Letters of Recommendation questions

[Clovers]

Hi all,

I've been keeping up with this forum for several weeks now. Thank you everyone for answering all of my questions from my previous postings!

I am in the process of gathering all of things together to apply to pod school in September. Do you guys have any suggestions for me in terms of strengthening my application from here till September?

An area that I am concern about is the writers of my recommendation letters. Two of my letter writers are teachers at a cc with only master's degree. Is that ok? They were my teachers for anatomy and physiology. I heard it's just better to get letters from professors with a PHD.

Also, could anyone share with me what kind of things you include in your personal statement? I have an idea of what I want to include but I am not sure if it's good enough. I only want to go to CSPM so I really really want to make sure I do get in.

My stats is 3.0 cummulative GPA and I am taking the DAT in september. I've been out of school for one year. I took anatomy and physiology at my local jc after i finished my BS at a 4 yr institution.

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[Catayst]

You gotta shadow a podiatrist a few times so they recognize you, you'll need a rec letter from them soon.

 

[Clovers]

You gotta shadow a podiatrist a few times so they recognize you, you'll need a rec letter from them soon.

I contacted a podiatrist but he hasn't gotten back to me yet. I'm planning to shadow him for 1-2 weeks then ask him for a letter of recommendation.

 

[Cheetos]

I contacted a podiatrist but he hasn't gotten back to me yet. I'm planning to shadow him for 1-2 weeks then ask him for a letter of recommendation.

I'm in a similar situation. I'd recommend you go contact as many Pods as possible to see if they'll let you shadow asap. Start shadowing now and then ask for the LOR at the beginning of Aug and you'll be ready by Sept. As for LORs, they do prefer that the're from a PhD from your university but I' rather have a cc teacher who knows me well write me one than a PhD who doen't know anything about me. Goodluck!

 

[Dr_Feelgood]

Also, contact the podiatry school are you interested in, they might have pods in your area that you can shadow.

You stats are good enough for CSPM, not to insult anyone here but they are on the lower end of podiatric schools, and therefore not as competitive

 

[Clovers]

Also, contact the podiatry school are you interested in, they might have pods in your area that you can shadow.

You stats are good enough for CSPM, not to insult anyone here but they are on the lower end of podiatric schools, and therefore not as competitive

How come CSPM is considered on the low end of podiatric schools? I chose it because I want to stay in CA. I haven't looked into their curriculum and reputation. Please enlighten me.

My parents are concern that I cannot handle podiatry school. How is podiatry school like? Are the boards difficult to pass?

I appreciate all of your responses.

 

[gustydoc]

How come CSPM is considered on the low end of podiatric schools? I chose it because I want to stay in CA. I haven't looked into their curriculum and reputation. Please enlighten me.

My parents are concern that I cannot handle podiatry school. How is podiatry school like? Are the boards difficult to pass?

I appreciate all of your responses.

At one time I believe that CSPM was considered to be one of the better podiatric medical schools, but that is no longer the case. Whether or not the boards are difficult is subjective, but there are students at almost every school who do not pass on their first attempt. I cannot speak for how difficult the curriculum is at CSPM, but they have often had the lowest first time pass rate in recent years. The first thing I usually tell a pre-podiatry student is don't make the mistake of choosing a school based on location, but rather look into their board scores and residency placements statistics. I realize that schools with poor scores don't exactly advertise this to their students, so it isn't shocking that you didn't know about them. They also are not affiliated with a MD or DO school. Taking classes with other medical students is a big plus when it comes to a comprehensive education to prepare you for boards and residency. With all that being said, don't stress too much about your choice. I have met some of the CSPM students and think they will make great doctors. You have chosen a fantastic career and if you are willing to work hard the sky is the limit. Now you know that you may have a harder time with the boards due to the school you chose so use that knowledge to your advantage, study hard and I am sure you will do fine. Good luck.

 

[Clovers]

At one time I believe that CSPM was considered to be one of the better podiatric medical schools, but that is no longer the case. Whether or not the boards are difficult is subjective, but there are students at almost every school who do not pass on their first attempt. I cannot speak for how difficult the curriculum is at CSPM, but they have often had the lowest first time pass rate in recent years. The first thing I usually tell a pre-podiatry student is don't make the mistake of choosing a school based on location, but rather look into their board scores and residency placements statistics. I realize that schools with poor scores don't exactly advertise this to their students, so it isn't shocking that you didn't know about them. They also are not affiliated with a MD or DO school. Taking classes with other medical students is a big plus when it comes to a comprehensive education to prepare you for boards and residency. With all that being said, don't stress too much about your choice. I have met some of the CSPM students and think they will make great doctors. You have chosen a fantastic career and if you are willing to work hard the sky is the limit. Now you know that you may have a harder time with the boards due to the school you chose so use that knowledge to your advantage, study hard and I am sure you will do fine. Good luck.

What is considered a low passing rate? More than 30% of students not passing? I am so disappointed because I hope to stay in CA and attend pod school. A few years ago, CSPM merged with the Samuel Merritt school in CA. Was this the cause of its downhill reputation? I would assume since two schools merged, the curriculum would be stronger.

 

[IlizaRob]

What is considered a low passing rate? More than 30% of students not passing? I am so disappointed because I hope to stay in CA and attend pod school. A few years ago, CSPM merged with the Samuel Merritt school in CA. Was this the cause of its downhill reputation? I would assume since two schools merged, the curriculum would be stronger.

The merger stabalized them financially. I think they went bankrupt previous to that. They moved locations twice in 2 years. I have a friend who graduated from there last year and I think he went to like 3 different campuses while being there.

 

[molldoll2010dpm]

Personal Statement:

Just tell them why you want to be a Podiatrist. They aren't looking for the "fluff" that they are going to get for most of the statements. Tell them why Podiatry interests you whether it be your interest in surgery, lower malpractice, better hours, or whatever has led you to the field. If you have any strenghts that would show you would excel in this field, also talk about that.

Recommendations:

Try to have one from a Podiatrist. If this isn't possible get one from another medical professional you have worked with. Try having one from your Advisor and maybe one or two from professors. That's the best advice I can give. If you have a close relationship with a professor that isn't in a science subject, it's still cool to get a rec from them. It shows you're an all around person.

 

[Clovers]

Personal Statement:

Just tell them why you want to be a Podiatrist. They aren't looking for the "fluff" that they are going to get for most of the statements. Tell them why Podiatry interests you whether it be your interest in surgery, lower malpractice, better hours, or whatever has led you to the field. If you have any strenghts that would show you would excel in this field, also talk about that.

Recommendations:

Try to have one from a Podiatrist. If this isn't possible get one from another medical professional you have worked with. Try having one from your Advisor and maybe one or two from professors. That's the best advice I can give. If you have a close relationship with a professor that isn't in a science subject, it's still cool to get a rec from them. It shows you're an all around person.

Hey, thanks for your suggestions!

 

[molldoll2010dpm]

Hey, thanks for your suggestions!

No prob. Anytime.

 

[gsrimport]

I interviewed at the california campus and I didn't think it was bad. The interview and tour lasted the whole day. They do have their own clinic which gives you a lot of hands on experience. I think their clinicals are very good and you do get early exposure. You start shadowing during the second year. It seemed like the clinic was runned by the 2nd and 3rd year students with several doctors monitoring everything. This could be beneficial depending on how you look at it. However, some or most of the didactics are with PA students and nursing students so you might need to study more for the boards.

If you get accepted, you will do fine.

Their website is:
http://www.samuelmerritt.edu/default.cfm

Average GPA is 3.26 and science GPA of 3.15. The DAT was 17.
The thing that annoyed me most was that they tell you about their decision on the interview day and it seems like everyone that interviews gets accepted.

 

[Cheetos]

I interviewed at the california campus and I didn't think it was bad. The interview and tour lasted the whole day. They do have their own clinic which gives you a lot of hands on experience. I think their clinicals are very good and you do get early exposure. You start shadowing during the second year. It seemed like the clinic was runned by the 2nd and 3rd year students with several doctors monitoring everything. This could be beneficial depending on how you look at it. However, some or most of the didactics are with PA students and nursing students so you might need to study more for the boards.

If you get accepted, you will do fine.

Their website is:
http://www.samuelmerritt.edu/default.cfm

Average GPA is 3.26 and science GPA of 3.15. The DAT was 17.
The thing that annoyed me most was that they tell you about their decision on the interview day and it seems like everyone that interviews gets accepted.

Good to hear something good about CSPM

 

[funfeet]

For the letters of rec, most schools ask for a "pre-health advisor" letter. Would that be better than a science teacher? i go to Uof Illinois, so we get mostly TAs. Would my advisor work? He's a biology advisor, knows me well, but he's not technically a "pre-health advisor".

 

[MasonPrehealth]

For the letters of rec, most schools ask for a "pre-health advisor" letter. Would that be better than a science teacher? i go to Uof Illinois, so we get mostly TAs. Would my advisor work? He's a biology advisor, knows me well, but he's not technically a "pre-health advisor".

Most admissions committees would prefer the institutional prehealth advisor's letter as a summary recommendation of faculty and professional reference letters. You should talk to your prehealth advisor at the Career Center at U of I. Your bio advisor should also know to contact her.

 

[funfeet]

Most admissions committees would prefer the institutional prehealth advisor's letter as a summary recommendation of faculty and professional reference letters. You should talk to your prehealth advisor at the Career Center at U of I. Your bio advisor should also know to contact her.

THANKS!