Questions About WesternU's College of Podiatric Medicine

[WesternU Adm]

Greetings from WesternU!

My name is Marie and I work in the Admissions Office at Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona, California. Since the application process for the class entering in fall 2011 will soon launch, I want to let you know that I'd be happy to answer any questions you have about the process or about WesternU's College of Podiatric Medicine. Please feel free to ask me questions here on the forum, send me a private message or email me at [email protected].

To start things off, I'd like to share a great article written by one of our first year (about to be second year) students. It is titled, "The First Podiatry Class at WesternU. Reaching the Tipping Point." Enjoy!

http://podiatry.com/link/RIWesternU

I'm looking forward to assisting you in the application process!

Marie Anderson
WesternU Admissions
[email protected]
http://prospective.westernu.edu/

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Members don't see this ad.

 

[Californian]

do I "must" need a letter rec from a podiatrist? I can't get letter of rec instead from MD/DO?

 

[WesternU Adm]

Hi Californian,

Yes, you would need to obtain a letter of recommendation from a podiatric physician. We feel it is very important that you spend some quality time with a DPM to understand the full scope of what the profession has to offer. We'd be happy to help you locate a DPM in your area. If you can email me the city you live or work in I will get back to you with a referral.

Thanks for the great question!

Marie
[email protected]

 

[bing12]

Just curious about podiatry. Do you accept the DAT of an Academic Average of 20? and do you accept out of state students from NY? Thank you.

 

[WesternU Adm]

Just curious about podiatry. Do you accept the DAT of an Academic Average of 20? and do you accept out of state students from NY? Thank you.

Thanks for your question. Unfortunately, we do not accept the DAT. In order to apply to our program, you would need to take the MCAT. As for out-of-state students, we are a private university so the state you live in doesn't factor into the admissions process and tuition is the same for in-state/out-of-state students.

Just let me know if you have any other questions.

Marie
WesternU Admissions
[email protected]

 

[Geripod]

Is a 3.4 Gpa and a 20L Mcat competitive for Western?

 

[WesternU Adm]

Hi Geripod,

It is difficult to say for sure if your application would be competitive without seeing your whole application. Your GPA is in line with our averages but your MCAT is a little below our average. I can tell you that the Admissions Committee will complete a whole file review. They will review your entire academic history to see your GPA trends, course load carried, how well you did in your science courses, etc. If you have done well in your science courses, you could certainly have a chance of being invited for an interview.

I would recommend you apply early. That way, if the Committee is hesitant with your current MCAT score, you would have time to re-take it if requested.

Just let me know if you have any other questions.

Marie
WesternU Admissions
[email protected]

Is a 3.4 Gpa and a 20L Mcat competitive for Western?

 

[ManUnderFire]

Hi Marie,

Please excuse the barrage of questions coming your way. That being said...What's Western's take on Canadian (citizen and student) applicants? Have any applied in recent years and with how much success? Where are they now?

In terms of finances, must we pay all tuition fees upfront before matriculating or can we pay yearly? Are there any special visa requirements for registering with Western/completing a residency under Western? I must admit I'm only a fledgling in the pre-pod process, but so far, I like what I see.

Thank you VERY much for your help. It's really nice to see schools that care .

-MUF

 

[Shiyuan]

Are you required to live on campus @ WU (room and board)?

 

[WesternU Adm]

Dear ManUnderFire,

I don't mind the questions at all. Happy to help.

Since we are a private university, the state or country you live in does not factor into the Admissions Committee's decision. We have definitely received applications from Canadian students as well as other international students. I do not have the specifics in front of me as to how many were actually admitted but as I mentioned, the fact that you are Canadian doesn't impact the process.

You can certainly pay your tuition/fees on an annual basis. Canadian students do not require application to the U.S. consulate for an entry visa. However, an I-20 and passport is required. It is important that students entering the U.S. enter in the proper student status.

At the port of entry, Canadian Students must present their I-20, proof of financial support and passport to the immigration officer. The U.S. immigration officer will stamp the I-20 and have the student complete the I-94 before returning the departure record to the student. Be sure to look a the I-94 card before you leave the inspection area to make sure that it reads F-1, D/S. This ensures that you are entering the U.S. on a student visa and not as a visitor.

Hope this information helps. Just let me know if you have any other question.

Best wishes,
Marie Anderson
WesternU Admissions

Hi Marie,

Please excuse the barrage of questions coming your way. That being said...What's Western's take on Canadian (citizen and student) applicants? Have any applied in recent years and with how much success? Where are they now?

In terms of finances, must we pay all tuition fees upfront before matriculating or can we pay yearly? Are there any special visa requirements for registering with Western/completing a residency under Western? I must admit I'm only a fledgling in the pre-pod process, but so far, I like what I see.

Thank you VERY much for your help. It's really nice to see schools that care .

-MUF

 

[WesternU Adm]

Hi MusicManMike,

No, WesternU students are not required to live on campus. We actually do not have University-owned housing. There are a couple of adjacent apartment complexes that are meant primarily for WesternU students/faculty but they are privately owned/run.

Most students live within a 15-30 minute radius of campus. You can learn more about housing in the area on our web site at http://www.westernu.edu/xp/edu/students/students-housing-moving.xml.

Just let me know if you have any other questions.

Best wishes,
Marie Anderson
WesternU Admissions

Are you required to live on campus @ WU (room and board)?

 

[ManUnderFire]

Dear ManUnderFire,

I don't mind the questions at all. Happy to help.

Since we are a private university, the state or country you live in does not factor into the Admissions Committee's decision. We have definitely received applications from Canadian students as well as other international students. I do not have the specifics in front of me as to how many were actually admitted but as I mentioned, the fact that you are Canadian doesn't impact the process.

You can certainly pay your tuition/fees on an annual basis. Canadian students do not require application to the U.S. consulate for an entry visa. However, an I-20 and passport is required. It is important that students entering the U.S. enter in the proper student status.

At the port of entry, Canadian Students must present their I-20, proof of financial support and passport to the immigration officer. The U.S. immigration officer will stamp the I-20 and have the student complete the I-94 before returning the departure record to the student. Be sure to look a the I-94 card before you leave the inspection area to make sure that it reads F-1, D/S. This ensures that you are entering the U.S. on a student visa and not as a visitor.

Hope this information helps. Just let me know if you have any other question.

Best wishes,
Marie Anderson
WesternU Admissions

Hi Marie,

That was very helpful. Actually, it was way more detailed than I had anticipated!

In terms of my chances, both my cGPA/sciGPA stand 2.73 (2.11 undergrad/3.51 post-bacc)/MCAT 28. Given my stats, I believe I would have to use this year to improve my grades and apply for 2012 entrance.

So I was wondering, if I wanted to improve my status/increase my competiveness, would it be more beneficial to complete more undergrad courses to boost my GPA (about 30 credits over a year at the 200 level) or complete a thesis based Master's (only 12 course credits + 33 thesis credits). I realize the master's only involves 4 courses at 3 credits/course, but my undergrad institution restricts access to upper level science courses to degree-seeking students. Thus, I would be forced to register for lowly 200 levels. Also, I calculated that if I maintained a 4.0 for 30 credits of undergrad courses, my cGPA would only rise to 2.88.

Thank you so much,

-MUF

 

[PodiatricADDICT]

Hello Marie,

Thanks for taking your time to answering the questions. They are really helpful.

Anyways, my stats are as follows. 3.19 cGPA 3.0 sGPA. 22MCAT. I took all my courses at a University. I had one bad semester where I took 18 credit hours of all science courses. (Physiology, Physics, Physics Lab, Microbiology, Biochemistry, Genetics) Which I got a few Cs and Bs. On top of that I've worked full time as an assistant manager through out my undergrad years.

My question is will you take into consideration my work load while looking at my GPA? What do you think my chances are for getting an interview?

Thank you,

 

[WesternU Adm]

Hi PodiatricADDICT,

Your "numbers" are, for the most part, close to our class averages. Our Admissions Committee does what's called a whole file review which basically means they look beyond the surface numbers. They will review your entire academic history looking for what kind of course load you carried, science courses taken, if you've had a positive trend in your grades and yes, they do consider what else was going on in your life (such as working full time). Community service, leadership activities, DPM shadowing, letters of recommendation, etc. also play an important part in the decision-making process.

From the information you have provided, it seems you would have a good chance of being invited for an interview. Please keep in mind, however, that they need to see your whole application before making that decision. I would recommend applying early in the process to allow yourself more time should the Committee ask for additional information.

Just let me know if you have any other questions.

Best wishes,
Marie Anderson
WesternU Admissions

Hello Marie,

Thanks for taking your time to answering the questions. They are really helpful.

Anyways, my stats are as follows. 3.19 cGPA 3.0 sGPA. 22MCAT. I took all my courses at a University. I had one bad semester where I took 18 credit hours of all science courses. (Physiology, Physics, Physics Lab, Microbiology, Biochemistry, Genetics) Which I got a few Cs and Bs. On top of that I've worked full time as an assistant manager through out my undergrad years.

My question is will you take into consideration my work load while looking at my GPA? What do you think my chances are for getting an interview?

Thank you,

 

[WesternU Adm]

Hi ManUnderFire,

Sorry for the delay in replying. You asked a great question. I wanted to touch based with the Admissions Committee before responding.

The bottom line is they said it is really your choice. They will be looking for overall improvement in performance in all the academic courses you've taken. An upward trend in grades is always helpful towards obtaining an interview and potential acceptance into our program. A Master's Degree program is great, but not necessarily essential. If you feel you have been week in science courses, it may benefit you best to choose whatever option allows you to take additional science courses, preferably at a higher level. Remember, the Committee is looking for evidence that you are well-prepared and can handle the heavy course load that you will encounter in our program.

We also offer a Master of Science in Medical Sciences program. You can learn more about it on our web site at http://prospective.westernu.edu/medical-sciences/welcome.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any additional questions.

Good Luck!

Marie Anderson
WesternU Admissions

Hi Marie,

That was very helpful. Actually, it was way more detailed than I had anticipated!

In terms of my chances, both my cGPA/sciGPA stand 2.73 (2.11 undergrad/3.51 post-bacc)/MCAT 28. Given my stats, I believe I would have to use this year to improve my grades and apply for 2012 entrance.

So I was wondering, if I wanted to improve my status/increase my competiveness, would it be more beneficial to complete more undergrad courses to boost my GPA (about 30 credits over a year at the 200 level) or complete a thesis based Master's (only 12 course credits + 33 thesis credits). I realize the master's only involves 4 courses at 3 credits/course, but my undergrad institution restricts access to upper level science courses to degree-seeking students. Thus, I would be forced to register for lowly 200 levels. Also, I calculated that if I maintained a 4.0 for 30 credits of undergrad courses, my cGPA would only rise to 2.88.

Thank you so much,

-MUF

 

[ManUnderFire]

Hi ManUnderFire,

Sorry for the delay in replying. You asked a great question. I wanted to touch based with the Admissions Committee before responding.

The bottom line is they said it is really your choice. They will be looking for overall improvement in performance in all the academic courses you've taken. An upward trend in grades is always helpful towards obtaining an interview and potential acceptance into our program. A Master's Degree program is great, but not necessarily essential. If you feel you have been week in science courses, it may benefit you best to choose whatever option allows you to take additional science courses, preferably at a higher level. Remember, the Committee is looking for evidence that you are well-prepared and can handle the heavy course load that you will encounter in our program.

We also offer a Master of Science in Medical Sciences program. You can learn more about it on our web site at http://prospective.westernu.edu/medical-sciences/welcome.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any additional questions.

Good Luck!

Marie Anderson
WesternU Admissions

Hi Marie,

I see where you're coming from. And thank you for taking the time to cofer with admissions. I'll explain my situation a bit further so you can 'see' my thought process.

In terms of my post-bacc (81 credits):

It entailed 48 credits of science classes, of which 36 were at the 300/400 level. It also consisted of 33 credits of arts/humanities electives. My yearly GPA trend post-bacc wise was 3.7/3.5/3.53/3.3, although I took only arts/humanities classes the first year. The 3.3 can be accounted for a single 'D' I received in mathematical biomechanics; I definitely drop the ball when it comes to math.

So, I want to put my best foot forward come application time, but I also don't want to beat a dead horse when I can improve the overall quality of my application by other means. I feel my post-bacc can attest to my ability to handle full-time/science based/upper level courses. Given this is true, I hope a master's degree should/could demonstrate my ability to think independently at a higher level. But if you feel my chances would be better suited by taking further courses, then by golly, that's is what I'll do.

Thank you so much for your help.

-MUF

 

[WesternU Adm]

Hi ManUnderfire,

While there are never any guarantees, it seems to me that your thought process makes sense for your situation. Especially since taking additional undergrad/lower-level courses wouldn't change your GPA much. It sounds like you have definitely demonstrated improvement in the majority of your post-bacc classes and then could potentially make your application more competitive with master's-level courses.

We look forward to receiving your application in the future!

Best wishes,
Marie Anderson
WesternU Admissions
[email protected]

Hi Marie,

I see where you're coming from. And thank you for taking the time to cofer with admissions. I'll explain my situation a bit further so you can 'see' my thought process.

In terms of my post-bacc (81 credits):

It entailed 48 credits of science classes, of which 36 were at the 300/400 level. It also consisted of 33 credits of arts/humanities electives. My yearly GPA trend post-bacc wise was 3.7/3.5/3.53/3.3, although I took only arts/humanities classes the first year. The 3.3 can be accounted for a single 'D' I received in mathematical biomechanics; I definitely drop the ball when it comes to math.

So, I want to put my best foot forward come application time, but I also don't want to beat a dead horse when I can improve the overall quality of my application by other means. I feel my post-bacc can attest to my ability to handle full-time/science based/upper level courses. Given this is true, I hope a master's degree should/could demonstrate my ability to think independently at a higher level. But if you feel my chances would be better suited by taking further courses, then by golly, that's is what I'll do.

Thank you so much for your help.

-MUF

 

[UIC]

Hello,

Do people with 3.0sgpas and 3.1cgpa really get in. If they do is it rare?

 

[WesternU Adm]

Yes, we have admitted students with GPAs in that range (not sure exactly how many). What you have to keep in mind is that our Admissions Committee does a whole file review. They do not feel it is fair to simply look at the "numbers" on the surface and exclude applicants accordingly.

As I've mentioned in this thread before, they look beyond the numbers to see the trends, etc. For example, some students may have a lower GPA because they performed poorly in their first year of college but then showed improvement over their remaining years. Or perhaps they had a semester sometime in their undergrad career where they didn't do well due to obstacles in their personal life (which should be explained in the application of course).

The MCAT score of course is also considered as it further demonstrates your knowledge/retention of the material. In some cases, a higher MCAT score can help to overcome a lower GPA.

The bottom line is when the Admissions Committee reviews your application, they need to feel confident, based on the information you presented, that you could handle the rigors of podiatry school. They certainly do not want to set anyone up for failure.

I hope this gives you a bit more insight into our process. Just let me know if you have any other questions.

Marie
WesternU Admissions

Hello,

Do people with 3.0sgpas and 3.1cgpa really get in. If they do is it rare?

 

[UIC]

Hello,

I have a few questions. First, when you look at the applications do you also look at the courses that you are taking in the current semester (the ones in progress). Or do you just look at the courses which I've recieved grades in?

Also I've noticed that some schools hand out interviews well before they recieve the official transcripts or LORs is your school like that also?

Do you guys offer conditional acceptances of some sort?

And last question, how many applications do you generally recieve each year?

Thank you.

 

[bigstar21]

Hello Marie,

I was wondering if Western accepts students without bachelors degree. I have about 100 hours with a 3.4 gpa and 28 mcat score. Before paying for applications for the 2011 cycle, I want to know if its worth it to apply and see if i can possibly get in or if a bachelors degree is absolutely required. Does the application committee even look at applications if they arent planning on getting a bachelors degree?

 

[Shiyuan]

Hello Marie,

I was wondering if Western accepts students without bachelors degree. I have about 100 hours with a 3.4 gpa and 28 mcat score. Before paying for applications for the 2011 cycle, I want to know if its worth it to apply and see if i can possibly get in or if a bachelors degree is absolutely required. Does the application committee even look at applications if they arent planning on getting a bachelors degree?

Usually when you apply for med school it's the Summer/Fall semester of your Senior year; you shouldn't have a degree by then. It's just that for reapplicants like myself, it might look "better" having a degree, but certainly it's not required to apply. Your stats look great! I say give it a shot.

 

[bigstar21]

MusicManMike,
Thanks for your reply! I should have clarified myself in the last post however. I have all my science prereqs for podiatry school done. I still have the university core classes left though (probably about 20 hours). I'm mentally ready to start podiatry school however, and was wondering if Western accepts applicants who dont have a bachelors degree and wont even when they start podiatry school. I'm currently a junior, so yes i'm trying to apply a year ahead so essentially I will be saving a year of college.

 

[Shiyuan]

MusicManMike,
Thanks for your reply! I should have clarified myself in the last post however. I have all my science prereqs for podiatry school done. I still have the university core classes left though (probably about 20 hours). I'm mentally ready to start podiatry school however, and was wondering if Western accepts applicants who dont have a bachelors degree and wont even when they start podiatry school. I'm currently a junior, so yes i'm trying to apply a year ahead so essentially I will be saving a year of college.

Hmm... I see what you're saying. ( http://www.aacpm.org/html/careerzone/require.asp )

The above site also states "Over 97% of the students who enter a college of podiatric medicine have a bachelor' s degree." So it seems some can get in without it, but very few.

 

[WesternU Adm]

Hi UIC,

I have answered your questions in blue below. Just let me know if you have any other questions.

Marie
WesternU Admissions
[email protected]

Hello,

I have a few questions. First, when you look at the applications do you also look at the courses that you are taking in the current semester (the ones in progress). Or do you just look at the courses which I've recieved grades in?

The Admissions Committee will look at both. If they feel they need to see your grades for your courses in progress, they sometimes place an application on hold until those grades are available.

Also I've noticed that some schools hand out interviews well before they recieve the official transcripts or LORs is your school like that also?

Official transcripts are actually submitted only to AACPMAS in the beginning of the process. We will not invite someone for an interview until AACPMAS has reviewed your coursework and verified your grades. We only require accepted students to submit official transcripts to us prior to matriculation.

The Committee will may invite candidates to interview even if some letters of recommendation are missing. This is decided on a case-by-case basis. All required letters must be received prior to matriculation.

Do you guys offer conditional acceptances of some sort?

It depends how you define "conditional acceptance." We may offer acceptance to a student with prerequisite courses in progress. In that case, the acceptance is contingent upon them completing these courses with a grade of "C" or better.

With the new AACPMAS traffice rules, no podiatry school should offer acceptance until an official MCAT score is received via the AACPMAS admissions portal.

And last question, how many applications do you generally recieve each year?

We received almost 300 applications last year but we anticipate that number to increase quite a bit this year. Since we are the newest school, our applications are a little lower than others.


Thank you.

 

[WesternU Adm]

Hi Bigstar21,

While most applicants will have completed a bachelor's degree by the time they matriculate, this is not a requirement (although we always encourage students to finish their degree if they can). The Admissions Committee will focus on your academic history, looking to see how you've done in your science courses, what kind of course load you carried, GPA trends, etc.

Just let me know if you have any other questions.

Marie
WesternU Admissions
[email protected]

Hello Marie,

I was wondering if Western accepts students without bachelors degree. I have about 100 hours with a 3.4 gpa and 28 mcat score. Before paying for applications for the 2011 cycle, I want to know if its worth it to apply and see if i can possibly get in or if a bachelors degree is absolutely required. Does the application committee even look at applications if they arent planning on getting a bachelors degree?

 

[WesternU Adm]

I know many of you are wondering when you might start receiving interview invitations so I wanted to make you aware of the "traffic rules" that all the schools and colleges of podiatric medicine have agreed upon for the upcoming application cycle...

• No school will invite an applicant to interview until a completed AACPMAS application is available. A completed application is defined as an AACPMAS application with verified grades.
• Schools and colleges of podiatric medicine may begin extending offers of admission anytime after the interview. However, schools and colleges will not make an offer prior to the receipt of an official standardized test score. For MCAT and DAT scores, an official score is accepted only through the AACPMAS program. (Please note: WesternU only accepts MCAT scores)
• Once offered, applicants will be requested to submit any necessary documents, including a deposit, according to the following schedule:
  • Through March 31, allow 30 days for candidates to respond to offers of admission
  • Between April 1 and June 31, allow 14 days for candidates to respond to offers of admission
  • After July 1, candidates may be asked for an immediate deposit
• Each school or college's acceptance deposit shall not exceed $1,000

Hope this clarifies some things for everyone. Just let me know if you have questions.

Marie Anderson
WesternU Admissions
[email protected]

 

[Shiyuan]

I know many of you are wondering when you might start receiving interview invitations so I wanted to make you aware of the "traffic rules" that all the schools and colleges of podiatric medicine have agreed upon for the upcoming application cycle...

• No school will invite an applicant to interview until a completed AACPMAS application is available. A completed application is defined as an AACPMAS application with verified grades.
• Schools and colleges of podiatric medicine may begin extending offers of admission anytime after the interview. However, schools and colleges will not make an offer prior to the receipt of an official standardized test score. For MCAT and DAT scores, an official score is accepted only through the AACPMAS program. (Please note: WesternU only accepts MCAT scores)
• Once offered, applicants will be requested to submit any necessary documents, including a deposit, according to the following schedule:
  • Through March 31, allow 30 days for candidates to respond to offers of admission
  • Between April 1 and June 31, allow 14 days for candidates to respond to offers of admission
  • After July 1, candidates may be asked for an immediate deposit
• Each school or college's acceptance deposit shall not exceed $1,000

Hope this clarifies some things for everyone. Just let me know if you have questions.

Marie Anderson
WesternU Admissions
[email protected]

Awesome! I'm glad to hear all the schools are on the same page this cycle

 

[UIC]

Do you guys do rolling admissions? If so what time frame would you consider to be an 'Early' period to apply? Im still waiting for my transcripts to be processed and my mcat scores wont be available until september 20

 

[WesternU Adm]

Hi UIC,

Yes, we do rolling admissions. Although we do interview throughout the entire application cycle, I would recommend applying sometime between August and October. By applying earlier in the process, it will give you more time to answer any questions that may arise from your application, re-take the MCAT if necessary, etc. Plus, once you've interviewed and been accepted, you can be relieved of the stress of waiting. The timeline you mentioned sounds fine.

Have a great day!

Marie
WesternU Admissions
[email protected]

Do you guys do rolling admissions? If so what time frame would you consider to be an 'Early' period to apply? Im still waiting for my transcripts to be processed and my mcat scores wont be available until september 20

 

[lDanny]

Hi Marie,

I still need one more course to fulfill all of the requirements, but I am taking it this fall. Would I still be able to apply and receive an interview?

Thanks,

Danny

 

[WesternU Adm]

Hi Danny,

Yes, you can still apply while you have coursework in progress. It is actually quite common for applicants to have one or two courses in progress during the application process. Just be sure that you list your plans for this course on your AACPMAS application.

Best wishes,
Marie
WesternU Admissions

Hi Marie,

I still need one more course to fulfill all of the requirements, but I am taking it this fall. Would I still be able to apply and receive an interview?

Thanks,

Danny

 

[lDanny]

Hi again,

I completed my app on AACPM a few weeks ago. What is the next step I need to do?

Thanks,

Danny

 

[WesternU Adm]

Hi Danny,

If you want to email me your full name I can check on your application for you. Once AACPMAS receives all your transcripts, verifies your coursework and calculates your GPAs, they notify us that your application is ready. At that point, we verify you have met WesternU's requirements and prepare your application for Committee review.

Have a great day!

Marie
[email protected]

Hi again,

I completed my app on AACPM a few weeks ago. What is the next step I need to do?

Thanks,

Danny

 

[Zetch]

Hi Marie. I've been looking into Podiatry lately and I was wondering based on the tuition information posted on WesternU's website, whether the length of the DPM program is only 3yrs at WesternU.

edit: found out its 4yrs.

 

[Spiral33]

Hi Marie,

Can you tell me how WeternU look at the classes taking at community college than university?

I am preparing for Podiatry school for fall 2011. My cgpa is on the edge of most school cut offs. I am planing to take Anatomy and Physiology, Microbiology and Genetics courses in winter quarter. I hold bachelor degree from local university.Taking those classes at my university as a non matriculated student is super expensive. Its like ~$500/ unit credit. Since I am not seeking second bachelor degree I m not eligible for loans or any temporary financial assistance. Is it ok to take those classes at community college? Do pod school care if I took upper division classes at community college than university?

Thanks!

 

[baseball1986]

Hi Marie,

Thanks for taking the time to answer all our questions. What I wanted to ask was concerning student science research. I've done about 2 years of science research with a professor in Neuroscience. I know that research credits only go into the science GPA if it is BCPM, do my neuroscience research credits get put into my BCPM GPA or just my overall GPA? Thanks!

 

[FC Omar]

If i applied to the pod program at western, will it look bad if i also applied to the dds program (serious question) (was rejected last year, and most likely will be rejected this year (i forgot, more like ran out of money to send the app fee)

 

[WesternU Adm]

Please accept my apologies for the delayed reply. I didn't see your post before we closed for our two-week winter break.

While it is generally preferred that science courses be taken at a 4-year university, it should not hurt your chances if you take a few courses at the community college level. The Committee certainly understands that this route can be more economical and classes are more available at this level. Just let me know if you have any other questions.

Marie
WesternU Admissions

Hi Marie,

Can you tell me how WeternU look at the classes taking at community college than university?

I am preparing for Podiatry school for fall 2011. My cgpa is on the edge of most school cut offs. I am planing to take Anatomy and Physiology, Microbiology and Genetics courses in winter quarter. I hold bachelor degree from local university.Taking those classes at my university as a non matriculated student is super expensive. Its like ~$500/ unit credit. Since I am not seeking second bachelor degree I m not eligible for loans or any temporary financial assistance. Is it ok to take those classes at community college? Do pod school care if I took upper division classes at community college than university?

Thanks!

 

[PCforlife2011]

Please accept my apologies for the delayed reply. I didn't see your post before we closed for our two-week winter break.

While it is generally preferred that science courses be taken at a 4-year university, it should not hurt your chances if you take a few courses at the community college level. The Committee certainly understands that this route can be more economical and classes are more available at this level. Just let me know if you have any other questions.

Marie
WesternU Admissions

Hi

I was just wondering if there was a range of GPA that Western looks at? And does admissions evaluate based on the entire application? What are the criteria for receiving an invite to interview?

Thanks in advance,

PCforLife!

 

[WesternU Adm]

Please accept my apologies for the delayed reply. I didn't see your post before we closed for our two-week winter break.

I believe it will depend on how you classify the course when you complete your application. If it was a graded course and you classify it as BCPM, it should get counted into your BCPM GPA as well as your overall GPA. Just let me know if you have any other questions.

Marie
WesternU Admissions

Hi Marie,

Thanks for taking the time to answer all our questions. What I wanted to ask was concerning student science research. I've done about 2 years of science research with a professor in Neuroscience. I know that research credits only go into the science GPA if it is BCPM, do my neuroscience research credits get put into my BCPM GPA or just my overall GPA? Thanks!

 

[WesternU Adm]

That is a very good question. We actually get several previous DMD applicants who decide to apply for the DPM program each year. The Committee will be specifically looking to see what exposure you've had to the podiatric medicine profession. They want to be sure you have "done your homework." They will also be looking for your reasoning for the switch from DMD to DPM. While the DPM applicant pool is obviously much smaller than the DMD applicant pool, you should be sure to research the profession before applying to make sure it will be a good fit for you. Keep in mind that we do not accept the DAT so you will also need to take the MCAT before a final decision can be made on your application.

Please let me know if you have any other questions.

Marie
WesternU Admissions

If i applied to the pod program at western, will it look bad if i also applied to the dds program (serious question) (was rejected last year, and most likely will be rejected this year (i forgot, more like ran out of money to send the app fee)

 

[WesternU Adm]

Hi PCforlife,

We do not have a minimum GPA for our DPM program but the average overall GPA has been around a 3.28 and the science around a 3.15. The Committee will compare your GPA to your MCAT score and will consider all other areas of your application. To receive in interview invitation, the Committee wants to feel confident that you are academically prepared and have researched and had exposure to the profession. They will also be interested to see what volunteer work you have participated in. Keep in mind that they will look beyond the GPA number to see what your academic trends are, course load, and if you've shown improvement through the years.

Just let me know if you have any other questions.

Marie
WesternU Admissions

Hi

I was just wondering if there was a range of GPA that Western looks at? And does admissions evaluate based on the entire application? What are the criteria for receiving an invite to interview?

Thanks in advance,

PCforLife!

 

[islandfever]

Hi Marie,
I've just started doing some research on Western's website and was curious if you offer an internship program? Is this considered your campus visit?
Thanks.

 

[WesternU Adm]

I'm not sure exactly what you are looking for but it sounds like you would like to visit the campus. There are several ways you can visit campus. We have Preview Days, Information Sessions, General Campus Tours or we can arrange a personal visit for you. It might be best if you email me at [email protected] to let me know what you are looking for.

Thanks!
Marie
WesternU Admissions

Hi Marie,
I've just started doing some research on Western's website and was curious if you offer an internship program? Is this considered your campus visit?
Thanks.