lk87 Posted September 12, 2014 Share Posted September 12, 2014 when a school states that a minimum of 3.0 science AND cumulative GPA is required, does that mean my application will not even be reviewed if i have a 2.9 science? should i not even bother to apply? It is so frustrating because if I do not apply for those schools, it seems like I do not have many choices left...... I currently have 2 science pre-reqs in progress as of now, say IF i get A's for both classes and their labs, I should be able to pull the science GPA up to above 3.0. but does that mean my application will not be reviewed until I receive my grades at the end of this semester? but it will be end of December by then, will those schools DISCARD my application since i do not meet their minimum sGPA, or will they put my application on HOLD until the end of this semester? I'm really confused about this, please explain to me if you could? thanks in advance! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator rev ronin Posted September 12, 2014 Administrator Share Posted September 12, 2014 Yes and yes. Sorry, but the PA school admissions world is quite competitive right now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lk87 Posted September 12, 2014 Author Share Posted September 12, 2014 Yes and yes. Sorry, but the PA school admissions world is quite competitive right now. yes to discard? or on hold? do i not even have a chance even if i get A's for the ones in progress? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrwhite Posted September 12, 2014 Share Posted September 12, 2014 This is why I don't like minimums. I know that schools have to cite them to let you know what they'll accept, but the reality is they mainly look at students that have wayy higher than the minimum. And honestly if you're scraping by with the minimum they'll be afraid you won't succeed in school. Students dropping out reflects horribly on the school. Focus on their average stats of accepted students, that'll give you a better idea of what they expect (which'll be around 3.5 honestly). Hold off on applying and spend some years boosting your GPA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest MedLib42 Posted September 12, 2014 Share Posted September 12, 2014 when a school states that a minimum of 3.0 science AND cumulative GPA is required, does that mean my application will not even be reviewed if i have a 2.9 science? Yes, that's exactly what it means - they will throw out any app that comes in with a GPA that's below the minimum regardless of how close it is. I currently have 2 science pre-reqs in progress as of now, say IF i get A's for both classes and their labs, I should be able to pull the science GPA up to above 3.0. but does that mean my application will not be reviewed until I receive my grades at the end of this semester? but it will be end of December by then, will those schools DISCARD my application since i do not meet their minimum sGPA, or will they put my application on HOLD until the end of this semester? I'm really confused about this, please explain to me if you could? thanks in advance! Yes, they will discard it. No, they won't hold your app based on outstanding courses that might pull up your GPA later. If your GPA is lower than 3.0 at the time you submit CASPA, they'll discard it, and there will be no chance to update grades later and have it re-reviewed. I'd either look for schools that have a 2.75 minimum (they are out there, although that still doesn't guarantee you'll be a competitive applicant) or wait until next cycle. Also, meeting minimums means you won't be a particularly competitive candidate - most candidates far exceed minimum requirements, so you might want to consider putting off applying for a bit while you improve your GPA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator rev ronin Posted September 12, 2014 Administrator Share Posted September 12, 2014 yes to discard? or on hold? do i not even have a chance even if i get A's for the ones in progress? Read your questions and my answers literally and in order. I didn't answer your third question about your application being put on hold.... because it almost certainly won't be. Rather, it will be round filed. Sorry that it's going to be that way, but that's what minimums mean: cold, hard reality. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bradtPA Posted September 12, 2014 Share Posted September 12, 2014 but that's what minimums mean: cold, hard reality. And when you have 500-1000 applications per program and 20-50 seats, apps that don't meet minimum requirements are a good place to start weeding..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnson2018pac Posted September 13, 2014 Share Posted September 13, 2014 As someone who recently went through the whole admissions process, look at it this way..there were around 800 applications filed, 100 some odd people got interviews and 40 people got in. I know that all schools are different but if you are really passionate about being a PA, I would consider a nursing,respiratory,radiology degree as a good first step to bringing up your gpa and gaining some healthcare experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lk87 Posted September 13, 2014 Author Share Posted September 13, 2014 why is everyone here trying to speak to me as i'm so incompetent and my GPA sucks so bad to the point i shouldn't even bother applying? and that I don't have a single chance because PA field is competitive and they only accept 2-6% of all applicants? I already know all these facts and I'm not some young kids who just starting to look into the PA field I would appreciate more if you talk in a more encouraging way rather than "just give up and don't even try because you suck" I'm a post bac student, I quit my job one year ago and went back to school to take pre-reqs science courses, I have 3.5 for my last 30 credits, but there is nothing I can do to erase the bad grades i got from freshman/sophomore years......that is why I said I will bring my sGPA up to a 3.0 as I'm finishing up my last two pre-req courses this semester, I'm already trying my best to improve my GPA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timon Posted September 13, 2014 Share Posted September 13, 2014 why is everyone here trying to speak to me as i'm so incompetent and my GPA sucks so bad to the point i shouldn't even bother applying? and that I don't have a single chance because PA field is competitive and they only accept 2-6% of all applicants? I already know all these facts and I'm not some young kids who just starting to look into the PA field I would appreciate more if you talk in a more encouraging way rather than "just give up and don't even try because you suck" I'm a post bac student, I quit my job one year ago and went back to school to take pre-reqs science courses, I have 3.5 for my last 30 credits, but there is nothing I can do to erase the bad grades i got from freshman/sophomore years......that is why I said I will bring my sGPA up to a 3.0 as I'm finishing up my last two pre-req courses this semester, I'm already trying my best to improve my GPA. Keep trying and keep doing what you're doing. It sucks having been in your place before, but everything mentioned is the reality. You have to raise your GPA to the min required in order to be considered. From an Adcom perspective, why would I want to pick someone with a 2.90 GPA when I have someone with the same application and a 3.60 or even a 3.20 GPA? There are other parts of your application you can improve to make yourself more competitive. GPA is only 1 criteria, just like HCE hours, volunteering hours and etc. But GPA is a BIG criteria and factor. Programs want to know you're able to handle the work load and the complexity of the material. That's why they are very cautious when they see someone only taking 1 science class a semester over 5 years versus taking 3-5 science classes at the same time with the same performance. Having been in your shoes I busted my tail in school to show the Adcom I was capable of handling the load. That meant 35+ science units @ a 4.0 and a phlebotomy certification taken over the span of 6 months with a steep positive grade trend. That meant I applied with 219 units completed with my last 98 units being a 3.85. I applied to a programs that had min GPA requirements that I met. I had a 2.93ish CASPA GPA when I applied and I continued to improve my application by taking more classes to raise my GPA, increasing my HCE, volunteer hours, shadowing, misc healthcare certifications, seminars, PA conferences, etc. Basically I tried to make myself as marketable as I could so that although my cGPA wasn't high like other applicants, I had something more to bring to the table. Yes it sucks that you can't go back in time and erase what happened. You can only show them the type of student you are today. Unfortunately you still have to play by the rules and it says the GPA cutoff is 3.0 then get your GPA to a 3.0 before applying and make sure you have everything else in your application in pristine shape, ie LORs, personal statement, and everything else I mentioned earlier. Even after I busted my tail to get in, I constantly remind myself of how honored I am to be in my program and I'm so grateful that a program gave me this opportunity. Every day during the first session I was waiting for someone to come to me and say, "sorry.. we made a mistake... please hand in your ID badge" because everyone in my class is super smart and well accomplished. I am lucky to have been accepted. I even purchased a lotto ticket when I got my interview invite and again when I got accepted. The night before my interview (my school is near Las Vegas) I said I need some luck if I'm going to get in. I put $5 of 27 and said if it hits then I can do this... it hit 27 and the rest is history. If this is your dream then keep going for it. Just don't get frustrated at how much work its going to be. It's a process and the entire thing is a long journey. I was just about to start a nursing program right before I was accepted because I took all the prerequisites I could get from a post bach perspective. I wasn't mad or frustrated. If anything I was even more motivated to do well and to increase my scope of practice because in the end it would make me an even more well rounded PA, it would give me a better understanding of the material when I was in PA school, and it would make me a more marketable candidate. Lastly.. you shouldn't be aiming for the min GPA. You should be aiming at least close to the average accepted student GPA. So don't get your hopes up when you apply when you're at the minimum GPA. Just keep doing your thing, improve ALL ASPECTS OF YOUR APPLICATION NOT JUST YOUR GPA. Apply to programs where you fit their criteria. Choose programs where you're not too far off their average accepted student stats and STAY THE COURSE. Best of luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator rev ronin Posted September 13, 2014 Administrator Share Posted September 13, 2014 (edited) Timon said it better than I did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator LT_Oneal_PAC Posted September 13, 2014 Moderator Share Posted September 13, 2014 All the schools I know of that say 3.0 cut off will actually look at 2.9. They do that just to discourage people from applying before they are ready. You should definitely apply to a whole bunch if schools. Don't worry about the money. You'll make it all back when you graduate. I'm sure not a single app of yours will be thrown in the trash so you'll have lots of schools to chose from. You're awesome and everything you do is awesome. You're the most interesting and important person in the world. I'd take you in a heart beat. Hope you feel encouraged enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoopeda Posted September 13, 2014 Share Posted September 13, 2014 Call the schools individually. They all have different definitions and policies around "minimum." As I understand, things are so competitive, they'll just discard anything that doesn't hit all the minimums. But there may be some who consider them as guidelines. You really have to call each of your target schools and ask them point blank. Rev is right in that if a school has a hard stance on minimums, you're simply wasting your money by applying anyway. That said, a phone call might reveal a more flexible adcom out there for you. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pmed8 Posted September 15, 2014 Share Posted September 15, 2014 You said your sGPA is a 2.9 and you are finishing 2 prereqs to bring it up to a 3.0.... Just out of curiosity, how many total science hours have you completed? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lk87 Posted September 16, 2014 Author Share Posted September 16, 2014 You said your sGPA is a 2.9 and you are finishing 2 prereqs to bring it up to a 3.0.... Just out of curiosity, how many total science hours have you completed? 42 credits total, I do not know how CASPA calculate its GPA, but if i use 42*2.9=121.8, and im taking 9 more this semester, and assuming I get A's in all of them (hopefully), then 9*4=36, (36+121.8)/51=3.09, still low, i know....but this is all I can do for now, at least for this semester.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timon Posted September 16, 2014 Share Posted September 16, 2014 Assuming you get a 4.0 sGPA from here on out. Here is the break down of how many units will give you which sGPA. sGPA Units Needed @ 4.0 3.00 4 3.08 8 3.14 12 3.20 16 3.25 20 3.30 24 3.34 28 3.38 32 3.41 36 3.44 40 3.46 44 3.49 48 3.51 52 3.53 56 3.55 60 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.