Just by going to a school that has a Biomedical Sciences and Anatomy M.S. programs, it seems to me that many well qualified applicants are not very aware of podiatry. Lots of people who narrowly miss a MD or DO program end up going to dental or pharm school just because that's "where I got in." Some even settle for nursing or maybe a path or research lab to make 35-40k per year as they retake the MCAT 3 times. I think that if some of those people were more aware of podiatry, the profession's applicant quality and the competition for the seats would really increase.
I know I got a postcard from Scholl after I took the MCAT, and I asked around at the hospital about podiatry. One nurse described the podiatry department as "serenity central." An anesthesia nurse (CRNA) told me that "for what podiatrists do, they make a fantastic living" and she told me that DPM would definetly be one of her top career choices if she were to "do it all again." Those experiences and subsequently shadowing a couple podiatrists really woke me to how great the profession is, but the vast majority of pre-med students are never even aware of what DPMs are.
As the podiatry training programs, especially the residencies, continue to improve to parallel MD/DO training and the old tales of podiatrists being "quacks" get further behind, I certainly think podiatry admissions will become much more competitive. I think improved recruiting would greatly speed that process, though...
