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I interviewed yesterday and received a call today saying I was accepted. The reason for this post is not to gloat but rather to provide hope.

 

This was my 3rd year applying to PA schools and 2nd year applying to Loma Linda. As an undergrad I had a 2.8 GPA in Econ from UCSD. Over the past 4 years I have taken 70 units postgrad, all of them pre-reqs for PA school and have a 4.0 GPA. However, my overall GPA is still only a 3.2. While taking these classes I have also worked full-time as an EMT and this past year I recently started working as a scribe part-time. I also have been volunteering at Loma Linda in the Peds Oncology ward.

 

My point is, even if you had a crummy GPA there is still hope for you. If you truly want to be a PA don't be discouraged if it takes you multiple attempts to get in. Just keep imrpoving your resume year after year. And if you are re-taking classes or taking more classes to bump up your GPA make sure you get all A's. You want to be able to go and show them "I wasn't as serious about my grades when I was a naive frsehman and sophmore in college but now that I know that I want to be a PA I have a 4.0 GPA in all of my postgrad classes."

 

I look forward to hearing from the rest of you who have gotten into the program.

 

Also, feel free to pm me if you have any questions about the pre-PA process.

 

Good luck to everyone.

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I interviewed with Ghina Kartib and David Lopez. Both of them were very nice and put me at ease. Last year I interviewed with Benny Hau and he is tough, but not unreasonably tough. His goal is to question your responses and try to get you to fumble a bit. He wants to see how you respond to a little pressure. Just stay calm and realize that he does it to everyone and you'll be fine.

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Congrats! That's exciting that they got back with you so quickly! Good luck in school. Are you the one that works for AMR as an EMT? I am the guy who works for AMR in the NICU. Sounds like your interview went well. I had a couple of questions that I know I could have answered better, but that's how it goes! Their interview process was a lot more relaxing than I expected and the faculty was very personable. Hope I hear back one way or the other soon! Again, congrats and have fun. You're going to be a PA!

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  • 3 weeks later...

Yes, I interviewed both years. If you read the other post about Interviews I wrote my thoughts on the interview process and how to succeed. Other than that just be as prepared as possible. Try and know as much about the profession as possible. And by that I mean where/why was the profession started. Laws. Differences between PA/NP/MD. There are books out there about Interviewing for PA Schools that I have heard are very beneficial.

 

Right now you don't know what type of random questions they might ask you, but you know that they will most likely ask you; Why do you want to come to LLU? Why do you want to be a PA? Why would you be a good fit for our program? When they ask these questions you should be able to nail them. Definitely practice your answers out loud. Also, have multiple responses ready. If they ask one of the other students in your group why they want to go to LLU and they say because of the religious factor then you need to be prepared to say something different. You should definitely say, "Religion is also a big reason why I want to come here but I also love... about LLU." You don't want to just say, "The spiritual side of LLU is also why I want to come here."

 

Other than that I would say to just be as confident as you can be. My first year I was very nervous and it probably showed. This year I went in there fully prepared for any question they might ask and I knew that I was their perfect candidate. If you are prepared and you go in with the mindset that you are who they are looking for then you will have a leg up on your fellow interviewees.

 

Best of luck.

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I think it was a combination of everything I had done in the past year since being rejected. The scribe job in addition to my full time job as an EMT, 2 more classes getting A's, additional volunteering hours, and then a much better interview. You just want to be able to prove to them that you are doing EVERYTHING you can possible do to get in because you truly want to be a PA.

 

The difference in pay between my EMT position and my scribe position is roughly $5 as well. That is why I found a part time scribe position and kept my full time job. I think you should try and get a position as a scribe if you can. I learn so much in that job every day which is helping me prepare for PA school. Also, I am making contacts with doctors and PAs that will be helpful for when I graduate PA school and am looking for a job.

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Zirom, I interviewed with Dr. Hou and Ms. Oms. It was definately the most challenging interview I've had thus far, in terms of challenging my responses and testing my ability to communicate under pressure/stress. Overall, an excellent interview day experience though :-) I know they're interviewing another group tomorrow, so there is definately still ample time for you to get accepted.

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California,

I was interviewed by Dr. Hou and I was accepted. I think he definitely uses intimidation as a means to test your ability to perform under pressure. But he's a genuinely nice person! I'm sure they consider that factor when they discuss admission offers. I wouldn't get your hopes down just because you had a challenging interview. After my interview I didn't feel 100% confident, however, I felt like I had given knowledgable responses when he challenged my initial answers....we basically talked in circles during the "why do you want to be a PA question"? which took about 10 minutes. Exhausting!

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Sayeh, i think last year was a similar situation. Some people heard back right away the same day or next day, the rest of the people who were accepted were notified in march when they did their final decisions on acceptance and sent out denial/waitlist letterss...

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