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Advice to Beginning PA Students


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  • 3 weeks later...

Hey guys I had a question about the pre req requirements. So I got a C- in Gen Chem I my first semester freshman year and I'm really afraid this might come back to bite me because I know most schools require a C or above for a pre req to be complete. My question is will I be automatically denied or would they look at the rest of my application and still maybe consider me? I've gotten all A's and B's since then and have an otherwise competitive application despite this one blemish. Is there anyone that got accepted with a C- in one of their classes? Thanks!

 

-Jups

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Hey Jups,

 

I know that if you dont meet the prereqs for a certain program, they will still ask to to interview if you're exceptional in other areas/classes. However, you will need to retake that particular class in order to be accepted into the program, no exceptions...So my advice would to either retake the class, or only apply to programs that dont require Gen Chem as a prereq (I dont know of any that dont...)

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Guest thomastedder
Hey guys I had a question about the pre req requirements. So I got a C- in Gen Chem I my first semester freshman year and I'm really afraid this might come back to bite me because I know most schools require a C or above for a pre req to be complete. My question is will I be automatically denied or would they look at the rest of my application and still maybe consider me? I've gotten all A's and B's since then and have an otherwise competitive application despite this one blemish. Is there anyone that got accepted with a C- in one of their classes? Thanks!

 

-Jups

 

I think you may get a better response if you post this in a another thread.

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I was in the exact position a few years ago. I got a C- in General Chemistry I. I got an A- in my General Chemistry II. Did you take a second General Chemistry? If you did take General Chemistry II and did well in that course you need to research programs that only require one General Chemistry course because you can put that one course on the prereq. section. However if you didn't take a second General Chemistry course you will have to retake it because every program that I ever researched requires at least one and you have to have above a C. I got a C- in my first Gen Chem course along with a few others and in my interview I just explained the reasoning behind that.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Yeah I took Gen Chem II and got an A- so that might save me. I did just get 2 interview invitations despite the Gen Chem I grade so it looks like I'm still being considered which is good. I'll wait to see what they say at the interview. Thanks for the responses guys.

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  • 2 months later...
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  • 2 months later...

Thank you, Tool Man for starting this off and thank you to everyone who has contributed! This is truly some great advice to have in mind while preparing for PA school.

 

Eek. 3 months! So excited!

 

And please keep any advice coming, PA-S's and PA-C's! This is awesome! :)

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  • 1 month later...

Re: Interview Tips

 

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Than you note?

 

When one interviews at a PA school, one often seems to talk to many people including former and current students. In many or most non-PA interview processes one sends a 'thank you note' after an interview. What is the etiquette for PA school interviews?

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I sent a "Thank you" email to the department secretary. I think that goes a long way. I know at our school (Wingate), the department secretary relays that information. Anything you can do to set yourself apart will help. It will only continue to become more competative. Good luck!

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  • 2 weeks later...

I am not sure what is the proper interview etiquette, but I sent one to each of the professors that had interviewed me, one to the department head and one to the main secretary/admissions advisor.

 

After being accepted, I went to sort out some paperwork and was extremely pleased to see my thank you card on the desk in the admissions advisor's office.

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  • 3 months later...

Wow, Thank you. I am starting PA school at Touro College in NY in Sept 2011 (wait listed) or Jan 2012 (guaranteed seat). Until I start I am working at St Francis Hospital prepping patients in the OR and getting a head start on some medical terminology. After reading this thread, I already ordered about eight books you listed here. Tons of great information, thanks again.

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Wow, Thank you. I am starting PA school at Touro College in NY in Sept 2011 (wait listed) or Jan 2012 (guaranteed seat). Until I start I am working at St Francis Hospital prepping patients in the OR and getting a head start on some medical terminology. After reading this thread, I already ordered about eight books you listed here. Tons of great information, thanks again.

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  • 2 months later...

-TAKE NOTES!! writing helps you remember things. my program gave us the powerpoints (some before, some after lectures), but i always took impecable notes. and then i typed them into study guides for every test. come clinical year, for each end of rotation exam, all i had to do was assemble all my topics and print them out, and took it everywhere with me so i could study any time..

 

- HAVE A LIFE!!! go out on saturdays, watch football and your favorite weekly show, dont study over breaks or on holidays, and no matter how broke you are - eat out at least once a month. It can get really overwhelming thinking about how broke you are, and how busy and stressed you are. saturday was almost always a day off where i didnt touch any books - except during finals :)

 

-Dont think you will actually be able to read ahead. and dont think you will get an A on everything, and no, not everyone in your class will like you. but thats not thats its all about - in two years you will graduate, find a job, and life will change.

 

-Study for the pance constantly. I began studying at the beginning of my clinical year because my program made us take 4 pacrats - and thank god!! i took my pance 2 weeks after graduation, and i breezed through it, because i knew i knew it.

 

-Make a monthly budget. trust me. if you're lucky enough to live with mom and dad thats awesome, but a lot of us did it alone and in a city where its expensive to live. budget everything - money and time :)

 

-Be organized!! I kept a filing cabinet with every single note i took, and every print out of every power point, and every handout i got in school. it made finding things later easier. and if type anything, or get access to powerpoints online - email them to yourself. have a little file in your gmail for "school" and save it all.

 

-never give up. ever.

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  • 4 weeks later...
  • 3 weeks later...
-TAKE NOTES!! writing helps you remember things. my program gave us the powerpoints (some before, some after lectures), but i always took impecable notes. and then i typed them into study guides for every test. come clinical year, for each end of rotation exam, all i had to do was assemble all my topics and print them out, and took it everywhere with me so i could study any time..

 

- HAVE A LIFE!!! go out on saturdays, watch football and your favorite weekly show, dont study over breaks or on holidays, and no matter how broke you are - eat out at least once a month. It can get really overwhelming thinking about how broke you are, and how busy and stressed you are. saturday was almost always a day off where i didnt touch any books - except during finals :)

 

-Dont think you will actually be able to read ahead. and dont think you will get an A on everything, and no, not everyone in your class will like you. but thats not thats its all about - in two years you will graduate, find a job, and life will change.

 

-Study for the pance constantly. I began studying at the beginning of my clinical year because my program made us take 4 pacrats - and thank god!! i took my pance 2 weeks after graduation, and i breezed through it, because i knew i knew it.

 

-Make a monthly budget. trust me. if you're lucky enough to live with mom and dad thats awesome, but a lot of us did it alone and in a city where its expensive to live. budget everything - money and time :)

 

-Be organized!! I kept a filing cabinet with every single note i took, and every print out of every power point, and every handout i got in school. it made finding things later easier. and if type anything, or get access to powerpoints online - email them to yourself. have a little file in your gmail for "school" and save it all.

 

-never give up. ever.

 

OMG this is very inspiring!! I start school in about 2 months and I have been panicking about how I am going to get through PA school by myself since I am moving half across the United States. But reading this gives me inspiration that it is doable. And the fact that for the first time in 4 years I will not be working is nerve wrecking but you make me feel optimistic because you are able to do it!! Thank YOU!!

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  • 2 weeks later...

- Make sure to not spend 24/7 studying! Some of my classmates have and I've seen some really bad burnout.

-Make sure to spread your work out. If you were a "last 2 day" studier in undergrad, it is not going to be a good way to study in PA school. You want to retain want you learn, not simply dump it after the exam.

-Make sure to keep a running list of all of the "most important" diseases, facts from each topic of study.

-Do not stress out. Before every exam I think I'm going to fail, but I haven't yet. Make sure to get enough sleep before the exam. Sometimes it's better to be able to think than pulling an all-nighter to get in that few extra hours of studying.

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  • 1 month later...

First of all, thanks for everyone's contribution to this thread! I start school in about 7 months, so I feel like I have time to prepare and get in to the mindset of being a full-time student again (and NOT working while I'm in school--first time ever)! I REALLY like the idea of a filing system for notes to keep everything organized and at my fingertips for quick reference!

 

When I interviewed, I had the opportunity to ask current students some questions, and they gave me some nuggets of wisdom that might be good for everyone:

 

-Review the basics of an EKG if you don't already know it

-If you have a medically-related job, take note of things you read or hear and find out what it is. A simple Google search on something you don't know can plant little seeds of knowledge that might sprout up during PA school

-Take time off! Spend time with your family, significant other, friends, etc.

 

I've taken it upon myself to add these to my "to do before school starts" list:

 

-Get on a regular sleep schedule similar to what PA school will be like (I'm on call all the time and lost my normal sleep rhythm years ago so I don't want to be falling asleep during the day and unable to relax at night)

-Install dry erase wallpaper at home (yes, it exists!) so I can look at concepts/diagrams/etc while I'm brushing my teeth, doing my hair, folding laundry, etc.

-Make a commitment to exercise, even if it's doing yoga at home or going for a walk in between classes

-I went to Half Price Books and got a pocket manual of physiology and another for pathophysiology, and Harrison's Manual of Medicine, all for around $14.

 

While I do plan on reviewing basic anatomy, physiology, and biochem, I know that I'll be studying this stuff in PA school anyway, so I won't worry too much about it. My main concern is to get on a sleep schedule and get back in to the mindset of reading and learning again--that's where the basic review stuff will come in to play about a month before school starts.

 

Those who are in school or are already PAs--does my plan sound reasonable?

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  • 1 month later...

I have a question!

 

I already have a laptop but it's pretty big and I wouldn't like to lug it back and forth to class, does any current/former student think it would be beneficial to get a netbook or tablet to take notes/study with? If so, which one? (My school does require us to have a smart phone by the time we start clinicals because a certain app contains all our patient records or something, I wasn't completely clear on this).

 

Thanks for any insight!

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