LOW GPA need help

[johnblake928]

I currently have a 2.3 with a Bachelor's of Science in Biology and have already taken the GRE with a good score. I just graduated and I am currently planning on retaking the classes that I did bad in and taking more upper division science classes to raise my GPA. I also am gaining my hours through phlebotomy starting this January. If you could let me in on how else should I go about my journey please let me know 

 

-John

[Startingover2014]

I currently have a 2.3 with a Bachelor's of Science in Biology and have already taken the GRE with a good score. I just graduated and I am currently planning on retaking the classes that I did bad in and taking more upper division science classes to raise my GPA. I also am gaining my hours through phlebotomy starting this January. If you could let me in on how else should I go about my journey please let me know 

 

-John

 

Hi John, I am in the same place as you take away the GPA issue. But, once you take your classes over and any that you have not when you submit both your undergrad and prerequisites that should increase your chance. I am also heading into Phlebotomy and it is starting in January and i strongly believe this will also increase your chances. In addition,   you might want to work on your essay because it lets them see beyond the grads ( still important). Also, make sure you have your letter of recommendation. I am surprise to see that you took the GRE  since all of the schools I have looked into does not require it.... but that could be different elsewhere.  

 

 

Good Luck and maybe in the next two year you will be a PA!

[taotaox1]

Just be aware retakes do not replace your grades, and that you have to have a 3.0 average to even be considered for most schools (they will auto reject you). Also, phlebotomy is not particularly well thought of as HCE. (nothing inherently wrong with it, but it is not going to impress anyone with a poor gpa hanging over your head.)

 

For someone in your situation I would suggest paramedic or RN at a university. It will give you the credits you need to boost your GPA high enough and provide you with high value hce.

 

There are people on this forum with grades that low that have got into school, but it took them years of serious work.

 

Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk 2

 

[JohnnyM2]

It's interesting that some schools require GREs but others don't. The GRE is completely irrelevant to the practice of medicine and is more of an IQ test so I would speculate that schools use it because grades are so dependent on where and when you go to school. With that in mind, if you can really do well on the GRE, consider applying to more schools that use it in their selection criteria.

Second thing is your grades are really, really bad. Period. When you fill out the CASPA, an F in Chemistry remains in your GPA. If you retake it and get an A, that's great but keep in mind that while you get to record the A, your grades still average out to a C. With that in mind it still makes sense to retake any pre-reqs but if you failed philosophy 101, just forget it and take another course that will impress your PA school, like nutrition, another psych course or courses required for an EMT basic perhaps. You will have to decide that based on the schools you are applying to but you need to get all As at this point and you will need to take enough courses to get your GPA up to a 3.0 minimum. It might be easier to go back and get a masters degree in your major.

Finally, address grades in your personal statement and discuss what happened to your grades in college and what you have done since to improve them. I always try to tell college students who are majoring in the Greek system, spring break, the opposite sex or some other horse s__t that they are doing themselves, and whomever is picking up the tab, a major disservice but, at that age, who listens? So, if you have a really good explanation and can now show you have the ability to get much better grades, you can still get in.

The problem with phlebotomy is that you don't really learn much. Although there are lots of ways to get HCE, consider EMT, an ER scribe or something else where you deal with patients under widely varying circumstances. Then use that experience in some volunteer work.

I wish you the best but you are probably two, three or more years away from a successful application. If you really want to be a PA, though, don't let that discourage you. Good luck.

 

Sent from my Kindle Fire HDX using Tapatalk 2

 

 

[Timon]

Duplicate thread. Just a FYI.

 

http://www.physicianassistantforum.com/index.php?/topic/11682-low-gpa-please-help/

[Pbuonocore]

I'd even be wary about going the EMT route as the majority of your HCE. I was told by a number of adcomms that EMT hours are being looked upon less favorably as of late bc many students list thousands of hours as an EMT but in reality a lot of those hours are just sitting around waiting for a call and not actually being involved in medicine. In one of my interviews one of the interviewers even mentioned that they usually view about 10% of an applicants listed EMT hours as useful HCE. Any EMTs or former EMTs please don't start flaming me, I'm just relaying feedback I've heard from various PA programs whether its a fair assessment or not.

[MedicinePower]

Never heard this. Being an EMT is among the most useful ways to get HCE. You are tending to actual patients without a physician or PA being present, doing assessments, interventions, etc. EMT-B is good to get your feet wet, but becoming an Intermediate (now called Advanced EMT) or Paramedic is very useful as you learn a lot more A&P, how to start IVs, EKGs, advanced airways, etc. Being a "medical tech" in a hospital will get you patient exposure but you will be doing almost nothing invasive and always have a physician or PA or RN there so you will get the "bottom of the totem-pole" sort of tasks.

[EMSGuy1982]

Never heard this. Being an EMT is among the most useful ways to get HCE. You are tending to actual patients without a physician or PA bring present, doing assessments, interventions, etc. EMT-B is good to get your feet wet, but becoming an Intermediate (now called Advanced EMT) or Paramedic is very useful as you learn a lot more A&P, how to start IVs, EKGs, advanced airways, etc. Being a "medical tech" in a hospital will get you patient exposure but you will be doing almost nothing invasive and always have a physician or PA or RN there so you will get the "bottom of the totem-pole" sort of tasks.

I totally agree with you. I feel that being an EMT for 12 years allowed me to get very comfortable with treating patients. It's just you and the patient in the back of the ambulance and I don't think any other HCE could really be as beneficial. Becoming an Intermediate is even better, although not all states/counties (including mine) do not recognize/utilize intermediates but there are other ways to "climb the ladder". I got my IV-Technician certification and my ACLS cert which opened up a bigger playbook for me to treat patients. I believe that my HCE was a big factor in getting an interview and then getting accepted into PA school this cycle.

 

 

I'd even be wary about going the EMT route as the majority of your HCE. I was told by a number of adcomms that EMT hours are being looked upon less favorably as of late bc many students list thousands of hours as an EMT but in reality a lot of those hours are just sitting around waiting for a call and not actually being involved in medicine. In one of my interviews one of the interviewers even mentioned that they usually view about 10% of an applicants listed EMT hours as useful HCE. Any EMTs or former EMTs please don't start flaming me, I'm just relaying feedback I've heard from various PA programs whether its a fair assessment or not.

 My work schedule is a 48/96. On two, off four. To say we are just "sitting around" waiting for calls sounds like someone might not really understand what we do. When not running calls we do training, CME, and about a million other things before we can sit down. Some days when I start my shift at 8am we don't get back to our station until 5. Might have a chance to put some food in my mouth then the tones go off again. In twelve years in EMS I would say that the percentage that I was "sitting around" is well under 10%. EMS is a small slice in the world of medicine (including any other form of HCE) but I think it has set me up to become a successful clinician!

[Timon]

I went the EMT route and landed a gig working as an ER Tech... Now I find myself in school with one of the strongest clinical backgrounds one could possibly ask for. I encourage anyone who is looking for HCE to go EMT as a starter and always be looking to expand your autonomy and strengthen your clinical background while you're working your way into PA school. There is no reason why someone cannot get their EMT-B and then work on gaining another cert or license or position that will increase their clinical skills and knowledge. I'd say with the job market right now that I'd rather choose an applicant who was running IFT calls to someone who was only taking classes and not running IFT calls...

[WanderlustPA]

John, as far as grades are concerned, look for schools that give extra attention to your most recent 60 credit hours.  I can't really tell you which ones those are, you'll just have to contact schools and find out.  Wisconsin is one that I know of for sure.  What is the reason for the low GPA?  Have you tried as hard as you can, and that is just as well as you can do, or did you just slack off (like I did) in undergrad and not really try hard enough?  That makes a difference.  If you can take classes over and get a 3.5 or better, then any school that looks at the 60 most recent hours would probably be a good bet for you.  Talk to someone at each school you are interested in before applying.  Some might be able to get your app seen even if your cumulative GPA would normally cause the computers to kick it out of the system.  If this is really what you want to do, don't get discouraged!  It may take you more effort than the average applicant, but it can still be done!  Best wishes!

[Swarley]

Based on my experiences I would suggest either being incredibly selective about the programs you apply to or doing something liking nursing school where you can improve your GPA and graduate incredibly knowledgable in medicine and if you put in a few years as a RN have really great experience that will outshine other candidates.

 

I know Idaho State looks at the most recent 60 hours, but you have to take Biochem

Duke and DeSales take an honest and complete look at each applicant.  If you have impressive live experiences or significant HCE you can be a viable candidate.

If you gain several years of HCE you can apply to the University of Washington MEDEX.

Somewhat jokingly, you could move to Hawaii according to a poster Pacific University automatically interviews any Hawaiian residents.

 

Looking at the GPAs stats of admitted classes will give you a better idea of what the program looks for in a GPA than the minimum requirement. 

I avoided school that actually listed GRE minimum scores.  My GRE was quite high, but my reasoning for avoiding those schools was that if a program really cares enough about the GRE to list minimum scores even though many schools do not even require a GRE, let alone have a required score is that the program is only interested in the academic portfolio not life experiences or HCE.