I'm also a first year student at NYCPM, and I was attracted to the school initially because it is the closest podiatry school to my home. Before my interview I met with 2 podiatrists who had recently graduated from NYCPM and felt that they got the best training they could have from the school, especially in the high-volume clinic. When I interviewed I also got a sense of the community and how willing all students are to help you out, so I must also agree that the school is nothing like bootcamp.
Yes, it's challenging, but all medical graduate programs are going to be. However, my classmates & also the students in years ahead of us are eager to give us information on the classes we are taking and even hand down some notes and hold reviews before major exams. Yes, we have exams usually 2 times a week, sometimes 1 & others 3, but it keeps you going with the material instead of waiting until halfway through the semester where then 50% of your grade relies on 1 exam. For each class we have more than enough exams that if you're having a bad week or a bad day, you can more than make up for one bad mark. The days can seem long sometimes especially in between the exams, but I would much rather start getting used to this type of schedule from day 1 than have no idea how to manage my time once 3rd year rolls around.
Don't worry about organic chemistry, it's a great background to have but I can happily and honestly say that I couldn't figure out the intermediate steps to a Sn2 (is that right?) reaction if I tried and I probably won't ever have to again. But you have to get through it to get to this point. Anatomy is definitely the hardest course this semester- I'm putting significantly more time into it than any of the other 3 classes I am taking this semester.
Don't compare your GPA & MCAT scores with others, especially not on these forums. It will drive you mad and probably make you feel inadequate. Check out the average statistics on the aacpm website or the NYCPM website and use that as a basis, if anything. Your GPA & MCAT only get you so far, after that it's your motivation and your want to be here that is going to get you into the school and get you through the courses. You will be fine.
Hope this helped!
