PA hopeful needing some advice

[PAdreamin']

Hello I would like some advice, 

 

I've used the forum over the past year to help me game plan on making my dream become a reality from reading all the advice given on here. If anyone has some input i would like some for myself. Just some background on me I graduated in 2013 with a not so stellar 2.65 gpa and 2.4 science gpa, (my first two and a half years of college i was a loser with no motivation). 

 

Over the past two years i have taken pre-reqs for PA school and just recently finished a Masters Degree in physiology (3.8 gpa - 36 cr.). I have also taken about 26 cr. worth of prereqs courses (3.7gpa in those courses). I currently work in the hospital as a Patient Care Technician where i have gained 3500 hrs of experience, I also work part time as a Wellness Coach/Certified Personal trainer at the YMCA. 

 

My situation is with the courses I've taken both prereqs and graduate, my gpa calculated on my own hasn't crossed the 3.0 threshold that almost all schools require to even apply. From reading forums and blogs I can't help but to feel discouraged that competitively I just don't match up to the thousands of applicants that have 3.5+ undergrad and science gpa's that also have thousands of hours of experience. My question is should I apply this round with the stats that I have now or should I wait another year. 

 

My stats

Overall gpa: 2.96

Under gpa (including post bacc classes): 2.81

Overall science 2.85

Last 60 under grad: 3.67

Masters gpa (36cr.): 3.8

 

HCE: 3500 hrs PCT

 

I have doctor and my nurse manager from the hospital that I work waiting for the word to write up a letter of rec but I don't want to have them waste their time just to hear that I got rejected from every school I applied to. If I wait any advice on the things that I should do to make myself a stronger candidate. Anyone's advice would be much appreciated. 

[SHU-CH]

You demonstrated a pretty good turn around here. People in your situation usually do well to target a small number of PA programs and discuss your situation with them. The issue that you face is that some admissions computer program may be evaluating your file and it will assign you to the autoreject file. You need to find someone at a program that knows your story to act as an advocate and stop this from happening.

 

Some programs will have hard cutoffs and they would probably tell you that upfront. If a program has a published standard that they require a certain GPA, they are generally obligated to adhere to it.

[bkPA-S]

Props to you for defining your goals and altering your GPA to reach them! I agree with SHU-CH. I would also add that many programs give preference to early applicants, and the CASPA opened in April. So, with your academic history, if you're going to apply this cycle I would do so ASAP, or consider applying next year while continuing to grow your patient care hours and perhaps retaking some pre-reqs and bringing those prior grades up!

[PAdreamin']

Thanks for the much appreciated advice! I plan on reaching out to a few schools that I think would even consider me and share my story, maybe someone in an admissions office could be a bypass from an auto-reject. @bkpa-s you're right about applying early I have everything ready I just don't want to waste the time of those writing my lors. I also don't want to waste hundreds of dollars in applying and filling out supplemental apps to a lot of schools only to be rejected within seconds by a computer program.