I'm sure you guys are sick of this..but... What are my chances?

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Hello
I've been lurking here for a while now.. and I shall cut to the chase.
I've gotten interview offers from DMU, OCPM, NYCPM, and CSPM so far.
I'm really excited and everything, but I really would like to see if I really have a chance in
getting into DMU or OCPM.

My stats:
Overall GPA: 3.48
sGPA: 3.36
MCAT: 20O, v6, bs8, ps6.

Extra C activities: Shadowing, Hospital Volunteering, working at Optometry office.

I have another MCAT coming up in late April.
I've scheduled an interview with OCPM on 4/16 so far.
I'm pretty sure I'll schedule an interview with DMU really soon as well.

I'm really worried if I'd be conditionally accepted or just plain rejected because of my MCAT score.. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
Thank you so much in advance!

The MCAT is a bit low, but your GPA is fine. If you attended a competitive undergrad university then it would also be looked upon favorably. They also would look at your upper division science courses. If you have all A's in those, you're pretty much set. But, just blow em all away by improving the MCAT, and you'll definitely get in.

What happened with your MCAT?

Originally Posted by AttackNME

What happened with your MCAT?

Well.. It's been 2 years since I graduated. I've been working pretty much ever since, and haven't really prepared too much to be honest.

Originally Posted by hisuida

Well.. It's been 2 years since I graduated. I've been working pretty much ever since, and haven't really prepared too much to be honest.

you have 100 percent chance of entering ocpm

Originally Posted by ravin66

you have 100 percent chance of entering ocpm

Really? Are you on the Admissions Committee?

Let's say I interviewed For 15 minutes there and go accepted the next day wih similar stats.

Doesn't that imply that their admissions committee works faster than those of other schools? I have mad deduction skillz

Not really, it just felt like they didn't really look at me or got to know me during the interview.

Their whole thing is "We want you to be comfortable." Apparently, if you're offered an interview there, you already are academically eligible. I think they just wanna make sure you're not crazy. Doesn't take that long for that. If you want hard interviews, DMU and Scholl are tough. DMU throws off the wall questions at you, and Scholl interviewers are just downright unreadable...

Originally Posted by SuperFeisty

Their whole thing is "We want you to be comfortable." Apparently, if you're offered an interview there, you already are academically eligible. I think they just wanna make sure you're not crazy. Doesn't take that long for that. If you want hard interviews, DMU and Scholl are tough. DMU throws off the wall questions at you, and Scholl interviewers are just downright unreadable...

Ahh! You just made me nervous. Why do you say they are "unreadable"?
Scholl is my first interview

Oh... they give no facial or body cues that they like you. They just kinda stare and throw questions at you... Dr. Fleischer is just downright scary... DMU was tough but towards the end, I got them smiling and chatting amongst themselves. Scholl was just meh...

ooo ok i know what you mean. I hate that. I just feel like an idiot when interviewees are like that!

At dmu we spent 30 min talking about capoeira and my favorite foods

Ummm.. Ok, so I got interview offers from OCPM, DMU, SMU, NYCPM, Temple and Barry so far.
I'm getting really really scared and anxious since interviews are lining up and I realize my MCAT scores are just horribly horrible. I am studying as much as I can for the April MCAT, and I...really am scared I'd get rejected or conditionally accepted.

ARGGG... Anyways, I am thinking of interviewing at OCPM, DMU and Temple for sure. I got a late confirmation from Scholl that they got my applications as well.

Do schools usually offer interviews for people with horrible MCAT scores?

Originally Posted by hisuida

Ummm.. Ok, so I got interview offers from OCPM, DMU, SMU, NYCPM, Temple and Barry so far.
I'm getting really really scared and anxious since interviews are lining up and I realize my MCAT scores are just horribly horrible. I am studying as much as I can for the April MCAT, and I...really am scared I'd get rejected or conditionally accepted.

ARGGG... Anyways, I am thinking of interviewing at OCPM, DMU and Temple for sure. I got a late confirmation from Scholl that they got my applications as well.

Do schools usually offer interviews for people with horrible MCAT scores?

I wouldn't worry too much. From what I've seen it looks like they look at your entire application when evaluating you as an applicant. At this point in the cycle I don't think they would interview you if they weren't a little interested. It could be the case that they just ask that you raise the MCAT. That's better than a rejection! Just try not to get to anxious. You worrying now won't make any difference come interview day. Just stay calm and prepare the best you can. We're all rooting for you

I'm sure you'll be asked about your MCAT score being on the low side, but just be honest and don't try to make excuses for it. Odds are the rest of your interview will be super laid back and they'll be looking to get to know who you are and figure out if you'll fit in (and if you think they're a good fit too!) You'll be fine. Good luck!

Thank you Ntran1986 and freckles1109 for your comments and encouragement! It really helped a lot
So, a bit of an update!

DMU interviews were quite nerve wrecking, and I really have no idea how I did... I'm still waiting for results, and I am hoping to get some word by Monday.

I got accepted to OCPM I got the acceptance letter today. I really think I was way more calm and was able to say everything I meant to say at the DMU interview at OCPM, so I was pretty confident about OCPM.
I will update this thread with results from DMU I hope this helps future incoming DPM students!

Please stop spreading this interview anxiety nonsense. The interviews are very lax....

Originally Posted by Ferocity

Please stop spreading this interview anxiety nonsense. The interviews are very lax....

I don't think I'm spreading interview anxiety? I was/am just concerned because of my less than stellar MCAT scores.
I would clarify that the DMU interview was a bit more nerve wrecking for me since I didn't know what to expect and they didn't ask the
questions I'd thought they'd ask.
But yeah! It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be

Originally Posted by Ferocity

Please stop spreading this interview anxiety nonsense. The interviews are very lax....

Did you interview at all 9 schools? I'm genuinely curious because there are some schools that are not 'lax'. I can see how some interviews could cause anxiety, especially for someone who may not be the best at interviewing, and would not dismiss someone's concerns so readily. There was a girl at one of my interviews who came out and said something to the effect of it being very different from what she expected and that he grilled her. She was physically shaking. Just so happens that the Dean (who normally interviews) was out of town and we got a clinical professor.

OP, not all interviews are lax, but most make you feel comfortable. Read the interview feedback, prepare accordingly, and you should be fine.

DMU interviews aren't lax, but they didn't ask off the wall questions, either.

I had good stats, and the areas that were lacking were questioned almost exactly as i expected them to be. I had poor grades for a semester, and they asked very simply and open-endedly, "what happened there?".

the only unexpected question was when I said I play guitar in my free time, and they asked what I would do if it came down to not having enough time to study and play guitar.

I felt comfortable enough with my interview at that point to joke that I would write songs about not having enough time to study, and immediately followed by saying that everything but my family and studying would be secondary, with no exceptions.

The trick to being comfortable in even the roughest interviews is to know above all else that you can succeed at the position, and confidently (but not arrogantly) making that same thing clear to the people interviewing you.

I just felt uncomfortable with DMU's "Tell me about yourself" before I even planted my rear into the chair. They then followed up with "if you had a patient who refused to listen to your post op treatment protocol, what would you do?" Oh Dr. Frush, you threw me a curveball there!

Originally Posted by SuperFeisty

I just felt uncomfortable with DMU's "Tell me about yourself" before I even planted my rear into the chair. They then followed up with "if you had a patient who refused to listen to your post op treatment protocol, what would you do?" Oh Dr. Frush, you threw me a curveball there!

I hope your answer was: "watch them suffer sadistically!" hahaha

Hmm...I'm glad I interviewed with who I did, then. I didn't get any ethical dilemmas.

Originally Posted by bobdolerson

Hmm...I'm glad I interviewed with who I did, then. I didn't get any ethical dilemmas.

Could have been your application. I didn't even get a "tell us about this..."

I was legitimately asked, "you were very busy in undergrad, how are you going to handle the extra free time you will have here?"

I had a very strong application as far as pod schools are concerned...and I say that because I would have barely been an above average allo- applicant. But I didn't get a single difficult interview question, from any program. They were all incredibly social and if I wasn't talking with an interviewer about college athletics, ski patrol, etc. it was the obligatory "why podiatry?"

Outside of Western, where you will get the closed file, strictly "behavioral" questions, I'm confident in saying that the difficulty level of your interview will have a lot to do with the strength of your application. My 2 cents.

hey dtrack, what you say is "easy" for you in an interview isn't necessarily the same for other students. I am not a strong interviewer, so maybe what I thought was tough would be a walk in the park for you. To make a conclusion that difficulty of interview corresponds with competitiveness of application is a bit of a stretch, especially considering the limited anecdotal evidence available here on the forums.

Originally Posted by SuperFeisty

hey dtrack, what you say is "easy" for you in an interview isn't necessarily the same for other students. I am not a strong interviewer, so maybe what I thought was tough would be a walk in the park for you. To make a conclusion that difficulty of interview corresponds with competitiveness of application is a bit of a stretch, especially considering the limited anecdotal evidence available here on the forums.

I would consider an ethical question like the one you received, or an "explain this weakness in your application" like others have stated to be "difficult". Would you disagree? Also, my post made no assumption about the "ease" of the interview as it relates to interview skills, so that comment you made has nothing to do with my previous response.

And to say that difficult interviews correspond with the strength of your application is not a stretch at all. If you have holes in your app, do you expect the interviewer to probe a little? Ask some "difficult" questions? I sure do. So, more holes = more probing questions about your deficiencies and more questions about your deficiencies = a more difficult interview.

I've been looking at this limited anecdotal evidence on SDN for about 4 years now, on top of discussions with my classmates as well as students from the class of 2013 and 2015. Like I said, I'm comfortable with my assumption.

I apologize for "easy". Sometimes when I read, my mind fills in the blanks. And to use anecdotal evidence, the big hole in my application (GPA) I did not address. I understand that you call certain things "difficult" compared to the more simple questions like "What hobbies do you enjoy." But difficult is inherently to the interviewee's own experience. I can say, at DMU and Scholl I had the toughest experiences while at other schools, many were extremely comfortable like you had previously stated. I'm totally fine with you having your opinion. My purpose wasn't to dissuade you, but rather remind that there are many other factors involved. The only ones who really know are the admissions committees.

Originally Posted by dtrack22

I'm confident in saying that the difficulty level of your interview will have a lot to do with the strength of your application. My 2 cents.

Agree. The holes in your application are most likely to make the interview 'difficult'. Otherwise, it's just a conversation.

Originally Posted by hisuida

Ummm.. Ok, so I got interview offers from OCPM, DMU, SMU, NYCPM, Temple and Barry so far.
I'm getting really really scared and anxious since interviews are lining up and I realize my MCAT scores are just horribly horrible. I am studying as much as I can for the April MCAT, and I...really am scared I'd get rejected or conditionally accepted.

ARGGG... Anyways, I am thinking of interviewing at OCPM, DMU and Temple for sure. I got a late confirmation from Scholl that they got my applications as well.

Do schools usually offer interviews for people with horrible MCAT scores?

You applied this late in the cycle and got interviews from 6 schools? wow

Originally Posted by fanatic101

You applied this late in the cycle and got interviews from 6 schools? wow

As did I, not sure why it's so hard to believe.. The application deadline is in June...

Originally Posted by bmhsacosta

As did I, not sure why it's so hard to believe.. The application deadline is in June...

Admissions are rolling, so in theory, gaining acceptance into a school gets harder and harder as the cycle progresses.

Originally Posted by MaxillofacialMN

Admissions are rolling, so in theory, gaining acceptance into a school gets harder and harder as the cycle progresses.

I understand what you mean, but I'm also sure that people get waitlisted earlier in the cycle. Also interview isn't necessarily acceptance :P you have to show that you're normal.

Originally Posted by bmhsacosta

I understand what you mean, but I'm also sure that people get waitlisted earlier in the cycle. Also interview isn't necessarily acceptance :P you have to show that you're normal.

That's cool you got the interviews. You have a solid MCAT, great shadowing, but your GPA was a bit on the low side. But hey, now that you've got the interviews, none of that matters. I'm just surprised. Your low GPA (this late in the cycle!) is actually motivating me not to study for my biochem test on Thursday!

I hate glycolysis, gluconeogenesis, CAC, and ETC with a passion.

Originally Posted by MaxillofacialMN

That's cool you got the interviews. You have a solid MCAT, great shadowing, but your GPA was a bit on the low side. But hey, now that you've got the interviews, none of that matters. I'm just surprised. Your low GPA (this late in the cycle!) is actually motivating me not to study for my biochem test on Thursday!

I hate glycolysis, gluconeogenesis, CAC, and ETC with a passion.

True it is on the low side, but I am in to NYCPM. Upward trend I'm glad I can view these next interviews will a bit less stress. Just a note, as stated earlier, deficiencies on your app will be addressed. You know why blank happened, just ensure that you are prepared to answer questions about said deficiency.

Good luck in biochem!

Originally Posted by fanatic101

You applied this late in the cycle and got interviews from 6 schools? wow

Actually, I got interviews from everywhere I applied except for Scholl. It's weird.
Still waiting on word from DMU!

Originally Posted by hisuida

Still waiting on word from DMU!

Good luck!