anthony78001 Posted September 24, 2013 Share Posted September 24, 2013 Hello everyone First off I'm new to this site and it has been very helpful. I recently graduated from my undergrad and want to be a Physician assistant. My GPA is on the low end ~3.19 science and non science. I have 5 years of clinical health care experience, as well as 2 semesters of research experience. I was considering doing a one year non thesis master of biomedical science program. The program descriptions on various schools' websites state that these programs are helpful in allowing students to gain acceptance into various medical, and dental schools. Would this route be beneficial for me if I want to be a PA? Thank you very much for your help. Anthony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greenmood Posted September 24, 2013 Share Posted September 24, 2013 Are your pre-reqs done? In your position, assuming there aren't any big skeletons in the closet, I would apply without the additional schooling. Yes, your GPA is slightly low but you have experience and I think you have an excellent chance of getting in on your first attempt if you choose your schools wisely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wet Dog Posted September 24, 2013 Share Posted September 24, 2013 Only if its beneficial to you as a non-PA, otherwise its probably a waste of money and time, and could work against you if you don't get stellar grades. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Latina PA Posted September 25, 2013 Share Posted September 25, 2013 Have you taken all the necessary PA school prerequisites? If yes, go ahead and apply you might get accepted because of your high HCE hours. If not, take the prerequisites you need and make sure you do not get anything lower than a B in them, then apply. A masters in Biomedical science is not needed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreatChecko Posted September 25, 2013 Share Posted September 25, 2013 I'm with everyone else. Yes your GPA is low, but not exceptionally low. People have gotten into some top schools with lower GPAs. Prerequisite grades realistically must be A's & B's. If you really want to go back to school this might be an area of focus if these grades are deficient. Retaking any of those classes and getting an A will bump your GPA up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anthony78001 Posted September 25, 2013 Author Share Posted September 25, 2013 thank you for your advice everyone sorry for the not clarifying. yes all of my prereqs are done I was a biology major so all of my science prereqs are finished. i didnt think i would make the deadlines for some pa schools because I have to find another pa to shadow. (I was previously shadowing a PA who told me he would write me a letter but said he couldnt at the last minute) He told me my grades were okay but not high enough to gain acceptance and told me I should do a masters program which he did when he was in my situation. I was originially applying to pa schools that didnt require the gre because I havent taken it yet. Since I didnt think I could find a new PA and get a letter of recommendation in time I thought I would take the GRE and do a one year masters program in order to obtain a higher GPA then apply to PA schools. My lecture science grades are B's or A's. I earned a C+ in immunology and in a coupe labs. Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you very much for your time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreatChecko Posted September 25, 2013 Share Posted September 25, 2013 I wouldn't go the masters route until you've gone through a cycle AND the schools turn you down specifically because of your grades. If I were you, I'd aim for next year and apply early. In the mean time, maybe retake one of those low grades and the GRE in the next year so you are in the best position possible to get into a school. You can apply this year, but you are approaching the end of the cycle for most schools and you may not get the consideration you will get if you apply in May or June of next year. Look around to the class profiles of the schools you like, I think you will will be surprised at the GPA range. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anthony78001 Posted September 25, 2013 Author Share Posted September 25, 2013 some gpas were 3.4 on average so I was a little discouraged but I appreciate the advice Ill definitely take the GRE either way so Ill have more schools I can apply to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreatChecko Posted September 25, 2013 Share Posted September 25, 2013 It doesn't feel good to be on the bottom side of the mean, but it's still a mean, not a median. It doesn't tell you how many people on each side were admitted, so you can have some outliers skewing the results. So if you want to look at things positively, 3.4 put things in your favor because the GPA's were likely closer to 3.0 than 4.0. Even If there was a crazy low outlier that pulled the average down, even that would bode well for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newbeginning Posted September 29, 2013 Share Posted September 29, 2013 I started a PhD in Cell and Molecular Biology before I decided I wanted to be a PA. Despite my good grades in grad school, when I applied I only received on interview out of 5 schools. Following my interview, I was wait listed and told that I needed to show my ability to handle a rigorous PA program. So I completed a one year Masters program in Molecular and Integrative Physiology at the University of Michigan. This time around my grades are better, I received multiple letters from PAs I've shadowed and from my program directors, and I gained important skills for any PA student to have, like time management and improved writing and public speaking skills. As a result of my hard work, I was accepted to my number one school (SUNY Stony Brook University) and I've declined interviews at 3 different schools thus far. I worked as a Nursing Assistant for 3 years when I first applied and had decent grades. Getting my Masters has helped me tremendously. So in my opinion getting a masters instead of re-doing prerequisites depends on a few things: 1. Which schools are you applying to? Schools that don't require the GRE may look at your grades more closely. If your grades improved over time, that could be a good thing. Schools that take the GRE into account, may excuse a lower GPA if your scores are high 2. How many PAs have you shadowed? I've read that 4+ shadowing opportunities are better than 1-2. So the more the merrier. So switch it up a little. I shadowed PAs in a lot of different specialities. In the end, they wrote me a joint letter of recommendation. 3. Attend open houses Based on admission stats, schools are more likely to admit local applicants than out of state applicants. So attend information sessions at schools in your state that peak your interest. 4. Write a killer personal statement and secondary essays. If you decide to retake prereqs. you can still receive invites for interviews, but you're gonna need to write an essay that makes them want to know more about you. I started my essay with a story about one of my patients. Please understand this is only my opinion, but with the increase in qualified applicants (some school receive 2500+ applications, interview 300+ applicants, for <50 seats), you may need to do more just to stand out. Remember there are Nurses and Paramedics who are also applying, in addition to students with 3.8 GPA. You don't need that high of a GPA, but getting mostly As in your prereqs is important in addition to having a killer essay, and stellar letters of recommendations. I wish you the best on your journey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fyrelight74 Posted September 29, 2013 Share Posted September 29, 2013 One thing to remember.... Those pre-reqs need to be within the last 5 years for most programs. If you go to a Masters, they are closer to expiring (or may be expired by that time) and you may have to take them again, causing unnecessary delay trying to get into PA school. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greenmood Posted September 29, 2013 Share Posted September 29, 2013 Also, stop shadowing unless your dream school has shadowing requirements or you don't understand the profession well enough to articulate your reasons for wanting to be a PA (instead of another kind of health care provider). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anthony78001 Posted October 6, 2013 Author Share Posted October 6, 2013 Hello again everyone thank you again for your advice. I am studying for the GRE in order to apply to other programs that require the GRE inaddtion to schools that dont require it. Newbegining thank you for your advice. I will look for more PA's to shadow, and look forward to attending openhouses. Fyrelight74 that was a very good point. I'll apply early and broadly to the PA programs when the next cycle opens and consider doing a masters if I am rejected from the PA schools. Greenwood I would like to find more PA's since the last PA I shadowed thought shadowing was a waste of time and seemed to have a negative attitude. How long have you been a surgical hopsitalist PA? What do you enjoy about it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wet Dog Posted October 19, 2013 Share Posted October 19, 2013 I started a PhD in Cell and Molecular Biology before I decided I wanted to be a PA... Did you not finish the PhD? Sent from my XT1060 using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newbeginning Posted October 19, 2013 Share Posted October 19, 2013 I started a PhD in Cell and Molecular Biology before I decided I wanted to be a PA...Did you not finish the PhD?Sent from my XT1060 using Tapatalk No I didn't. Why spend another 3 years working on something I'm not passionate about? Since I decided I wanted to be a PA, I put all my energy into becoming a competitive candidate and it's paid off. I start PA school in the Spring. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk - now Free Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wet Dog Posted October 19, 2013 Share Posted October 19, 2013 That's good to hear. I'm about 8 credits shy of an mph and may not be able to finish it and I was worried about how it will be held against me Sent from my XT1060 using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winterallsummer Posted October 20, 2013 Share Posted October 20, 2013 I knew someone who got a masters after having a low GPA and got in with the masters. I don't think it's such a bad idea. However I think taking upper level bio classes just as an undergrad or post grad would be just as effective for some schools, and more cost efficient for you. Shadowing helps but nothing trumps HCE. Volunteering is also a good little extra boost. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newbeginning Posted October 20, 2013 Share Posted October 20, 2013 That's good to hear. I'm about 8 credits shy of an mph and may not be able to finish it and I was worried about how it will be held against me Sent from my XT1060 using Tapatalk It wasn't held against me per say. Some of my classes were pass/fail and CASPA didn't count them in my GPA 2 years ago. When I interviewed at Rutgers 2 years ago they advised me to take several graduate level science courses (3-4 a semester) to show I can handle the rigor. But who has money for that. So I completed an accelerated masters at Michigan where I took 6-7 graduate level courses a semester and did well. As a result, I received interviews from 7 schools and accepted an offer from SUNY Stony Brook. So I think go for the masters. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk - now Free Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wet Dog Posted October 20, 2013 Share Posted October 20, 2013 Finishing up the mph is up to the school, not me. We had to relocate this past summer due to a military move and I was told I could transfer in the last few credits but now they are saying no. We live in a rural area so my options for school are limited. If I can't get in to PA school this next cycle my prereqs will "expire" so to speak so after that I'll just have to figure out a different path I suppose. After spending so much on grad school I'm not sure I want to spend a lot on retaking prereqs and such ( or really in not sure I would even be able to, financially speaking). Sent from my XT1060 using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newbeginning Posted October 20, 2013 Share Posted October 20, 2013 Finishing up the mph is up to the school, not me. We had to relocate this past summer due to a military move and I was told I could transfer in the last few credits but now they are saying no. We live in a rural area so my options for school are limited. If I can't get in to PA school this next cycle my prereqs will "expire" so to speak so after that I'll just have to figure out a different path I suppose. After spending so much on grad school I'm not sure I want to spend a lot on retaking prereqs and such ( or really in not sure I would even be able to, financially speaking). Sent from my XT1060 using Tapatalk I was in a similar boat, where if I didn't get in this cycle I would have to find a way to retake most if not all my prereqs. There are PA programs that do not have expiration dates on prereqs, but I'm not sure how easy it is for you to relocate. I have only me to worry about so moving isn't an issue. Did you get the agreement you had with your program in writing?? I hope so. Maybe you can speak with your Dean of Student Affairs for advice. If you really want to be a PA, this won't stop you. It may be a temporary setback and at the moment you may not see a solution, but have faith that if this is what you're suppose to be doing, you will get there. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk - now Free Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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