Applying for 2015 cycle, here are my stats

[RegnumAnimalia]

So, I applied to 13 schools for the 2014 cycle in June and I've pretty much gotten rejections across the board. In the mean time I signed up to go from EMT to Paramedic so I've been doing that to improve my GPA. How will my stats look in March when I submit?

 

 

BA: Psychology
Minor: Biology
Fall 2015: Associates Paramedic

 

GPA: 3.2

sGPA: 3.1
Last 60 credits: 3.8

 

HCE-
EMT: 3300+ hours

Psych hospital clerk: 300 hours
Paramedic labs: 100 hours
Paramedic under Precept Paramedic : 400+ hours

GRE: 

Verbal 151

Quantitative 152
Analytical 4

 

Should I retake my GRE or will those be enough. I am really terrible at standardized testing. My essays are not the best, but I do have help from family and friends on it. By the end of my spring semester when I send an updated transcript I should have a GPA of 3.3 and a SGPA of 3.3 as well.

Should I wait till I get my spring grades or show that I am ready to apply by sending my application in March when the cycle opens? This time I'm less pitying myself for my application and after working for a solid 2 years on improving it I'm proud to have the stats that I do. This cycle I was completely overlooked by every school sadly.

[dndandrea]

I don't think it'd be a bad idea to wait until May (assuming that's when you spring semester ends) to submit CASPA. You're GPA is very similar to what mine was a few semesters before I applied. I also waited and boosted my GPA to 3.4 after the fall, spring, and summer semester before I submitted my CASPA. Your GRE is almost exactly the same as mine was. Guess what? So far i've had 2 interviews and one of them already accepted me! You appear to be a good candidate. Your up trending GPA and massive clinical experience will make you stand out from other applicants, but you have make sure you bring this up in your personal statement and interviews. At least 1 LOR from a PA or physician will greatly improve your odds as well.

 

I wouldn't worry about the GRE. From what I understand, most schools don't put a lot of emphasis on it as long as it's over 300.

[brian7]

I would also advise getting some shadowing under your belt. This will help add something else to your application as well as make it easier to get a LOR from a PA which I think most programs recommend if not require.

[RegnumAnimalia]

I would also advise getting some shadowing under your belt. This will help add something else to your application as well as make it easier to get a LOR from a PA which I think most programs recommend if not require.

 

I didn't mention that I have over 100 hours shadowing a PA who will write a recommendation for me.

[aed9]

You look like an awesome candidate! Have you done any volunteering? Work hard on your personal statement(s) and make them unique.

[ddisilvestro]

So, I applied to 13 schools for the 2014 cycle in June and I've pretty much gotten rejections across the board. In the mean time I signed up to go from EMT to Paramedic so I've been doing that to improve my GPA. How will my stats look in March when I submit?

 

 

BA: Psychology

Minor: Biology

Fall 2015: Associates Paramedic

 

GPA: 3.2

sGPA: 3.1

Last 60 credits: 3.8

 

HCE-

EMT: 3300+ hours

Psych hospital clerk: 300 hours

Paramedic labs: 100 hours

Paramedic under Precept Paramedic : 400+ hours

 

GRE: 

Verbal 151

Quantitative 152

Analytical 4

 

Should I retake my GRE or will those be enough. I am really terrible at standardized testing. My essays are not the best, but I do have help from family and friends on it. By the end of my spring semester when I send an updated transcript I should have a GPA of 3.3 and a SGPA of 3.3 as well.

 

Should I wait till I get my spring grades or show that I am ready to apply by sending my application in March when the cycle opens? This time I'm less pitying myself for my application and after working for a solid 2 years on improving it I'm proud to have the stats that I do. This cycle I was completely overlooked by every school sadly.

It may help to wait but the application for 15-16 does not open until April 22, 2015, so that would give you a little more time. 

[tavenne323]

I am going to be applying next cycle to the University of Wisconsin Madison distance education program. (unless my partner gets a job in Madison in the next 6 months...he's trying!) Then I will apply to the campus program. I know the distance ed option only allows 10 in, but I am currently working at the hospital I want to eventually work as a PA at. And it's in an underserved/rural area. The distance program is a two year "part-time" didactic program, followed by a full year of clinical rotations. I have to go to campus 2-3 times a semester (about a 6 hour drive) for labs and tests, but otherwise it's all online. I'm hoping to be able to continue working for the hospital during that time as it is also affiliated for clinical rotations.

 

Community College: 

Lake Superior College (no degree)

cGPA 3.30

 

Undergraduate:

University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point

Major: Athletic Training

Minor: Business Administration

cGPA: 3.48

GPA in Major: 3.92

 

Graduate:

College of St. Scholastica

Exercise Physiology

cGPA: 3.53

 

I've estimated my science GPA. It doesn't include any of my athletic training course because those were technically "AT" classes but they were mostly evaluation, diagnostic, treatment, rehabilitation, and research classes.

sGPA: 3.33

 

I have five classes to take over the next two semesters. Biology (retake because I had a C-), A&P 1&2 (because mine are too old), Biochemistry, and Microbiology. I'll be taking most online. I've already confirmed with admission at Wisconsin that the classes I chose are equivalent. And they have been very helpful in giving me resources so I could find online classes and not wait an extra year. I'm hoping that if I do really well, not only will I increase my science GPA, but also prove that I can do well with online classes since much of the distance option is online.

 

HCE: Over 10,000 working full time as an athletic trainer for five years and two years part time/casual. Clinic work of casting, rooming patients, home exercise programs, and preparing injections and working at a rural high school doing medical coverage at games and practices, evaluation and treatment of orthopedic injuries.

 

Volunteer: Just little things here and there. Planning to do more over the winter at the hospital.

 

Shadowing: None. The hospital I work at doesn't allow shadowing. But I do share an office with an Ortho PA and I have applied for shadowing opportunities at another regional hospital. I'm hoping to get about 10 hours per speciality (about 5). 

 

I've confirmed recommendations with a family practice MD and orthopedic PA. Most likely my third will be from my current boss. 

 

GRE: not taking. Wisconsin doesn't require it.

 

Personal Statement: I haven't started it yet. Hopefully will have a first draft by the end of January (working on getting all my ATC CEUs by the end of this year first). I'm planning to focus on my desire to work in the rural area of northern MN. The hospital I currently work at has many outreach sites. I also want to talk about my athletic training background and how that course of study (full time classes, 20 hours a week in the training room and covering games) will prepare me for a rigorous school schedule and the PA profession. In addition, why I want to be a PA instead of an ATC. I do have to write two separate essays, one specifically for the distance education option.

 

I know I'm putting all my eggs in one basket with just applying to Wisconsin-Madison. But after talking to many people about the program and researching it, it really feels like a great fit for me. There is a local college (St. Scholastica) that is starting a program in 2016. I was considering that program, but they require all prerequisites to be within the last 10 years...and there are 15 prerequisites!! I would have had to take them all. Plus, as of right now they don't even have provisional accreditation. I have no doubt that they will get it since the school is known for it's nursing, OTC, ATC, DPT programs. But I didn't want to take all those extra classes and hope that they do. Plus, Wisconsin has a 97% average PANCE pass rate, a great reputation, it's associated with a medical school, and it's been accredited since 1977.

 

Any other recommendations?

[cm7sus4]

So, I applied to 13 schools...

 

Sounds like there is somehting else lurking that is causing schools to turn you away.  Out of those schools to which you applied, how many had average accepted GPAs that were close to yours?  What about overall student profiles, are they similar to yours?  Does your ps need work?  There has to be a reason for the rejections...perhaps you are coincidentally applying to schools which employ a gpa screen?  Are all of your apps into high profile schools?

 

Your HCE looks good, your gpa has an upward trend (unless that upward trend was a bunch of easy classes with no labs?), you look like a desirable candadite.  I am averse to taking any more school than needed - I would go over you entire application with a fine-toothed comb...are you sure you have ALL pre-reqs?  Maybe something on your application is off...a class/term entered incorrectly or something like that.  Maybe you just applied way too late?  Then next thing I would do is look at 5 other schools which have an average student profile that matches you closely.  Call those schools and talk to those admissions depts to see if they are looking for someone like you.  Unless your upward-trend classes were a bunch of low-level stuff, english, soft science, or electives, than I would avoid more school.

[cm7sus4]

 

I am going to be applying next cycle to the University of Wisconsin...

 

 Try starting a new thread with this.