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What schools use the "Replacement GPA" AKA What are my chances?


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Can anyone list some of the schools that will use a "replacement GPA"?  I am looking for recommendations for school to apply to that may make exceptions for non-traditional students with low GPAs/high GREs/extensive clinical experience.  Thanks for your help!

 

GPA(First 120 credits)                             2.0 B.S. Human Sciences

GPA(Last 136 credits)                             3.1

GPA(Last 43 credits with PA Pre-reqs)   3.8

cGPA                                                       2.63

 

GRE 163/164 (I do not have my essay score yet)

HCE 20,000+ hours  SWAT Paramedic/Assistant Field Ops Supervisor/Paramedic Preceptor 

Certs ACLS, CPR, PHTLS, TCCC, PALS, SWAT, PRSBI

LORs from PA, DO, MSN, Physics Prof, Bio Prof, and Ret. LT CMNDR USN

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The vast majority of PA schools use CASPA as the application service; CASPA does not allow any kind of grade or GPA replacement and also only allows up to 5 LORs - while most schools will only take 2-3.  Those LORs are electronic requests which are sent directly from the writer to CASPA.  The new application cycle opens April of next year, though there are plenty of schools still accepting applications until this winter.

 

In order to calculate your chances, you need to know what your CASPA GPA is; the formula is simple and on the CASPA website.  This GPA takes into account all grades received for the cGPA and all grades received for qualifying science courses for the sGPA.  Any c/sGPA lower than 3.0 will mean the odds of scoring an interview are not in your favor by a long shot, but there is always the possibility of brining those grades up in the future.

 

If you are really interested in PA school, the best thing you can do for yourself right now is start narrowing down the field of prospective schools based on geographics and average accepted scores from the last matriculated class.  All of this can be done using the PAEA directory.

 

Best of luck to you.

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There are also schools that do additional GPA calculations and put more emphasis on recent hours (as well as trends), but you typically do have to meet their general minimums and requirements to be considered.  USA in Mobile is one that places more, or additional, emphasis on recent GPA as I recall.  

 

As indicated, use the PAEA directory and start researching schools.  Unfortunately, with new schools being added, and existing schools changing their requirements (it does happen!), you'll ultimately (and absolutely) need to check the schools' posted information (rather than rely on anything learned here or on social media or from PAEA).  

 

Good luck!

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Thanks for the input.  Glorious, those are my numbers from CASPA and I'm aware of the LOR limits, I am just stating what I have available.  The input that I am looking for would be schools that will make an exception for my cGPA, ie schools that will not automatically kick my app out without looking at the HCE and GREs.  Raising my cGPA to the minimum required for some schools would be an insane proposition(36 credit hours to hit the 2.8 cGPA mark and I am guessing 80 hours to hit a 3.0).  My last 43 hours GPA, which include my pre-reqs, is a 3.95.  I have a 3.85 for my last 93 hours.  I am seriously considering a 1 year Masters program but I would prefer not having to wait another year.

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Per the CASPA breakdown, I would be adding to a column that currently has a 0.0 in it.  Based off my recent grades, that would change to a 3.5 to 4.0.  If I completed 36 hours of post bacc work at a 4.0, that would still go in to my cGPA for undergrad.  Then, it would be a whopping 2.8 instead of a 2.63.  My GPA is my fault, I wanted to party instead of going to class when I was at FSU 20 years ago.  The MS I am looking at would be in Med Micro and Biochem, which I would imagine to be useful down the line.

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