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Applying with overall 2.8 and science 3.0 GPA


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Hey guys,

I'm currently applying right now for PA School and hope to have my CASPA applicaiton Verified by the OCT 1 Deadline.

 

So heres my academic background:

 

- I have my Bachelors (BSIS)

- Have all my pre-reqs done

- Cumulative GPA is: 2.81

- Overall  Science GPA is: 3.08

- Last 2 years of college( Cumulative 84 credit hours) GPA: 3.18

- Last 60 credit hours (cumulative)  GPA: 3.07

- Undergraduate GPA(cumulative) before post-bacc: 2.75 ( Had a child my soph year and had to deal with court. Was also working)

- I have not taken my GRE yet but I have a scheduled test date for next week.

 

Heres my professional background:

- 4 years 5 months as a medic in the Army (active duty)

- 4 years as a medic in the Texas National Guard (while Pursuing my undergraduate)

- 3 years as an EMT-B at various EMS companies (while pursuing my undergraduate)

- Total HCE = 19,600 Hrs

 

I will be applying to A LOT of schools all over the country ( about 40) . I've saved up for the last 2 years, from work, to drop on applications for PA school. I've heard from others in the past that even if you don't possess the minimum 3.0 overall cumulative GPA, schools will look at other areas to possibly consider you.

 

Am I pursuing this in the right way? I know I barely reach the minimum. Is applying to 40 different programs way over the top? Again I understand the minimum overall 3.0 GPA but Im hoping they will look at the last 2 years or last 60 credits. Some schools state that they will, and the rest don't state if they will or wont. I'm hoping my experience will play a slight factor as well. As for the GRE, I've studied a lot for it and hope to be in the 60 percentile ( I am applying to a bunch of schools that don't require the GRE).

 

I guess at this point I'm just nervous that I'm for sure going to get rejected by everyone and just wanted to see if anyone else is/was in the same boat as I and saw the light at the end of the tunnel and got accepted. Any constructive criticism will help. Thank you all for taking the time.

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There are a few specific schools that do look at your last 60 credits or sometimes last 90 credits so you should certainly apply to those. Honestly, I wouldn't waste your time applying to schools that don't say that they do that or not because if they don't say, they generally just follow their minimum cutoffs and anything below will be immediately rejected without anyone reading the rest of your application. You don't want to throw away money on immediate rejections. 

 

A few red flags I see in your application:

1) Even though the deadline is Oct 1, many schools are on rolling admissions and by this point, some schools have already filled up their interview spots and are now waitlisting people for interviews. This means that even if you had the best application there was, the best they could offer you was a spot on the waitlist to interview.

 

2) Usually people who had rough undergrad GPAs and are counting on their last 60 units have much stronger upward trends. As in the GPA of just your last 60 units should be well into the mid to high 3's. Having a last 60 unit GPA in the low 3's is a bit concerning to schools because it indicates that you have not been able to get A's in your most recent coursework. PA classes are much much harder than "undergrad" classes and so I believe this will cause adcoms to be worried that you will not be able to handle the coursework if you were admitted to their school.

 

I'm assuming from your description that you're still trying to raise a child and go through school and/or working which I can only imagine is extremely tough. In order to alleviate the effects of Red Flag #2, you should absolutely highlight this in your personal statement. Be sure to address the amount of time and effort you're putting into this in addition to having a family. And of course note your dedication to being a PA no matter what it takes. 

You obviously have extremely above average PCE and it looks like very quality experience. This can also offset the effects of your GPA. My advice would be to really take some time looking at schools mottos and what kind of students they say they are interested in. There are definitely schools out there who value PCE significantly more than GPA, be sure to apply to those. I would really evaluate your list of 40 and make sure that you won't be immediately rejected due to them not taking the last 60 units for GPA as well. I would also avoid schools with rolling admissions due to Red Flag #1. Unfortunately there is no magic number of schools you should apply to so my best advice is to really look at your list and choose wisely rather than worrying about the quantity. 

 

PA schools take a VERY wide variety of applicants so don't feel too discouraged. While your GPA is not ideal, your PCE is good enough that it may be able to get you an interview. I certainly don't think it is impossible for you to get in, difficult maybe but not impossible. Good luck, you can do it!!!!

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First, I think it is wise of you to apply to so many programs. You sound like you are prepared to get a large amount of rejections, which you likely will. (its better to be realistic then overly optimistic).

 

There are some schools however, that will truly appreciate your HCE and will grant you an interview to see if you can fit the bill.

 

As the poster above stated already, you are pretty late in the cycle, and you haven't taken the GRE yet? You need to get on top of that, or just apply to schools that don't require the GRE.

 

With all of this being said, I caution you about the depth and intensity of PA school. It is no joke and will be much harder and more intense than undergrad. Your GPA is a bit concerning, and it seems that even your last 60 credits or so are still below the average of most PA applicants. If I was on the admission committee, I would be concerned. In the end however, if you really think you have what it takes then get it.

 

If you are granted an interview, I strongly caution using your children as an excuse for your GPA. Mention them for sure, just don't use them as an excuse.

 

Good luck to you.

 

-Greg

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My advice wait till next cycle. Take some more science class and boost your GPA a little, get a great GRE score and apply early and broadly. Your GPA is not great, your last 60 is still well below average and you may be auto filtered just by that.

As has been said many schools have already filled their interview slots, so applying this cycle would be a massive waste of time and money. Applying early next cycle will give you the best chance, but still be prepared for a lot of rejections.

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With respect to your GPAs, given the number of applications received, any program that posts a minimum of 3.0 GPA is looking at cumulative and your application is not going to make it past screening.  Do NOT waste your money.  Do your research and make SURE the programs you apply to will consider your application.  

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Agree with so many statements above.  If 3.0 is the cutoff, they likely WON'T look at your app even if it's stellar otherwise - there just isn't time to do that for everyone who doesn't meet the cutoff.  Like someone else said - make sure you KNOW they are a program that will actually consider that and don't just toss any app that doesn't meet the minimum.

 

You would be best served to wait until next year as you are applying late - very late if you are just trying to meet Oct deadlines.  With a lower GPA you want to be one of the first they see when they *might* consider your HCE to balance the low GPA and you want to be one of the first - not one they see after they've already starting interviewing and likely accepting students.

 

Remember that schools get thousands of applications and there typically is a very concrete screening process to whittle down the apps that need to be looked at and GPA/GRE is often it.  All the HCE in the world won't compensate for that sometimes, especially if they are automated filters.

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There are a few specific schools that do look at your last 60 credits or sometimes last 90 credits so you should certainly apply to those. Honestly, I wouldn't waste your time applying to schools that don't say that they do that or not because if they don't say, they generally just follow their minimum cutoffs and anything below will be immediately rejected without anyone reading the rest of your application. You don't want to throw away money on immediate rejections. 

 

A few red flags I see in your application:

1) Even though the deadline is Oct 1, many schools are on rolling admissions and by this point, some schools have already filled up their interview spots and are now waitlisting people for interviews. This means that even if you had the best application there was, the best they could offer you was a spot on the waitlist to interview.

 

2) Usually people who had rough undergrad GPAs and are counting on their last 60 units have much stronger upward trends. As in the GPA of just your last 60 units should be well into the mid to high 3's. Having a last 60 unit GPA in the low 3's is a bit concerning to schools because it indicates that you have not been able to get A's in your most recent coursework. PA classes are much much harder than "undergrad" classes and so I believe this will cause adcoms to be worried that you will not be able to handle the coursework if you were admitted to their school.

 

I'm assuming from your description that you're still trying to raise a child and go through school and/or working which I can only imagine is extremely tough. In order to alleviate the effects of Red Flag #2, you should absolutely highlight this in your personal statement. Be sure to address the amount of time and effort you're putting into this in addition to having a family. And of course note your dedication to being a PA no matter what it takes. 

You obviously have extremely above average PCE and it looks like very quality experience. This can also offset the effects of your GPA. My advice would be to really take some time looking at schools mottos and what kind of students they say they are interested in. There are definitely schools out there who value PCE significantly more than GPA, be sure to apply to those. I would really evaluate your list of 40 and make sure that you won't be immediately rejected due to them not taking the last 60 units for GPA as well. I would also avoid schools with rolling admissions due to Red Flag #1. Unfortunately there is no magic number of schools you should apply to so my best advice is to really look at your list and choose wisely rather than worrying about the quantity. 

 

PA schools take a VERY wide variety of applicants so don't feel too discouraged. While your GPA is not ideal, your PCE is good enough that it may be able to get you an interview. I certainly don't think it is impossible for you to get in, difficult maybe but not impossible. Good luck, you can do it!!!!

 

 

First, I think it is wise of you to apply to so many programs. You sound like you are prepared to get a large amount of rejections, which you likely will. (its better to be realistic then overly optimistic).

 

There are some schools however, that will truly appreciate your HCE and will grant you an interview to see if you can fit the bill.

 

As the poster above stated already, you are pretty late in the cycle, and you haven't taken the GRE yet? You need to get on top of that, or just apply to schools that don't require the GRE.

 

With all of this being said, I caution you about the depth and intensity of PA school. It is no joke and will be much harder and more intense than undergrad. Your GPA is a bit concerning, and it seems that even your last 60 credits or so are still below the average of most PA applicants. If I was on the admission committee, I would be concerned. In the end however, if you really think you have what it takes then get it.

 

If you are granted an interview, I strongly caution using your children as an excuse for your GPA. Mention them for sure, just don't use them as an excuse.

 

Good luck to you.

 

-Greg

 

 

With respect to your GPAs, given the number of applications received, any program that posts a minimum of 3.0 GPA is looking at cumulative and your application is not going to make it past screening.  Do NOT waste your money.  Do your research and make SURE the programs you apply to will consider your application.  

 

 

snowball-in-hell-65344_display_image.jpg

 

 

Agree with so many statements above.  If 3.0 is the cutoff, they likely WON'T look at your app even if it's stellar otherwise - there just isn't time to do that for everyone who doesn't meet the cutoff.  Like someone else said - make sure you KNOW they are a program that will actually consider that and don't just toss any app that doesn't meet the minimum.

 

You would be best served to wait until next year as you are applying late - very late if you are just trying to meet Oct deadlines.  With a lower GPA you want to be one of the first they see when they *might* consider your HCE to balance the low GPA and you want to be one of the first - not one they see after they've already starting interviewing and likely accepting students.

 

Remember that schools get thousands of applications and there typically is a very concrete screening process to whittle down the apps that need to be looked at and GPA/GRE is often it.  All the HCE in the world won't compensate for that sometimes, especially if they are automated filters.

 

Thanks everyone for the great feed back. I took a lot of what you all said into consideration. I'm still going to apply, but I'm definitely going to limit myself to those colleges that only require a 2.75 ( which is a few), consider the whole application ( work experience etc etc), and those with the 01 NOV deadline and later. As of today, after reading more on my weaknesses, I've just enrolled at my local CC to get my cumulative GPA up. I'll also take some easy science classes to also raise that Science GPA as well. I'm Also preparing a tentative schedule for Spring 17 at my local CC and my Uni. to get some UL science classes done as well. It'll will give me peace of mind knowing that I'm already in the processing of bettering myself if I get nothing but rejections. A few questions though:

 

1 - Has anyone here ever had to raise their cumulative GPA from 2.8 to around a 3.2 before? If so, how long did it take you? currently I have about 166 credit hours completed. If my bachelor's education calculations are correct, I'm gonna have to spend at least 2 1/2 years in school. ( Man does raising your Cumulative GPA suck!!!!). Anyone think differently? Should I just attempt another Bachelors?( Geology was a possible major i considered in the past ) Or should I just stick to random easy classes until I meet my goal?

 

2 - Is there a thread that has all the PA programs listed that look at more than just the GPA and look a the candidates more Holistically?  I've already locked-on on a few  while browsing programs. Is there a dedicated list in the forums anywhere that makes life a little easier for people in my situation?

 

Thanks again everyone for the constructive feedback. More is appreciated. And I hope people in the same boat as myself learn a lot from this.

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Off the top of my head sme of the schools that view candidates more holistically are MEDEX, University of Utah, Emory, these programs also tend to favor those with more experience.

To your first question yes raising your GPA does suck especially with 166 credits under your belt. I'm not sure if another bachelors would really serve you that much, I would be more in favor of a masters program in a relevant field. This shows ability to excel in advanced coursework and can raise your GPA.

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Dude I was an army medic myself and I suggest waiting for next cycle. You're going to apply very late in the game when most of schools have started filling their ranks since probably August. You're going to be fighting for the last seats that are offered and with your stats they might not even look at your application. But if you wait until next cycle and apply EARLY you can have a decent chance.

 

I applied by the Sept deadline and received many rejections. You waited this long why not another year where you can be part of the first applications sent off and have all seats available? Whatever you do, best of luck and keep us posted for future candidates who might be in your situation.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Hey! I figure I will put my 2 cents in here, since I'm kinda in the same boat. I have my B.S. in biology, I had a downward trend w/ GPA as I went through college (opposite of what they wanna see) and my overall and science GPA were both below 3.0 when I graduated. I applied a few cycles ago (to schools like you are saying, plus some) and got about 20 rejections, no wait for even an interview. My biggest advice - don't get discouraged, but be prepared for the rejections. Like you, my PCH are very high, it was over 10,000hrs when I applied the first time. Many schools, if your cumulative GPA isn't over a 3.0, your application will automatically get rejected. be prepared for this, there is a good chance they may not ever see your PCH, even if they are stellar.

 

Since I was a bio major, I had already taken all of the pre-reqs, and passed them all with at least a C. CASPA just averages all the grades together, which I'm sure as you know when you accumulate a lot of courses, even straight a's moves your GPA very little. Personally, I decided to get my masters degree in a science based subject. I worked full time, also a mom to a special needs child (hes 6 now), completed my MS and since it was a science degree, almost all my classes were science classes. My cumulative science gpa moved up 0.6ish after completing my degree, and I graduated with a 3.9. My graduate science GPA is a 3.92, and even though my undergrad science hasn't really changed, it is all about the schools you apply to.

 

In my opinion, I didn't want to just show schools that I could re-take an undergrad science class, get an A, and have it average out to a B, which in turn still wouldn't move my GPA much. After last round, I contacted all my schools asking what I could improve upon for the next round (all of them said gpa). I was on this forum, and honestly I don't remember who posted it, but they said that they also had a lower GPA, and when they were trying to raise it, each semester they would improve their application little by little. I took that to heart and applied it as much as possible, I've obviously improved my GPA, I've increased PCH hours, volunteer hours, etc. Every aspect of my application I've added more hours to, I re-did my PS, all of that. Put in the work, and it will show. Definitely contact schools if you get rejected and see what you can do to improve. I wouldn't send out the 40+ applications this round, save it for next round. But show them that you're interested, that you WANT to improve your application, and kick some ass in your classes (sorry for the language, but really, just want it with every ounce of your being). 

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