JD2012

Most of the schools that got them my first year already had them stored for the following year, so I did not have to resubmit. I only had to submit for the new schools in my 2nd cycle. Either way I contacted each school and made sure.

Also with you patient care experience highlight things you have gotten good at because of it, or what you have learned because of it. For instance, in my case, I learned to become comfortable with patients and learned to make them feel at ease by figuring out something I had in common with them. So while they had their torturous physical therapy sessions I could distract them by talking about food, cars, spongebob, or soccer.

I would contact Judy Dickman and see what she says. She will tell you straight up and be blunt if its accepted or not. Generally though, it is good to have at least one PA for your LOR's but there have been applicants on this board who have been accepted without one, just cant say for sure for this program. It seems they have changed requirements a tad this cycle.

You can email Judy Dickman, but they send out supplementals usually around the 1st or 2nd of June. i submitted last year same time as you.

It is best to have a variety of PCE, BUT, if you can only work one job do it. For my PCE I only had one job. Where I got some extra variety was in my volunteering. My PCE job was PT Aide, while volunteer work was as a mountain bike patrol with 1st aid certification and last but not least, volunteering at the free clinic gave exposure to primary care as an interpreter. As a PA you are kind of the jack of all trades, and you should try to have your application reflect that. Since you plan on applying next year, there is only so much can do in so little time, so don't run around going for everything you can get. If you find something that is giving you quality experience, stick with it.

@BlinkVi Another thing I forgot to mention was that after applying the first time I helped lay the framework when we began to take in Schroth therapy (scoliosis) patients. So I had to figure out how to organize the online records for each patient. In that time period I also became the lead rehab aide as well. So I made sure to mention that in my personal statement and experience portion on CASPA the 2nd time around.

That's kind of the boat Im hoping I will be in coming from a $30k/yr job to a PA's salary.

Thats great! Stash that extra cash for PA school.

2 grand for 1 class!? Holy moly! That's crazy. For now I'd try those CC classes. The pathophysiology is perfect. Personally, I would exhaust the ones at the CC first, and then go for upper level. Upper level is ideal but $2k is insane. Applying alone will cost an easy $1000 especially if you are applying to 10+ schools. You are correct, I did not get one single interview my first cycle. Main things I changed besides taking a few CC classes: - Began volunteering at a clinic for the underserved as a Spanish interpreter - Started my own business/website - www.oneguyonefork.com - Had my personal statement edited, not written, by PA Life - Applied earlier (Mid-May all submitted and verified) - Sold myself without sounding cocky, I hate talking about myself but this was suggested by my PT Dept Director to boast a tad - LOR's were "beefed up" by their authors, they genuinely wanted me to succeed. - PCE hours went from 1800 to 3900

Curious what your total balance is, if you don't mind of course.

This is definitely a tough one. According to UF, hours as a chiro assistant count as half compared to a PT Aide. So this sentiment may be shared by other programs. Do you keep getting hours you know are fully accepted by programs, or do you make that extra $5/hr? If one of your current jobs exposes you to PA's and you're able to get an LOR from a PA through that, that's worth it alone.

It will also depend on the traffic CASPA is receiving at the time. Later in the cycle, it will take longer because more people are applying. The earlier you submit the sooner it will go out, especially since it is only the beginning of May.

My GPA wasn't in the same range as you just slightly higher. My first time applying I was at a sGPA of 3.19 and a cGPA of 3.20. I did not get in my first round but took a few labs and a couple lectures at the local CC. Got A's in them and was able to knock up my sGPA to 3.20 and cGPA to 3.22. Keep in mind I did have about 10-15 credits more than the average graduate so the bumps weren't as significant. These classes were taken at the lower level as well, but they also included organic chem labs 1+2. Next cycle, I received about 6 interview invites and got in. I think also, psychologically, moving that 3.19 to a 3.2 helped, that or some schools have a 3.2 cutoff. If it's a budgeting issue take some CC classes, get the GPA over 3.0; apply and see how it goes. My plan was that if I had to apply a 3rd time, then I would have taken an upper division course or two.Thankfully, I was accepted. I think right now though, I'd focus on getting that GPA in to the 3.0+ range as well as that cGPA in the 3.2 range. It looks like you should be able to get that 3.0 with just one class. Be prepared to endure multiple cycles and be willing to learn from it if you don't get in the first time, and of course don't give up if this is what you really want.

Keep me updated on warranty.

Good luck! There is a date that they send out supplemental emails to those that apply early. Don't quote me but last year's was June 1 or 2nd. Tip - If you applied to more than one Nova Campus, save your answers because the supplemental can be tedious. Lots of information to type in, including work history, volunteer history etc.. Since I had to apply to more than one cycle I had it saved on a word document, made things quicker and easier.