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Podiatry is one that many students have not considered. These physicians do everything that a medical doctor does, with the restriction that medical practices are limited to the feet and ankles. One can specialize in pediatric podiatry, geriatric podiatry, diabetes problems, or general podiatry. Many students gain admission after three years (90 hours) in undergraduate school. The undergraduate course requirements are similar to those for medical school. A GPA of 2.8 or higher is competitive. Since West Virginia does not have a podiatry school, local podiatrists earn substantial annual incomes. |
See the Occupational Outlook Handbook: Podiatry. Also, see the American Association of Colleges of Podiatric Medicine (AACPM).
The courses listed below are general suggestions. Check the professional school of your choice to see specific admission requirements.
Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) or Graduate Record Exam (GRE)
Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) is taken preferably in the fall of your junior year of undergraduate school. However, in some cases the student, after discussions with the Pre-Professional advisor, may choose to take the MCAT during the spring semester of his/her sophomore year.
The MCAT is a five and one-half hour self-paced computerized exam. Optional breaks are including during the exam. The exam is divided into four parts: verbal reasoning (40 questions lasting 60 minutes), biological sciences (52 questions lasting 70 minutes), physical sciences (52 questions lasting approximately 70 minutes), and writing sample (approximately 2 questions lasting 60 minutes).
The approximate cost is $210.00. Additional fees such as late registration, change of testing site, or rescheduling fees can be included in the total cost.
There is no penalty for guessing; which means that if you are unsure of your answer, you should guess rather than leave the question unanswered. Unanswered items are incorrect, but there are no additional score reductions for answers that you guess incorrectly. The scores range from a low of 1 to a high of 15 for each of the three multiple-choice sections of the test. Writing Sample essays are rated by a group of trained readers. Your raw score on the Writing Sample is the sum of four individual raw scores ranging from 1 to 6. Your total raw score is converted to an alphabetic scale ranging from J (lowest) to T (highest).
For the most current information on cost, review the MCAT web site.
In 2015, the MCAT's changes. The writing sample will be eliminated and replaced with a reading/critical thinking exam. The MCAT will include more social/behavioral science specifically Psychology, Sociology with some Philosophy and Ethics. The science portion will not change. |
Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is a three hour computer-based general test that is composed of verbal reasoning (30 minutes consisting of 30 questions), quantitative reasoning (45 minutes consisting of 28 questions), and analytical writing sections. The analytical writing section is always first and is split between an issue task and argument task. For the issue task, two topics will be presented and you will choose one. The argument task does not present a choice of topics; instead, one topic will be presented. In addition, one unidentified un-scored section may be included, and this section can appear in any position in the test after the analytical writing section. Questions in the un-scored section are being tested for possible use in future tests, and answers will not count toward your scores. The verbal and quantitative sections may appear in any order. Treat each section presented during your test as if it counts.
The approximate cost is $140.00. Additional fees such as late registration, change of testing site, or rescheduling fees can be included in the total cost.
Three scores are reported on the General Test:
Official scores will be sent to you and the professional schools you designated within 10 to 15 days after you take the test. Any section in which you answer no questions at all will be reported as a no score (NS).
For the most current information, review the GRE web site.
Since there are no veterinary schools in West Virginia the Higher Education Policy Commission has established contracts with institutions to accept West Virginia students. For the most current information on which institutions, contact the Southern Regional Education Board or the West Virginia's Higher Education Policy Commission Academic Common Market Coordinator for details.
A formal agreement has been reached that leads from a degree at Marshall to podiatry school at Kent State University College of Podiatric Medicine. In general, student must complete at Marshall University:
If you are interested stop by S 270 or contact the College of Science Associate Dean for specific agreement requirements.
