oky Posted August 28, 2014 Share Posted August 28, 2014 Hey everybody. I'm very interested in becoming a PA. I had some medical problems during college and that's part of the reason that I only graduated with a cumulative GPA of 2.2/4.0. My science GPA is about a 3.45/4.00, though. Is there any hope for me? I looked up just about every PA school in the country and it looks like there are 16 that don't have a GPA requirement. Assuming I apply to all of those schools as soon as they start accepting applications, what are my chances? I'll have at least 3 years of EMT experience by the time I apply and I will have shadowed a PA for at least 50 hours. Any advice will be welcome. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HighlanderPrePA Posted August 28, 2014 Share Posted August 28, 2014 Without pulling that cumulative GPA up, I personally don't think the experience or science GPA will matter. There are too many applicants who are much higher with the same experience. I'm not saying you can't, I'm just recommending that you continue to take classes and do as well as possible to get your cumulative GPA closer to 3.0. Just my advice. Good luck on the journey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GatorChomp Posted August 28, 2014 Share Posted August 28, 2014 My advice, Save your money and don't apply until your GPA is raised. Take some courses as a post-bacc student. Even though some schools may not have a GPA requirement, a 2.2 isn't favorable when applying to any graduate program. Some schools require a 2.75 and most schools require a 3.0 so I would aim to raise your GPA up at least to that 2.75 mark. Life experiences/Healthcare experiences are beneficial and necessary but cannot erase the academic component of becoming a PA. Again, this is strictly my advice and opinion but I want you to understand what you're working up against. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G. Davenport Posted August 28, 2014 Share Posted August 28, 2014 If 3.0 cumulative is required, your applicant ion won't make muster. Some programs look at last 60 hours but those, for most, still require a 3.0 gpa in that 60 hrs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoopeda Posted August 29, 2014 Share Posted August 29, 2014 Minimum requirements hardly mean anything when averages are FAR higher than minimums. Most schools are seeing averages between 3.4 and 3.6--even with minimums of 2.75 or 3.0. With exceptional experience, 3.0-3.2 are accepted, but there's no reason a school would accept a 2.2 knowing the course load expected of the PA curriculum and the importance (to the school reputation and accreditation) of successful PANCE performance. Bottom line: call or research each of those 16 schools and get their AVERAGE stats for ACCEPTED applicants (GPA, sGPA, HCE, GRE, etc) and see how you match up with those--not their minimums. You might have outstanding characteristics to balance out the consequences of your medical past, but you need to raise your GPA to at least within striking distance to be considered seriously. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnnyM2 Posted August 29, 2014 Share Posted August 29, 2014 Ditto on all the above. Sent from my Kindle Fire HDX using Tapatalk 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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