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Sure your scores may be trending up but your science GPA is still quite low. You won't be getting into a school with a small class size. If you want to get into a smaller class then apply and see what happens.

I'm trying for NYCPM specifically, but it's quite disheartening to hear that my progress won't count for much! Nevertheless, I'll just hope for the best as I believe I offer a decent package overall 🙂
 
Get a 35.🙂

You should be trying to get the highest score that you can as to make yourself a better candidate. If you plan on taking the MCAT soon then you will probably be aiming at mid 20's (less studying = lower score) but if you have time to prepare then why not aim for above a 30? Don't limit yourself. If you are on the border of a 3.0 then you need to make sure to do well on the MCAT.

I do plan on doing as well as I can, and a 35 is a great score to strive for! BUT, I don't have much study time now, and I won't until December and I will have about 6 weeks depending on when/if I find an open seat in January. If I do not do well, then I'll have all summer to study and to retake the new MCAT, plus I have some courses I can take to get my GPA up, but that is another year. I understand that I'm not for sure getting in this cycle by any means even if I do decent on the current test, but I believe the $300 investment and sacrificing my winter break to get a 1 year head start it worth a try.
 
- 2.8 cGPA / 2.4 sGPA (Biochemistry Major with one year informal post-bacc)
- 30 MCAT (retake, up from 19)

??? Uhhh, I am confused as to how someone can go from a 19 to a 30 especially taking your science GPA into consideration with a major like BioChem.
 
I submitted my app oct 19 but it isn't verified yet. sGPA 3.3 cGPA 3.7 post bacc GPA 3.4 mcat 20 anyone with similar stats get accepted or denied?
 
I submitted my app oct 19 but it isn't verified yet. sGPA 3.3 cGPA 3.7 post bacc GPA 3.4 mcat 20 anyone with similar stats get accepted or denied?
I had basically your stats and applied around this time in the cycle. I was invited for interviews at 6/8 schools I applied to and had a conditional invite (asked to raise my MCAT by one point) at another school. Interviewed at my two first choices and was accepted to both schools.
You'll hear back for sure.
 
Already applied and got solid interview responses, but I never saw this before hand would love some input on it for idea on acceptance!
1.
Schools you are applying: 9
2. c3.34/s3.13
3. 25 (ps7/vr9/bio9)
4. 200 hours (7 podiatrists, surgery/clinical, over periods of the last 2 years)
5. Non-Podiatry Shadowing/Clinical: (CNA for 1300 Patient care hours so far, plus light shadowing
of MD, and PA, roughly 30 hours)
6. Total hours of around 350 volunteer, various small events. Main experiences were leading a group of students
in a paleo dig in montana for 2 weeks, and running a pre-health organization for the last two years (~80hours)

Thank you for your time. 🙂
 
Already applied and got solid interview responses, but I never saw this before hand would love some input on it for idea on acceptance!
1.
Schools you are applying: 9
2. c3.34/s3.13
3. 25 (ps7/vr9/bio9)
4. 200 hours (7 podiatrists, surgery/clinical, over periods of the last 2 years)
5. Non-Podiatry Shadowing/Clinical: (CNA for 1300 Patient care hours so far, plus light shadowing
of MD, and PA, roughly 30 hours)
6. Total hours of around 350 volunteer, various small events. Main experiences were leading a group of students
in a paleo dig in montana for 2 weeks, and running a pre-health organization for the last two years (~80hours)

Thank you for your time. 🙂
GPA's are above average. MCAT is above. I think you will get in for sure and maybe some scholarship offers. Best of luck in your decision.
 
1. I will apply to every school. But I will apply for 2016
2. cGPA is a 3.24, but after a few semesters I plan to have about a 3.4 by the time I apply for Pod school. My recent degree GPA is a 3.5. Significantly upward trend in my gpa.
My sGPA is a 3.3, by the time I apply for Pod school, I plan to have about a 3.4 - 3.5 science gpa.
3. MCAT- Did not take it yet, but I believe I will have at least a 28.
4. Pod Experience is pretty good. I will shadow soon, I plan to have over 100 hrs.
5. Non-pod experience, I've shadowed a DO for over 40 hrs. I am currently a Community Health Registered Nurse. I take blood pressure, perform health screenings, nutritional assessments, educate people on how to take care of their feet. I also performed 2 research projects in the Nursing ifeld
6. Volunteer..
I have over 150 hrs of volunteering at a hospital for 5 years. I have over 150 hrs of volunteering in various non for profit organizations (soup kitchens, schools, etc), But I plan to have over 300 hrs of volunteering by the time I apply for Podiatry school. I also tutored (leadership position), a continuous volunteering position of wheeling seniors to parks, playing bingo, etc.
Do I have a chance of getting into Podiatry school??
 
Hey everyone!

Just posting here too to get as much feedback as possible!

I have just be wondering what my chances are for TUSPM and NYCPM as those are my preferred schools. AACPMAS has already received my transcript and MCAT scores a couple weeks ago, and I just submitted my full application yesterday. All my rec letters have also been mailed to the schools. It would be a big help if you all could give me your thoughts on what you think my chances might be. Any feedback is much appreciated!

These are my stats:

Cumulative GPA: 3.79
BCPM GPA: 3.72

MCAT: Overall: 22
PS: 07
VR: 10
BS: 05

I know schools prefer to have a more balanced set of MCAT scores, but I'm hoping my higher GPA can offset that imbalance.

I've done 80 hours of hospital emergency room volunteer work, about 35 hours of podiatry shadowing, and 30 hours of MD shadowing. I've also done about 2,500 hours over the last five years of volunteer work for a recreational youth sleep-away camp and also about 400 hours of volunteer work over the past six years at my local temple. Did kitchen and clean up volunteer work there.

I'm just really worried about the 5 I got in the biological sciences section on my MCATs. I'm scared that could ruin my chances of getting in.

What do you all think? Do I have a realistic shot at getting into TUSPM or NYCPM?
 
1. I will apply to every school. But I will apply for 2016
2. cGPA is a 3.24, but after a few semesters I plan to have about a 3.4 by the time I apply for Pod school. My recent degree GPA is a 3.5. Significantly upward trend in my gpa.
My sGPA is a 3.3, by the time I apply for Pod school, I plan to have about a 3.4 - 3.5 science gpa.
3. MCAT- Did not take it yet, but I believe I will have at least a 28.
4. Pod Experience is pretty good. I will shadow soon, I plan to have over 100 hrs.
5. Non-pod experience, I've shadowed a DO for over 40 hrs. I am currently a Community Health Registered Nurse. I take blood pressure, perform health screenings, nutritional assessments, educate people on how to take care of their feet. I also performed 2 research projects in the Nursing ifeld
6. Volunteer..
I have over 150 hrs of volunteering at a hospital for 5 years. I have over 150 hrs of volunteering in various non for profit organizations (soup kitchens, schools, etc), But I plan to have over 300 hrs of volunteering by the time I apply for Podiatry school. I also tutored (leadership position), a continuous volunteering position of wheeling seniors to parks, playing bingo, etc.
Do I have a chance of getting into Podiatry school??.
You're good.
 
Hey everyone!

Just posting here too to get as much feedback as possible!

I have just be wondering what my chances are for TUSPM and NYCPM as those are my preferred schools. AACPMAS has already received my transcript and MCAT scores a couple weeks ago, and I just submitted my full application yesterday. All my rec letters have also been mailed to the schools. It would be a big help if you all could give me your thoughts on what you think my chances might be. Any feedback is much appreciated!

These are my stats:

Cumulative GPA: 3.79
BCPM GPA: 3.72

MCAT: Overall: 22
PS: 07
VR: 10
BS: 05

I know schools prefer to have a more balanced set of MCAT scores, but I'm hoping my higher GPA can offset that imbalance.

I've done 80 hours of hospital emergency room volunteer work, about 35 hours of podiatry shadowing, and 30 hours of MD shadowing. I've also done about 2,500 hours over the last five years of volunteer work for a recreational youth sleep-away camp and also about 400 hours of volunteer work over the past six years at my local temple. Did kitchen and clean up volunteer work there.

I'm just really worried about the 5 I got in the biological sciences section on my MCATs. I'm scared that could ruin my chances of getting in.

What do you all think? Do I have a realistic shot at getting into TUSPM or NYCPM?
You're good for both schools. Good luck deciding.
 
Hey everyone! I am currently a premed who has shadowed a podiatrist for around 10 hours (followed her on rotations and saw a bunionectomy) and now I'm strongly considering podiatry school. Here are my stats:

cGPA: 3.76
sGPA: 3.724
Non-sGPA: 3.99
MCAT: 26 (V-7, PS-10, BS-9)

I've been the research lab for 3 years and just got accepted into a prestigious research fellowship for this Spring. I'm also able to get very strong LORS and I'm involved on campus while holding leadership position in many different organizations. Lastly, I'm an avid volunteer with 250+ hours of volunteering, 140 of them are healthcare related. If accepted into podiatry school, I'm was wondering if my stats would also get me scholarships to lower the cost of attendance. Your help is greatly appreciated!! 🙂
Yes and yes. The only stipulations you need to remember about scholarships is to find out if they are renewable and what you need to do keep them if they are. Good luck.
 
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Hey guys! I'm currently a senior and just wanted to see what my chances were with my stats…i'm new to this whole thing!

Schools i'm applying to: Midwestern, Des Moines, New York, Scholl, Western, and Kent State (This is my top pick).
cGPA: 3.32
sGPA: 3.03
non-sGPA: 3.63
MCAT: 27

I've shadowed ~110-120 hours with 2 vets (sophomore year)
Volunteered (still doing it) at the Humane Society around 40 hours
Shadowed a podiatrist for around 20 hours (going back to shadow more over break-he also offered to write me a LOR)
Member of a sorority and have been involved in leadership opportunities through this organization

I loved every second that I spent with the podiatrist I was shadowing and got to see him work in the office and in the operating room 🙂 Also, I just had my transcripts verified and GPA calculated today. How long does it usually take to start getting responses from schools about rejections or interview invites? Thanks!
 
Hey guys! I'm currently a senior and just wanted to see what my chances were with my stats…i'm new to this whole thing!

Schools i'm applying to: Midwestern, Des Moines, New York, Scholl, Western, and Kent State (This is my top pick).
cGPA: 3.32
sGPA: 3.03
non-sGPA: 3.63
MCAT: 27

I've shadowed ~110-120 hours with 2 vets (sophomore year)
Volunteered (still doing it) at the Humane Society around 40 hours
Shadowed a podiatrist for around 20 hours (going back to shadow more over break-he also offered to write me a LOR)
Member of a sorority and have been involved in leadership opportunities through this organization

I loved every second that I spent with the podiatrist I was shadowing and got to see him work in the office and in the operating room 🙂 Also, I just had my transcripts verified and GPA calculated today. How long does it usually take to start getting responses from schools about rejections or interview invites? Thanks!


Generally they will notify you in roughly one to two weeks about setting up an interview date if they like what they see. As far as your GPA, it looks decent for most schools although the science is a little low. However, the MCAT should offset a bit so as long as you have good science professor letters and a good Pod letter, you'll definitely get some interview invites. Good luck and feel free to message me with any more questions!
 
Hey guys! I'm currently a senior and just wanted to see what my chances were with my stats…i'm new to this whole thing!

Schools i'm applying to: Midwestern, Des Moines, New York, Scholl, Western, and Kent State (This is my top pick).
cGPA: 3.32
sGPA: 3.03
non-sGPA: 3.63
MCAT: 27

I've shadowed ~110-120 hours with 2 vets (sophomore year)
Volunteered (still doing it) at the Humane Society around 40 hours
Shadowed a podiatrist for around 20 hours (going back to shadow more over break-he also offered to write me a LOR)
Member of a sorority and have been involved in leadership opportunities through this organization

I loved every second that I spent with the podiatrist I was shadowing and got to see him work in the office and in the operating room 🙂 Also, I just had my transcripts verified and GPA calculated today. How long does it usually take to start getting responses from schools about rejections or interview invites? Thanks!
I received my 1st interview invite the same day I got verified, and recieved more in the following week or 2, but Scholl and Barry waited until I had my LORs in to send me invites so those came a little later than the rest.
 
Applying to Des Moines, Kent State, Temple, and William Scholl in IL.
cGPA 2.9 sGPA 2.9 but see below it's complicated.
Haven't taken MCAT yet but got a 28 on AAMC 10 and am enrolled in a Princeton Review course.

I graduated with a degree in zoology in 2004 and went back to school in spring of 2008 to take pre-requisites for vet-school. I ended up with a pretty serious medical problem and as a result flunked out of that semester entirely. I've tried to talk to my undergrad university about removing those classes from my transcripts with a doctor's note and they refused to hear my case because it was too long ago. If it weren't for that last semester I would have had a cGPA of 3.28 and a sGPA of 3.34. I've recently emailed the schools about explaining my situation to the admissions boards and have gotten varied responses. Some say mention it in your admissions essay, another gave me contact info so I could submit a doctors note, and one said I should re-take the classes (which I'd like to avoid if possible because of the price). I'm considering applying to all 9 to increase my chances of finding someone understanding. If that doesn't work I suppose I'll try and repeat the semester and apply again but I feel like I'm already pretty late in the game as it is and don't want to add another year of schooling if I don't have to (seeing as I'm already 32). I've heard that repeated classes get factored into your average anyway for med-schools, is it the same for podiatry? Am I totally screwed and in need of another career plan?
 
1. Schools you are applying to: I plan on trying to get into Scholl. I currently am a while away from planning and these numbers I'm given will be my lowball guesses to see my chances off a worst case scenario scene.
2. cGPA/sGPA- 3.1-3.3 for both
3. MCAT Score-24
4. Podiatry Experience- shadowed a lot, father is a podiatrist, grew up around it.
5. Non-Podiatry Shadowing/Clinical Experience (If Applicable) - shadowed my uncle, he is a vascular surgeon. shadowed other uncle who is radiologist. Shadowed many surgeons from many different fields.
6. Volunteering - lets just say average amount of volunteer work.
 
1. Schools you are applying to: I plan on trying to get into Scholl. I currently am a while away from planning and these numbers I'm given will be my lowball guesses to see my chances off a worst case scenario scene.
2. cGPA/sGPA- 3.1-3.3 for both
3. MCAT Score-24
4. Podiatry Experience- shadowed a lot, father is a podiatrist, grew up around it.
5. Non-Podiatry Shadowing/Clinical Experience (If Applicable) - shadowed my uncle, he is a vascular surgeon. shadowed other uncle who is radiologist. Shadowed many surgeons from many different fields.
6. Volunteering - lets just say average amount of volunteer work.
Pretty good solid numbers for DPM... But remember, shadowing family members is not really acceptable. I mean, it just shows a lack of motivation.
EVERYONE and I mean EVERYONE, include admissions and interviewerers know full and well... I emphasize, THEY KNOW it is incredibly difficult to find people to shadow, especially Medical Physicians such as DPMs, MDs, DOs. We all know it... why? Because you have to prove that they are willing to trust having someone be nosy when they are doing work.
Honestly, I would think it would be a BAD thing to attain hours from family members. It would be better not to even include that. It just shows laziness and a lack of persistence to find nonfamily members to shadow.

... Look I want to become a doctor, I have an aunt thats an Internal medicine doctor, I could shadow her for over 600 hrs, but those hrs are meaningless. On the other hand, I have 30 hrs of shadowing a rehab doctor and now I am shadowing for 16 hrs a week hoping to reach 100 hrs before finding a third doctor to shadow.. Look these aren't as much as I would have if I shadowed a family member, but hey it really shows someone trusted you to shadow them.

Honestly, find someone else to shadow, and please if you want to get into DPM school, DO NOT TELL THEM YOU SHADOWED YOUR UNCLE. They will most likely look at you, roll their eyes, and say next. ... I am saying Most likely, I do not know if they will necessarily dismiss your hours. But for DO/MD, they will throw out your application 90% (99% of the time really) of the time.

DPM may be more lenient as they acceptable students with far lower grades than those applying for the DOs/MDs.

Good luck.
 
Pretty good solid numbers for DPM... But remember, shadowing family members is not really acceptable. I mean, it just shows a lack of motivation.
EVERYONE and I mean EVERYONE, include admissions and interviewerers know full and well... I emphasize, THEY KNOW it is incredibly difficult to find people to shadow, especially Medical Physicians such as DPMs, MDs, DOs. We all know it... why? Because you have to prove that they are willing to trust having someone be nosy when they are doing work.
Honestly, I would think it would be a BAD thing to attain hours from family members. It would be better not to even include that. It just shows laziness and a lack of persistence to find nonfamily members to shadow.

... Look I want to become a doctor, I have an aunt thats an Internal medicine doctor, I could shadow her for over 600 hrs, but those hrs are meaningless. On the other hand, I have 30 hrs of shadowing a rehab doctor and now I am shadowing for 16 hrs a week hoping to reach 100 hrs before finding a third doctor to shadow.. Look these aren't as much as I would have if I shadowed a family member, but hey it really shows someone trusted you to shadow them.

Honestly, find someone else to shadow, and please if you want to get into DPM school, DO NOT TELL THEM YOU SHADOWED YOUR UNCLE. They will most likely look at you, roll their eyes, and say next. ... I am saying Most likely, I do not know if they will necessarily dismiss your hours. But for DO/MD, they will throw out your application 90% (99% of the time really) of the time.

DPM may be more lenient as they acceptable students with far lower grades than those applying for the DOs/MDs.

Good luck.
Thank you very much for the detailed response! Yes I was always told about the family member thing and how "take your child to work day" is not very reputable haha. I will mainly just keep my personal experiences with them, well, personal haha. I have about 15 hrs shadowing a DPM in Iowa City (currently at University of Iowa but I am transferring to Loyola University Chicago this spring.). I will try to reach out to as many DPM's as I can! One thing I could use my dad for is just to help locate where all the podiatrist are!! Thank you again for the response
 
Thank you very much for the detailed response! Yes I was always told about the family member thing and how "take your child to work day" is not very reputable haha. I will mainly just keep my personal experiences with them, well, personal haha. I have about 15 hrs shadowing a DPM in Iowa City (currently at University of Iowa but I am transferring to Loyola University Chicago this spring.). I will try to reach out to as many DPM's as I can! One thing I could use my dad for is just to help locate where all the podiatrist are!! Thank you again for the response
No problem. But fyi, those 15 hrs are more valuable than 100 hrs you may have accumulated shadowing family members. Again, family member shadowing is a negative. It will hurt you.
15 hrs is a positive, so obviously a positive is better than a negative.

By the way, you do not need to shadow "MD/DO surgeons" or anyone to get into DPM school. Outpatient/inpatient and or surgical DPM shadowing is acceptable. In fact, its incredibly hard to get surgical DPM shadowing without being some sort of health care professional student or having tons of "inside connections." I am an RN and its hard for me to get in the OR door lol.

By the way, I believe 40 hrs is the average number of shadowing hrs and you do not need more than that. Focus on your grades and the mcat more if you have not already. Anything beyond the minimum hrs of shadowing is just icing on the cake.


Also, try not to let the admissions people know you are shadowing other professionals. While you may want to have "a lot of options," others may think it shows a lack of commitment. Keep all of your plans to yourself, it is no one else's business who you shadow. You have the right to shadow anyone and pursue any career you want, but only reveal the necessary information to the admissions.

Good luck.
 
Just got my MCAT scores in today and I submitted my application right away. Fingers crossed. I hope I am not too late esp. with my stats. Any opinions or advice would be greatly appreciated
1. Schools you are applying to: Temple (number one), Barry, NYCPM, Scholl, Kent
2. cGPA/sGPA: 3.1/2.88
3. MCAT Score: 21: 6/7/8
4. Podiatry Experience: 15 hours shadowing, still on going.
5. Non-Podiatry Shadowing/Clinical Experience (If Applicable): 10 hours family med shadowing, 500 hours working as a scribe.
6. Volunteering: Strong ECs

Thank you!
 
Just got my MCAT scores in today and I submitted my application right away. Fingers crossed. I hope I am not too late esp. with my stats. Any opinions or advice would be greatly appreciated
1. Schools you are applying to: Temple (number one), Barry, NYCPM, Scholl, Kent
2. cGPA/sGPA: 3.1/2.88
3. MCAT Score: 21: 6/7/8
4. Podiatry Experience: 15 hours shadowing, still on going.
5. Non-Podiatry Shadowing/Clinical Experience (If Applicable): 10 hours family med shadowing, 500 hours working as a scribe.
6. Volunteering: Strong ECs

Thank you!
Hi.. thanks for your question.
Honestly, your grades are around the average, which is good. But I would pull up that science gpa, Should be at least a 3.0... Could you try raising that MCAT to at least a 24? You need to beef up the shadowing. 500 hrs working as a scribe is great. But I would say a minimum of 50 hrs shadowing. That family med shadowing is not useful in this situation, you aren't going MD/DO you are doing DPM, so stick to Podiatry shadowing.

What are your ECs specifically?
 
Just got my MCAT scores in today and I submitted my application right away. Fingers crossed. I hope I am not too late esp. with my stats. Any opinions or advice would be greatly appreciated
1. Schools you are applying to: Temple (number one), Barry, NYCPM, Scholl, Kent
2. cGPA/sGPA: 3.1/2.88
3. MCAT Score: 21: 6/7/8
4. Podiatry Experience: 15 hours shadowing, still on going.
5. Non-Podiatry Shadowing/Clinical Experience (If Applicable): 10 hours family med shadowing, 500 hours working as a scribe.
6. Volunteering: Strong ECs

Thank you!

You have shadowed enough but it would be wise to continue just so you can talk about it in your interview.

It is a stretch but if I were in your shoes I would apply and see what happens. Individuals have been accepted with a 2.75 sGPA.

GOOD LUCK!!
 
1. Schools you are applying to: I plan on trying to get into Scholl. I currently am a while away from planning and these numbers I'm given will be my lowball guesses to see my chances off a worst case scenario scene.
2. cGPA/sGPA- 3.1-3.3 for both
3. MCAT Score-24
4. Podiatry Experience- shadowed a lot, father is a podiatrist, grew up around it.
5. Non-Podiatry Shadowing/Clinical Experience (If Applicable) - shadowed my uncle, he is a vascular surgeon. shadowed other uncle who is radiologist. Shadowed many surgeons from many different fields.
6. Volunteering - lets just say average amount of volunteer work.

No problem. But fyi, those 15 hrs are more valuable than 100 hrs you may have accumulated shadowing family members. Again, family member shadowing is a negative. It will hurt you.
15 hrs is a positive, so obviously a positive is better than a negative.

By the way, you do not need to shadow "MD/DO surgeons" or anyone to get into DPM school. Outpatient/inpatient and or surgical DPM shadowing is acceptable. In fact, its incredibly hard to get surgical DPM shadowing without being some sort of health care professional student or having tons of "inside connections." I am an RN and its hard for me to get in the OR door lol.

By the way, I believe 40 hrs is the average number of shadowing hrs and you do not need more than that. Focus on your grades and the mcat more if you have not already. Anything beyond the minimum hrs of shadowing is just icing on the cake.


Also, try not to let the admissions people know you are shadowing other professionals. While you may want to have "a lot of options," others may think it shows a lack of commitment. Keep all of your plans to yourself, it is no one else's business who you shadow. You have the right to shadow anyone and pursue any career you want, but only reveal the necessary information to the admissions.

Good luck.

Fixfeet-

I think you'll be fine saying that you have grown up around podiatry. That's not bad at all. You have shadowed MORE than enough.

There's nothing wrong with having shadowed your family members. It gives you an advantage because you can tell the interviewer why you choose DPM over another specialty.
 
Fixfeet-

I think you'll be fine saying that you have grown up around podiatry. That's not bad at all. You have shadowed MORE than enough.

There's nothing wrong with having shadowed your family members. It gives you an advantage because you can tell the interviewer why you choose DPM over another specialty.
There is nothing wrong with shadowing a family member. But believe me when I tell you that it will raise eyebrows. I am not saying shadowing a family member is not acceptable, it may be, but with a lot of competition in med schools, a lot of admissions departments simply are trying to find ways to trim their applicants. A easy way to do that? Prefer students that shadowed non family members.

Again that other poster can say that he wants, but I will tell you what I think. They would certainly PREFER for you to shadow a non family member, because it shows more motivation and that you are willing to go out of your comfort zone.

Sure you can say you have grown up around podiatry, that is fine, but try to show more commitment. Does it hurt to shadow a non family member? Certainly shadowing family member MD/DOs would not be acceptable for MD/DO admission. Could be acceptable certainly for DPM due to the lack of demand for admission into DPM school, but again, it is PREFERRED TO shadow non family members.
 
I must weigh in on the shadowing a family member or relative issue. There is nothing inappropriate in doing that. In fact there is a more opportunity to do hands on in that situation. Case in point that is partially Podiatry related. My oldest son in 2004 to 2006 while in U of F undergraduate shadowed MDs, DOs, DDS, PODS most times it was with me or my partners (Plastics), close friends (Gen Surgeons)(MD/DO Primary Care)(DDS/Oral Surgeons), relatives (POD uncle). During his med interviews the shear # of areas of medical experience was looked favorably upon. Now as a boarded FM doc doing Urgent care all that surgery experience with me and friends + his year in Gen Surgery residency allows him to better treat and diagnose. So if you can shadow a family member DO IT.
 
Have to dispel some bad advice in this thread. There is absolutely nothing wrong with being interested in a profession because family member is in it. And there's nothing wrong saying at an interview that you shadowed that family member. I can't tell you how many classmates of mine have DPM family members. If anything that gave them an advantage during the app process because interviewers assume you really do know what your'e getting into.
 
Have to agree with the 2 above.

95% of my shadowing experience was with my uncle. My interviewers didn't have a problem with it at all. In fact they liked it because he allowed me to be more hands on in the clinic compared to the other pods I shadowed.
If you have a family member that is in a profession that interests you take advantage of it.
 
Have to dispel some bad advice in this thread. There is absolutely nothing wrong with being interested in a profession because family member is in it. And there's nothing wrong saying at an interview that you shadowed that family member. I can't tell you how many classmates of mine have DPM family members. If anything that gave them an advantage during the app process because interviewers assume you really do know what your'e getting into.
First of all, "bad advice" is your opinion. I could say your advice is "bad," but I will not do that because I am not arrogant and stubborn like some people are.

I never said there is anything wrong with shadowing family members, and your statement assumes that I am against shadowing family members.
But shadowing a family member will certainly raise eyes brows, and I believe in that.
Again, DPM is not a very competitive specialty, so they would not focus too much on the fact that you shadowed a family member.

Maybe I am thinking more like someone addressing a MD/DO candidate, but I am not. Of course you guys could tell me that, and arrogance will make you do that.

But when applying for competitive programs where there are a significant number of candidates, they will need to "trim" out the applicant pool. Certainly for MD/DO schools, shadowing family members are frowned upon. And if you do not believe that, try doing that, unless you have very grades grade (above a 3.7 overall and science gpas and above a 31 on the mcat), you will be raising eyebrows.

But that is my opinion. Again, it would be nice to not shed your egos into this conversation by labeling my advice as bad. In the end we are trying to help someone, and labeling my advice is bad is hindering someone from understanding both sides of the story.

In fact, I think it is bad advice to force someone or influence someone not to read all asides of a perspective: in this situation, shadowing a family member vs a non family member. Look in the end he already did shadow a family member, but I guess it is too painful to realize that shadowing family members will raise eyebrows. I certainly believe it will, but whether your admission will be rescinded because of that, is not being discussed.

Again, I could drag this conversation along and be insulting like some of you are here (I am looking at you jellybean, AsAg), and certainly that would not help anyone.

But believe me when I tell you some people will raise their eyebrows and some won't. I hope those you interview you will not.

But as someone that is pursuing MD/DO, I would never risk my admission by shadowing a family member. Even my 3 cousins (2 going to Miami med, 1 going to Yale med) and my 2 aunts: Internal med and Psychiatry, advised AGAINST shadowing family members. Especially my 2 aunts advised me against that, because they said "we care about you." So DocBlin, it is 1 doc vs 2, I have to go with my two aunts lol. Again, it shows more motivation to shadow nonfamily members. You do not have to believe me.

But again, everyone could take my advice with a grain of salt or insult me/ridicule me and get butt hurt.

But whatever. Have a great day everyone 😀.
 
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There is nothing wrong with shadowing a family member. But believe me when I tell you that it will raise eyebrows. I am not saying shadowing a family member is not acceptable, it may be, but with a lot of competition in med schools, a lot of admissions departments simply are trying to find ways to trim their applicants. A easy way to do that? Prefer students that shadowed non family members.

Again that other poster can say that he wants, but I will tell you what I think. They would certainly PREFER for you to shadow a non family member, because it shows more motivation and that you are willing to go out of your comfort zone.

Sure you can say you have grown up around podiatry, that is fine, but try to show more commitment. Does it hurt to shadow a non family member? Certainly shadowing family member MD/DOs would not be acceptable for MD/DO admission. Could be acceptable certainly for DPM due to the lack of demand for admission into DPM school, but again, it is PREFERRED TO shadow non family members.
so will it be okay to answer with "why podiatry" by mentioning how I grew up around it and therefore was exposed early to the field and because of that I grew interested in it???
 
so will it be okay to answer with "why podiatry" by mentioning how I grew up around it and therefore was exposed early to the field and because of that I grew interested in it???
Thank you for your post,

Of course it would be okay! That would be a great story.
It is just I would be cautious to only shadow family members. That is my opinion. You want to guarantee your admission by not giving the admission people anything to question you on. Certainly you do not want to hear the question "So did you shadow anyone else besides your family?" And then "Oh okay, So.. why not?"

Good luck by the way.
 
Just got my MCAT scores in today and I submitted my application right away. Fingers crossed. I hope I am not too late esp. with my stats. Any opinions or advice would be greatly appreciated
1. Schools you are applying to: Temple (number one), Barry, NYCPM, Scholl, Kent
2. cGPA/sGPA: 3.1/2.88
3. MCAT Score: 21: 6/7/8
4. Podiatry Experience: 15 hours shadowing, still on going.
5. Non-Podiatry Shadowing/Clinical Experience (If Applicable): 10 hours family med shadowing, 500 hours working as a scribe.
6. Volunteering: Strong ECs

Thank you!
Your GPA's are alright. Not that great and not that bad (mine was worse). MCAT is a little lower than average at most schools. However, I would say you will get interviews at the bigger schools (~100 seats). I applied around the same time as you and received interviews into March and got accepted in June. Don't lose hope now, you are still early in the cycle. Best of luck.
 
First of all, "bad advice" is your opinion. I could say your advice is "bad," but I will not do that because I am not arrogant and stubborn like some people are.

I never said there is anything wrong with shadowing family members, and your statement assumes that I am against shadowing family members.
But shadowing a family member will certainly raise eyes brows, and I believe in that.
Again, DPM is not a very competitive specialty, so they would not focus too much on the fact that you shadowed a family member.

Maybe I am thinking more like someone addressing a MD/DO candidate, but I am not. Of course you guys could tell me that, and arrogance will make you do that.

But when applying for competitive programs where there are a significant number of candidates, they will need to "trim" out the applicant pool. Certainly for MD/DO schools, shadowing family members are frowned upon. And if you do not believe that, try doing that, unless you have very grades grade (above a 3.7 overall and science gpas and above a 31 on the mcat), you will be raising eyebrows.

But that is my opinion. Again, it would be nice to not shed your egos into this conversation by labeling my advice as bad. In the end we are trying to help someone, and labeling my advice is bad is hindering someone from understanding both sides of the story.

In fact, I think it is bad advice to force someone or influence someone not to read all asides of a perspective: in this situation, shadowing a family member vs a non family member. Look in the end he already did shadow a family member, but I guess it is too painful to realize that shadowing family members will raise eyebrows. I certainly believe it will, but whether your admission will be rescinded because of that, is not being discussed.

Again, I could drag this conversation along and be insulting like some of you are here (I am looking at you jellybean, AsAg), and certainly that would not help anyone.

But believe me when I tell you some people will raise their eyebrows and some won't. I hope those you interview you will not.

But as someone that is pursuing MD/DO, I would never risk my admission by shadowing a family member. Even my 3 cousins (2 going to Miami med, 1 going to Yale med) and my 2 aunts: Internal med and Psychiatry, advised AGAINST shadowing family members. Especially my 2 aunts advised me against that, because they said "we care about you." So DocBlin, it is 1 doc vs 2, I have to go with my two aunts lol. Again, it shows more motivation to shadow nonfamily members. You do not have to believe me.

But again, everyone could take my advice with a grain of salt or insult me/ridicule me and get butt hurt.

But whatever. Have a great day everyone 😀.

Before we go off on opinionated tangents (I am not pointing fingers at anyone debating the topic. I stated my opinion and might be wrong.) maybe the best advice for this subject is to contact the school admission rep and ask them what they think about shadowing family members. I bet some schools would be fine and others might think a little differently.

As much as I like to discuss matters of podiatry let's try and keep the debates out of the WAMC thread. It makes newcomers want to post a new thread because they don't think their post will be answered. It detracts from the purpose of the thread.

What do you all think about making a "Pre-Pod Topics/Debates" thread?
 
First of all, "bad advice" is your opinion. I could say your advice is "bad," but I will not do that because I am not arrogant and stubborn like some people are.

I never said there is anything wrong with shadowing family members, and your statement assumes that I am against shadowing family members.
But shadowing a family member will certainly raise eyes brows, and I believe in that.
Again, DPM is not a very competitive specialty, so they would not focus too much on the fact that you shadowed a family member.

Maybe I am thinking more like someone addressing a MD/DO candidate, but I am not. Of course you guys could tell me that, and arrogance will make you do that.

But when applying for competitive programs where there are a significant number of candidates, they will need to "trim" out the applicant pool. Certainly for MD/DO schools, shadowing family members are frowned upon. And if you do not believe that, try doing that, unless you have very grades grade (above a 3.7 overall and science gpas and above a 31 on the mcat), you will be raising eyebrows.

But that is my opinion. Again, it would be nice to not shed your egos into this conversation by labeling my advice as bad. In the end we are trying to help someone, and labeling my advice is bad is hindering someone from understanding both sides of the story.

In fact, I think it is bad advice to force someone or influence someone not to read all asides of a perspective: in this situation, shadowing a family member vs a non family member. Look in the end he already did shadow a family member, but I guess it is too painful to realize that shadowing family members will raise eyebrows. I certainly believe it will, but whether your admission will be rescinded because of that, is not being discussed.

Again, I could drag this conversation along and be insulting like some of you are here (I am looking at you jellybean, AsAg), and certainly that would not help anyone.

But believe me when I tell you some people will raise their eyebrows and some won't. I hope those you interview you will not.

But as someone that is pursuing MD/DO, I would never risk my admission by shadowing a family member. Even my 3 cousins (2 going to Miami med, 1 going to Yale med) and my 2 aunts: Internal med and Psychiatry, advised AGAINST shadowing family members. Especially my 2 aunts advised me against that, because they said "we care about you." So DocBlin, it is 1 doc vs 2, I have to go with my two aunts lol. Again, it shows more motivation to shadow nonfamily members. You do not have to believe me.

But again, everyone could take my advice with a grain of salt or insult me/ridicule me and get butt hurt.


But whatever. Have a great day everyone 😀.

The landscape of pod school is not the same as MD/DO... Shadowing a family member might be a wash for POD school. I don't think it's necessarily bad.
 
intell.... you are entitled to your opinion. But using/having family in any branch of med opens doors NO MATTER what you say. It gives a leg up so to speak. So it is OK you do not use any of your med family members to open a door for you. The rest of you use any way to gain any experience, especially hands on. Getting off thread topic.
 
Hey all! I currently have a 3.52 cGPA, 3.37 sGPA and 23 MCAT (7 verbal, 8 biological, 8 physical). Besides clinical/volunteer experiences, how do other activities you participated in during undergrad play into podiatry admission? I have competed in NCAA track and field throughout undergrad and have received all-american honors, will that help at all during admissions if I have other extracurricular as well?
 
You're good for most, if not all schools. Just make sure to have a letter of rec from a podiatrist.
 
Hey all! I currently have a 3.52 cGPA, 3.37 sGPA and 23 MCAT (7 verbal, 8 biological, 8 physical). Besides clinical/volunteer experiences, how do other activities you participated in during undergrad play into podiatry admission? I have competed in NCAA track and field throughout undergrad and have received all-american honors, will that help at all during admissions if I have other extracurricular as well?
Congrats on the honors!! That is definitely something to brag about. EC's prove that you are a very well-rounded student.

As said by coffemonster, You are good.
 
Hello,

I am interested in applying to pod school this cycle and I was wondering what were my chances if I have a 3.0 undergrad gpa/ 3.9 grad gpa/ and 19 Mcat. I have a lot of general med/comm service experience (not necessarily podiatry) and am in process of shadowing a podiatrist. Do you think I have a shot at an interview/acceptance esp at barry and CSPM?

Also do either of these schools have strong preference for in-state students only?


PLZ help, Thanks so much!!
 
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Hello,

I was wondering if someone can tell me what are my chances of getting into POD school

1. Schools you are applying to : All 9 schools
2. cGPA/sGPA - cGPA: 2.97 sGPA 3.15
3. MCAT Score - 20 (8P/6V/6B)
4. Podiatry Experience - Showed 4 different DPM 300+ hours
5. Non-Podiatry Shadowing/Clinical Experience (If Applicable) - 500+ hrs with MD and PA-C, also worked at a pain clinic.
6. Volunteering - 1000+ hours accumulated with different organizations.

I am a non traditional student and have been working full-time post undergrad. Do you think I have a chance at an interview/acceptance to any of the 9 schools?

Thank you!!!
 
Hello,

I am interested in applying to pod school this cycle and I was wondering what were my chances if I have a 3.0 undergrad gpa/ 3.9 grad gpa/ and 19 Mcat. I have a lot of general med/comm service experience (not necessarily podiatry) and am in process of shadowing a podiatrist. Do you think I have a shot at an interview/acceptance esp at barry and CSPM?

Also do either of these schools have strong preference for in-state students only?


PLZ help, Thanks so much!!

You need to apply ASAP. With a low MCAT score it MAYBE difficult to get into CSPM because their class size is relatively small. Barry is only slightly bigger. Try to get a kickass recommendation letter from the podiatrist.

I do not know of any pod schools that give preferences to in-state students. Best of luck.
 
Hello,

I was wondering if someone can tell me what are my chances of getting into POD school

1. Schools you are applying to : All 9 schools
2. cGPA/sGPA - cGPA: 2.97 sGPA 3.15
3. MCAT Score - 20 (8P/6V/6B)
4. Podiatry Experience - Showed 4 different DPM 300+ hours
5. Non-Podiatry Shadowing/Clinical Experience (If Applicable) - 500+ hrs with MD and PA-C, also worked at a pain clinic.
6. Volunteering - 1000+ hours accumulated with different organizations.

I am a non traditional student and have been working full-time post undergrad. Do you think I have a chance at an interview/acceptance to any of the 9 schools?

Thank you!!!

All 9? probably not. Your GPA and MCAT score is a bit below average but being that pod schools are not overwhelmed with a great batch of applicants, you will most likely get interviews to most if not all 9 schools and receive acceptances to most. Make sure you let adcom know why you will succeed in pod school even though you have low GPA and MCAT score.

Best of luck.
 
Hello,

I am interested in applying to pod school this cycle and I was wondering what were my chances if I have a 3.0 undergrad gpa/ 3.9 grad gpa/ and 19 Mcat. I have a lot of general med/comm service experience (not necessarily podiatry) and am in process of shadowing a podiatrist. Do you think I have a shot at an interview/acceptance esp at barry and CSPM?

Also do either of these schools have strong preference for in-state students only?


PLZ help, Thanks so much!!
You do have a low MCAT but that doesn't mean that you can't apply and see what happens and take the MCAT again if things don't work out.

I know that CSPM has no preference if you are in-state.
 
Temple University, NYCPM(particularly the Janurary 2016 admission)
3.54 cGPA/ 3.387 sGPA
MCAT: 22 (VR 8/PS 7/BS 7)

Major: Philosophy
Shadowed an MD doctor for 6 months.
Internship: Hospital for two months each under the Emergency Department and then Nurses Department.
Volunteer: social services dept. for couple months and community outreach program for many years (organization promoted humanitarian values, community involvement and selfless service)
Research: the “Genetics of Pigmentation differences between Drosophila elegans and D. gunungcola”. No publication.
Letters of Rec from doctor, volunteer director at hospital, Philosophy Prof, Physics TA and the Bio Prof whom I researched under.
Tons of EC: Basketball leagues, intramural, volunteering at food banks, blood drives, etc.

No podiatry experience as of yet but will begin shadowing and volunteering under a Podiatrist very very soon ! How do I fare in regards to my stats? I plan on applying to NYCPM (my preffarable choice) for their January admission after obtaining more podiatrist-related experience and also am interested in Temple. Any and all input is helpful!
 
Temple University, NYCPM(particularly the Janurary 2016 admission)
3.54 cGPA/ 3.387 sGPA
MCAT: 22 (VR 8/PS 7/BS 7)

Major: Philosophy
Shadowed an MD doctor for 6 months.
Internship: Hospital for two months each under the Emergency Department and then Nurses Department.
Volunteer: social services dept. for couple months and community outreach program for many years (organization promoted humanitarian values, community involvement and selfless service)
Research: the “Genetics of Pigmentation differences between Drosophila elegans and D. gunungcola”. No publication.
Letters of Rec from doctor, volunteer director at hospital, Philosophy Prof, Physics TA and the Bio Prof whom I researched under.
Tons of EC: Basketball leagues, intramural, volunteering at food banks, blood drives, etc.

No podiatry experience as of yet but will begin shadowing and volunteering under a Podiatrist very very soon ! How do I fare in regards to my stats? I plan on applying to NYCPM (my preffarable choice) for their January admission after obtaining more podiatrist-related experience and also am interested in Temple. Any and all input is helpful!
You're good.

Get your app filled out and send it in and go visit a podiatrist office in the meantime so you can get your LOR.
 
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