Don't give up! I got into PA school w/ bad stats!

[sweetserenity]

Thanks, I have plenty of hours, but lately i have been feeling a little worried about not being able to get into a PA program because ive had several B-'s in Bio I and II and in chem. So i was wondering, should I retake those classes?

[just_me]

Thanks, I have plenty of hours, but lately i have been feeling a little worried about not being able to get into a PA program because ive had several B-'s in Bio I and II and in chem. So i was wondering, should I retake those classes?

 

 

not worth it. CASPA will calculate both attempts so even if you manage to make an A the second go around the average of the two will probably equal out to a solid B instead of a B----not worth the extra money

[fushoes]

Thanks, I have plenty of hours, but lately i have been feeling a little worried about not being able to get into a PA program because ive had several B-'s in Bio I and II and in chem. So i was wondering, should I retake those classes?

 

If you haven't taken A&P, Microbiology and the other pre-req science courses yet, focus on getting A's in those classes.

 

A lot of schools recommend students take upper level science courses if they need to offset less-than-ideal grades in lower-level science courses. In other words, don't re-take Bio I/II and Chem. Instead, take Genetics, Cell Biology, Biochemistry, Immunology (and get A's).

[sciencegeek]

Congrats to all those who got accepted with borderline stats.....

Just my two cents as a PA student -

correlation does not imply causality, of course. There are students in my class with less-than-perfect stats who are doing every bit as well as others with better stats. Everything is taken into account - the undergrad/grad institutions, courses taken, GPA, GRE, experience, motivation, etc. It's not easy being an admissions officer!

In PA school, the passing grade is high, usually around a B. So they're right in ensuring that their students would be able to succeed. But once they've decided to give the person the chance, it will not matter so much what grade he gets, as long as he passes :), since of course, passing is hard to come by.

So of course, everyone will have to work. Just because a person has a 2.75 GPA, it doesn't mean s/he is a poor student - it could be s/he had a crisis in one semester that pulled down all subsequent grades. Trends in grades are carefully examined.

As for all those who smugly think they'll get accepted because of their shoo-in stats, some of my classmates with 3.8-3.9 solid science and overall GPAs were repeat applicants. PA schools really look at students as a person, so you want to make your application stand out. It could be they had less than average HCE or a lower GRE or they didn't apply to enough schools. And even those who make it all the way to the interview stage can blow it with one bad comment..... So there's a chance for all.

As for the comment about being afraid of the less-than-stellar student-turned practitioner, I've met many clinicians with excellent grades, but with terrible bedside manner and tunnel-visioned thinking. There are also many clinicians with a 'just-enough-to-pass' GPA who really know how to think. The prereqs are what get you to the door of PA school, but your motivation can get you through it, and your experiences will help you become a top-notch practitioner.

 

Good luck! :)

[just_me]

As for the comment about being afraid of the less-than-stellar student-turned practitioner, I've met many clinicians with excellent grades, but with terrible bedside manner and tunnel-visioned thinking. There are also many clinicians with a 'just-enough-to-pass' GPA who really know how to think. The prereqs are what get you to the door of PA school, but your motivation can get you through it, and your experiences will help you become a top-notch practitioner.

 

Good luck! :)

 

 

Exactly--I worked with many PAs that said once you get in its hard enough staying afloat without trying to fly

 

Ive heard similar things from PAs on this board

[sweetserenity]

Thanks alot! I really appreciate everyones advice!

[Guest sppa7]

which & how many classes did you take for your post bachelor GPA? Congratulations!

[Guest htykim]

not worth it. CASPA will calculate both attempts so even if you manage to make an A the second go around the average of the two will probably equal out to a solid B instead of a B----not worth the extra money

 

i am in the same situation also but i got both C's in bio I/II and C in Chem I. I was planning on retaking these courses, but would it be better to just take some advanced ones? I did take them at a CC and was gonna retake it at the University.

[foreverLaur]

I have heard that undergrad GPA is positively correlated with graduate GPA. I am not sure what the relationship is with GRE. There is either a significantly weaker correlation or none.

 

What about post-grad GPA? What about the student who bombed college, took a few years off to work, and went back to school to do all the pre-PA coursework and has a 4.0 in their last 60 hours but still barely scrapes by with a 3.0? Should they be judged on their immature undergrad? Does that mean that they will fail as a PA student because they had a 2.3 in undergrad? Does the past 60 hours of maturity and work experience not count or even override the poor undergrad?

[foreverLaur]

i am in the same situation also but i got both C's in bio I/II and C in Chem I. I was planning on retaking these courses, but would it be better to just take some advanced ones? I did take them at a CC and was gonna retake it at the University.

 

 

I think it is worth it. It won't be the greatest GPA booster, but it will look good to admissions. It will show that you are capable of handling that curriculum and doing well in it. GPA aside, it wouldn't look good to admission committees if you can't handle basic chemistry and biology when it gets much harder and intense in PA school. But that's just my opinion.

[LESH]

What about post-grad GPA? What about the student who bombed college, took a few years off to work, and went back to school to do all the pre-PA coursework and has a 4.0 in their last 60 hours but still barely scrapes by with a 3.0? Should they be judged on their immature undergrad? Does that mean that they will fail as a PA student because they had a 2.3 in undergrad? Does the past 60 hours of maturity and work experience not count or even override the poor undergrad?

 

I agree with foreverLaur, but I may be out of sync with the status quo of ADCOM members these days. I hope not. If an applicant can convince most ADCOMS that they have overcome pass academic transgressions they have a shot IMHO. On the other hand, with programs concerned about being judged by their first time PANCE pass rates I understand why we are not as forgiving as programs have been in the past. That and the fact that the applicant pool has so drastically changed over the past ten years makes it easier for programs to say "to much of an academic risk". I have mixed feelings about that, but like I said I am out of sync...lol.

 

Sciencegeek's comments are spot on. IMHO it really has to be about the total package, Sometimes the stellar students ace the PANCE but may take longer to (for lack of a better word) "mature" as far as bedside manner and being a solid clinician. And I am not referring to chronological age they can be "book smart with no common sense"..lol. Make sense?

 

What I have observed (and at our program we discuss this all the time) is the subjective aspects of student sucess can weigh just as heavy as the objective. We never get to fully evaluate the former till the student is neck deep in didatic. Then we can see if there is fire in the belly to handle the task at hand, which is passing the course work.

 

I've seen the stellar students choke as well as the "bad stats" student rise to the occasion and kick butt. I've also seen them crash and burn, but if given the chance we've had sucess in helping them pass the PANCE on subsequent attempts. So I know it can be done, but its about the student doing it. I applaud the OP for the intent of this thread. I would also say that anything an applicant could do to demonstrate to an ADCOM that they are serious about becoming a PA, they should do it to increase chances of admission. Including retaking science prereqs if the GPA is less than what is posted as the programs or national averages. FWIW

 

Good luck in your future PA endeavors.

LesH

[tenngal]

I'm hoping to get in with "bad" stats, too. I'm going to take a couple of classes this summer to bump up my science GPA.

 

Science GPA 2.9 (it should be a over 3.00 this summer) I made all B's and one C in science classes

Non science GPA 3.91

GRE 1260

HCE 300 hrs pharm tech

CNA hopefully 500 + hrs by the time I apply

 

I'm hoping for the best!

[Guest icky vicky]

I thought most P. A programs didn't require GRE? Hmm maybe it's just the ones I've researched..

[jpw5050]

I've been waiting so long to be able to post on this thread! I just got accepted to the Harding University PA program. I'm also an alternate at two other schools.

 

Here are my stats:

Science GPA: 2.96

Overall GPA: 3.05

Post-Bac GPA: 3.81

GRE:1220

HCE: about 1200 hours

 

When I graduated from college I had a 2.67 GPA. I decided I wanted to be a PA, retook all of my pre-reqs and brought my overall GPA up to 3.05. It was hard work, but it has paid off!! Also, I spent time researching which universities would be best for me. Anything is possible you guys! You can do it!!

[USN2UNC]

Great job jpw! Just like Rodican says, the adcom can see passion for the profession.

[michelletangi]

that's great! what courses did you take for post grad?

[bradtPA]

I've been waiting so long to be able to post on this thread! I just got accepted to the Harding University PA program. I'm also an alternate at two other schools.

 

Here are my stats:

Science GPA: 2.96

Overall GPA: 3.05

Post-Bac GPA: 3.81

GRE:1220

HCE: about 1200 hours

 

When I graduated from college I had a 2.67 GPA. I decided I wanted to be a PA, retook all of my pre-reqs and brought my overall GPA up to 3.05. It was hard work, but it has paid off!! Also, I spent time researching which universities would be best for me. Anything is possible you guys! You can do it!!

 

Congrats to you. I was in the AF with one of your instructors, Phil Tobin. Great PA, and be ready to work....

[MedicMovingOn]

I was in the same boat: sub 3.0 undergrad, sub 3.0 science.

 

10 years later: post-bac GPA 4.0, 1250 GRE, and 18,000+ hrs of HCE. Now finishing year 1 of PA school in May. I was admitted into all the schools I applied to. These things are possible, but it may be a long term goal instead of a short term one. It is a hard truth to face, but if you are a few years out of undergrad with poor stats, you are unlikely to get in no matter how much heart you have. Given time (and another career path -- paramedic, firefighter, armed forces, allied health, research, etc, etc...) you can "move on" from an academically dubious past. It was my experience that the "old school" PA applicant was still valued, as long as you had the credentials to back up your assertion that you could perform academically.

 

A cogent, engaging, personal essay goes a long way as well.

[prepastudent88]

WOW I Am truly amazed.. I have been suffering sleepless nights lately because I am so stressed about not getting into PA school :( I have like BARELY a 3.0 GPA and my science GPA is even lower! I effed up a few semesters of my undergrad career due to a very emotionally abusive relationship and now I look back at it and kick myself in the *** for letting it get to me as much as it did... I will be graduating this May with my bachelor's and want to apply to P.A. schools this coming summer. Please please help me out!! What kind of HCE did you guys have who got into P.A. school with low stats like myself?? Also, can you give me advice on writing my C.V./interview tips and such?? I will really appreciate itt!! :)

[USN2UNC]

WOW I Am truly amazed.. I have been suffering sleepless nights lately because I am so stressed about not getting into PA school :( I have like BARELY a 3.0 GPA and my science GPA is even lower! I effed up a few semesters of my undergrad career due to a very emotionally abusive relationship and now I look back at it and kick myself in the *** for letting it get to me as much as it did... I will be graduating this May with my bachelor's and want to apply to P.A. schools this coming summer. Please please help me out!! What kind of HCE did you guys have who got into P.A. school with low stats like myself?? Also, can you give me advice on writing my C.V./interview tips and such?? I will really appreciate itt!! :)

 

It has been my overall understanding that, like jpw, those whose GPA is low ALWAYS seem to have > 1000 hours of HCE. It would be in your best interest to model after that.

 

Good luck,

Chuck

[bradtPA]

What kind of HCE did you guys have who got into P.A. school with low stats like myself??

 

20 years as a military medic, 3.15 over all GPA, 3.7 science, accepted to 1 out of 4 schools applied;).

 

Good luck.....

[jpw5050]

WOW I Am truly amazed.. I have been suffering sleepless nights lately because I am so stressed about not getting into PA school :( I have like BARELY a 3.0 GPA and my science GPA is even lower! I effed up a few semesters of my undergrad career due to a very emotionally abusive relationship and now I look back at it and kick myself in the *** for letting it get to me as much as it did... I will be graduating this May with my bachelor's and want to apply to P.A. schools this coming summer. Please please help me out!! What kind of HCE did you guys have who got into P.A. school with low stats like myself?? Also, can you give me advice on writing my C.V./interview tips and such?? I will really appreciate it!! :)

 

prepastudent88,

I would recommend waiting a year to apply if you're nervous about your application. Get a job in healthcare, or something related, and retake any prerequisites that you got a C in. Also, I highly suggest doing something in this preparation time that will stand out on your application. Go do mission work in another country, work at a camp for special needs kids, learn another language, anything to make an Addmissions Committee remember you! I had spent time in South and Central America and it came up in every single interview! Hope this helps!

[Phooey]

Undergrad science GPA 3.0. Overall GPA 2.9. Last 45 hours GPA=3.65. Post bac. 45 hours GPA=4.0.

Master in Heath Administration GPA 3.7

2 years as PT tech

6 years as EMT

10 years in health insurance.

 

Got interviews at Ivy League schools.

Going to a cheap school near home.

Got in on first try.

3.7 in PA school

Don't let the stats discourage you. All you can do is try your best to get in. You are not your stats and many schools recognize that.

[KOKORO]

I am in the same boat. I will be a reapplicant in the upcoming cycle. i have around a 2.9 undergrad. In the last year and a half after the rejection wore off I started a maters biology program. I have a high grad GPA and now have over 5000 hours HCE as a clinical asst. in an ob/gyn office, former EMT, and phlebotomist for the red cross. I am hoping this all makes a difference this year. I am glad to see that there are people in my situation that have been able to rise above their past and finally get in to PA school. wish me luck! :D

[pa4ever]

Thank you so much for posting this. My overall GPA is 2.7 and the science GPA is 2.5. My GRE score was about 800. I am working on taking the GRE again next month and get at least above a 1000. Looking at your stats gives me hope and makes me more optimistic. I am a bit confused looking at the post bac GPA. Did you do a post bac to raise your GPA? I didn't know we could do this. Please give me some more information about that.