Answering a difficult interview question

[Othello]

So I've had a couple interviews at Scholl and New York. The question that I'm repeatedly asked and am having trouble are:

1. Explain your low biology gpa (2.6- 2 c's in bio lab, c+ in bio 1 and b+ in bio 2 and a b in anatomy 1) and low mcat (489- very low science subsections) and how do you think you will be able to handle the rigors of Pod school

The answer I've been giving is that my study skills have improved but unfortunately Pod schools don't think so.

2. Why podiatry- I said sports medicine is the main reason behind my decision to become a Podiatrist but again they think that this is a BS answer. One interviewer even asked my what made me change from pre med to pre pod, even though this isn't the case lol.

as such I haven't been accepted anywhere. I have interviews at Kent, DMU, and Western later this month. Do you guys have any tips on how to answer these questions? Thanks a lot!

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[Dr2U]

So I've had a couple interviews at Scholl and New York. The question that I'm repeatedly asked and am having trouble are:

1. Explain your low biology gpa (2.6- 2 c's in bio lab, c+ in bio 1 and b+ in bio 2 and a b in anatomy 1) and low mcat (489- very low science subsections) and how do you think you will be able to handle the rigors of Pod school

The answer I've been giving is that my study skills have improved but unfortunately Pod schools don't think so.

2. Why podiatry- I said sports medicine is the main reason behind my decision to become a Podiatrist but again they think that this is a BS answer. One interviewer even asked my what made me change from pre med to pre pod, even though this isn't the case lol.

as such I haven't been accepted anywhere. I have interviews at Kent, DMU, and Western later this month. Do you guys have any tips on how to answer these questions? Thanks a lot!

1. Has your gpa shown a increase over the years? How was your course load at the time? You could say something about you struggling in bio at first, but you got a B+ in bio 2 once you learned the best way to study. Best way to answer how do you think you will handle podiatry school is to really think about it. If you have so much material that it may take you 6 hours to complete, are you up for it? How can you prove it?

Your stats are not very competitive, even perfect interview answers can't save you. Maybe retake the mcat, or do a rigorous masters to show you improved your study skills.

2. Sports medicine is pretty general. You can do that in allopathic or osteopathic medical schools, even as a physical therapist. So why are you choosing to do it in podiatric medical schools? You'll need to give a more specific answer other than just 'sports medicine'. There's so many other aspects to podiatry.

Goodluck with the rest of your interviews.

 

[Weirdy]

So I've had a couple interviews at Scholl and New York. The question that I'm repeatedly asked and am having trouble are:

1. Explain your low biology gpa (2.6- 2 c's in bio lab, c+ in bio 1 and b+ in bio 2 and a b in anatomy 1) and low mcat (489- very low science subsections) and how do you think you will be able to handle the rigors of Pod school

The answer I've been giving is that my study skills have improved but unfortunately Pod schools don't think so.

2. Why podiatry- I said sports medicine is the main reason behind my decision to become a Podiatrist but again they think that this is a BS answer. One interviewer even asked my what made me change from pre med to pre pod, even though this isn't the case lol.

as such I haven't been accepted anywhere. I have interviews at Kent, DMU, and Western later this month. Do you guys have any tips on how to answer these questions? Thanks a lot!

1. I didn't know how to study properly and was not coming in for help. Instead of doing practice problems and putting in the time, I was staring at powerpoints hoping to memorize it. MCAT scores saw improvement so even though they asked, I simply outlined what I did different each time to get a better score. Did not have an answer when they asked "Your school workload is a lot lighter than what you'll see in podiatry school. How will you overcome this?" I owned up to it and said even though I'd never taken more than 14-15 hrs per semester, I had to work part-time and wished I was financially stable enough to have time to study instead of working. Also told them even though I've never taken such a huge courseload before, I would *name xyz steps* to be successful.

2. Liked what I saw when I was shadowing. Has a lot to offer. Can be palliative care, surgical, or a combination of both. Life style does not require on call like MD/DO professions.

Western curriculum is one of the, if not, the hardest out of all pod schools. Their students come out extremely prepared for residency, but you have to perform at an appropriate level. And your undergrad GPA is the best indicator. Be prepared to answer for low grades. All interviewers will ask. Even Kent asked about my low sGPA. It was circled or highlighted on my file when I came in.

 

[Othello]

Thank you both for your help. I personally don't believe that my gpa is the issue, as my sgpa is a 3.4 and overall is a 3.6. My bio is low bc the courses I got C's in were courses that focused on plants and ecology, things that didn't interest me and I'm one of those students who does poorly if I'm not interested in the class.

I recognize the mcat is quite low. If the next 3 interviews don't go well, what would you guys suggest, retake the mcat or take 2-3 cc bio courses. I personally don't think getting a masters is feasible at this point (too much loans as it is from undergrad. Plus my gpas are on par with marticulants as well).

 

[Weirdy]

Thank you both for your help. I personally don't believe that my gpa is the issue, as my sgpa is a 3.4 and overall is a 3.6. My bio is low bc the courses I got C's in were courses that focused on plants and ecology, things that didn't interest me and I'm one of those students who does poorly if I'm not interested in the class.

I recognize the mcat is quite low. If the next 3 interviews don't go well, what would you guys suggest, retake the mcat or take 2-3 cc bio courses. I personally don't think getting a masters is feasible at this point (too much loans as it is from undergrad. Plus my gpas are on par with marticulants as well).

Oh then you're fine. Thought you meant your current sGPA was 2.6.

Retake MCAT.

Your GPAs are fine and a Masters is a waste of time and money.

 

[Dr2U]

Thank you both for your help. I personally don't believe that my gpa is the issue, as my sgpa is a 3.4 and overall is a 3.6. My bio is low bc the courses I got C's in were courses that focused on plants and ecology, things that didn't interest me and I'm one of those students who does poorly if I'm not interested in the class.

I recognize the mcat is quite low. If the next 3 interviews don't go well, what would you guys suggest, retake the mcat or take 2-3 cc bio courses. I personally don't think getting a masters is feasible at this point (too much loans as it is from undergrad. Plus my gpas are on par with marticulants as well).

I agree, don't bother with the masters. I'm surprised they brought up your bio gpa based on a few Cs. You could let them know the ecology and evolution aspect of biology was something you struggled in because you weren't ever exposed to it before, or it simply didn't interest you. TBH my university is working on slowly removing it from our curriculum because they know it's a waste of time.

The issue is definitely your mcat, or maybe lack of experience? Scholl told me they look at your application holistically. Even though my interview isn't until december, they told me i was ranked really high on their panel. My mcat sucked (493) but i have a 3.9cgpa and 3.81 sgpa. Rest of my application was very strong tho. You could call back the schools and ask how you can improve your application for the next cycle. I think that would be your best advice.

 

[Weirdy]

I agree, don't bother with the masters. I'm surprised they brought up your bio gpa based on a few Cs. You could let them know the ecology and evolution aspect of biology was something you struggled in because you weren't ever exposed to it before, or it simply didn't interest you. TBH my university is working on slowly removing it from our curriculum because they know it's a waste of time.

The issue is definitely your mcat, or maybe lack of experience? Scholl told me they look at your application holistically. Even though my interview isn't until december, they told me i was ranked really high on their panel. My mcat sucked (493) but i have a 3.9cgpa and 3.81 sgpa. Rest of my application was very strong tho. You could call back the schools and ask how you can improve your application for the next cycle. I think that would be your best advice.

Goddam.

I'd offer my first born for those stats...

 

[DexterMorganSK]

For the ques on how you would handle a Pod curriculum: I would talk about the study technique they want to hear. Like, pre-reading before the lecture, then attending and taking notes during lecture, afterwards re-reading to fill any gaps, and finally on weekends doing ques and group studies, etc. Get help from Profs and attend TA/Tutoring sessions if needed.

I would register for one of the Jan mcat to show the schools that you're serious. Good luck!

 

[TheCzechShrek]

Life style does not require on call like MD/DO professions.

This is actually a fairly big reason why I am choosing Podiatry over other fields (obviously not the main one, but a big player), but I'm worried about saying this in an interview. Is the "lifestyle" answer looked down upon at all? Or should it just be emphasized like how I said it, plays a role but wasn't the sole determining factor?

 

[plant based]

This is actually a fairly big reason why I am choosing Podiatry over other fields (obviously not the main one, but a big player), but I'm worried about saying this in an interview. Is the "lifestyle" answer looked down upon at all? Or should it just be emphasized like how I said it, plays a role but wasn't the sole determining factor?

I talked about how I liked the lifestyle in my interviews - but not that it was the sole factor, as you said. It seemed totally fine!

 

[Weirdy]

This is actually a fairly big reason why I am choosing Podiatry over other fields (obviously not the main one, but a big player), but I'm worried about saying this in an interview. Is the "lifestyle" answer looked down upon at all? Or should it just be emphasized like how I said it, plays a role but wasn't the sole determining factor?

I talked about how I liked the lifestyle in my interviews - but not that it was the sole factor, as you said. It seemed totally fine!

Exactly what plantbased said.

Instead of explicitly stating "this profession is a bit more relaxing than MD/DO", I said it to the tune of "the work hours allow me to pursue other interests that I value such as family time and church on weekends. I observed this even with the podiatrists I shadowed who had time to renovate their lakehouse or work on a side business. With an alternate profession such as MD/DO, I may not have the same flexibility".