What are my chances?

pa2012 · Post by **pa2012** » Sun Jul 10, 2011 7:22 pm

I am going to be a college senior in the fall. I was originally pre-med but have decided to go the PA route as I want more time to spend with a family and pursue other interests when I am older (guy here). I am a biology major and since I was pre-med, took mostly biology courses, physics, and both organic and inorganic chem. I do have A+P I/II also. I am applying to schools now and my undergrad cGPA is about 3.75 with a 3.5 sGPA. However, in high school I went to a special program that was affiliated with a medical school. We had to take tests to get college credit (mandatory) in A+P I/II, medical math, nutrition, EMT, and med terminology. However, they never really stressed the importance of these tests (grades were stand alone only for credit, received A's in the actual classes) and we were only told to pass. I got 4 C+'s because of the difficulty of these tests and now have to include them on my app. Will this really hurt my app at all? Those grades were in high school and it is clear that my GPA is high in undergrad. Also, I have about 600-650 patient contact hours in a nursing home, hospital, physical therapy center, and private clinic. I am in the biological honor society at my school and am on the exec board of the pre-med and medical clubs on campus. I do many charity fundraisers each semester too. I have been told by many PA's that I am very qualified to apply to PA school, so I am applying this cycle (didn't take GREs, applying to non-GRE schools) to 5 schools. Am I qualified enough? Advice would be appreciated.

Also, when do schools normally start getting back to you? And in terms of recommendations, would it be better to get 2 science professors and a physician, or two physicians and a science professor? Thank you!

Post by **PaulK** » Mon Jul 11, 2011 12:29 am

You sound like you have a strong application. Sounds like you got college credit for your high school program, but I don\'t know if those grades will show on your college transcript, or just count as credits you didn\'t need to do once you got to college. If they don\'t show on your transcript, don\'t worry about it. If they do, you might want to speak to it (briefly) in your CASPA narrative essay.

Sounds like you could use more HCE hours, but depending on the school, you may have enough. Have you done any shadowing of PAs? I ask because your great accomplishments are helpful, but may leave them with the idea that you want/wanted to go to medical school. Be prepared for this question in any interviews you get by spending some time getting very familiar with the PA profession itself. Then you can make it clear why you\'ve chosen PA over MD. I would go for two professors and one physician, since they can speak to your ability to handle the PA school material. We have several articles about getting great letters of recommendation for PA school on the blog.
When they get back to you really depends on 1) the school, 2)the strength of the applications they receive, 3) how early or late in the cycle you interview. Generally speaking, PA schools interview their strongest, favorite candidates first, and accept them soon after if they look good after the interview (days to weeks). If you\'re on the cusp, it make take longer to hear. Do yourself a favor and interview, then try to put it all out of your mind. I know that\'s hard, but expecting a letter or call everyday after an interview can drive you crazy! Do your best and let it go as best you can. SUCCESS. -P

pa2012 · Post by **pa2012** » Mon Jul 11, 2011 10:16 am

I am applying to newer institutions with lower hour requirements (200-300 or less). I did receive college credit for those courses. I need to show all of them because two of them were from A+P I/II. I calculated my gpa and it only went down to a 3.6. Should I still explain in my narrative? Thanks for the input. Also, should I apply to more than 5? The PA\'s I spoke to advised me to apply to 4-5 insitutions

Post by **PaulK** » Mon Jul 11, 2011 11:51 pm

I think I would mention why, but briefly, and then I would fly back to your overall GPA to keep them focused on the positive. If you paint a picture of a person who has matured and come into their own academically, this will be no big deal. Make the argument that those grades aren\'t representative of you now. \"I\'ve come a long way since then...\" etc.

How many schools to apply to is a tough one. Certainly your odds are better the more you apply to. But casting too wide a net can get expensive, and will be more work, and you might end up somewhere you really don\'t want to be. I would apply to the programs that most interest you, plus two or three more. But that\'s just me. I only applied to three, because I had a family and really couldn\'t go anywhere else. I have plenty of classmates who applied to 10+.

KC123 · Post by **KC123** » Wed Jul 20, 2011 5:53 pm

I am in a similar position. I was pre-med and just recently decided to apply to PA school for the 2012 cycle. I do not have many HCE hours other then the few I\'ve picked up this summer taking blood in a clinic and working with a doc in the local nursing home because I was concentrating on shadowing for med school. I\'ve played volleyball at the university I attend and have managed to keep a 3.95 in my science GPA and a 3.87 total. I have all pre reqs and more because my major is technically a comprehensive bio degree. I also have an extreme amount of honor societies to list and honors as well as volunteer experiences. My GRE is not the best although it was over 1000. I realize I\'m not going to get into the Dukes and schools that require the extreme amount of hours, but what is your opinion on my likelihood of getting in somewhere that suggests hours but doesn\'t require them. My main concern is that I\'m only 22 without many hours (200) and my GRE isn\'t the best it could be; I\'m a horrible standardized test taker. I have already submitted my CASPA application and have received emails about finishing the supplemental apps. Thanks for your time..=]

Dodabab1 · Post by **Dodabab1** » Wed Sep 14, 2011 8:22 pm

I\'m in the same boat. Only opposite. I have a BS in biology. According to caspa my GPA is at a 3.07, and science GPA is at a 2.97. I was devastated when I saw this. Apparently when you take the same class and do the grade forgiveness, doesn\'t count for caspa. They take the average of the two grades, so this lowered GPA substantially. I have over 6,000+ HCE, can someone give me some advice or if someone was in my same situation and got into PA school. Thank you

Post by **PaulK** » Thu Sep 15, 2011 12:08 am

Three words for you: essay, essay, essay. It\'s your chance to trumpet your HCE (wow), and explain that although your GPA isn\'t impressive, you\'ve retaken courses and have done well in them (I assume you have), and remind them that the CASPA GPA doesn\'t reflect this. In short, explain to them what a good student you are now and how you\'ve maybe matured and come into your own in school. What do you think interfered with the courses that pulled your GPA down?

Dodabab1 · Post by **Dodabab1** » Thu Sep 15, 2011 6:33 am

I retook them again. I had a couple of Cs, so I though If I took the classes again and apply the grade forgiveness it would boost my GPA. I had no idea Caspa to the average of both. I hate to bring up financial issues I had in the past, as well medical issues, which since have been resolved. If I have to, then I guess I will. This is defenetly what I want to be, and I\'m ready to state my case to them. The thing is will they grant me the opportunity to do so by giving me an interview

Post by **PaulK** » Thu Sep 15, 2011 10:46 am

It\'s anybody\'s guess. But that\'s my point: think your essay through thoroughly, and make a good case. Not just a \"it\'s not as bad as it looks\" case. You don\'t want to be defensive; you want to explain it briefly, then get back to all the good things that make you a candidate worth overlooking those things. If they like you, they may say, \"This applicant had some trouble with grades, but their essay piqued my curiosity, and I want to see more before I make a decision. Maybe we should bring \'em in for an interview.\"

Dodabab1 · Post by **Dodabab1** » Thu Sep 15, 2011 2:12 pm

Thanks for the words of encouragement. I did just that. The admissions counselor seems very nice and understanding n
But I know that at the end it\'s the admissions committee who will have the last word. I hope it all works out. If not I have another year to wok on plan B, Masters in Biomedical science. To bring up my GPA and keep working as a PCA.

Post by **PaulK** » Thu Sep 15, 2011 6:15 pm

Good thinking. Too many fail to put together a solid plan B.