Application

[selldrugs22]

Hey guys, what amount of volunteering hours would we need to be competitive. How many of these hours should be clinical volunteering hours

And as far as extracurriculars go, would coaching and playing soccer be ok to put down?

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[Sweatshirt]

Coaching yes. Soccer depends. If you play intramurals or leagues with friends for fun I'd say no.

Just my opinion. I'd like to see another one

 

[brittany24]

I don't know what makes a competitive number. I had nearly 300 hospital hours in the ER and other patient floors, and I did a healthcare mission trip in China, ~ 130 hours.
Anything leadership related helps a lot. Try to become president of a club, tutor, mentor, etc. Coaching would be fine for ECs but in my opinion it doesn't make you competitive for pod school. What about volunteering to help teach kids or adults something? Consistency matters, so pick an involvement that you like and can stick with for a few months - years. Good luck!

 

[bilateralmedialsesmoid]

Personally I did 325 hrs of community service, 200 hrs of clinic shadowing/assisting, and saw 8 surgeries.

Coaching and soccer are fine. In fact many podiatry students are heavily involved in this area of extracurricular activities.

 

[SLCpod]

The most heavily weighed stats on your application will be your MCAT and GPA. Don't go and try to do some sort of crazy amount of service/shadowing which will compromise those two stats. You can get away with shadowing once or twice and doing service one or two hours a week. You can get your service hours by joining a club at your school and participating in all the service projects. You want to have an application that shows you are a well rounded person.

 

[bulldog1123]

The most heavily weighed stats on your application will be your MCAT and GPA. Don't go and try to do some sort of crazy amount of service/shadowing which will compromise those two stats. You can get away with shadowing once or twice and doing service one or two hours a week. You can get your service hours by joining a club at your school and participating in all the service projects. You want to have an application that shows you are a well rounded person.

Maybe it is because I have a weak undergrad GPA but NYCPM told me they would like me to shadow multiple DPMs (i have 100 some hours already shadowing Dr. John Ruch, DPM which I assumed would be enough since he is a big name in the pod field) so maybe shadowing once or twice might not be enough.

 

[SLCpod]

Maybe it is because I have a weak undergrad GPA but NYCPM told me they would like me to shadow multiple DPMs (i have 100 some hours already shadowing Dr. John Ruch, DPM which I assumed would be enough since he is a big name in the pod field) so maybe shadowing once or twice might not be enough.

I would do what admissions says to do. Great on you for calling and asking them what they think of your stats. You have a unique situation due your grades and most recent MCAT score.

I think selldrugs should follow your example and call some schools and get an idea of what they are looking for. It also makes a great opportunity to make a positive impression on those who might weigh into the selection process.