Hey, got an interview at Midwestern, but it seems like this class is full.... Is it worth spending the money for a flight to interview there?
AACPMAS 2015-2016 Cycle
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From the way it sounds, there is somewhere around 60 people on the wait list. So I don't think there would really be a realistic chance of getting an acceptance, you would be interviewing for a wait list spot.
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same. i interviewed third week of February and nothing yet. emailed last week to make sure my application was complete and she said id hear back this week and still no response.
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You should leave a detailed account of your interview in the Interview Feedback section.I apologize for my empty claims... Now as to why I made those claims..
Regarding scholarships: I was given a total score in which I was 10 points away from being eligible for a scholarship. Then, a friend forwarded me his email in which he was also 10 points away from scholarship score. Not strange.. except for the fact the eligible points they quote for each of us were completely different.. At first we thought it was a simple typo/ error, but we separately called and found out that we are still being quoted different total points needed for scholarship when only GPA and MCAT added to this total..
I have friends who are currently year 1 and 2 at oakland who are complaining about a second matter. So professors have taken offs/leave for various reasons during the year and other subject teachers had to substitute the class material (sometimes horribly). So what is the issue with that? WELL, The original class teacher comes back and tests based on their expectations of class.. and not according to the substitute teacher who taught the class for months. Ask the student there urself and they will tell you. The students were fighting with teachers/ deans on this matter trying to get this fixed and their grades. As result year 1 average GPA is 3.1... compared to other school and GPA of 3.5... Then again... CSPM's last year GPA for year 1 was also 3.1..
CSPM is great, and has been around for decades and decades... But it was downgraded from beautiful SF to downtrodden Oakland. Just during interview day alone I was able to see the crime right in front of me. From witnessing major public indecency case to a kid being shot 10 mins from me same day. Well w.e.. As long I mind my business I should be fine...Right.
Well, I asked tran about the shootings.. n I was given a disgusting answer which makes me questions his humility as Dr... maybe he is just goofy at also inaaprioate time..
Also, during my interview, the students forcefully seemed happy and joyful while Tran was there.. and as soon as he left, the students who I had lunch with told me about why they thought Andre left.. mainly because of racial and salary issues at the office... The students also talked about the class/exam problems.... and also the crime problem...
Both of which tran didn't address when I asked him....He will sell you the school by saying .. "This is bay, I don't need to say this, but the big plus of going to school here is the simple fact that you are in the bay area ahaha.. The weather here is beautiful"
Well it was nice of you to "throw your hat into the ring" and add your 2 cents..
To the ppl who love tran and CSPM ..Good for you! March on! Tran is a very successful and knowledgeable teacher and a DPM.
Anyway,
This was just what I got from my interview day alone. I will be declining there.
Through my experience I would prefer another school and another admissions guy.
W.e take my experience as nothing or as a grain of salt..thats all.
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I apologize for my empty claims... Now as to why I made those claims..
Regarding scholarships: I was given a total score in which I was 10 points away from being eligible for a scholarship. Then, a friend forwarded me his email in which he was also 10 points away from scholarship score. Not strange.. except for the fact the eligible points they quote for each of us were completely different.. At first we thought it was a simple typo/ error, but we separately called and found out that we are still being quoted different total points needed for scholarship when only GPA and MCAT added to this total..
I have friends who are currently year 1 and 2 at oakland who are complaining about a second matter. So professors have taken offs/leave for various reasons during the year and other subject teachers had to substitute the class material (sometimes horribly). So what is the issue with that? WELL, The original class teacher comes back and tests based on their expectations of class.. and not according to the substitute teacher who taught the class for months. Ask the student there urself and they will tell you. The students were fighting with teachers/ deans on this matter trying to get this fixed and their grades. As result year 1 average GPA is 3.1... compared to other school and GPA of 3.5... Then again... CSPM's last year GPA for year 1 was also 3.1..
CSPM is great, and has been around for decades and decades... But it was downgraded from beautiful SF to downtrodden Oakland. Just during interview day alone I was able to see the crime right in front of me. From witnessing major public indecency case to a kid being shot 10 mins from me same day. Well w.e.. As long I mind my business I should be fine...Right.
Well, I asked tran about the shootings.. n I was given a disgusting answer which makes me questions his humility as Dr... maybe he is just goofy at also inaaprioate time..
Also, during my interview, the students forcefully seemed happy and joyful while Tran was there.. and as soon as he left, the students who I had lunch with told me about why they thought Andre left.. mainly because of racial and salary issues at the office... The students also talked about the class/exam problems.... and also the crime problem...
Both of which tran didn't address when I asked him....He will sell you the school by saying .. "This is bay, I don't need to say this, but the big plus of going to school here is the simple fact that you are in the bay area ahaha.. The weather here is beautiful"
Well it was nice of you to "throw your hat into the ring" and add your 2 cents..
To the ppl who love tran and CSPM ..Good for you! March on! Tran is a very successful and knowledgeable teacher and a DPM.
Anyway,
This was just what I got from my interview day alone. I will be declining there.
Through my experience I would prefer another school and another admissions guy.
W.e take my experience as nothing or as a grain of salt..thats all.
Scholarships: Call again and ask for someone in charge of the scholarships. They will make it right. There may have been some confusion with the new MCAT scoring.
Professors: A professor took a leave of absence for a medical condition. You're really going to judge all academics off of a medical condition? Also, the law says you cannot replace an employee that takes a leave of absence due to an emergent medical situation. You also have to understand that schools have different grading scales and residency directors know that. This means residencies are looking at ranks and GPA.
SF Campus: I don't think you realize the cost of having a campus in SF. Just as there is crime in Oakland there is also crime across the bay. Like any big city you can't walk around with bills hanging out of your pocket. Unless you know Kung Fu. From my experience there is more "indecency" in SF.
Dr. Tran: So you asked him to disclose confidential information about employee/employer relationships and he did not answer? I think you need to ponder that for awhile. WHO WOULD TELL YOU THAT? When I asked him tough questions during my interview he had no problem answering them. He even went as far as telling me some things that the school needed to improve.
Students: I always tell those who plan on going to CSPM that every class has a little different experience. Why? The small class size. How you get along with your peers can make or break your experience at CSPM.
Thanks Bob.. I will write up a detailed one sometime soon when I get a chance
DO IT!! I feel like there are too many people that write about their experience in the threads rather than taking the 5 minutes required to write it in the feedback section. It's good to see the good and the bad of each school.
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Where did I say I asked for specifically anything personal or confidential? You need to calm down. I kept my questions about those two matter so vague he could have answered it anyway positively. Other interwees and I asked him because we are curious about all this stuff the students are mentioning to us... cus we are curious too you know... "How's Andre, or Whats all this academic testing matter thats going on" is simple and polite. I might be a possible student there and I have the right to ask.... nothing infringing on anyone... Plus a lot of students we spoke to have a kind of bitterness about the matter... So we wanted to know. Is that okay with you?. sheez... I'm reporting my experience ... no need to get your $$$ in a bundle..
And also
You need to stop getting hostile, and stop with your condescending "I think you need to ponder that for awhile" attitude. Initially I came in swing attacking the school, but then I posted to just gave my honest experience about that school after my experience. So thats it.. Ive declined to go there. if thats okay with you?
So thats my experience now, and I would like it if u would stop harassing me over this. thanks
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Maybe I needed to insert some emoticons...
I am not angry. I am sorry if you think I am being hostile towards you. I am just trying to have a conversation.
I was hoping you would understand that I appreciate it when people put their experiences online. Good or bad. Make sure to fill out the survey. This thread will fizzle out but the surveys will always be there.
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Sure will thank you
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For the people who applied right around August/ early September how quickly did you get interview invites? By keeping in touch with this thread I am almost certain everyone applied later.
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I applied in September, but my MCAT score wasn't available until early October to complete my application. When I updated my application with my MCAT score, it took about a week before I got invites to all of the schools I applied to.
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I heard from New York then Temple then Midwestern then Western then DMU then Kent State then Barry then Scholl and CSPM.
I submitted my application on the first day of the current cycle; my first interview invite was within 3 weeks; my final two interview invites were within 9 weeks.
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It pays to apply early, before the application service gets bogged down with applications which I would say probably started happening around September. Around then the verification time for people seemed to increase and even the wait time when calling AACPMAS or the response time when emailing them a question became drastically more drawn out.
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Just an aside for anyone it may be relevant to who is applying next cycle or this cycle even. Definitely submit your application before you get your MCAT score if you are anticipating it's arrival. Like Bob said, depending when you apply it can take some time to get your application verified and so is just is a little thing you can do to speed up the process while you are having to wait anyways. (Unless of course you don't feel good about your score and would rather see it first.)
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Took me about a week, I also asked if there was any way possible to get an expedited decision since I was closing in on the deadline for my other acceptance and they were able to accommodate that.
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How long did it take most people to hear back from DMU about acceptance/waitlist? The booklet they gave us at our interview says 2-4 weeks, but I feel like I saw something about people hearing back in a week or less? Maybe I'm making that up...
Also last week when I called AZpod they told me their waitlist was currently 6 people (not 60) but they were adding a couple more to the list that week. Still cancelled my interview though.
Also last week when I called AZpod they told me their waitlist was currently 6 people (not 60) but they were adding a couple more to the list that week. Still cancelled my interview though.
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The first few interview groups heard back within a week. I interviewed on a Thursday and heard back the following Wednesday.
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Same boat as Bob, I applied on the second day the cycle opened. Got interview invites the same days as him.
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Did you eventually hear back from NYCPM? I found out I was accepted this past Thursday
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Thank you! Fingers crossed that I'll be hearing soon!
Also, can anyone speak to the socio-political climate at any of the schools? Particularly DMU, Temple, CSPM, and Scholl? I'm gay and don't particularly want to be in an environment where people hassle me about it. Like I'm not looking for anyone to throw me a pride parade lol but I want this to be a non-issue and not have any bigotry/intolerance interfere with my medical education.
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As pre pods I don't think anyone here would be well informed enough to speak to this as we don't have a pulse of the school or daily culture. However I'd presume that for the most part, this really won't be an issue anywhere you go. Healthcare is probably one of the most progressive fields you can get into. That said there will always be individuals who are either religiously motivated or simply bigoted and may attempt to deter or discourage you in your career.
I think the only concern would be any catholic school (I think Barry is the only Catholic Pod school?) I'm a high school teacher at a catholic school and it's really tough for our gay students. They have the support of the faculty in that we are all safe space certified, but the school will not allow a formal alliance/club of LBGTQ students as the church wouldn't allow it.
Anyway. I my hope and presumption is that this won't and obviously shouldn't be an impediment. Reality may be a very different case altogether though.
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Did you eventually hear back from NYCPM? I found out I was accepted this past Thursday
I actually got a letter packet in the mail and was accepted. never got an email though which was weird
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Congrats!!!
I didnt get an email either but I got a call. Hey did your packet include like a financial form you have to fill out and did you receive any scholarships or do the only tell you that after you fill that out?- Joined
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Congrats!!!
it included an acceptance letter, a separate scholarship letter, and financial aid forms.
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A little insight for those wondering about DMU's spots filled. Just did a little digging and found our class directory in our student portal. When narrowed down to just the DPM Class of 2020 there are 47 students listed. So +/- 6 spots to go.
Although there are 47 students listed, applicants shouldn't lose hope. Many spots WILL open up due to a variety of reasons.
Congrats on DMU! So I have a question for you, when did you submit your application and when did you actually take the MCAT? I'm in the process of !!STARTING!! pre-reqs right now this spring. Non traditional 38 y/o. Trying to get my time line figured out to get in all 10/11 classes and find time to study for MCAT while working full time. Right now I'm looking at finishing my last class next spring (2017). I'm not sure if I'll be able to take the MCAT in Sept of 2017. Really hate the fact that I may have to wait till Jan 2018 to take the MCAT. But I'm curious how you played it, since you just got accepted here in March. Thanks!!!!
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Hi there! So I didn't decide I wanted to go the pod route (or science at all for that matter) until my senior spring of undergrad. I took Gen Chem 1 that semester. Then I did Gen Chem 2 over the summer. The school I took my post-bacc classes at was on a quarter system so I really only had 1/3 of Bio, Physics, and Ochem when I applied and took the MCAT. Honestly, if you're an ok test taker and have been doing well in your classes, that's probably all you need to get an average MCAT score for podiatry school, but everyone's different. I came out with a 499 having only studied for a couple weeks over winter break. Bold, but clearly it worked out. Definitely take a practice test or two to get a sense of where you stand before you apply though.
Anyway, I submitted my applications in mid January (before I took the MCAT) because I knew it would take time to get everything verified. My January MCAT score got sent to schools the day after it was released (Feb 23rd). I heard back from CSPM with an interview invite prior to getting my score back. I received interview invites to all of the other school's I applied to (Scholl, Midwestern, DMU, Temple) within a couple weeks of my score release. That being said, I know DMU is just about full now and Midwestern was full when they offered me an interview so I don't really count that one. I cut it reeeeally close and just lucked out that I was able to get myself to DMU for an interview the same week they sent me the invite.
As far as working goes, it's tough to balance it all. I was working full time in the summer when I was taking my super intense/condensed Gen Chem 2 and that was really hard. During the school year I've only been working about 25 hours a week. More manageable, but still tough.
Just have your plan set from the beginning. I was like you and didn't want to wait around another year and it all worked out! It can be done
Sorry for the longest post ever! Let me know if you have any more questions! And good luck!!!
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Just to add on to this, I went to Barry for undergrad and it is one of the most open private catholic schools I have ever seen. We had PRIDE (LGBT club) on campus and they were treated great. The school president, a nun, worked closely with them for their events. The only thing Barry was ever hard pressed on standing their ground on was contraception. You could not get them at the health clinic there. They did, however, point you in the direction to get them outside of school. Barry tries to live out its mission statement of social justice, which emphasized inclusiveness. It was one of my favorite things about attending there. It'll be great to be back in the Fall for pod school!
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I'd also add that I went to a catholic university for undergrad. My experience at the university level was very different than my student/ work experience at a catholic high school . You could more or less forget that you're at a catholic school, with the exception of the 'God Bless' at the end of mass emails from the president and the chapel bells ringing from the heart of campus. As a non-religious person, I'm glad to hear that Barry (where I'll be attending) does not force feed you the dogma.
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Awesome, thanks to everyone who responded to my question about inclusivity. Yeah, I went to an all girls Catholic high school and I can tell you that it was probably the worst possible environment for me at the time. I'm glad to hear Catholic colleges aren't the same way.
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Hey Guys!
I recently got accepted to Scholl and was just wondering if anyone who got accepted got any scholarships and if so how long did it take for them to tell you how much money you got? Also, does anyone know the max amount of money they give out for scholarships at Scholl?
Thank You
I recently got accepted to Scholl and was just wondering if anyone who got accepted got any scholarships and if so how long did it take for them to tell you how much money you got? Also, does anyone know the max amount of money they give out for scholarships at Scholl?
Thank You
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Hey guys,
I just submitted my app yesterday and received interview invites from CSPM and NYCPM. My interviews are scheduled for end of March and early April. Do I still have a realistic chance at getting an actual seat or will I most likely be interviewing for the wait list? Just wondering if I need to prep for re-applying next cycle cuz my MCAT expires this yr and I would need to retake it. Any advice or wisdom?
Thanks!
I just submitted my app yesterday and received interview invites from CSPM and NYCPM. My interviews are scheduled for end of March and early April. Do I still have a realistic chance at getting an actual seat or will I most likely be interviewing for the wait list? Just wondering if I need to prep for re-applying next cycle cuz my MCAT expires this yr and I would need to retake it. Any advice or wisdom?
Thanks!
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Call or email the schools to find out. Some of the schools still have seats so you should be alright, depending on which ones you applied to.
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My advice would be to show up and kill the interview. I'm sure they still have some spots as students are moving on and off of the wait list. Best of luck!
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I basically submitted to all the schools, which was unnecessary in retrospect, but I gave them a call and almost all of them have said something along the lines of we have seats still and typically interview well into May. Not sure if they actually have seats or if that's just what they're supposed to say. Do you happen to know how full classes for scholl, temple, or Samuel Merritt will typically be by the time I'll be interviewing in apr? Those are my top choices.
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Do you mean that they still have some wait list spots or spots in their classes?
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Accepted to CSPM and AZPOD this week!
I was waitlisted at AZPOD so there's still a lot of movement off the waitlist. Not sure where we're going to end up choosing yet but for those worried about applying right now I'd say you still have a good shot. Depending on stats of course.
I was waitlisted at AZPOD so there's still a lot of movement off the waitlist. Not sure where we're going to end up choosing yet but for those worried about applying right now I'd say you still have a good shot. Depending on stats of course.
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Sorry for the bad news, but AZPOD is full unless someone drops out, leaving a seat open. I just talked to admissions this week.
Congrats! Let us know what you decide!
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Sounds like a really tough decision. You can send me a message if you have any specific questions about CSPM. Hopefully you've made a pros and cons list for each school and can compare all of them. Go to the one that will best fit your learning style.
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There has been a lot of discussion on these schools on this very feed. If you scroll back up through this feed I think you can find a lot of good information. choosing between schools isnt easy! I chose Barry if you want to know specifics PM me!
Good luck!
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Temple=DMU>AZPOD were my top choices. I committed to TUSPM, but I'm kinda hoping that DMU doesn't accept me off the wait-list because deciding between Temple/AZPOD was already hard enough. I went through this with undergrad, and turned down a larger scholarship to go to what I thought was the better school and made the wrong choice. I just want to say that the pod section of SDN is a wonderful resource because it's hard to get a sense of an entire school in one day, so having future/current/former students here is really helpful to get what I couldn't on my visits.
