Town Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 Hello, I’m a 22 year old male in California. I’m currently finishing up my Associate’s Degree (Psychology) at a community college. My GPA is a 3.6, although I haven’t completed many of the prerequisite science courses yet, so no science GPA to speak of. CSU is the natural progression for me. However, nearby campuses are impacted, meaning I wouldn’t be able to start on my Bachelor’s until a year after my application this August. Moving to a non-impacted campus is not possible right now. I have zero HCE, although I’m in the midst of completing an accelerated EMT course. I’m also exploring scribing opportunities. I feel like I have three possible paths. The first is to spend another three years minimum earning my Bachelor’s in Psychology (one year wait after applying, then at least two years to complete my courses—perhaps more if the classes I need fill up before I can register) and completing my prerequisites while working and volunteering to build my HCE. Overall, this path seems longer and busier, but not impossible by any stretch. The second is to temporarily forgo my Bachelor’s, continue completing my prerequisites, and spend more time building my HCE while applying to PA schools. I understand non-Masters programs will be phased out by 2020. I also understand this would limit me to the remaining 10% of programs that award non-Masters, but I’d be willing to move across the country for school. Lastly, I’m aware that this would limit me to programs that accept Community College credits (as well as accepting whatever HCE sources I can find). However, the 2020 hard deadline is an obvious concern—if I don’t get accepted before then, I’ll need to postpone PA school until I complete my BS. I know it wouldn’t really be a “waste of time” if I didn’t make the 2020 deadline and must complete my BS, as the HCE will still be beneficial to my applications, but it’s not ideal. A third option might be to work on my BS while applying to PA programs in the meantime, hopefully getting accepted before or after completing my BS. I haven't given this approach much thought yet, though. A few PAs I’ve spoken to have suggested I pursue the second route (complete my AS, focus on work), which completely surprised me. They put a lot of faith in certification being enough, and stressed that I could always earn a degree after. Obtaining a Masters is something I’d want to pursue, even if it wasn’t required for those grandfathered in after 2020—but for now, I’m looking for the most efficient path while weighing the risks and rewards. If anyone could give any input—whether it’s pointing out holes in my plan, suggesting alternative routes, or sharing some personal anecdotes, it’d be so appreciated. Thank you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glopez Posted July 10, 2015 Share Posted July 10, 2015 I'm a 23 year old male from California. I too started off at a community college and am now at a pretty impacted csu (sdsu). I'm working on building my HCE before I graduate next year. More than likely i'll be taking a gap year to gain more experience. I hear most PA schools won't even consider you prior to having a BS/BA so I suggest you work on getting that done first. It's a long process (started cc in 2010 and will receive my bs spring 2016), but just know you're not alone. Good luck brother Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SCHW9076 Posted July 10, 2015 Share Posted July 10, 2015 Why must you spend the time a psych degree, only to spend an extra 1-2 years on prerequisites? You could just get a biology degree with chemistry minor ( or similar combination). That would knock out your degree and the prerequisites at the same time. It's what I did, and many of my classmates too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holly_Diana Posted July 10, 2015 Share Posted July 10, 2015 With the way that programs are shifting their requirements for PA school, I think a few things would be beneficial to you. First, obtaining HCE is critically and I think if you can do it, maybe working as an EMT even part time while getting your Bachelor's degree can be very beneficial. Also, I know you stated you wanted to get your degree in Psychology. Does CSU offer a BS in Psychology? This could be an opportunity for you to still obtain the degree you desire as well as fulfill some of the prerequisite requirements for PA school. When I applied last cycle, I noticed a lot of programs had similar prerequisite requirements. A lot of programs require you to have your bachelor degree and fulfill all the requirements prior to reviewing your application. If you think you can handle working as an EMT and working on your Bachelor's degree (and doing well of course) I think this may be a great option to pursue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glorious_Ignoramus Posted July 10, 2015 Share Posted July 10, 2015 Tailor your application process toward the schools to which you wish to apply while also giving consideration to how you see yourself completing this. E.g., if you are attracted to some local programs which have hefty HCE requirements, and you are willing to obtain HCE while completing your BS, then the best course of action would be to do just that. On the other hand, if you desire more to just jump into whatever program you are eligible for at the moment, and you could put together a competitive application, then do it. You might be interested in looking at programs like Le Moyne's which offer an BS+MS option. It requires 750 hours of experience but you could build that within a year of full time work as an EMT while also completing pre-reqs. D'Youville has a BS/MS and only requires 80 hours of PCE. The PAEA directory is your friend! Faced with both aforementioned options, I chose the latter while planning to revert to the former if I am not accepted this cycle. Best of luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MyNameWasUsed Posted July 10, 2015 Share Posted July 10, 2015 I'm pretty sure like 90% of PA schools require a BS degree in order to be accepted into the program. You can apply without the degree but to matriculate, you'll need a BS. I recommend completing your BS because without that you severely hinder yourself from a majority of schools. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Town Posted July 11, 2015 Author Share Posted July 11, 2015 Thanks for all the great responses so far! Why must you spend the time a psych degree, only to spend an extra 1-2 years on prerequisites? You could just get a biology degree with chemistry minor ( or similar combination). That would knock out your degree and the prerequisites at the same time. It's what I did, and many of my classmates too. Thanks for the perspective, SCHW9076. I'm not really excited about getting my degree in Psychology either. The thing is, I'm one class away from obtaining an AAT in Psychology. I'm not sure how many more I would need to obtain an AAT in Biology or anything similar (or if it would even matter, I'm only just beginning to figure out how college transfers work), although I'll certainly look into it and consider your advice! It would be better preparation for PA school, too. With the way that programs are shifting their requirements for PA school, I think a few things would be beneficial to you. First, obtaining HCE is critically and I think if you can do it, maybe working as an EMT even part time while getting your Bachelor's degree can be very beneficial. Also, I know you stated you wanted to get your degree in Psychology. Does CSU offer a BS in Psychology? This could be an opportunity for you to still obtain the degree you desire as well as fulfill some of the prerequisite requirements for PA school. When I applied last cycle, I noticed a lot of programs had similar prerequisite requirements. A lot of programs require you to have your bachelor degree and fulfill all the requirements prior to reviewing your application. If you think you can handle working as an EMT and working on your Bachelor's degree (and doing well of course) I think this may be a great option to pursue. Thank you for the detailed post, Holly_Diana. That's actually a really good point--in all the rush to figure out PA school, I forgot CSU only offers a BA in Psychology. That doesn't really change my path too much, but it's certainly something I hadn't considered. I guess getting caught up in the rush to matriculate before 2020 has blinded me to the slow and steady path of full-time school and part-time work, with perhaps a gap year to really fill in any blanks. I hope your application cycle went well this time! Tailor your application process toward the schools to which you wish to apply while also giving consideration to how you see yourself completing this. E.g., if you are attracted to some local programs which have hefty HCE requirements, and you are willing to obtain HCE while completing your BS, then the best course of action would be to do just that. On the other hand, if you desire more to just jump into whatever program you are eligible for at the moment, and you could put together a competitive application, then do it. You might be interested in looking at programs like Le Moyne's which offer an BS+MS option. It requires 750 hours of experience but you could build that within a year of full time work as an EMT while also completing pre-reqs. D'Youville has a BS/MS and only requires 80 hours of PCE. The PAEA directory is your friend! Faced with both aforementioned options, I chose the latter while planning to revert to the former if I am not accepted this cycle. Best of luck. Thanks for the direction, Glorious_Ignoramus. Best of luck on your application this cycle! That was definitely my plan (especially using the PAEA directory), but it just feels too far into the future to really plan the nitty-gritty details. A lot of my planning hinges on big "if's" (if I get a job as a 911 EMT or ER tech and can acquire X hours of HCE by Y date, if I can get healthy volunteer exposure, if I can find a program that will accommodate my academic weaknesses, etc.). After reading all these replies, I feel like it may be best to pursue a Bachelor's and occasionally apply to specific schools along the way, perhaps. I just don't have the HCE advantage to compensate for my lacking academics, and it may have been arrogant of me to assume that was the case until now. Once again, thank you all for the advice and encouragement so far! The atmosphere here is really great and supportive! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MT2PA Posted July 12, 2015 Share Posted July 12, 2015 One quick note: as other have said, you will most likely need the bachelors degree before you can even consider applying. Instead of rushing to get in and earn a BS in PA, take the time to get a BS in bio or something you enjoy, and commit to getting a masters for the PA. In the long run it will be much more beneficial because there's no guarantee you won't have to upgrade to the masters later anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fakingpatience Posted July 12, 2015 Share Posted July 12, 2015 While PAs you've talked to have suggested you apply with only your associates degree, consider that advise with a grain of salt, it might not be up to date enough. The landscape in PA schools has changed significantly in recentish times, while it used to be the case that a bachelors wasn't a big deal, now it is hugely advantageous in the application process to have one. RCC and SJVC (sp) no longer have their non masters level programs in CA either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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