Jacprepa Posted October 26, 2014 Share Posted October 26, 2014 So I plan on applying to PA Schools this upcoming April (knowing that I will probably end up having to apply again the next round) However, how do you narrow down/pick which schools to apply to? Since I'm probably not going to get in my first round (as I'm only 21 and don't have a great GPA), I don't want to apply to 20+ schools (I'll save that for my 2nd round) Most schools offer the same didactic year and clinicals, so what should I be looking for? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jennifer4293 Posted October 26, 2014 Share Posted October 26, 2014 It took me a LOT of time to decide. First off, don't consider schools that you know you will not attend even if it was the only one you were accepted to. Narrow it down by prerequisites and what schools seem to fit your values and your goals as a PA student. That and location should narrow it down considerably. Also, apply to schools where you exceed the minimum and based on numbers, have a good chance of getting an interview.. especially if you "plan" on applying again the following year, be particular about which ones you decide on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DiggySRNA Posted October 26, 2014 Share Posted October 26, 2014 Not all offered rotations are the same for every school. Do you want the option to do international/out of state rotations? Do you want to do rotations in underserved areas? Tuition...should also be of concern. Is a Master's thesis required for graduation, and if so, do they provide guidance. Is the program affiliated with any major teaching hospitals? If yes, are PA students and Med students given equal opportunities? These are some of the few important questions one should use to determine where to attend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacprepa Posted October 26, 2014 Author Share Posted October 26, 2014 Those are all great advice, I just dont know where on the website to find all of that information. I also have been trying to find out which schools have cadaver labs that PA students don't get second dibs off med students. also very hard to find that information on websites Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnnyM2 Posted October 26, 2014 Share Posted October 26, 2014 Those are all great advice, I just dont know where on the website to find all of that information. I also have been trying to find out which schools have cadaver labs that PA students don't get second dibs off med students. also very hard to find that information on websites There is a lot of information NOT offered on school websites. You can get that information at an open house visit or, if you have already missed those sessions, call admissions and ask if they can have a current student call you. Also see if an existing student has posted on the school forum offering to answer questions. Sent from my Kindle Fire HDX using Tapatalk 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UGoLong Posted October 27, 2014 Share Posted October 27, 2014 The average student applies to about 6 schools. You can apply to more or less. Make sure you meet the criteria for the schools you pick and don't go overboard applying everywhere. In your heart, you know where you want to go. My guess is that you didn't apply to a bajillion schools for your BS, right? You can learn a lot from websites, but not everything. One of the goals of the interview is to learn more about the school. If it's close enough, making an appointment to visit ahead of applying is a good thing. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fakingpatience Posted October 27, 2014 Share Posted October 27, 2014 Which prerequisites do you have complete? What HCE? Those should help narrow down which schools you can't apply to Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest MedLib42 Posted October 27, 2014 Share Posted October 27, 2014 The first thing you should be looking for is schools that fit your background, that you're a good candidate for. You're going to need to go through the following: Make sure all your prerequisites, HCE, GPA, shadowing, and volunteer work meet the schools' requirements - they're all different, especially with regard to HCE - some schools favor certain professions more than others Look at the school's mission statement. What is their focus (if any)? Most schools don't have a particular focus, but some schools focus on undeserved primary care, while there are a couple that focus on surgery, ortho, or pediatrics. Make sure the school's focus fits yours. If it's not in your home state, does the school accept out of state applicants? If so, how many? For example, I think U of Washington accepts something like 1% out of state applicants, and they prefer to accept students who are going to commit to practicing in the WWAMI region after graduation. What does the average accepted candidate look like? You can usually find stats of current students on programs' websites. You can compare yourself to these students and see if you're in line with what that school seems to like to accept. After you've narrowed down the schools based on the above factors, I'd recommend looking at the following: PANCE pass rates. Most schools will be satisfactory, but I'd shoot for schools whose pass rates in the 90s (I mostly chose schools that were above 95%) Location: Is it somewhere you would enjoy living during school? Somewhere you might want to work after graduation if you got a job offer during clinicals? Clinical rotations: Do they allow out of state or international electives (if that's important to you)? Are you wanting to do rotations in your home state (some schools allow this)? Tuition. Hopefully this is an obvious one.. If you want to narrow it down even further, you can look at factors like how accessible and approachable the faculty is, class size, whether they use lecture based or problem based learning, what their daily schedules are like, length of the program (shorter may mean more rigorous, but done sooner; longer may equal less class time and more down time, although those things don't always match up, so I wouldn't say that's true for every program). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ddisilvestro Posted November 5, 2014 Share Posted November 5, 2014 Question for clarification? How do know that you will have to probably reapply the next cycle? If it is related to your academics or experience, knowing your application may not be strong enough, why not wait one more year instead of wasting time, money, and effort applying this year if that is the case? I ask this because I work at the Physician Assistant Education Association as the Director of Applicant and Student Services and one of our many goals is to increase the quality of applicants applying to PA school. This will help me get an idea of where applicants are coming from who many not have the strongest application but apply anyway. If that is not the case then I apologize for assuming but this information will truly help me develop tools and resources for applicants and educate them on the application process so they are maximizing their opportunities when applying. Thank you,Danielle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoopeda Posted November 6, 2014 Share Posted November 6, 2014 MedLib's post is spot on. I would just add that, with a below average GPA, you really need to find a way to stand out otherwise. Take a really careful and creative look at your profile. Figure out your real strengths as an applicant. Capitalize on those strengths in your personal statement and in how you select your letter or rec writers. Once you have a strong sense for your strengths as an applicant (and it may be you need some other eyes on your application to help you define those strengths), start looking for schools that seem to be looking for someone like you. For example, your cumulative GPA isn't great, but your recent GPA and science GPA are stronger; or maybe you have a lot of HCE working with x, y, or z population. Then find the 6 or 8 schools that clearly state an interest in your strengths on their website. Then CALL THEM directly to really ask the questions you need to get a realistic sense for exactly what kind of candidate they like to interview. Trust me, as a 3.24 cGPA candidate up against 1000 3.7 EMTs, I really had to craft an application that would give adcoms a reason to interview me. As it turned out, I was offered interviews at every school I applied to--some at "top 10" programs (I realize the rankings are stupid, but just for perspective). With a 3.24! I don't say this to boast at all but to assure you that adcoms DO look beyond GPA. (In my experience, 100% of them do!) That said, I was very careful to research the schools I applied to to be sure I wasn't wasting a lot of time and money applying to a school that would weed me out at first sight. I'm sure there are schools out there obsessed with numbers and stats. That's obviously not the school you want to apply to. But you do have to have other strengths that A) counterbalance any academic missteps you may have made, and B) make you stand out among so many other applications. It is possible the first time around. Don't underestimate the value in combining a good honest look at your profile with thorough and honest research (especially info sessions and phone calls). Good luck!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cm7sus4 Posted December 3, 2014 Share Posted December 3, 2014 So I plan on applying to PA Schools this upcoming April (knowing that I will probably end up having to apply again the next round) However, how do you narrow down/pick which schools to apply to? Since I'm probably not going to get in my first round (as I'm only 21 and don't have a great GPA), I don't want to apply to 20+ schools (I'll save that for my 2nd round) Most schools offer the same didactic year and clinicals, so what should I be looking for? What is important to you? For me it is geographical location; I hate Los Angeles so I would not apply to a place like USC. Are you averse to taking the GRE? If you are not very confident in applying, then let the schools choose for you by finding the schools with average student profiles which fit you closely, then talk to each admissions dept on the phone and get a feel for which schools you have a good chance at. I made a spreadsheet of such prospective schools for myself based on location, length of program, tuition, grants offered, distance from family, and from whom they require LORs. Out of every school listed by PAEA, I've narrowed it down to 9, and will apply to 5 this coming spring. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torshi Posted December 6, 2014 Share Posted December 6, 2014 -look at average GRE score/GPA acceptance rate (Might want to apply to schools within your possible range) -tuition(private vs public) / location (Wasn't important to me - preference) -Does the program have an in-state preference or not (look/call for percentage rate of instate vs out of state applicants)? -How big is the class size? - if extremely small, might have better luck with another school (bigger class size 60+ got example compared to low teens to 20s) -Apply to all schools within your own state -Look at schools maybe a few states over rather than long-distance (preference) -Reputation of school/well-established program/good clinical rotation sights/good area for clinical education/exposure -PANCE pass rate each year/5 years rate (very important) -The way the courses are structured / any special addition to didactic curriculum? / secular program or not? and more.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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