They asked about podiatry, not DO school. I'm not sure why people try to constantly throw DO into the conversation when someone with decent stats asks about pod. For a lot of people this is their first choice, not a fallback.
You're good for most of the schools. AZPOD might be hard since they have a higher average gpa but your mcat is ok. Don't retake it. Apply early and you should have success!
Some schools will. You just have to put in your application early and be able to explain why you feel your MCAT score is so low. Some people put a lot of emphasis on your MCAT score, while others do not. Your other stats are very good so everything should balance out. Bigger schools will probably be your best bet, but If a school like Western has 17 in their range, you should apply there as well. Applying early is going to be the key
. Good luck to you and I wish you all of the best.
Temple, NY and Scholl will most likely give you a shot. DMU is will be a bit tougher with your science GPA. Not saying it is impossible, but DMU has less seats available than the other 3 schools and usually gets some pretty competitive applicants. I would still apply to all of them and hope for the very best. I wish you the best of luck. You will get in somewhere for sure this upcoming cycle.
Some schools will. You just have to put in your application early and be able to explain why you feel your MCAT score is so low. Some people put a lot of emphasis on your MCAT score, while others do not. Your other stats are very good so everything should balance out. Bigger schools will probably be your best bet, but If a school like Western has 17 in their range, you should apply there as well. Applying early is going to be the key
Most schools just look at a cumulative score. I know schools like Kent want at least a 5 in all sections, but they're the only school that I know of that is looking for a minimum section score. To answer your question, I don't believe that they look at section scores. They look at 1 cumulative score to determine admissions. They may review the scores of each individual section, but they wont break up all of your test by section. I hope this helps.
They take the highest of all test taken. If you feel that you did poorly, I would consider taking it again. If you dont want to take it again, make sure you apply as early as possible to avoid being on the negative end of the curve. Podiatry is becoming increasingly more popular and with that comes more difficulty in gaining admissions. Just do your best. You GPA is high enough to catch the eye of the admissions committee. You will most likely get in somewhere. Hope this helps. Rooting for you.
I would shadow someone until you feel that they are comfortable enough to write you a letter. Be proactive when you shadow. Don't look at shadowing as a requirement. Ask questions, do research on the procedures being performed, etc. This will let the podiatrist know that you are serious and increase the odds of them writing you a good letter. The admissions committee will look at all of your grades and ask questions as to why you did poorly in a specific course. If you retake, it could potentially increase you GPA slightly, or give you a back-out to that question. Retaking wont hurt, but I wouldn't if i didn't have to. Its a waste of money in my opinion. If you are able to apply, don't waste the time or the money retaking a course you've already passed. Hope this helps.
DO's once received the same type of treatment from their MD counterparts. There have been issues in the past with parity and respect issues, but those are slowly beginning to fade. From what I've seen, there hasn't been much negativity (at least from what I've seen). Others may have stories of encounters with this type of issue. Go into the field because you love it. I feel that there may be some disparity between MD/DO's and DPM's due to admission standards. Podiatry schools are significantly easier to get into than MD/DO schools. Although the schooling, once accepted, is very similar, this causes MD/DO's to frown upon the "lesser" applicant pool. This is changing as well. As podiatry becomes increasingly more popular, it will attract stronger applicant. The applicant pool is also smaller because many students are choosing to specialize very early in their career. MD/DO gives you the opportunity to "pick" a medical specialty that doesn't have to deal with the foot and ankle. Although there are sub-specialties in podiatry (surgery, biomechanics, sports medicine, etc.) they still all lead back to the foot and ankle. Many people prefer not to specialize so early on in their career. I hope this clears up a few things, but there is so much more to this than the few things that I listed. Anyone else can feel free to chime in on what they've heard or experienced.Ok, then i guess its safe to retake the test? (Just wanted to be absolutely positive about this decision)
You are right about podiatry becoming more popular now...ive been reading a lot of other threads and many have been mentioning how the field doesnt get much respect. why is that? podiatry school is pretty much a medical school b/c of similar classes taken. why do people have such negative views on pods? like many said, getting in is the easy part, but finishing is the kicker...so if ppl know that, why the disrespect (even from DO's).
Thank you so much, i really appreciate your kind words of encouragement!
There are several factors to consider with this. Pay depends on how much you work, what you're capable of doing, and what you actually do. For podiatry, the money is not really in surgery. For example, for a breast augmentation, a plastic surgeon can charge anywhere from $5000 to $8000. This is a standard procedure that generally takes 2-3 hours to complete. A TAR (total ankle replacement) is a fairly involved procedure. This procedure takes roughly 4 hours to complete on average and usually compensates around $5000 for the surgeon. Although these are pretty comparable, specialties such as plastic surgery have more of these procedures available. Bunions, Morton's Neuromas, MPJ fusions, etc. will not pay out this much. For those that want to be primarily surgical, this is something that you're going to have to consider. Most of your money is made in clinic. There are some podiatrist out there the bring home a hefty salary, but this is not always the case. From what I've seen, most podiatrist are comfortable. You most likely won't gross 7 figures a year, but you should be comfortable. I won't speak too much on salary, because it varies so much based on different things. These are all questions that you should bring up when you shadow. While your podiatrist may not give you his/her specific take-home salary, they should be willing to put you in the ballpark. Hope this helps.
My opinion dont retake the MCAT because you've got a good enough score. Your cGPA is not bad but your science is a little on the low side, but still above 3.0 so you should be good. Id say apply to the schools you want to attend and you will most likely get interviews at most of them. Good luck and hopefully this helps.
Sorry to say, but your numbers are just too low. You will definitely have a hard time and waste a lot of money if you apply with your current scenario. Extracurricular matter to an extent but only if your numbers are close, which yours are not, especially your science gpa.
I'm in the similar ballpark as you. I did not make a strong effort and was apathetic in undergrad and am paying for it now. My GPA for undergrad was similar to yours. I got a 22 on the MCAT. Currently I am in a Biology Masters program and have a 3.66 and am applying this upcoming cycle. From my discussions with some schools, my masters will be helping me to show I'm able to do upper level work but some have recommended me to take the MCAT again. I think you have a good amount of repair work to do before you consider applying as I have done.
I was guaranteed a spot if I got waitlisted. I was interviewed for a wait list position but they didn't give me a position. I'm not sure if that makes sense haha. Basically it's the same as if I was interviewed for a normal seat and they said no. Hope that's more clear.
I didn't have a DPM LOR. I was surprised I got an interview as well. I was planning on just shadowing and reapplying this August but since they invited me for an interview I spent my time preparing for that rather than shadowing.
Do you have any tips for interviewing? I felt like I wasn't talking well. Like sometimes I had a hard time explaining why I wanted to go into podiatry and I would stumble over my words. I was also sick during my interview so sometimes it was hard to speak. Also are you a current pod student and if so where do you go? Also thanks for the encouragement.
Just be yourself. Make a list of things you like about podiatry. If you don't have a very big list then maybe it isn't for you. I am sure you will fall in love with it when you shadow and get some exposure to what a DPM does. You can go to the interview feedback tab at the top of the page and find some helpful links.Do you have any tips for interviewing? I felt like I wasn't talking well. Like sometimes I had a hard time explaining why I wanted to go into podiatry and I would stumble over my words. I was also sick during my interview so sometimes it was hard to speak. Also are you a current pod student and if so where do you go? Also thanks for the encouragement.
