LaKishaLB Posted September 22, 2014 Share Posted September 22, 2014 Hi I am new to the forum and am needing info . I am majoring in Psychology and minoring in Biology. I plan on becoming a Psychiatric PA since I am wanting to go into mental health. I will be done with all the prerequisites and bachelors degree May 2016. I have about six schools in mind and am wanting to know is that too many or should I stick to a few? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoCalPA Posted September 22, 2014 Share Posted September 22, 2014 hi there. That is something only you can decide. It depends on how much you like a particular school. Whether you want to ensure you get in somewhere rather than waiting until the next application term. Your GPA may come into play. If you have any blemishes that would make you an ok candidate but not a great candidate then you may want to cover more bases. Look at the school's admission statistics and make sure your GPA is MORE than their average GPA accepted. Check if it's just an average GPA. If so then some get in with less and some with a greater GPA. Make your $$ count. Make sure you are applying to schools you can really get into. For example, if the school requires 2000 hours of patient care experience and you don't meet that, don't bother applying there. If the school's mission is to increase healthcare in underserved areas and you aren't interested in fulfilling that mission then apply elsewhere. Do your research. Good luck!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest MedLib42 Posted September 23, 2014 Share Posted September 23, 2014 Depends on the kind of candidate you are, and the schools you're applying to. It's now really common for students apply to 10-20 PA schools, and I myself applied to more than 10 two years ago (and I was a really strong candidate on paper, but I'm glad I did). However, some people would argue that if you are a really strong candidate, and you're applying to schools that you're a really good fit for, then you should only be applying to around 5 or 6 schools. Being a strong candidate means: - Strong GPA - Plenty of good quality, hands on healthcare experience - Plenty of volunteer experience - Time spent shadowing at least one PA - Really strong letters of recommendation - Great personal statement - GRE scores above 50% (if applicable) Being a really good fit for the schools you're applying to means: - Your interests are in line with their focus (you're not applying to a program that focuses on primary care, surgery, ortho, etc when your intention is to practice as a psychiatry PA) - You're not applying to out-of-state schools that give preference to in-state applicants - You exceed their minimum requirements with regard to GPA, healthcare experience, and so on - Your stats match up with the average stats of currently accepted students (most schools publish this info online) If all of the above applies to you, you might be able to get away with applying to 5 or 6 schools. If not - if you're applying to a few schools that are a "reach" for you, or if you have some areas of your application that aren't quite too strong (or are lacking), you might want to consider applying to closer to 10 schools. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winterallsummer Posted September 25, 2014 Share Posted September 25, 2014 5-6 seems low to me unless you are an extremely strong candidate. Even with a good GPA and 3 hrs of HCE and some research, I applied to 11 and feel that was a good number. You can go to pre-PA and post your stats and get more specific advice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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