MT2PA

5 year programs are an accelerated B.S then the 2 years of PA school. They are an unfortunate exception to the rule. You can't expect an 18 yr old to have multiple years of FT work obviously. And they haven't completed undergrad to HAVE an undergrad GPA to evaluate. Most however do have requirements that must be met the first 3 years in order to stay in the 2 years of the PA portion. Generally the 5 yr programs are not thought to be a good idea. You're young and inexperienced. Limited life experience if any. No understanding of how healthcare works. Or maybe that's just my personal opinion. Bottom line: meet the stated requirements or move on. As EMEDPA already stated there are literally thousands of applicants to each program each year. Schools don't need to make exceptions, they have plenty of outstanding applicants who meet and exceed the requirements without bending the rules.

Your application won't even be looked at if you don't have the prerequisites completed or planned/in process. They always have to be completed prior to matriculation. PA school is a lot of high level, fast paced learning. You won't have time for additional courses of any kind. You need the foundation prior to starting, not after the fact.

^^Above is pretty much the only answer you need. Pre-reqs are required no matter what. Your GPA and health care/patient care experience need to be competitive with other applicants. Your background may give you a unique story to tell in your application but it won't compensate for anything.

There is no set # needed correct to pass. Likewise when they give you your score they don't tell you how many you got correct - just % for each topic category. Like EMEDPA said, though, some are 'test' questions that don't count so it's impossible to know how many actual questions per category there were. Enjoy the holidays and try not to think too much about it. Don't go looking up answers, you'll just stress yourself out.

Doesn't sound like there's a whole lot you can do. See if other testing centers have openings and travel or wait and see if they add any test times later in the week to make up for it (unlikely). Enjoy the holidays and schedule an exam for 2019.

As above. Also a terrible idea for a new grad. Complicated patients with no immediate SP/CP/mentor.

If the programs you are applying to have a minimum grade then yes, you may have to retake it (especially if they require the lab portion). Unfortunately getting an A at a community college and then a C at a university might look like the CC course was too easy, not that the university was too difficult or harsh - especially when you consider plenty of PA applicants got A's in their university level chemistry courses.

You're not over estimating. You are in school full time. There are a LOT of slides. Plus required reading. And assignments. And learning clinical skills. The goal however is the LEARN the material, not memorize the slides.

There are a very few instances where the MPH is helpful upon graduation. Very few. You may or may not fall into those instances. Keep in mind your total cost for GWU will likely be double that (honestly, you're looking at $250k at graduation before interest) due to the high cost of living. Unless you have outside help I urge you to use the student loan repayment calculator to understand how high your monthly payments will be (nearly $3k...and on an average PA salary, let's say $100k, your monthly income after taxes is....maybe $5k? $6k if you're lucky?). That's hard math to ignore. You have to spend 2 (or 3) years in school. Your only compelling reason for GWU is the name...with NAU you seem to promote a variety of positives all of which will affect your day to day life.

I'm not miserable nor am I beating myself up. I don't get the impression folks like EMEDPA are either. There's not time for that. Sure there probably are people who let that get them down. I'm just saying if I knew then what I know now and had a crystal ball to see the future, I would have gone to med school. That's not to say it's for everyone or that everyone feels that way but I, personally, looking at tangible factors, would have probably preferred that route. FWIW if my class were to pick a 'most likely to go to med school after PA school' I'm probably at the top of the list. And it's not off the table...but the debt from PA school won't allow for that right now.

Frankly I'd ask for the whole thing to be removed - the fine, the time, and the radius. That's worse than a long term contract. It is essentially saying 'Don't plan on leaving unless you're leaving town'. Honestly it might be a deal breaker for me. If it's not for you, get everything reduced as much as possible. Also ensure that you aren't bound by that if they fire you/let you go.

Alternatively, as someone who was waitlisted, it was vindicating to show up and kick a**. At the end of the day, you get to be a PA. Jokes on them. Remember your end goal.

Plenty of other threads around here on both of those. I think you're past the deadline for NHSC for this year (i.e definitely can't apply and receive before you start in Jan). NHSC is competitive with limited spots.

Frankly, yes. Maybe even more. While med students may go more in depth into the nitty gritty details, we pack didactic into 1 year. When they say it's like drinking from a fire hose they aren't kidding. You will have exams often, multiple each week, essentially in class like a full time job and studying outside of that. Granted it can obviously be done and everyone's level of intensity varies. It is what you make it. I'm sure you could compare your sister to other med students in her class and see that everyone approaches it differently. Same for PA school. Some spend all waking hours studying, some find a balance, and others make it look easy. Clinical year is more fun but same thing - you're essentially working full time and studying in your free time.

Thought I was too old for med school (28) and that the debt would be crippling. I was wrong on both accounts. Here's another 'should have gone to med school'.