Kzai33 Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 Hi, I'm a sophomore in college going on to my 2nd semester, I just wanted some advice on how to get into Pa school, I'm a Biology major and right now my gpa isn't that great cause I had a rough freshmen year its a 2.5 overall, I'm trying to get it up but classes like orgo and physics make it hard, I recently started working in a lab this semester, and I have 10 hours of volunteer service at senior care/nursing home near my house thanks in advance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DiggySRNA Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 Hello! I'm a pre-PA student as-well so I can only offer advice that was given to me. Getting into PA school is a long stressful process and surviving PA school is the other battle. A 2.5 is below the minimum 3.0 GPA needed to pass the screening process, however, you have ample time to recover considering you have 30-35 credits? Start out by shadowing a PA or MD to see if medicine is truly what you want to get into. If you're still interested, start researching PA programs based on your needs; location, the program's goals and values, pre-requisites, community service, curriculum and clinical rotations. Begin your personal statement early so you have time to edit and make it phenomenal. Volunteering looks great but HCE looks even better. You can gain direct patient care hours via EMT, ER Tech, CNA, Phlebotomy, RN, PTA, among many others. Keep in mind some require anywhere from 4 weeks to 2 years to become certified so do what is of best fit for you. Reaching out to programs is the safest way to go if you have a question in regards to your candidacy. No matter what you do...protect that GPA. Do not risk taking classes you're not interested in. Good luck with whatever you decide to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dndandrea Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 Hi, I'm a sophomore in college going on to my 2nd semester, I just wanted some advice on how to get into Pa school, I'm a Biology major and right now my gpa isn't that great cause I had a rough freshmen year its a 2.5 overall, I'm trying to get it up but classes like orgo and physics make it hard, I recently started working in a lab this semester, and I have 10 hours of volunteer service at senior care/nursing home near my house thanks in advance I've been in your shoes before! My freshman and sophomore year were rough as I was undecided on my major and ended up with a 2.8 overall GPA. I discovered what a PA was and devoted myself to the career. With hard work and dedication I managed to pull my GPA up to ~3.5 overall by my senior year by taking difficult science pre-reqs and upper electives and got accepted into PA school. It's definitely possible to bring your GPA up! You're going to have to spend a lot of time studying the material. Don't study to just get by on the tests. Study to learn the material so you can recite it to others because it will help you with your future classes once you start seeing everything come together. Keep shadowing PAs and try to find a PRN or part time position as a nursing assistant or something along those lines that allow you to get your feet wet in the healthcare field. Make friends with PAs, get letters of recommendations from PAs and MDs. Score 300+ on GRE, write a meaningful personal statement, keep studying hard, and show them you're worthy during the interview! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PAGuy55 Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 Hi, I'm a sophomore in college going on to my 2nd semester, I just wanted some advice on how to get into Pa school, I'm a Biology major and right now my gpa isn't that great cause I had a rough freshmen year its a 2.5 overall, I'm trying to get it up but classes like orgo and physics make it hard, I recently started working in a lab this semester, and I have 10 hours of volunteer service at senior care/nursing home near my house thanks in advance Make sure you can plan out your classes well. I always tried to make my schedule demanding but also not insanely difficult. Always took 3 science classes (14-16 credit hours). I don't know what state you are in but in mine you don't have to pay for some CNA class. You can opt to challenge the CNA exam and take both the clinical and written portion without paying some inflated school cost. The written portion is pure common sense (I didn't study whatsoever and missed like 2 questions or 1). I looked up the videos online for how to do these clinical skills and took the test. Got a license and began my work as a tech. If you can, maybe find a PRN job so you can start working on hours while maintaining your grades. Grades are crucial and PA is competitive. If not you can work full-time right out of school and just get your HCE this way. I did a crap ton of research too (worked in a lab getting paid, wrote a thesis, have my name on a publication) but unfortunately this stuff is not pertinent when it comes to PA admissions. Get your clinical experience and get some good hours in. My job as a tech has been a wonderful experience and it's taught me so much about patient care and how a hospital works. I value this over sitting in a lab any day! This is the kind of experience that allows you to be certain this is the field you want to be in. Best of luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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