Mercer students who are planning to apply to podiatric medical schools should use the "Pre-Medicine Advising Checklist" (Pre-Med Checklist.doc) as a guide for scheduling courses and extracurricular activities. In addition to completing the courses recommended in these documents, students should make themselves aware of any other courses that are required or recommended by the specific podiatry schools in which they are interested; students are responsible for familiarizing themselves with the admission requirements of the schools to which they intend to apply.
It must be noted here that first-year students on a pre-podiatry track are most successful when they enter college having already completed pre-calculus or calculus in high school. Students who lack such preparation in mathematics are encouraged to schedule a meeting with the pre-professional advisor during their first semester for advice (478-301-2250).
Students should also note that, while most podiatry schools do not require a student to have a bachelor's degree prior to enrollment (though all schools recommend it), the majority of accepted podiatry school applicants do have bachelor's degrees. As the rules for acceptance of students without bachelor's degrees vary from school to school, students interested in this option should look carefully at the requirements for the particular schools in which they are interested. Note that the fact that an applicant does not have a bachelor's degree does not exempt him/her from having to complete all of the prerequisite courses for podiatry school admission. Further, since admission to podiatry schools is granted on a competitive basis, it is important for students to have alternative plans in the event that they are not accepted to the schools to which they apply; a bachelor's degree will be extremely valuable to any student who ultimately opts to pursue other educational/career paths besides podiatry school.
Beyond the academic preparations students should make before applying to podiatry schools, pre-podiatry students should also obtain some type of experience with the podiatry profession. This experience may include working at a podiatrist's office, volunteering at a hospital or clinic, and/or shadowing a podiatrist extensively. Such experience will, of course, serve as evidence to podiatry schools that a student is truly interested in and knowledgeable about the profession, but it will also help the student to determine if s/he is making the right choice by going to podiatry school.
In addition to gaining experience in medical settings, pre-podiatry students may wish to join Mercer's pre-health club, MerPMed. For more information, students should visit the club's website, located at http://www2.mercer.edu/AAS/Pre-professional Information/MerPMed.htm, or send an e-mail to merpmed@yahoo.com.
Helpful sources of information for students who are interested in podiatry include the American Association of Colleges of Podiatric Medicine (AACPM; http://www.aacpm.org/) and the American Podiatric Medical Association (http://www.apma.org/). A list of accredited schools of podiatric medicine in the United States can be found at http://www.aacpm.org/html/collegelinks/cl_schools.asp. For more information about salaries and job outlook of doctors of podiatric medicine, see http://stats.bls.gov/oco/ocos075.htm.
The Podiatric Medical School Application Process
Students who are planning to apply to podiatric medical schools should be familiar with the American Association of Colleges of Podiatric Medicine Application Service (e-AACPMAS; http://www.e-aacpmas.org). The application cycle runs from April 1 through July 31st for matriculation the following fall. Students should note that some schools do not accept applications after June 30th. It is important that pre-podiatry students familiarize themselves with the specific admission requirements of the podiatric medical schools to which they intend to apply (individual podiatric medical schools may require information in addition to that which students provide on the AACPMAS applications).
Most podiatric medical schools in the U.S. require that applicants take the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT), although a few colleges will accept the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or the Dental Admission Test (DAT) instead of the MCAT. Only exam scores from the three years prior to the application year are acceptable. More information about the MCAT can be found at the website of the Association of American Medical Colleges (http://www.aamc.org/students/mcat/). Information about the GRE can be found at http://www.ets.org/gre, and the DAT is explained on the website of the American Dental Association: http://www.ada.org/prof/ed/testing/dat/index.asp. Pre-podiatry students should familiarize themselves with and prepare for the MCAT well in advance of actually taking the test, and they should allow themselves the opportunity to take the test multiple times, if necessary. Kaplan offers MCAT preparation courses on the Mercer-Macon campus periodically (students must visit (http://www.kaptest.com/) for scheduling and prices). Other sources of information regarding MCAT preparation include Examkrackers MCAT Preparation (http://www.examkrackers.com/), Princeton Review (http://www.princetonreview.com/medical/), and Study Guide Zone (http://www.studyguidezone.com/mcattest.htm
Students who intend to request letters of recommendation from Mercer's Health Vocations Advisement Committee (HVAC) when they apply to podiatric medical schools should read and follow the directions at the following website: /AAS/Pre-professional Information/Directions for Requesting a Letter from the HVAC.htm.
For more information about preparing for and applying to veterinary schools, contact the pre-professional advisor in the Office of Academic and Advising Services (478-301-2250).
CB 5-12-09