Another "My Chances?" Thread...

[gobraves]

---

Members do not see this ad.

So I know I'm not the first to post something like this, but I've seen that quite a few people have received some good/honest feedback, so here's my go at it...

I'll start with the stats: 3.0 cGPA, 2.71 sGPA, 23 MCAT.
Experience: I have worked as a physical therapist's assistant and a nurse's aid on a med/surg floor for a year, I did a year and a half of clinical research for a doctor of internal medicine, now I'm almost a year into doing clinical research for a cardiologist in a cardiac cath lab. I have quite a few hours shadowing a local DPM as well.

If you can, please just let me know how well I stack up, and if possible, which schools I should look at as realistic. Thank you very much.

 

[gobraves]

To clarify the MCAT, it was 9 Verbal, 7 Physical Science, 7 Biological Science.

 

[215353]

So I know I'm not the first to post something like this, but I've seen that quite a few people have received some good/honest feedback, so here's my go at it...

I'll start with the stats: 3.0 cGPA, 2.71 sGPA, 23 MCAT.
Experience: I have worked as a physical therapist's assistant and a nurse's aid on a med/surg floor for a year, I did a year and a half of clinical research for a doctor of internal medicine, now I'm almost a year into doing clinical research for a cardiologist in a cardiac cath lab. I have quite a few hours shadowing a local DPM as well.

If you can, please just let me know how well I stack up, and if possible, which schools I should look at as realistic. Thank you very much.

This is a tough one because for podiatric medical school admissions your MCAT score is just dandy.

Unfortunately your sGPA is below a 3.0 and that kind puts a red flag on your application. It's nice you have these other ECs but all podiatric admissions committees really care about is your shadowing experience with podiatric physician. They care about that AND your stats (MCAT + GPA) mostly.

Personally, I still think you can gain an acceptance to some of the podiatric medical schools because of your MCAT score. I'm not going to list schools that I think you can get accepted to because that will just start a flame war but to be safe I would just apply to all of them and just see what happens. I think you will end up getting in somewhere.

One thing I would def do is make sure you get that DPM you are shadowing to write you a kick ass LOR. That will def help a lot.

 

[iLoveLamp85]

I don't think it's important for the schools to have a strong recommendation from a podiatrist as much as it is for the individual.... Schools get good recs from podiatrists ALL the time...that isn't a deal breaker/maker -- it's your stats....with your stats you'll surely be fine for at least half of the schools....
...podiatry schools will grant you an interview if you have the stats they require at minimum and if you don't have those stats, they won't grant you the interview....its purely stats (of course, certain podiatry schools tend to have lower standards than other podiatry schools and collectively lower when compared to other health professions schools)....not other stuff...I know this from experience and just applied myself after thinking long n hard about whether this is truly what I want to do....!

bottom line - you got the numbers- you'll get your shot ...👍

Good Luck!

 

[DocterImposter]

...podiatry schools will grant you an interview if you have the stats they require at minimum and if you don't have those stats, they won't grant you the interview....its purely stats not other stuff...

So in applying to pod school all they care about is MCAT/GPA?
I have alot of shadowing and volunteering, along with some research projects that will probably result in publication...
Is it true that they dont care about that stuff??

 

[air bud]

no. they don't care, at least in my opinion. they want you to have minimal stats, be able to express(real or otherwise) an interest in podiatry, and be able to write your name on a check. this is just to get in though. yes, that other stuff my indirectly help you in the future, but i don't see it being of significance during the application process. i guess it might give you something to talk about during the interview too.

 

[DocterImposter]

damn i never realized that it wouldnt be important.. not that im relying on it but at this point i was hoping it might give me a boost to make up for an avg GPA

thanks airbud

btw im assuming they could care less abt me starting a pre-podiatry club at my school too eh?

 

[dtrack22]

btw im assuming they could care less abt me starting a pre-podiatry club at my school too eh?

This one actually will help you IMO. Currently there are not enough quality applicants to fill every seat in each of the podiatry programs around the country (I'm stressing the "quality" part). Thats why air bud made the comment about GPA/MCAT being most important, and then followed it with their concern over how committed you are to the profession. A majority of the students entering the field are doing so because they couldn't get into an MD, DO, or Dental program *cough* kids with DAT scores *cough*. Therefore, podiatry programs are in an arms race to snatch up the most qualified (statistically speaking) students, hence the importance of GPA/MCAT. If you are an administrator and you can't fill your class with a few 28+ MCAT's then your average is gonna tank and make your school less appealing to the first batch of students (typically the 28+ MCATs) who apply the next year. That cycle continues and your stuck with a rep like Ohio's. By starting a pre-pod program in your school it shows that you've taken a somewhat vested interest in the profession before even stepping foot onto a pod campus for an interview. This shows interviewers that you are going into podiatry because you WANT to not because you've exhausted all of your resources.

There's a reason every interview you go to asks "why podiatry" and not "why medicine"...

 

[air bud]

dtrack, you must be spending too much time on the slopes, you seem to be coughing a lot. we just got done doing respiratory infections in micro, maybe with a little more info I could diagnose it. anyways, I agree with dtrack, the pre-pod club is great. wow. i am brilliant, just thought of something. Do you live near a school? If your pre-pod club is of decent size,call the school closest to you and see if they would be interested in having an admissions person come talk to your club. That would seal the deal in my opinion.

 

[215353]

I agree with all the above statements BUT I still feel a LOR from a pod who is an alumni at a particular school you are applying to can go a long way. I wanted Scholl, the Pod I was shadowing forever was an alumni of Scholl. I expressed to him my desire to be there and he ended up writing me 2 LORs (1 when I applied and another after I interviewed) on my behalf. When you have a alumnus speaking so strongly on your behalf, I really feel admissions committees do take that into consideration along with everything else on your application.

 

[dtrack22]

Funny you should say that air bud. Called in sick on Saturday so I could go up to the mountain. Amazing how a day on the slopes can cure just about anything. Respitraory illnesses seem to scare employers who can't afford to lose other salesmen during a big sale, so they don't ask questions and tell you to come back when you aren't contagious. And yeah, you are brilliant...

And to studywithfury, I doubt the LOR from the alumni did much to get you in. If you apply at the beginning of the cycle then all you need is a GPA/MCAT that is somewhere near the school's average for matriculating students. It's an arms race. Explaining why temple grants interviews before fully reviewing your application.

 

[sorham]

I agree if you have the gpa and the MCAT scores you will get in, as long as you are not crazy in the interview. That's just how it is because the applicant pool is so much smaller than other medical fields. However for those who have lower than average gpa or MCAT and are on the bubble competing with others with lower than average stats, the extracurriculars and letters may be beneficial to get you through.

 

[air bud]

if your letter was from a successful, well known alumni that is one thing. But believe it or not, the school does not remember every Tom, Dick and Harry. You have to be good academically or clinically or be Thetachi if you want to stand out.


sorry, that last sentence didnt really fit, I just wanted to give a shout-out to my man theta.

 

[DocterImposter]

thanks for all the answers guys!
coincidentally of the two pods that i shadow, one is an alumni from NYCPM..which is where i want to go and he is a pretty well known dr 'round these parts as far as i can tell