School choice

[Dr. Gangrene]

What is/are the biggest factors in where you want to go to pod school?

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[Cheetos]

BTW, thats a mighty looking avatar you got there Dr. G

 

[Dr. Gangrene]

Thank you my friend. I thought I would change it up.

Can you believe someone let a tumour get that BIG before getting it taken care of?

 

[Dr_Feelgood]

I'd like to add one to see how many people agree. I guess it could fit in with visit but a school's facilities, how did that weigh into your decision?

 

[AlleghenyPOD]

Thank you my friend. I thought I would change it up.

Can you believe someone let a tumour get that BIG before getting it taken care of?

Wow. Where was this case at, if you dont mind me asking?

Thanks, mate.

 

[Feli]

I guess I'm being simplistic, but I voted for location. I'm not nescessarily saying nice weather, I'm saying family, friends, people/area you like, etc. With the pod schools all in such different regions, location is a big factor. Putting oneself in a place where success will happen is paramount, and you can also minimize travel time and expenses to visit the people you love.

School reputation is nice and woud probably be my #2 factor, but a personal reputation is something you must earn for yourself with hard work, grades, competence, and publication. No matter what school you attend, the goal should be to gain the respect of intelligent people by your own merits and not just the institution name on your transcripts. This is the reason that all schools have prominent alumni in the podiatric field.

I might add professor accessibility and tuition/cost of living as a major factors (which apparently falls under "other" in this poll). A podiatric medical education is a huge debt, and there are places to minimize that (although usually at the expense of location). Also, the best professors aren't ultimately very valuable if you can never get ahold of them for their expert opinion or explanation of the course material.

Board pass is probably the factor I don't pay very much attention to; it is a reflection of overall student quality - not single individuals. That is why pass rates typically vary from year to year, class to class. It is viewed as a highly important factor, but if any residency interview ever asks me "why didn't students at your school pass the boards as well as other schools," I will simply reply that I passed all of my boards on the first try and am not responsible for the performance of my classmates.

 

[Dr_Feelgood]

I will simply reply that I passed all of my boards on the first try and am not responsible for the performance of my classmates.

See this is a factor that is in the "other group" also, environment. That is one thing that I factored in is, "Does the school have a comradery?"

 

[bdaddyjolley]

I think the survey should contain a spot for the attractiveness of the recruiter and the people there. Why go to a school with ugly people? Everone needs good scenery.

 

[Feli]

See this is a factor that is in the "other group" also, environment. That is one thing that I factored in is, "Does the school have a comradery?"

I agree that this is an issue worth considering. However, you can't pick your classmates (or fellow residents of the same year, or all of your colleagues if you take a job at a big hospital/group). Sometimes you have to work with what you have available or the situation which you find yourself in.

I guess I take a fairly introspective approach, but I don't think you can ever go wrong by being self-reliant. I'm generally willing to study with anyone who expresses interest in group study, but I often do my best work with solo reading first and then group discussion later on after I feel I have a good grasp on the concepts. Nonetheless, I'll always attempt to explain concepts in lab or class if someone asks for my opinion. I feel my class does a good job of sharing review materials, but these programs are high-stress environments and, unfortunately, a few bad apples can always spoil things (and "things" can be class relations, respect of professors/admins for the class, board scores, etc).

I totally agree that surrounding oneself with good people and harboring relations are keys to success in any environment, but I think it is unjust to use a group's performance (ie board scores) when forming an impression or opinion of a single individual's aptitude or skill. Not every NBA All Star played for UNC... some go to D2 schools too

 

[calcaneus]

It seems to me, like many have already said, it really just comes down to the person and where they feel comfortable.

As far as facilities go, I'm still deciding. Especially since I'm strongly considering Temple whose buildings aren't the prettiest. I guess I care most about having up-to-date technology, etc., as opposed to new brick and mortar.

 

[Dr_Feelgood]

I agree that this is an issue worth considering. However, you can't pick your classmates (or fellow residents of the same year, or all of your colleagues if you take a job at a big hospital/group). Sometimes you have to work with what you have available or the situation which you find yourself in.

I guess I take a fairly introspective approach, but I don't think you can ever go wrong by being self-reliant. I'm generally willing to study with anyone who expresses interest in group study, but I often do my best work with solo reading first and then group discussion later on after I feel I have a good grasp on the concepts. Nonetheless, I'll always attempt to explain concepts in lab or class if someone asks for my opinion. I feel my class does a good job of sharing review materials, but these programs are high-stress environments and, unfortunately, a few bad apples can always spoil things (and "things" can be class relations, respect of professors/admins for the class, board scores, etc).

I totally agree that surrounding oneself with good people and harboring relations are keys to success in any environment, but I think it is unjust to use a group's performance (ie board scores) when forming an impression or opinion of a single individual's aptitude or skill. Not every NBA All Star played for UNC... some go to D2 schools too

I like the sports analogies. I agree you can pick your classmates, but I can help but believe that some of the environment is created by the faculty and school leaders. They are the ones who set the mood and they are the one that also interview the students. Think of it as Bill Belichick and the NE Patriots. He gets the most out of the lesser players and creates a solid unit. That is why they win.

 

[Dr. Gangrene]

I think the survey should contain a spot for the attractiveness of the recruiter and the people there. Why go to a school with ugly people? Everone needs good scenery.

WHHHHOOOO! was beautiful at Temple!!!!

 

[bdaddyjolley]

WHHHHOOOO! was beautiful at Temple!!!!

Well there's me.

 

[Cheetos]

WHHHHOOOO! was beautiful at Temple!!!!

Meghan???? Oh wait, you said Temple

 

[Dr. Gangrene]

Wow. Where was this case at, if you dont mind me asking?

Thanks, mate.

I have no idea. It was found via the magic of google

 

[Feli]

I think the survey should contain a spot for the attractiveness of the recruiter and the people there. Why go to a school with ugly people? Everone needs good scenery.

I know you guys are kidding around, but I think that many pre-pods give waaay too much value to the campus visit and interview day.

While that one experience is the only impression of the school that most prospective students get, I would make a point to have candid discussions with current students and recent alumni which are not under the duress of the interview and school promotion setting. The interview is all fine and good, but who do you typically meet and what do you see? You see the campus and facilities and environment, but the tour will hit the high points only. You meet the admissions staff who are generally curteous and friendly, but in reality, your interaction with them after you begin as a student at the school is generally very minimal unless they wear multiple "hats" at a small program. You also meet a couple faculty or admins who do the interview, but keep in mind that most pod schools have a couple dozen faculty members (some PT and some FT... %s vary between programs). You also meet a couple current students during who chose to volunteer or do work study on the interview team, but most pod schools have a hundred or more total students with various views on the strengths and weaknesses of the program. How many students would you assume feel comfortable telling you the weaknesses of a program in front of or near the admissions officer or faculty?

A few ways I suggest to get more out of the interview/visit day would be to peek into classrooms. Ask the school how many faculty are full-time and teach exclusively at the school (both clinical and basic sciences). Ask how satisfied students are with the financial aid process and scholarship offerings, ask fourth year students (who applied themseves) how prepared they felt on externships when compared to students from other schools. If it's important to you, ask to see the school gym, school library, upperclassmen's classrooms, clinics, etc if they're not included on the general tour; you're gonna be there for 4+ years and want to make an informed decision.

The bottom line is that one should not make a $150k commitment based on a nice pool and palm trees, a stated board pass rate of 100%, one friendly professor who did the interview, the fact that Dr. Armstrong/Yu/Steinberg/etc went there, or two happy first year students who sat with you for the free campus visit lunch. I know it's hard to gain info in the limited time you have, but it may be worth your while to seek out a pod resident in your area who graduated from the school you have interest in, and talk to them since they are now past the school phase and have no pressure to hype up the program. The internship programs most schools have are also great. Even for schools which don't offer them, I doubt any school clinic would refuse you if you asked to shadow their upperclassmen in the school clinic to ask questions and see what is going on for a couple days.

 

[calcaneus]

I know you guys are kidding around, but I think that many pre-pods give waaay too much value to the campus visit and interview day.



The bottom line is that one should not make a $150k commitment based on a nice pool and palm trees, a stated board pass rate of 100%, one friendly professor who did the interview, the fact that Dr. Armstrong/Yu/Steinberg/etc went there, or two happy first year students who sat with you for the free campus visit lunch. I know it's hard to gain info in the limited time you have, but it may be worth your while to seek out a pod resident in your area who graduated from the school you have interest in, and talk to them since they are now past the school phase and have no pressure to hype up the program. The internship programs most schools have are also great. Even for schools which don't offer them, I doubt any school clinic would refuse you if you asked to shadow their upperclassmen in the school clinic to ask questions and see what is going on for a couple days.

I would be a little carefull about this part only because as I have begun to find out, in looking at Temple, in the past it was undisputed as one of the best programs but in recent years this has started to be questioned by some. So in hearing from someone who graduated there 15 years ago you should keep that in mind. I do agree that talking with a graduate in any case is still a good idea though.

 

[krabmas]

I know it's hard to gain info in the limited time you have, but it may be worth your while to seek out a pod resident in your area who graduated from the school you have interest in, and talk to them since they are now past the school phase and have no pressure to hype up the program.

It is always in a graduate's best interest to hype up his own school. If you say your school s_cks then it makes your education look like cr_p.

Also, once the person is practicing they no longer rely on what they learned in school. They are now a product of their residency program.

Still a good idea to talk to graduated though. Try to find them through the mentor site on AACPM and not through the schools. The schools only allow positive alumni to speak to students.

 

[Dr_Feelgood]

I would be a little carefull about this part only because as I have begun to find out, in looking at Temple, in the past it was undisputed as one of the best programs but in recent years this has started to be questioned by some. So in hearing from someone who graduated there 15 years ago you should keep that in mind. I do agree that talking with a graduate in any case is still a good idea though.

Great comments. As with anything things change, just look at the job opportunities that new grads have compared to older pods.

 

[Feli]

I would be a little carefull about this part only because as I have begun to find out, in looking at Temple, in the past it was undisputed as one of the best programs but in recent years this has started to be questioned by some. So in hearing from someone who graduated there 15 years ago you should keep that in mind. I do agree that talking with a graduate in any case is still a good idea though.

That's why I suggested a "pod resident in your area who graduated from the school": they aren't very likely to have graduated 15yrs ago... probably 0-3yrs ago . You are totally right, though; programs, schools or residencies, can change fast. You have to consider whether program changes are due to the faculty and admins (long term changes) or just a particularly strong/weak class for a given year (obviously short term change).

 

[txlioness]

It is always in a graduate's best interest to hype up his own school. If you say your school s_cks then it makes your education look like cr_p.

Also, once the person is practicing they no longer rely on what they learned in school. They are now a product of their residency program.

Still a good idea to talk to graduated though. Try to find them through the mentor site on AACPM and not through the schools. The schools only allow positive alumni to speak to students.

that's is what I did. I found pods to shadow thru AACPM and they were from 2 different pod schools.