HELP!! Guidance Needed ASAP & Low GPA

[mmk01]

Hello All! 

 

I am new to this forum and this is my first post. I apologize in advance if I am posting in the wrong section or if someone has already posted about a similar situation to mine. 

 

I am currently in a dilemma, I graduated this summer with my bachelors in biology and minor in chemistry  with my end goal of getting accepted into PA school. However, I graduated with a cumulative GPA of 2.3, a biology GPA of 2.5 and chemistry GPA of 2.6. I realized too late that I needed to straighten up after my first two years of college and spent the remainder fixing my GPA and retaking the science courses I received D's and F's in but it wasn't enough to raise it all that much, however there is a noticeable upward trend in my grades. I also want to take my GRE's later this summer but as I'm unsure how long fixing my GPA and applying to schools may take I'm unsure if I should put them off?

 

I am currently an ED scribe and have about 1,037 hours from that. I know I can get very strong LOR as I have proved to possess a strong understanding of the medical environment. I also intend to shadow multiple PA's this summer.  

 

 

Routes I've been considering :

a) post bacc courses to rev up my GPA to at least a 2.75 or 3.0 so that I may have my application at least considered by some schools 

    - how do I go about that? how do I determine which courses to take if i take science courses to fix my GPA? 

b)  get certified as an EKG Tech or something like that in order to gain HCE and money

c)  go into the Nursing program - but I'm not sure if my biology classes will allow me to cut the 4 years in nursing short?

 

With all that I am concerned about the financial aspect of everything.

 

At this point I am more driven than ever to do all that I can to make amends but I need guidance on which pathway to take and so I can set my priorities accordingly. Again, I understand my stats at this point are not competitive and not even close to the ball park but I am determined to give it my all.  I apologize if any of this may come off as rambling as my mind is a mess right now. Any sorts of feedback/ advice/ concerns are appreciated!!!

 

Thank you!!!!

[DiggySRNA]

Hello and welcome to the forum.

 

First off the bat, make peace with the idea that it will take 2+ years to fix both your cGPA and sGPA. This conclusion is based on the previous posts I have read on aspiring PAs who have successfully gain admission to PA schools with similar GPAs as yours.

 

A) Don't aim for 2.75 but 3.0 instead because majority of PA schools require a 3.0 GPA to apply without being screened out.

1. Take the "recommended" courses, however, since you majored in Bio, it is safe to assume you took most of the advanced Bio classes. That said, take other advanced bio courses NOT found in your major such as; pathophys, pharma, medicinal chem, A&P (this is required), advanced A&P (cadaver huge plus), cancer biology...swift through the science courses that BSN majors take (without the nursing theories).

B) If you want to do EKGs and/or Telemetry, take a nursing assistant/EMT course and become a NA/PCA/ER Tech/ED Tech etc. I'm a licensed EMT (working as nursing assistant) and I do EKGs and Telemetry and I am exposed to different/broader situations compared to if I was only an EKG Tech.

 

C)Taking the BSN route will be excellent....................if you want to pursue NP. Only reason I say this is because you will only work as an RN for about 1 year (don't forget about those loans) if you apply to PA school right after. Save the money, time, and do a certificate program and gain HCE that way.

 

 

Also...community/humanitarian service (looks highly upon by PA schools); go teach underprivileged kids, do a medical mission trip, volunteer at your local food bank, walk for hunger/cancer, become a TA, volunteer ANYWHERE.

 

 

 

Then again, this is my logic, yours will be different.

[Timon]

Just wanted to let you know that your title irks me. There is nothing ASAP about your situation. Sorry, but I'm going to be blunt with you having graduated with a 2.31 cGPA from my undergrad. There is no fast way to correct this, so I need to make this clear from the start. There are MANY threads about this topic which has been covered ad nauseum that I'm planning on making an FAQ / guide on how to get into PA school for the various "low GPA / change career / where do I start" scenarios we frequently see here.

 

I'm not saying you can't get in, I'm saying you need to ask yourself how much time do you want to spend correcting your mistakes from your undergrad. In my case, I had a non-science degree, got an MBA and then decided to change careers to be a PA. In your case, you were already a science major with a poor outcome, so you have more to prove as my science GPA was a 3.82 which offset my cGPA which was a 2.93 when I was accepted. Adcoms want to see a positive grade trend as well. And we're talking a steep change. In my case my GPA went from a freshman GPA of 1.93 to a senior GPA of 2.7, then an MBA of 3.7 and then post bach science classes (43 units in 6 months) at a 4.0. 

 

 

 

The first step you need to do is add up every class you've ever taken in college and put it into an excel spreadsheet. Then calculate your number of units, total grade points and find out your CASPA GPA.

 

Next, find out how many units at a 4.0 it will take for you to raise your GPA to a 3.0. You're going to find out it's going to be between 90-110 semester units. 

 

Next, ask yourself what programs that are out there which will give you a healthcare certification that counts for college credits that can provide you close to that number of units at a 4.0 GPA. 

 

Your options will be most likely include a 2 year program and then a 2 years masters program (at a 3.8 GPA approximately) to gain the number of units required to be eligible to meet the bare minimum to apply to PA programs. 

 

That being said, you are at least looking at 4 years just to be ready to apply to a PA program. Of course there are options out there where schools will have lower GPA standards that is made up for by healthcare experience. But the type of experience they are looking for is usually around the 8K-12K hours (or 4-6 years). So either way, you are still looking at putting in some time just to have programs even think about considering you. 

 

Now back to your situation:

 

My advice, go get your AA or post-back in a healthcare related cert that will give you a good level of autonomy (RT, RN, EMT-P) and perform well (at least a 3.8+). Once your GPA is raised to something decent, (even if its below a 3.0) then begin to look at programs that accept lower GPAs. While that is going on, you should always have the mindset that you have to continually improve your application. So that is when you begin looking at various masters programs (ie MPH, MHS, etc). 

 

I wish you luck. 

[lanime]

RN route could help in that all nursing classes are considered science courses by CASPA and you would gain significant experience in a few years... That being said, it is also competitive and difficult to get into most nursing programs & they usually have specific prereqs.

 

Timon has some great advice! I would also recommend looking over all the other GPA threads for additional advice/insight. Good luck and stay motivated!

[Glorious_Ignoramus]

I understand where your sense of urgency comes from.

 

A) A good, but expensive option.  Peruse Google for post-bacc programs that are available to you, or talk a local college about doing a custom post-bacc.  Both options can get terribly expensive, very quickly, and federal loans will not cover the latter option.  Take courses which are centered around biology, chem, biochem, med science, etc.  But, you should only even entertain this idea if you are 100% certain that you will earn all As.  If you commit to a post-bacc and repeat the same mistakes you made in undergrad, you will wash out with a lot of debt and even less of a chance of getting to PA school at all.

 

B) This is a good potential option.  If you are motivated you can work and still go to school to raise your GPA.  Hard, hard work but it's done all the time by those who want it bad enough.  We call EKG techs into the ER 20 times a day, so if you are in that position you would get to see a lot.

 

C) No bio classes will sub for nursing classes.  Pre-nursing coursework tends to be lower level science and involves a lot of anatomy, nutrition, human growth/development, basic nursing principals, etc.  If you are interested in RN, you might look for an accelerated BSN program, though it will be tough with a low GPA...nursing school is quite competitive.

 

Have you looked into fields like diagnostic medical ultrasound or ER tech?  What about EMT-P or surg tech?  What about LPN?  Our PC LPNs start at around $34k/yr with great benefits, no degree required.  As it stands now, you need to get those grades up before applying, and that will take a while.  If I were you, I would get a job and take some time away from school for a bit and get my hands into paid medical work.  During this time I would research master's options available to me...it would be tough getting into a MS program with a low GPA, but if you have develop a good work history and keep in touch with a professor from your alma mater whom has good faith in you, you might be able to score a seat in a program.

 

There's nothing wrong with taking some time away from school to help give you direction.  It sounds like you may actually benefit from doing this.  I was on the cusp of getting into a doctorate program when I decided instead to get a job and take some time away from academia.  Now I am applying to PA school; you never know where real life might take you.

 

Timon's advice is pretty solid.  Now is the point at which you ask yourself: "How bad do I want this?"  That is not a question you can answer tonight, or even this month.  Take your time; best of luck to you.

[mmk01]

Thank you SO MUCH everyone for your generous adivce/guidance/ input! I greatly appreciate it! With all your advice I am considering committing to a 2 year program/certificate now it's just a matter of which one I should go for.

[Timon]

Go for the one that's from a regionally accredited institution that gives letter grades that count as college credits and that also has a lot of local job opportunity for new grads.

[CAAdmission]

I don't mean to be a complete downer, and people will jump all over me for this, but in case there are undergrads reading this you all need to understand: sometimes you only get one chance. Not everything can be fixed.

 

Don't think that you can stumble through college and earn a dismal GPA and have things turn out well. It is not necessarily a simple matter of "Gee, well I guess I will take x years and fix everything and then get into PA school." You are now a flawed candidate and the admission committee is not comparing your new, improved self to your old self. It is comparing you to other unflawed applicants.

 

Say you are buying a car. You are shown two cars, same model, same price. The salesman says:

 

"Car A here used to have a lot of problems. Didn't start all the time, transmission was shaky. But all that seems to be fixed now. Or you can buy car B which has always run flawlessly."

 

Which car do you buy?

 

Good luck!

[Timon]

Thank you for your opinion CJAdmission. This was the common attitude I saw from most Adcoms while I was applying. I've been grateful that a program looked beyond the student I was 12 years before I applied and realized I was a 32 year old who had matured and not an 18 year old who's focus wasn't on school.

 

It's with this opportunity from my PA program that has allowed for me to not only become a PA, but to thrive and be successful thus far as a student. Everything happens for a reason. In my case, I've been involved in our schools mobile clinic which has afforded me many accolades and acknowledgements such as being awarded the first PA Foundation IMPACT grant last month (the only student to win it, and for the maximum award).

 

I've passed all of my classes and rotations without having to remediate anything in addition to having several job offers with 5 months of rotations remaining.

 

Instead of comparing a lemon vs a normal working car, maybe you should consider the case of the ugly duckling that just needed time to blossom. If it were me, I wouldn't be focusing only on undergrad GPA as my indicator for success within a PA applicant. In my case, I got my degree in something completely non-science related and worked my way into an executive role within business and then changed to healthcare with decent HCE (better than most in my class).

 

But that's just my opinion.

 

Have a great day and thank you again.

[CAAdmission]

Timon - 

 

I appreciate your experience. From an admissions point of view I would have looked at you as more of a career change than rehabilitating an undergrad disaster. I would be fairly comfortable accepting someone 12 years out of school that can prove they have their act together (although I have been bitten at least twice in the past by doing so).

 

My concern is for the people that seem to think that no matter how bad their undergrad performance, they should be able to take a year or so and fix it and then some PA school will owe them an acceptance. That is not the way life works. Actions have consequences, sometimes really bad ones. If a student wants to take 12 years to get themselves into a better position I would look at them. But if a student is 24 years old with a 2.x undergrad GPA and they kludge together a bunch of courses one at a time they should understand they are not an impressive candidate. 

[Timon]

You and I both agree then. Which really was my point when I said there was nothing ASAP about this person's situation and that it would take years of courses and HCE to make up for their short comings.

 

Would you would consider someone with a blemished undergrad who went back and took another 120 units, gained 6k-8k hours of HCE and a has a current cGPA of 3.0-3.2 cGPA with their last 60-90 units being a 3.8 GPA? Not to mention community service, shadowing, 300 GRE and etc?

[mmk01]

Thank you all again for your feedback.

 

Timon when I said I need help ASAP I understood this wouldn't be a quick fix I meant it in a manner to display my anxiousness and determination to get started on whatever it takes improve my GPA without wasting any more time than I already have. By no means am I taking any of this with a slice of cake, I know it will take hard work,determination, and time. I know I was immature/naive/careless call it whatever and I will be living with the consequences but I'm still determined to try my best and take the steps necessary to achieve my goal if not achieve then at least close to it.  

 

What would your advice to someone like me be CJAdmission? I want to make the changes and prove I am a good candidate for PA school. What steps should I take? 

[CAAdmission]

Would you would consider someone with a blemished undergrad who went back and took another 120 units, gained 6k-8k hours of HCE and a has a current cGPA of 3.0-3.2 cGPA with their last 60-90 units being a 3.8 GPA? Not to mention community service, shadowing, 300 GRE and etc?

 

Absolutley. Problem is that many people lack the resources in terms of time, money and drive to make something like this happen. If it does happen, I can't think of a program that would not take a serious look.

[CAAdmission]

What would your advice to someone like me be CJAdmission? I want to make the changes and prove I am a good candidate for PA school. What steps should I take? 

 

First, your chief issue is academic - it needs an academic solution. People often think they can cover bad academics with tons of experience. While more experience will help you, it won't address your primary problem.

 

Looking at your jacket an adcom is likely to say "this guy can't handle the workload." Prove them wrong. Find hard science courses and take a heavy courseload. Maybe even consider a program like an MS in biology. I used to get a lot of jackets where someone repeated courses one at a time and got all "As." I was never super-impressed. I was of the mindset that anyone should be able to take courses one at a time and get an A.

 

This is doable, but it will be hard. Good luck!