RangerHan Posted January 5, 2015 Share Posted January 5, 2015 I was wondering what my chances of getting into PA school would be. My undergrad gpa is 2.67 with a B.S. in biology. I then went on to get my masters in healthcare administration and graduated with a 3.79. My prereqs GPA that most all PA schools ask for is 2.9. Would it be worth applying to PA school? What are my chances? Overview patient contact hrs 3000+ professional exp 2 years leadership 2 years shadowing PAs 200hrs+ undrad GPA 2.67...(last 30hrs 2.9) Graduate GPA 3.79 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timon Posted January 5, 2015 Share Posted January 5, 2015 Are these GPAs the same as what CASPA uses since they don't honor grade replacements and treats repeat classes as a running total. The other question is, what is your science GPA? Lastly you should try to get your cumulative GPA & science GPA at a 3.0 before applying. Can you get in with what's happened with your old grades versus the student you are today? Sure, why not? I was able to. But first you need to get all of your GPAs up before applying so you don't get automatically rejected for not meeting the minimum requirements for acceptance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RangerHan Posted January 5, 2015 Author Share Posted January 5, 2015 Are these GPAs the same as what CASPA uses since they don't honor grade replacements and treats repeat classes as a running total. The other question is, what is your science GPA? Lastly you should try to get your cumulative GPA & science GPA at a 3.0 before applying. Can you get in with what's happened with your old grades versus the student you are today? Sure, why not? I was able to. But first you need to get all of your GPAs up before applying so you don't get automatically rejected for not meeting the minimum requirements for acceptance. The undergrad is according to CASPA. I did an application before my masters just to get a feel for things. The graduate is just what I graduated with straight out of school. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timon Posted January 5, 2015 Share Posted January 5, 2015 What is your science GPA? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RangerHan Posted January 5, 2015 Author Share Posted January 5, 2015 Science GPA 2.7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timon Posted January 5, 2015 Share Posted January 5, 2015 Find out how many units at a 4.0 you'll need to raise your science and culmulitive GPA's to over a 3.0 and then take all science classes before applying, even repeat the classes where you got Cs.That's my advice. It's one thing to show that you have a positive grade trend and such. It's another thing to show that you can handle the load of science courses. The only way you'll be able to do that is by taking all science classes and raising that GPA reflecting the student you are today. Your application says that you are a different student today. That's a big plus.. What it doesn't say is that you're able to handle the course load with the given subject matter (science GPA is low and your courses were all non-sciences in your masters of health admin program). Your path is very similar to mine except my stats were worse when I began. My undergrad cGPA was a 2.31 (CASPA) and science was even lower than that. After I got my MBA (3.69 GPA) I raised it to around a 2.7ish which is where you are. It's what I did after that which helped me prove to adcoms that I was someone they should consider seriously. I did it by taking 43 science units and a phlebotomy certification in a 6 month time frame while receiving a 4.0. I also made sure I applied to programs where I met all their GPAs and although my cGPA was a 2.93 at time of acceptance, my last 60 units were a 3.98 GPA and my last 90 units were a 3.84 GPA. my Science GPA was a 3.5-3.6 range when I applied (I had something around 220 semester units when I was accepted). I made it a point to show that I can handle the course load and material, I explained that in my personal statement again. And you bet they gave me a hard time in the interview about it asking me to explain it and to explain why I would be able to handle myself in PA school. I showed them by my actions and results on paper in my application. You'll need to do the same. You can do it! Best of luck to you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whoRyou Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 ^^^^ Timon as always you are inspiration to us all ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RangerHan Posted January 6, 2015 Author Share Posted January 6, 2015 Thank you so much! I truly appreciate your advice and plan on using it accordingly. Thanks again, Timon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKPA Posted January 7, 2015 Share Posted January 7, 2015 43 credits at a 4.0 within 6 months.. timon, you're a beast. rangerhan- like you, i had a 2.7 undergrad gpa with b.s. in biology and a 3.75 grad gpa with ms in physiology. like timon, i got on my grind and worked for hce hours full time, classes at night, and volunteering on weekends for one year in hell. it took a lot of work and a supportive wife to achieve but now, i'm in my first year of hell in pa school. i did a lot of things similar to what timon said. but, one thing i disagree with him on is that i think it's worth applying to PA schools now. look for schools with "exceptions may be made to gpa minimum in students who show an upward trend" and don't apply this time to any school that won't consider it. if the program website doesn't mention it though, it's worth a try to call them up and ask. i spent a lot of time calling, e-mailing, and meeting faculty members and staff. i thought it was a drag at the time but now i reflect and it was totally worth it. this depends on your financial status but i think it's worth a couple hundred bucks to possibly save a year of your life. i was on the fence about applying last year but i'm glad i did. you can always update pa programs as you complete courses and gain more hours. even if you're not accepted this year, you can ask the programs how you can be a more competitive applicant the next year. make them remember you and show how much being a pa means. if you need motivation, pm me anytime Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator rev ronin Posted January 7, 2015 Administrator Share Posted January 7, 2015 In addition to Timon's inspiring advice, consider graduate GPA's value relative to undergrad GPAs... Graduate GPAs are where the whole grade-point inflation thing started. C is the lowest passing grade, B- is the lowest acceptable credit applied to your program.... It doesn't mean the professors hand out C's willy-nilly and only those who MAKE B's or A's get to stay, it means that 'C' work in graduate school gets you a 'B' on your transcript. In my first graduate program, it went about like this Grade => Undergrad equivalent A => A A- => A-/B+ B+ => B/B- B => C+/C B- => C-/D C => F I ended up with 6 A, 3 A-, 4 B+, 1 B, and 1 B-, which worked out to a 3.6 (there were a couple of other graduate credits transferred in that I don't feel like ferreting out) and I was pretty much average among my peers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
medlove23 Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 Hi my ultimate goal is to become a PA and I know I have the drive and motivation to become one but I graduated with a 3.01 and currently have a 3.2 science gpa. I am currently an EMT and have done 300 hours and plan on getting as many hours this summer. Also I am in the process of shadowing a PA and doing research and trying getting as many hours as possible. My trend for my recent credits are all A's. Is there anything else I can do to strengthen my application. How can I know that it is the right time to apply with my science GPA? I have also repeated the courses I did bad in and achieved A's and going back to school next semester to take 20 credits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DiggySRNA Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 ... Is there anything else I can do to strengthen my application... community service volunteer phenomenal essay and LoRs mission trip(s) upper level hard science courses Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MyNameWasUsed Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 Timon how did you take 43 science credits within 6 months? One semester is 4 months at a normal university and summer semester is 2 month. Did you take 30 credits a semester or something? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timon Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 I went to an accelerated program at SCUHS for all classes that required labs. I took 1 class x 4 weekends from 8am-6pm which was 4 units each. In addition, there was an option to fulfill a 1 unit capstone project for each class making it 5 units. So 5 units x 6 months = 30 units. And then I took my non-lab science classes like psych, genetics, lifespan development and etc online for 3 units each. Started April 1st 2011 and finished Oct 17th, 2011 That's how you take 43 units and a phlebotomy class within 6 months. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoCalPA Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 I went to SCUHS as well. Great program!! Stressful and expensive but good. Check it out www.integratedscienceprogram.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MyNameWasUsed Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 Well that is interesting. Didn't even know such a program existed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LESH Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 Well that is interesting. Didn't even know such a program existed. It has proven to be a very good way for prePAs with low GPAs (especially sGPA) to strengthen their applications. I have seen at least three California PA programs look favorably upon candidates that have successfully completed this option. It may be intensive and expensive, but for some that's better than earning another degree or doing a postBacc program. If you are looking at CA programs you should contact the program and see how they feel about it. Good luck in your future PA endeavors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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