things. Clinical experience is always important because you're applying for medical school, you need to show that you have the traits and medical exposure to be a good physician. Stanford and similar schools also put a lot of value into leadership because they're explicitly seeking people who will be leaders in the healthcare system: lots of students there have policy/advocacy leadership, entrepreneurship experience, that kind of stuff.

I'll keep it a buck with you, Stanford is extremely, extremely unlikely with your profile: stats aren't everything, but your numbers are below Stanford's medians, no research indicates a lack of alignment with their mission, and it doesn't look like you have another really meaningful activity to balance out those downsides. International students are also substantially disadvantaged in this process, especially given the current political administration and climate in the US.

Definitely don't mean to sound discouraging, but you asked for honest feedback and I wanted to respect that. If you want to maximize your odds, it's really important that you kill the MCAT (like 520+) and have some research experience under your belt.

Thank you for being honest; I really appreciate it. I definitely understand where you're coming from, especially regarding research and the MCAT.

Research is actually the area I'm most concerned about right now because I currently have 0 research experience. I'm trying to find opportunities at UTSA, but I've had difficulty getting into a lab since some opportunities prefer students with prior experience. I also don't currently have a driver's license or car, which makes it harder to pursue opportunities outside of UTSA.

I know Stanford/Harvard-level schools are an extremely difficult goal, especially as an international student, so I'm not expecting to be competitive right now. I'm more interested in figuring out what I can realistically do over the next couple of years to improve my application.

If you were in my position, would you prioritize getting sustained research experience first, or would you focus on building all of the areas (research, clinical, service, leadership) simultaneously while aiming for a 520+ MCAT?

It really depends on your personal capabilities. Some people are able to juggle a bunch of activities at once and succeed, and others aren't. The most important thing is that you excel: if that means focusing on one thing at a time, do that. You also don't want to let your GPA drop any more; like a 3.7 won't get you screened out of anything, but it's definitely on the low side for these sorts of schools. GPA repair is also the most challenging and expensive thing to do in this entire process, so getting good grades should really be your top priority.