What Are My Chances: WAMC Podiatry

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doctor in da makin said:
Do you think I have any chance of a scholarship at any school because that would help in the decision making process?
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That I can't tell u. I would assume no, but I could be wrong.
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Feta01 said:
Hey all,

I'm planning on applying to TUSPM, NYCPM, and Kent this August to start next fall 2018. My stats are:

MCAT: 520
sGPA: 3.87
cGPA: ~3.91
I've been shadowing a podiatrist for a few months and he agreed to write a LOR. I've also been working in a nursing home as a CNA for 5 years (if that matters).

Here's the problem: I will not have a bachelor's degree upon matriculation if I'm admitted. I'll have satisfied the 90 credit requirement and have all of the prereqs finished by next spring, but I'm still pretty worried about getting in.

Anyone have any advice? I've been thinking of somehow contacting the admissions offices and explaining the situation but I don't want to come off as nagging.
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Daaang you should be applying to MD schools. I'm serious.
 
footpainhealer said:
Why? So he can work 80 hours a week, have 100k+ in malpractice insurance costs, deal with "the match" and potentially matching into a crappy/boring specialty with no higher salary than a pod? Podiatry is lowkey a great lifestyle field. Both my mentors only work 4 days a week 8-5 with a 2 hour lunch in between. You tell me
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Shh...you'll let the secret out.

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footpainhealer said:
Why? So he can work 80 hours a week, have 100k+ in malpractice insurance costs, deal with "the match" and potentially matching into a crappy/boring specialty with no higher salary than a pod? Podiatry is lowkey a great lifestyle field. Both my mentors only work 4 days a week 8-5 with a 2 hour lunch in between. You tell me
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They'll definitely have a higher salary than a pod. Average pod salary is $120k (pretty sure a pharmacist makes more)- it's not the $180k that it shows online, and if that poster is a woman then she'll make even less. Obviously there are those who make more but you get the idea. A pod can't be a cardiothoracic surgeon but an MD can. Heck we can't even be orthopedic surgeons! But an MD can... At the end of the day it's better to be an MD than a DPM. Also pods have to deal with "the match" and have the possibility of not matching/matching with their least favorite program.
The pod I shadow works 5 days a week and sees 40-45 patients a day (that is not an exaggeration), plus surgery each week. Pod isn't necessarily any easier.
Also not trying to start any argument! I think it would be silly for that person to throw away the opportunity to be an MD when they can certainly be one.
 
hopefulfuturepod said:
They'll definitely have a higher salary than a pod. Average pod salary is $120k (pretty sure a pharmacist makes more)- it's not the $180k that it shows online, and if that poster is a woman then she'll make even less. Obviously there are those who make more but you get the idea. A pod can't be a cardiothoracic surgeon but an MD can. Heck we can't even be orthopedic surgeons! But an MD can... At the end of the day it's better to be an MD than a DPM. Also pods have to deal with "the match" and have the possibility of not matching/matching with their least favorite program.
The pod I shadow works 5 days a week and sees 40-45 patients a day (that is not an exaggeration), plus surgery each week. Pod isn't necessarily any easier.
Also not trying to start any argument! I think it would be silly for that person to throw away the opportunity to be an MD when they can certainly be one.
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I don't know. APMA survey shows about 183k average. The ACFAS survey (surgical organization) shows 262k average salary. The MGMA surveys show higher salaries than those. And if you go look on the resident/physician section they're saying that 220-240k+ is standard for hospitals hiring new grads no matter the area of the country.

Also, podiatrists on average work 40 hours per week and on average make these salaries. I'm less impressed by MDs who make twice as much money working twice as many hours. A pod could do the same if they wanted to.

Also, the DPM new grad residency placement rate is currently higher than the MD new grad residency placement rate. Add in only a 3 year residency and assurance of what kind of residency you'll be getting from the start and podiatry has plenty of pros. I'm not saying one is necessarily "better" han the other, DPM vs MD, I'm just saying that it's not a straight forward situation in which one is clearly better than the other in every single criteria.

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bobtheweazel said:
I don't know. APMA survey shows about 183k average. The ACFAS survey (surgical organization) shows 262k average salary. The MGMA surveys show higher salaries than those. And if you go look on the resident/physician section they're saying that 220-240k+ is standard for hospitals hiring new grads no matter the area of the country.

Also, podiatrists on average work 40 hours per week and on average make these salaries. I'm less impressed by MDs who make twice as much money working twice as many hours. A pod could do the same if they wanted to.

Also, the DPM new grad residency placement rate is currently higher than the MD new grad residency placement rate. Add in only a 3 year residency and assurance of what kind of residency you'll be getting from the start and podiatry has plenty of pros. I'm not saying one is necessarily "better" han the other, DPM vs MD, I'm just saying that it's not a straight forward situation in which one is clearly better than the other in every single criteria.

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I'm sorry but there's NO way those salary numbers are true. Pods don't make over $200,000 right out of residency. Not a chance. Not even close to $180k either.
 
hopefulfuturepod said:
I'm sorry but there's NO way those salary numbers are true. Pods don't make over $200,000 right out of residency. Not a chance. Not even close to $180k either.
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I'll let you be the one to break it to the pods over on the resident/physician forum, who have recently interviewed for jobs, signed contracts, and had friends who did the same that the fine print of their offers and contracts probably states that they'll be paid 200k+ in Monopoly money rather than real money.

And I'm not saying that every pod makes that much straight out of residency, only hospital pods or pods that sign on with non-pod medical groups. They've even given very thorough explanation on the forum as to exactly how pods can be that valuable to a hospital or large medical group and how to negotiate these salaries.

Of course some pods will come out of residency and try to get into a private practice or pod-only group and be offered significantly less...their bad. Also, some may have gotten subpar training at their residency program which could limit job opportunities...also their bad.

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hopefulfuturepod said:
I'm sorry but there's NO way those salary numbers are true. Pods don't make over $200,000 right out of residency. Not a chance. Not even close to $180k either.
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I mean... you can go read the job search thread.. hospital jobs seem to almost always be 200k+
 
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@hopefulfuturepod Bob's point is that it is not incredulous to think a pod can make 200k + coming out of school or potentially even 250k+ after a few years under their belt.

While the years of training / compensation and lifestyle are very admirable for podiatry, we all realize the profession is susceptible to the same problems that plague other industries: saturation, decreasing reimbursements, a crapshoot boards exam, APMA working at turtle speed on our behalf, etc.
 
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hopefulfuturepod said:
I'm sorry but there's NO way those salary numbers are true. Pods don't make over $200,000 right out of residency. Not a chance. Not even close to $180k either.
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no way huh? I shadowed a private practice where the head podiatrist had two other practicing podiatrist under him. he pays one of them 240k+ and she was right out of residency. He himself only worked 3 days out of the week and i guarantee you he was taking home a heck of a lot more than that. hospitals around the nation are paying 200k+ plus incentives and bonuses to new podiatrists out of residency if you go and look at other submissions on the podiatry fforums.

https://www.salaryexpert.com/salarysurveydata/job=podiatric-surgeon/salary

http://work.chron.com/salary-podiatrist-reconstruction-surgeon-5105.html

there are plenty of other sources, but you will notice how they differentiate between podiatrists and podiatric surgeons. Not all podiatrists do surgery, or are adept at doing surgery, but those that do make more money. The podiatrist i shadowed in New York City does not do surgery and he was saying how living in the city and the money he was making was enough, but certainly wishes it was better. (also these numbers also may include residents which make much less) Now I have seen firsthand someone out of residency that makes over 200k. And there are plenty of other similar stories. The person i knew went to a very good kaiser residency of course, but regardless, those numbers are NOT out of reach for the highly dedicated and hard working.
 
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Hi everyone, I've been shadowing a podiatrist for 4 years now and I'm about to graduate from school with a B.S. in Biology, teaching intern ships in Molecular Biology, Microbiology, and Genetics. I'm leaving with a 3.6 GPA but I got a 494 on my MCAT. What are my chances of getting into podiatry school?
 
You'll most likely get in somewhere, but if I were you I'd retake the MCAT to increase my chances significantly.
 
You will get accepted to most schools. For scholarship sake, retake the MCAT if you have time.
 
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bunnyloverhonolulu said:
Hi everyone, I've been shadowing a podiatrist for 4 years now and I'm about to graduate from school with a B.S. in Biology, teaching intern ships in Molecular Biology, Microbiology, and Genetics. I'm leaving with a 3.6 GPA but I got a 494 on my MCAT. What are my chances of getting into podiatry school?
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You'll get invites.

Only take MCAT if you know 100% you will score higher.
 
Hey guys,

I am applying this cycle (will have everything sent in by mid-March the latest) and I am wondering if is worth it. I am applying later in the cycle and I'm not sure my stat's are competitive enough to be considered this late. Any feedback is appreciated. Thanks!

sGPA: 3.45 cGPA: 3.5
MCAT: 484/488
EC's: EMT-b certified, research internship, 500 hours volunteering at my ambulance corp., Temple podiatry Internship program, student-athlete for 4 years at the division II level and served as team captain senior year
 
medicine21595 said:
Hey guys,

I am applying this cycle (will have everything sent in by mid-March the latest) and I am wondering if is worth it. I am applying later in the cycle and I'm not sure my stat's are competitive enough to be considered this late. Any feedback is appreciated. Thanks!

sGPA: 3.45 cGPA: 3.5
MCAT: 484/488
EC's: EMT-b certified, research internship, 500 hours volunteering at my ambulance corp., Temple podiatry Internship program, student-athlete for 4 years at the division II level and served as team captain senior year
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GPAs are great.

MCAT extremely low. Any chance of a retake for 490+?

They will understand the student athlete part.
 
medicine21595 said:
Hey guys,

I am applying this cycle (will have everything sent in by mid-March the latest) and I am wondering if is worth it. I am applying later in the cycle and I'm not sure my stat's are competitive enough to be considered this late. Any feedback is appreciated. Thanks!

sGPA: 3.45 cGPA: 3.5
MCAT: 484/488
EC's: EMT-b certified, research internship, 500 hours volunteering at my ambulance corp., Temple podiatry Internship program, student-athlete for 4 years at the division II level and served as team captain senior year
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If you can afford it ($$) then it can't hurt to apply this cycle. The MCAT is the only thing holding you back, but you knew that already. If you don't get in this cycle, you definitely need a retake before you apply next cycle
 
footpainhealer said:
Why? So he can work 80 hours a week, have 100k+ in malpractice insurance costs, deal with "the match" and potentially matching into a crappy/boring specialty with no higher salary than a pod? Podiatry is lowkey a great lifestyle field. Both my mentors only work 4 days a week 8-5 with a 2 hour lunch in between. You tell me
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Is there an official survey that can confirm that podiatrists have a relatively relaxed lifestyle? I know for physicians they do a survey every year about a wide range of topics, including hours worked per week and hours of paperwork per week. If there is one for pods like that, please post it on here.

Thanks!
 
doctor in da makin said:
Is there an official survey that can confirm that podiatrists have a relatively relaxed lifestyle? I know for physicians they do a survey every year about a wide range of topics, including hours worked per week and hours of paperwork per week. If there is one for pods like that, please post it on here.

Thanks!
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Don't know if I'd get in trouble for posting the entire survey since it's behind a paywall, so I'll just post this table from the 2014 APMA practice survey.

Mean hours per week = 40.4
Median hours per week = 40.0

Screen Shot 2017-02-13 at 2.34.57 PM.png


According to AMA, pathologists and dermatologists average 45.5 hours per week, though I assume the actual data is behind a paywall.
http://www.mdedge.com/obgmanagement/article/61815/few-proud-obs

And according to the previous link and this study in JAMA virtually every other medical specialty works more hours than pathologists or dermatologists.
http://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/1105820

Even with variability between survey methods and whatnot, I think it's safe to assume podiatrists on average work some of the fewest hours in medicine/surgery.
 
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According to this, 62.3% of podiatrists, the majority, work 40 hours a week OR LESS.

That is pretty crazy.
 
Yeah, these sorts of things are always interesting and potentially misleading I think. For one, this survey is a sample of 571 podiatrists, which represents somewhere between 3-5% of the entire population of podiatrists. And we could have a long discussion about which podiatrists are more likely to fill out a survey for the APMA/PM News/ACFAS/etc. I can only add that I don't personally know any podiatrists that work less than 40 hours a week. If you're planning on coming into practice and working less than 40 hours a week, you should consider going into practice for yourself where you can set those hours, because most jobs will expect more than that.
 
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Greetings guys,

I'm currently a Ph.D in clinical psychology. My undergraduate gpa is a 3.2, science gpa is a 3.1. My master's gpa was a 3.76, and my doctoral gpa is currently at 3.6. I'm planning to write my MCAT this July. Is there a particular score range in the mcats that would strengthen my acceptance ?

Thanks folks!

Regards
Dr. B
 
AequalesMedica said:
Greetings guys,

I'm currently a Ph.D in clinical psychology. My undergraduate gpa is a 3.2, science gpa is a 3.1. My master's gpa was a 3.76, and my doctoral gpa is currently at 3.6. I'm planning to write my MCAT this July. Is there a particular score range in the mcats that would strengthen my acceptance ?

Thanks folks!

Regards
Dr. B
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Get as high as you can. 500+. You will get in with lower but if I say that people will rest on their laurels.

Master's GPA doesn't mean anything unless it was an intensive SMP. Graduate GPA is not calculated into undergraduate GPA.
AACPMAS does not do grade replacement.
Make sure all your pre-reqs do not have an expiration date on them. Double check with schools.

If you use the search function, I am sure you can find a lot of MCAT ranges.

Heck you might even try googling "AACPM average MCAT" and you'll get a whole list from each school.

You are a Ph.D student. Come on man. Be resourceful.
 
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Packers4lifeDPM said:
Well I liked both. Cost pretty much evens out between the two. I'm from Wisconsin so Chicago is closer but AZ is warmer and I could get used to that. I thought that AZ was a little more advanced than Chicago. I really connected with a couple of professors during my interview at Chicago. I also enjoyed the professors at AZ too much felt like I connected a little more but I was not around the professors as much at AZ. I think that being completely integrated in the D.O. program gives AZ an academic edge. I'm not sure if being in a smaller class is going to be an advantage or not. I got a scholarship at Chicago and AZ does not give out any first year scholarships. Seems like if I end up wanting to do research, Chicago may be better for it. The sushi was only $6.50 at AZ whereas it was $9.99 at Chicago (might be the deal breaker lol). I want to get into sports medicine and feel like being down in AZ may give me a better opportunity to work with athletes since there are more of them in that area than North Chicago.

Looking to see what others may have felt about each school. Does anyone know if one has an advantage over the other for residencies for sports medicine and ankle and foot reconstruction?
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I'm new to this forum, but i too really want to go to Arizona or maybe DMU. I applied only a week ago but they still have to finish my transcript (i paid for it cause i had no time). and then i hear its like a month before they can verify everything. I called them and right now Arizona has 25 interviews and only 15 seats left so I'm a little worried about the time line. So i wouldn't mind some thoughts on the situation.

My stats are:
GPA: 3.72 science: 3.7
MCAT: 499
volunteer: 2000+
medical experiance:~400
shadowing podiatrist: 42
 
jasechabigj said:
I'm new to this forum, but i too really want to go to Arizona or maybe DMU. I applied only a week ago but they still have to finish my transcript (i paid for it cause i had no time). and then i hear its like a month before they can verify everything. I called them and right now Arizona has 25 interviews and only 15 seats left so I'm a little worried about the time line. So i wouldn't mind some thoughts on the situation.

My stats are:
GPA: 3.72 science: 3.7
MCAT: 499
volunteer: 2000+
medical experiance:~400
shadowing podiatrist: 42
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Your stats won't keep you from an interview, that's for sure. I had stats much lower than yours (although I had a ton of medical experience). Getting an acceptance might be tricky tho at this point if they said they only have 15 seats left.

Now, when they say 25 interviews, does that mean 25 individuals invited to interview or 25 individual interview dates?
 
GypsyHummus said:
Your stats won't keep you from an interview, that's for sure. I had stats much lower than yours (although I had a ton of medical experience). Getting an acceptance might be tricky tho at this point if they said they only have 15 seats left.

Now, when they say 25 interviews, does that mean 25 individuals invited to interview or 25 individual interview dates?
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They said they only have 25 invited for the interview. I figure i have a shot but im worried that theyll fill up long before they will even get a chance to see my application.
 
jasechabigj said:
I'm new to this forum, but i too really want to go to Arizona or maybe DMU. I applied only a week ago but they still have to finish my transcript (i paid for it cause i had no time). and then i hear its like a month before they can verify everything. I called them and right now Arizona has 25 interviews and only 15 seats left so I'm a little worried about the time line. So i wouldn't mind some thoughts on the situation.

My stats are:
GPA: 3.72 science: 3.7
MCAT: 499
volunteer: 2000+
medical experiance:~400
shadowing podiatrist: 42
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I think they say it can take up to a month to verify your transcript, but it only took them 2-3 days to do mine after the transcripts were received. Some posters in this thread had similar timelines. Once they finish your transcript entry, it shouldn't be long! :)

I'm actually surprised they have 15 seats left since their total class size is 30. It's getting a little late in the cycle, but I think your stats will get you an interview.
 
jasechabigj said:
They said they only have 25 invited for the interview. I figure i have a shot but im worried that theyll fill up long before they will even get a chance to see my application.
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Go for it!!

AZPOD was amazing when I went there. Beautiful campus, and the professors are great as well.
 
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Weirdy said:
You'll get invites. Don't worry, you did what you could at this point.
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Thanks guys, I appreciate the support. I'll just have to really hope they can verify all my stuff quickly and they can get my stuff before they fill their seats.
 
I do have another question. Do schools replace the grades of the classes that you retook or do they just factor them in as a whole? If they do then my overall GPA drops from a 3.72 to a 3.64 and my science down to a 3.55. If so will it significantly affect my chances since its late in the year?
 
jasechabigj said:
I do have another question. Do schools replace the grades of the classes that you retook or do they just factor them in as a whole? If they do then my overall GPA drops from a 3.72 to a 3.64 and my science down to a 3.55. If so will it significantly affect my chances since its late in the year?
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AACPMAS does not do grade replacement like DO (which also doesn't do it anymore).

It won't affect your chances significantly. Your GPAs are still higher than regular averages for matriculants.
 
Weirdy said:
You'll get invites.

Only take MCAT if you know 100% you will score higher.
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Thank you for replying to me :) I was accepted into two schools and retook my MCAT earlier this month. I believe I did much better one this one since all my practice tests were 508+
 
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Hi guys!

I'm looking to apply the next cycle 2017/2018. I was wondering what would be my chances with the following stats:

1. Applying to all schools
2. 3.6 cgpa 3.6 sgpa
3. MCAT 494
4. No podiatry experience yet but will seek out to shadow local podiatrists soon
5. Volunteering in a hospital, shadowed a few physicians, clinical research, and tons of other neuroscience related research

I'm looking to take the MCAT again possibly but I'm just wondering what are my chances given my current stats.

Any input would be really appreciated :) Thanks!
 
gunner1 said:
Hi guys!

I'm looking to apply the next cycle 2017/2018. I was wondering what would be my chances with the following stats:

1. Applying to all schools
2. 3.6 cgpa 3.6 sgpa
3. MCAT 494
4. No podiatry experience yet but will seek out to shadow local podiatrists soon
5. Volunteering in a hospital, shadowed a few physicians, clinical research, and tons of other neuroscience related research

I'm looking to take the MCAT again possibly but I'm just wondering what are my chances given my current stats.

Any input would be really appreciated :) Thanks!
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With your current standing you'll get interview invites.

If you take the MCAT and get 500+ you're probably looking at some scholarships (this will vary by school, I don't know the numbers for all of them).

Get some shadowing in with a rec letter and apply early. You'll get a lot of invites.

Consider taking the MCAT only if you know you'll score higher than 494.
 
Applying August for fall 2018 start date.

cGPA: 2.3
sGPA: 2.0
MCAT: 499
Shadowing: still shadowin; have shadowed 2x/week for a month now
schools: all 9; no preference because of my grades but my top 3 - ny, kent, & barry

any chance I could land 1 interview, 1 school? I took some post-bacc classes already, but not really an upward trend

Some notes:
- I have so many hours under my belt that it's mathematicall impossible to get into the 3.0 range. even with another degree, they will be averaged.
- wasn't very serious student in school & goofed off (I wasn't really sure what I wanted to do and my parents wanted me to go into a different direction, not podiatry) not an excuse, i know.
- masters program isn't an option because of the cost; and the masters I wanted was rly competitive. I have about $1k that I planned to use on applications & interview expenses
- I'm not a pre-med or pre-D.O. who is trying to monkey branch on the pod wagon. I really like podiatry. I had a close friend operated on by a podiatrist.
- doctor I'm shadowing really likes my personality, and believes I'll make a good podiatrist (he doesn't know my grades). I treat the shadowing experience very professionally!
- I just have a bad history, repeated coursework and withdrawals

past few days i read a lot of the old threads on here and some people have gotten in with low stats. not as bad as mine but you get the idea
 
ALS07 said:
Applying August for fall 2018 start date.

cGPA: 2.3
sGPA: 2.0
MCAT: 499
Shadowing: still shadowin; have shadowed 2x/week for a month now
schools: all 9; no preference because of my grades but my top 3 - ny, kent, & barry

any chance I could land 1 interview, 1 school? I took some post-bacc classes already, but not really an upward trend

Some notes:
- I have so many hours under my belt that it's mathematicall impossible to get into the 3.0 range. even with another degree, they will be averaged.
- wasn't very serious student in school & goofed off (I wasn't really sure what I wanted to do and my parents wanted me to go into a different direction, not podiatry) not an excuse, i know.
- masters program isn't an option because of the cost; and the masters I wanted was rly competitive. I have about $1k that I planned to use on applications & interview expenses
- I'm not a pre-med or pre-D.O. who is trying to monkey branch on the pod wagon. I really like podiatry. I had a close friend operated on by a podiatrist.
- doctor I'm shadowing really likes my personality, and believes I'll make a good podiatrist (he doesn't know my grades). I treat the shadowing experience very professionally!
- I just have a bad history, repeated coursework and withdrawals

past few days i read a lot of the old threads on here and some people have gotten in with low stats. not as bad as mine but you get the idea
Click to expand...

I don't know exactly the limitations to these schools as I am applying to schools this coming cycle. From what I've seen, I think the best thing you can do is retake the MCAT and try to do a little better (504+). It's higher than the typical resume, but it also seems like the only way to get adcoms to potentially overlook that gpa, assuming there is no screening on applicants for the latter.

You could also just call one or two of the schools and get their input.
 
ALS07 said:
Applying August for fall 2018 start date.

cGPA: 2.3
sGPA: 2.0
MCAT: 499
Shadowing: still shadowin; have shadowed 2x/week for a month now
schools: all 9; no preference because of my grades but my top 3 - ny, kent, & barry

any chance I could land 1 interview, 1 school? I took some post-bacc classes already, but not really an upward trend

Some notes:
- I have so many hours under my belt that it's mathematicall impossible to get into the 3.0 range. even with another degree, they will be averaged.
- wasn't very serious student in school & goofed off (I wasn't really sure what I wanted to do and my parents wanted me to go into a different direction, not podiatry) not an excuse, i know.
- masters program isn't an option because of the cost; and the masters I wanted was rly competitive. I have about $1k that I planned to use on applications & interview expenses
- I'm not a pre-med or pre-D.O. who is trying to monkey branch on the pod wagon. I really like podiatry. I had a close friend operated on by a podiatrist.
- doctor I'm shadowing really likes my personality, and believes I'll make a good podiatrist (he doesn't know my grades). I treat the shadowing experience very professionally!
- I just have a bad history, repeated coursework and withdrawals

past few days i read a lot of the old threads on here and some people have gotten in with low stats. not as bad as mine but you get the idea
Click to expand...

I apologize for being the one to say this but it will be impossible for you get interview invites with that GPA. It may have been possible in the past but this year's cycle, the avg stats have gone up and will continue to go up for the upcoming years.

If you cannot re-take your premed courses, then you need to consider an SMP program like an MS in Biomedical sciences or related.

There are many such programs available that are eligible for Federal Loans so that should help with the finances. Maybe look into the programs at BarryU, RFU, and WesternU, these have Pod school affiliations, and with your mcat score, I think you should have a chance.

You need to show the Pod schools that you can handle their curriculum and that will only happen by doing well in a masters degree at this point.

All the best!
 
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Certified Corsair said:
I don't know exactly the limitations to these schools as I am applying to schools this coming cycle. From what I've seen, I think the best thing you can do is retake the MCAT and try to do a little better (504+). It's higher than the typical resume, but it also seems like the only way to get adcoms to potentially overlook that gpa, assuming there is no screening on applicants for the latter.

You could also just call one or two of the schools and get their input.
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There is no way in hell an adcom would admit a 2.3 cGPA 2.0 sGPA. Not sure where you are getting this information. And I am trying to say this in the most polite way possible. A 504+ will not cover up for that.
 
ALS07 said:
Applying August for fall 2018 start date.

cGPA: 2.3
sGPA: 2.0
MCAT: 499
Shadowing: still shadowin; have shadowed 2x/week for a month now
schools: all 9; no preference because of my grades but my top 3 - ny, kent, & barry

any chance I could land 1 interview, 1 school? I took some post-bacc classes already, but not really an upward trend

Some notes:
- I have so many hours under my belt that it's mathematicall impossible to get into the 3.0 range. even with another degree, they will be averaged.
- wasn't very serious student in school & goofed off (I wasn't really sure what I wanted to do and my parents wanted me to go into a different direction, not podiatry) not an excuse, i know.
- masters program isn't an option because of the cost; and the masters I wanted was rly competitive. I have about $1k that I planned to use on applications & interview expenses
- I'm not a pre-med or pre-D.O. who is trying to monkey branch on the pod wagon. I really like podiatry. I had a close friend operated on by a podiatrist.
- doctor I'm shadowing really likes my personality, and believes I'll make a good podiatrist (he doesn't know my grades). I treat the shadowing experience very professionally!
- I just have a bad history, repeated coursework and withdrawals

past few days i read a lot of the old threads on here and some people have gotten in with low stats. not as bad as mine but you get the idea
Click to expand...

What was your degree in? I do not know if you will qualify for an SMP or any regular graduate degree as your GPA is sub 3.0

Your MCAT is a very solid number but we do not know your # of attempts.

Have you considered other careers? If remediating course work + masters doesn't work out, have you considered a realistic career choice to pay off any potential debt/eventually get you back into pod school as an older non-trad?

I know I look like a jerk asking these things but it is time to be realistic and milk every single opportunity you have. You need to look beyond podiatry school right now.
 
ALS07 said:
Applying August for fall 2018 start date.

cGPA: 2.3
sGPA: 2.0
MCAT: 499
Shadowing: still shadowin; have shadowed 2x/week for a month now
schools: all 9; no preference because of my grades but my top 3 - ny, kent, & barry

any chance I could land 1 interview, 1 school? I took some post-bacc classes already, but not really an upward trend

Some notes:
- I have so many hours under my belt that it's mathematicall impossible to get into the 3.0 range. even with another degree, they will be averaged.
- wasn't very serious student in school & goofed off (I wasn't really sure what I wanted to do and my parents wanted me to go into a different direction, not podiatry) not an excuse, i know.
- masters program isn't an option because of the cost; and the masters I wanted was rly competitive. I have about $1k that I planned to use on applications & interview expenses
- I'm not a pre-med or pre-D.O. who is trying to monkey branch on the pod wagon. I really like podiatry. I had a close friend operated on by a podiatrist.
- doctor I'm shadowing really likes my personality, and believes I'll make a good podiatrist (he doesn't know my grades). I treat the shadowing experience very professionally!
- I just have a bad history, repeated coursework and withdrawals

past few days i read a lot of the old threads on here and some people have gotten in with low stats. not as bad as mine but you get the idea
Click to expand...

Another thing - Please do not go Carribean if pod school does not work out for you. Yes I looked through your post history.

You will have less resources, take out a bigger amount of loans, and the material will be just as hard if not harder (due to lack of resources, overcrowding).

If you cannot get into podiatry school, what makes you think applying to Carribean and graduating will be successful?

You mentioned cost as a problem. You also mentioned taking so many credits (I'm guessing with a DIY post-bac) that changing your undergrad GPA or getting a second degree would not get to a 3.0 mark. Why would Carribean be any different? Another thing- why are you so deadset on spending the 1k you've saved on on podiatry cycle without sound feedback of your chances of getting in?

I do not know if you've done your research and looked up the harsh realities of Carribean med school. But the longer you post, the more it seems like you are either trolling or extremely unaware of yourself, your work ethic, and your life decisions.
 
ALS07 said:
Applying August for fall 2018 start date.

cGPA: 2.3
sGPA: 2.0
MCAT: 499
Shadowing: still shadowin; have shadowed 2x/week for a month now
schools: all 9; no preference because of my grades but my top 3 - ny, kent, & barry

any chance I could land 1 interview, 1 school? I took some post-bacc classes already, but not really an upward trend

Some notes:
- I have so many hours under my belt that it's mathematicall impossible to get into the 3.0 range. even with another degree, they will be averaged.
- wasn't very serious student in school & goofed off (I wasn't really sure what I wanted to do and my parents wanted me to go into a different direction, not podiatry) not an excuse, i know.
- masters program isn't an option because of the cost; and the masters I wanted was rly competitive. I have about $1k that I planned to use on applications & interview expenses
- I'm not a pre-med or pre-D.O. who is trying to monkey branch on the pod wagon. I really like podiatry. I had a close friend operated on by a podiatrist.
- doctor I'm shadowing really likes my personality, and believes I'll make a good podiatrist (he doesn't know my grades). I treat the shadowing experience very professionally!
- I just have a bad history, repeated coursework and withdrawals

past few days i read a lot of the old threads on here and some people have gotten in with low stats. not as bad as mine but you get the idea
Click to expand...

Hey there! I don't want to be harsh - but Pod school is very challenging. Is there a particular reason your GPA is so low, other than goofing off? What makes you believe you will succeed in Pod? These are some things to reflect on as it is a big investment, you should be 100% sure you will be willing to put in the time and effort to succeed. If you are certain you want to do Podiatry and nothing else, I would definitely try to do some more courses, even if it doesn't bring up your cGPA or sGPA up to a 3.0 - an upward trend would help you. Redo the MCAT and get a killer score, have great LOR's and extracurriculars and I feel you may have a chance. Again if this is something you really want the sky is the limit. Keep your head up and keep trying. I wish you the best!
 
ALS07 said:
Applying August for fall 2018 start date.

cGPA: 2.3
sGPA: 2.0
MCAT: 499
Shadowing: still shadowin; have shadowed 2x/week for a month now
schools: all 9; no preference because of my grades but my top 3 - ny, kent, & barry

any chance I could land 1 interview, 1 school? I took some post-bacc classes already, but not really an upward trend

Some notes:
- I have so many hours under my belt that it's mathematicall impossible to get into the 3.0 range. even with another degree, they will be averaged.
- wasn't very serious student in school & goofed off (I wasn't really sure what I wanted to do and my parents wanted me to go into a different direction, not podiatry) not an excuse, i know.
- masters program isn't an option because of the cost; and the masters I wanted was rly competitive. I have about $1k that I planned to use on applications & interview expenses
- I'm not a pre-med or pre-D.O. who is trying to monkey branch on the pod wagon. I really like podiatry. I had a close friend operated on by a podiatrist.
- doctor I'm shadowing really likes my personality, and believes I'll make a good podiatrist (he doesn't know my grades). I treat the shadowing experience very professionally!
- I just have a bad history, repeated coursework and withdrawals

past few days i read a lot of the old threads on here and some people have gotten in with low stats. not as bad as mine but you get the idea
Click to expand...
Why not try Nursing? Grad school seems like a long shot... you said you took post bacc classes and not really an upward trend which means that school may just not be for you. There are plenty of other great routes. What about medical device/oharmaceutical sales? My friend wants to do that. You are basically in the surgeries telling the doctor how to work the device. School just didnt come easy to him but he still wanted to be involved in it. If you have a good personality like the podiatrist told you then you would do well
 
Weirdy said:
With your current standing you'll get interview invites.

If you take the MCAT and get 500+ you're probably looking at some scholarships (this will vary by school, I don't know the numbers for all of them).

Get some shadowing in with a rec letter and apply early. You'll get a lot of invites.

Consider taking the MCAT only if you know you'll score higher than 494.
Click to expand...

Hi Wierdy,

Thank you for your reply. I would like to take the MCAT again but I don't know how much better I can do from the 494.

Is it best to leave it and apply early or should I really strive to get a better score?
 
gunner1 said:
Hi Wierdy,

Thank you for your reply. I would like to take the MCAT again but I don't know how much better I can do from the 494.

Is it best to leave it and apply early or should I really strive to get a better score?
Click to expand...

If you leave it and apply early, you will get interview invites.
 
I'm on mobile so hard to do multi quotes. Doing this from memory ---

- no troll.

- lack of resources in carribean in what sense? I've personally seen residents and clinical rotation students at a hospital close to my home. and they were all foreign med students. American U Antigua was the school they all came from. I'm not going for something competitive like plastics. Aside pod, family medicine or intern med is what I would go for. I also have a buddy who just came out of the carriebans and his story is different from ur lack of resources and horror picture. Any stats u can give me, pls?

- not interested in nursing. My girl is a nurse, sister is a nurse, and cousin is nurse practitioner. It's not the job for me. Medical device sales isn't for me either. Worked as a salesman before and I didn't make it.

- I started undergrad doing psych. Hated it, switched to environmental studies.
- on mobile but there was a few threads where one guy was in my gpa range. He got about 40 on old mcat. He did a masters and still was below 3.0 and get 1 acceptance. Just need a similar chance to him that's all.

- $1k is, all I have now to, use for anything. I could try to register for a class in the summer science classes are 4 credits so will cost $1300+ but I would instead prefer to try my chances at podiatry acceptance.

- contacted some schools today. Some replied. They said masters or postbacc. And they look, at every part of the profile. They said a good mcat helps too.

- alternate careers: carribean school for IM, FM. Carriebean med schools seem to be more forgiving which is why I fancy my chances. If not medicine then I see myself getting a PhD and going into academia in the environmental science track

I really feel like taking a chance and applying. Not perfect grades but there's more to medicine than grades. After shadowing the doctor I really enjoy this field.

-There's really not much behind my grades. I just didn't care much for school at the time. I failed a class 2x back to back and I went to the professor because I
needed signature for change of major. We talked for a bit and he said if podiatry is what I want, I definitely have the capacity to do it. My grades aren't truly reflection of who I am as a student. That's my point here.
 
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