DPM vs DPM/MD/DO while applying

[zdlamkin8195]

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Do the adcoms favor the applicants that state on their applicantions that they are only applying to DPM programs and not the DO/MD schools as well?

 

[Sabin]

🙂

 

[heybrother]

If you have stats that are competitive for MD/DO (and you aren't really weird in person) you are highly likely to be offered interviews at every school you apply to, and you will be accepted to whatever podiatry schools you interview at unless you apply at the very tail end of the cycle. The process isn't very competitive. I fretted over the process too and in the end there wasn't much reason to worry.

I've posted this a few times elsewhere, but I'll say it again now. If your numbers are around/above average, don't bother applying to all the schools. You will be offered interviews everywhere within 1-day to 2-weeks after your application is verified. Ask yourself - are there any schools/cities that I would NEVER live in under and circumstance. Save yourself some application money and airfare.

Last thing since I believe you've been around working for a few years and might know the value of a buck. Killing the MCAT pays for itself. I don't think my GPA was anything to write home about, but I was offered substantial cash by two different schools (not DMU) and I suspect it was because of MCAT (30).

 

[MaxillofacialMN]

Do the adcoms favor the applicants that state on their applicantions that they are only applying to DPM programs and not the DO/MD schools as well?

Probably. Pod schools are probably sick of MD/DO school rejects / students that use pod as a backup. These students probably won't like podiatry and either be miserable forever or just drop out after a few.

I guess my advice would be to pick which one you want more, and work for that one during this cycle. If it doesn't happen (ie you picked the MD/DO route and didn't get in), then apply next cycle for pod. (Or later in this cycle, like March, and take your chances).

Also, if you apply to pod schools right away, you'll have to interview, get accepted and either matriculate or reject their offer within like 5 weeks. Medical schools won't even have sent out their first acceptances by the time you need to decide what pod school your going to. So if you decide both, time it correctly (which could be tricky...), or just plan on losing your deposit to at least one school.

 

[Ferocity]

Probably. Pod schools are probably sick of MD/DO school rejects / students that use pod as a backup. These students probably won't like podiatry and either be miserable forever or just drop out after a few.

Why do you post stuff like this?

 

[Sabin]

🙂

 

[dyk343]

Some Famous Rejects.....

Henry Ford (Went broke 5 times before creating the Ford Motor company we know today.)
Dr. Seuss (His first book was rejected by 27 publishers)
Walt Disney (He was told he lacked imagination).
Steve Jobs (Given up at Birth)
Joan of Arc (Rejected by France. Told that a peasant girl could never free them from English Rule)
Abraham Lincoln (Lost 8 elections, had a nervous breakdown)
Tim Tebow (Told he would never win a HS state title, never play D1, never win a title in college, never win a Heisman, never be drafted in the 1st round, never win a playoff game especially against the Steelers...and at the very least if somehow he were to win a game by an insane fluke, it would not be thanks to his Intelligence to read their defense and exploit it with a pass, especially not during the FIRST EVER nonsudden death NFL overtime)

What separates these people from others is that they never gave up on their Dreams. Neither should anyone reading this.

Podiatry is an amazing field. Do not be discouraged to apply if you have applied to DMD, DO, MD, etc. Sometimes people find their callings later - if Podiatry is your calling...Pursue It! 👍

I'm not trying to pick on you, I'm really not. But did you have to throw Tim Tebow in that list? The only thing he did that really matters is ruin ESPN.

 

[Sabin]

I'm not trying to pick on you, I'm really not. But did you have to throw Tim Tebow in that list? The only thing he did that really matters is ruin ESPN.

We are just opposites, friend. Haha.

 

[MaxillofacialMN]

👍

Max you are posting an awful lot of pod admission advice lately. I find this highly bizarre considering you haven't even taken your MCAT nor been through the application process yourself.

I took my MCAT on Thursday, what's up!

Also, you are welcome to give advice too. I am just giving people my opinion on matters, and I have researched more about pod school, med school, and dental school than you would ever imagine. I personally own the MSAR, the dental equivalent, and the pod equivalent (which is like 50 pages compared to the others like 500 pages).

I've personally met with the dean of Columbia University Dental school, along with a few other deans from other professional schools, (like DMU's pod school two weeks ago), and been in correspondence with MANY admission counselors throughout the years.

Also, I honestly don't see what's wrong with what I posted... It's true that people shouldn't be going to pod school unless they know that's what they want to do.

When it comes to medicine, I don't believe admissions are something you should have a backup plan for unless you really don't want it. If you want an MD, you are going to go after that MD and apply through 3 cycles if you have to (another friend of mind got in on her third try this year, anecdotally). If you want a DPM, you will apply to DPM school until you can get in. During an interview at an MD school an adcom asks, "what will you do if you don't get in?" the correct response is, "Make myself a better applicant and apply until I get accepted," NOT "eh, I'll probably go to pod school or work at Arby's"

So basically, people can listen to my opinion or not, it's not for me to decide. Im happy to help and i think i have admission process dos and donts down pretty well, but if you dont value my opinion because I haven't gone through myself, that's up to you, not me. My status is pre-pod so others know what I'm saying, and I honestly believe I'm giving good advice. If you ever think anything I say is wrong, disagree with me, but I don't think your assessment of saying I help to many people with admissions stuff as a prepod, especially if you don't post on those threads too offering a counter opinion.

Also: I don't know whats wrong with the MD/DO reject statement/backup plan? Is it because some people are rejects on here and it hurts their feelings (that sounds derogatory, but I don't mean it as anything but an honest question)? Or because backup plans are okay?

I think if you're going to spend >$200k on your education, and the rest of your in one profession to pay it off, you better make sure you're happy, and a lot of times, back up plans don't make people happy.

I seriously want to know what's wrong with the statement, so I hope you didn't interpret anything sarcastically.

 

[zdlamkin8195]

Haha the Tebow drama has somehow creeped onto the SDN forum!

Anyways, I have average/above average stats but I am worried about the MCAT bc I will be taking it in the coming months but I haven't stepped foot in a science class since 2008/2009. The idea of some money for school is definitely motivation though!

 

[MaxillofacialMN]

Congrats, you applied to other health professional schools. So did I but you don't see me giving my stamp of approval on every single "what are my chances" posts. Applying to other professional schools doesn't make one an admissions expert but if you want to give your opinion you're free to do so but your posts come off like you "know" the ins/outs of what schools are looking for and I take exception to this. Schools look for different things in their applicants but there are other external factors that influence whether a student gets accepted or not. One being whether the school has even filled their class or not. If they haven't filled their class and it's late in the cycle you will see schools accepting more "risky" applicants than they really should. All those "at risk" students who post on here could actually get accepted but they wouldn't know after getting your informed advice. Will a lot of these kinds of students struggle? Yeah probably but several of them will also succeed. Being the profession is so small we need to recruit every able body possible and weed out them out if we have to. This occurs at almost every school (especially at the schools with larger class sizes). If 3/10 "at risk" students go all the way then that's a big win for the profession. That's three more competant podiatrists than we would have had. I know one student personally who was on academic probation in the beginning of the P1 year only to finish up with a 3.6 gpa. If this student took your advice this student might have not applied at all and that's wrong in my opinion.

I've also seen students post with more than adequate stats only to see you question their chances of being accepted. Again I find this all very peculiar considering you haven't even been accepted yet.

Your MD/DO reject statement didn't bother me because it's def true for some students who apply DPM right after they get rejected from medical school. BUT being a MD/DO reject myself, I at least did my due dilligence and researched this profession extensively before applying. Therefore making a generalized statement that all MD/DO rejects will never be happy in this profession is completely false. I don't like how this comes off.

Anyone with a 21 MCAT and 3.0 cGPA and sGPA can get into podiatry school and that's all anyone needs to know about the admissions process. This is the AVERAGE. Meaning students above and below this still get accepted too. Especially if it's late in the cycle and schools still need to fill spots.

Couple of things, I'm about to be a senior in undergrad so I haven't applied to other schools (not sure where you got that). Avg matriculant GPA is 3.3 cumulative and 3.1 science, 3.3 and 3.0 is a whole letter difference.

I have never discouraged anyone from applying, ever. If I have, please show me the post. I tell some people it will be more of a struggle, and that's true.

Feel free to put your stamp of approval on all these what are my chances threads, why don't you? The more the merrier I say and if you ever disagree with me, give your opinion. But to say I give my opinion too much to some other random prepod seems a bit absurd.

 

[MaxillofacialMN]

Wait, there's a chance that what I said came across incorrectly. After re-reading the part about being miserable, I'm talking about people who still want to be an MD, but go to pod school instead. If you applied to MD school, didn't get in, found podiatry, realized you liked that better, and you no longer desire an MD/DO, I wouldn't really consider pod as your "backup plan." but rather a new first plan.

So to clarify, AB (and ferocity?) do you still prefer an MD or DO after your name? If yes, I maintain my statement, if no, then I don't really consider you a reject/backup plan student.

Maybe that doesn't matter to you, but I make that distinction in my head, so hopefully that clears things up, if you still disagree, then we just disagree!

 

[90watt]

I personally own the MSAR, the dental equivalent, and the pod equivalent (which is like 50 pages compared to the others like 500 pages).

Sorry to interrupt, but where can I find the "pod equivalent" of the MSAR?

 

[MaxillofacialMN]

Sorry to interrupt, but where can I find the "pod equivalent" of the MSAR?

Haha, the newest one just came out actually: http://www.aacpm.org/html/careerzone/pdfs/AACPM CIB-2013 Entering Class.pdf (courtesy: HeyBrother).

You can find school info on booklet page 43, or PDF page 25.