Application Guide

The minimum admission requirement to a college of podiatric medicine is three years of college with specific science courses. A baccalaureate degree is strongly recommended. More than 90% of the applicants to podiatric school hold a bachelor’s degree. Applicants are required to complete the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) as a prerequisite for admission. Six of the seven U.S. colleges of podiatric medicine participate in AACPMAS (American Association of Colleges of Podiatric Medicine Application Service) centralized application service. Applicants seeking admission to a podiatry school should contact the schools they are interested in attending for information on specific prerequisites and admission requirements.

Application Information

Centralized Application Service: AACPMAS - American Association of Colleges of Podiatric Medicine Application Service: http://www.aacpm.org/

Cost: Visit AACPMAS fee schedule page to view application fee breakdown

When to apply: Students are encouraged to apply a year in advance of when they wish to matriculate. The application can be submitted starting in early August.

Courses and Transcripts: The courses you have taken will need to be self-reported and you will also need to have official transcripts sent to the application service.

Most centralized applications will have a form to print off that will need to be attached to your transcript. You will be asked to enter information, grades and credits for every course that you have enrolled in at any U.S., U.S. Territorial, or Canadian post-secondary institution. Transcripts should be sent from the registrar’s office of all US and/or Canadian Schools attended.

You may order a transcript from the MSU registrar’s office from the registrar’s web site, https://reg.msu.edu/. There is no charge for sending transcripts. If you are taking courses during the spring semester, it is advised you wait until your spring semester grades are posted to your record as professional schools will want to see those grades.

Resources: AACPMAS website

Entrance Exam

Medical College Admission Test (MCAT)

Length: 7 hours and 30 minutes

Sections: Four sections - Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems, Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems, Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior, and Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills. Explore individual section information by visiting our MCAT page.

Cost: $310 - includes cost of exam and distribution of scores.

Scores: Scores range from 472 to 528. Mean and median score is 500.

MSU Pre-Health advisors do not endorse any specific test prep resource, but we encourage you to explore each of the different options to determine which will best fit your needs.  

 

Personal Statement

The personal statement is a very limited in length essay that is used as a device to get a better understanding of the applicant.It is a very important element that should be prepared well in advance to the application and should be edited thoroughly by many different people, such as but not limited to, the writing center, friends and family.

Length: 4,500 character limit for AACPMAS participating schools.

Prompt: "In the space provided, write a brief statement expressing your motivation or desire to become a podiatric physician."

What to include:

  • Why you selected this field of health care
  • What motivates you to learn more about health care
  • Pertinent information about you not included elsewhere in the application
  • Special hardships or experiences that have influenced your educational pursuits
  • Commentary on significant fluctuations in your academic record not explained in the application.

Resources:

Work/Activities

This section gives applicants an opportunity to expand on their experiences. All of your work in leadership, clinical experiences, community service, research, publications, awards and honors are detailed in a single section. Pay close attention to character limits when writing your description of each experience.

Work and activities are typically categorized into the following types:

  • Employment
  • Podiatric Experiences
  • Healthcare Experience
  • Extracurricular Activities

Recommendation Letters

Podiatry schools typically require 2-3 recommendation letters.

While you must pay careful attention to the guidelines of each school that requests your letters, we suggest you identify the following people to request letters of evaluation from:

  • Two science faculty who taught you in a class
  • One non-science faculty
  • One individual working in the profession you wish to pursue (example: an osteopathic physician, dentist, physical therapist, pharmacist, etc)
  • One or two additional individuals who know you well from a work, volunteer or research experience

Interviews

After submitting the primary application, students may receive an offer to interview. Podiatry schools that offer an interview have indicated an interest in selecting you, and the interview is a critical part of the application process. Remember, you are not only preparing to answer their questions, you are preparing to ask your own. While they determine whether you are the right fit for the program, you need to determine if the program is the right fit for you.

Schools use personal interviews with applicants to assess qualities such as maturity, interpersonal skills, and ability to articulate strengths and weaknesses. Be prepared to discuss why you wish to pursue a career in dentistry and the experiences that have motivated you.

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