Late Undergrad Graduation Date

[pa_app229]

Hey all,

 

I just had a question that maybe some recent applicants can help me with that has to do with a late graduation date. I will currently be a junior at my undergrad college and have completed my prerequisites for my top choices of PA programs. I was feeling confident until i recently noticed some start dates that some programs have. Particularly George Washington University and Arcadia University. Those programs seem to start in mid May. I plan on applying to programs at the end of my junior year, and hopefully matriculate, if accepted, in the summer after I graduate.

 

While the start date would not affect me personally, it does conflict with my current undergrad colleges calendar as my finals would not end until late may due to a late spring semester start from a winter semester. This would be a problem because even if I were accepted, fingers crossed, I would still have to finish my finals and spring semester but the program would already have started! 

 

I guess my question is, how would I overcome this problem as i seem to have obtained the application requirements needed, but my undergrad schedule conflicts with some graduate programs. 

 

I plan on talking to my advisor at my undergrad college once the semester starts, I was just curious as to if any other undergrads applying have experienced this problem and what they did. 

 

Thank you for taking time to view my concern!

[patachok]

You need to show the proof that you have graduated and have an acceptable degree. You can contact schools and ask them directly, however I do not really see how you can start PA school and keep finishing undergrad even though it is only two weeks or so...

Look into schools that start later in summer or fall.

[zoopeda]

Tough. Many (most?) programs start in May or June. Either apply to schools with later start dates or look into programs that have bachelor-to-graduate PA programs that accept undergrads (technically as transfers) to wrap up last undergrad credits and move into the graduate PA program directly. Pacific University is an example of this type of program, in case you want to read about one. GW may also have something like this. Good luck, and definitely apply to some schools with August starts.

[zoopeda]

Given the geography you're looking at, check out DeSales and Albany Med College. Two great schools in NE with later starts. 

[Allegro]

I would definitely speak to the schools you are interested in; most have requirements that you must already have your bachelor's degree conferred in order to matriculate into the PA program, so if you were still taking finals this would not be possible. For some schools, the BA/BS needs to be conferred in order to apply at all.  I second the suggestion of looking into the combined bachelor's into graduate PA programs; there are a handful of schools that offer this and it might be better to think about transferring into one of these programs.

[zoopeda]

Drexel's a fall start too...

[SHU-CH]

There are a ton of programs that start in the fall in the northeast. As people have suggested you can try talking to the programs that start earlier, but at best they could only give you a conditional accept contingent on your finishing your degree. I don't know many who would want to risk giving you the seat when they have 20 other people with their degree already done.