Applying year early hurt your chances?

[bfay324]

Hi everyone,

I'm trying to figure out if I should apply to school this year. I'm currently a junior and my gpa is around a 3.45. I have a lot of shadowing hours and did a clinical research internships last summer. I will also be a certified emt by the summer. My science gpa isn't very competitive right now and I intend to improve it during my senior year. I will be applying to very competitive programs because of my area: UMDNJ, Seton Hall, NYIT and a few other NY and PA schools. I don't think I have a great chance of getting into these schools i'm applying to this year, but I'm not sure if not getting in hurts my chances in the next cycle. So my question is, does not getting in make it more difficult when you apply the following year? Thanks!

[HopefulPA]

IMHO save your money, my guess is as soon as they see you have not met the minimum requirements for admission you will go in the reject pile and they will not keep reading you application. Why waste the money on the app fees, transcript fees etc... Of course you could always call the program(s) you want to apply to and ask them directly, afterall it is only their opinion that counts.

[panelson]

I completely agree, save your money and apply next cycle. You are only a junior in college so you have pleanty of time. In the mean time you can bring up your science GPA and work to continue accumulating those volunteer hours and HCE as an EMT. You are on the right track, just keep plugging away and you will see the rewards when you start getting interview invites next year :)

[IdahoPA]

Also, it's kind of late to just now be applying. Seats have already been given, which lowers your odds. Now add that your GPA "isn't very competitive." I'd wait, as everyone else has suggested.

[JCrownover]

Your efforts and money would be better spent attending an information session from your prospective schools, writing up your personal statement and refining that, doing more PA shadowing, volunteering, and finally - ask the admissions committee from your prospective schools how you can strengthen your application by the time you graduate.

 

Good luck!

[aspence3]

Do you mean submitting you app to CASPA in April when the new cycle opens? Some of the schools deadlines have passed for this current cycle entering 2012 (ex UMDNJ) although Seton Hall's has not. Classes begin anywhere from May to Sept in 2012... You should apply your senior year of college after you have accrued some hours as an EMT and then classes would not begin until after you graduate- which is pretty necessary. I would wait until you have accrued some hours as an EMT, still submit early in the summer, and send update letters about the hours/experience you have gained.

[mackjacks]

I also suggest waiting. I considered applying for the CASPA cycle between my junior and senior year of college but decided to wait. If you apply after junior year and get interviews, you will have to take time off from school to travel to interviews and add interview studying to your course load. I'd say use the summer between junior and senior year to work as much as possible getting HCE and doing anything else to strengthen your application. Then after you graduate, start working on CASPA and applications while continuing to work. You might even want to take a class or two at a community college to keep in the academic swing of things and "look good" for schools. (I am doing this, taking Spanish and Pathophys classes that weren't prereqs for any of my programs but are useful classes). Hopefully you'll have interviews and will have plenty of time to get ready for them as you'd just be working and taking a class or two!

 

Also wanted to mention that I know a girl who got into a PA program that started May 2011, but her undergrad didn't graduate until June so she had to take finals early and head off to PA school, missing her graduation ceremony and creating a lot of stress for herself. Awesome that she'll be a PA-C a year earlier than me, but I prefer to quit my job a couple months before PA school starts, travel, relax with family and friends, and get settled in my new city before jumping into what's sure to be the hardest year of schooling I've ever experienced.