cevinbn90 Posted December 8, 2015 Share Posted December 8, 2015 Hi, my name is Kevin. I have just applied for PA school, pretty late in the cycle. Something went wrong with my application, and I ended up missed the deadline for one of my program. I am planning to reapply. Should I retake my GRE, it was average. My science GPA was 3.26, and I am currently an MPH student. What are some tips if I am reapplying, what should I change or improve? Also, if one program emailed me back and said that their interviews had started, and they will put me on hold until further notice. Should I give them a call or email to check on the status? Or is it most likely that I won't get a chance to be interview? Thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MyNameWasUsed Posted December 9, 2015 Share Posted December 9, 2015 More information would help. Undergrad GPA, current GPA, GRE score, HCE, volunteering, shadowing, PCE, LOR, PS? the program that emailed you is probably just letting you know that your application is being reviewed. If that is the case then you just gotta wait. Doesnt mean you are or are not going to receive an intervite. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cevinbn90 Posted December 9, 2015 Author Share Posted December 9, 2015 My undergrad GPA was 3.37 or cumulative, and 3.2 for science. Current GPA is still being calculated, but by next cycle application, my GPA would be different as well. My GRE score was in the average range. lower percentile. I am volunteering for a free service medical clinic. I used to work with a PA, but that has been a long time ago. I can get LOR from a nurse practitioner, my former undergrad professor, the clinic manager, and former co worker from the hospital. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SNA3189 Posted December 9, 2015 Share Posted December 9, 2015 Hi Kevin. I was a reapplicant this cycle as well and was accepted to a program a few months ago. I'm not an expert on admissions by any means, but I figured I would toss in my thoughts...when i applied and didn't get in, I skipped over an entire cycle and applied 2 years after my first go around so that I could really try to improve in a lot of areas. I hadn't taken my GRE yet so that was my first step. You don't need your GRE for every school, so if you feel your score isn't competitive, you could try looking at schools that don't require it. If you're set on applying to a specific school and they want the GRE scores, then go ahead and retake it. I don't think it would hurt, but really aim for getting above the 50th percentile, as that's what most schools look for (i had below the 50th percentile for quantitative, but still got accepted). Shadowing a PA is also a great way to get exposure to the field and will also help with LOR. Many schools require a LOR from a PA versus other healthcare professionals. I would definitely keep volunteering and build up those hours. Can you also get any direct care paid experience (if you don't have any already)? I had been working for 4 years full time at the time I applied this most recent cycle. I also kept taking classes when I could (summer & winter sessions, and night classes) just to try to boost my GPA ever so slightly and also to take classes more geared toward what I thought would help with PA school. Anyway, that's really how I approached reapplying. It was not a quick process and I did struggle with the idea of skipping an entire application cycle, but I'm really glad I did. I hope everything works out for you. Best of luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cevinbn90 Posted December 9, 2015 Author Share Posted December 9, 2015 To sarader, thank you so much for sharing your experience with me. To be honest, I feel like I am very naive when it comes to applying for school. The only reason for me being on the fence about retaking my GRE is how much preparation would I need, I am the type of person that would do well if I am taking a test at home, doing practice question well, but completely blank out during the real test. Therefore, I am uncertain if i want to risk wasting time and money if it is not a guarantee shot for me. Since i am also enrolled in another program at this time, and I would like to finish that as soon as possible. There were different suggestions for me to skip a semester, however, I want to be able to have everything set in place, that I could finish one program and jump right into another without waiting. So I guess I am not doing myself a favor for adding so much stress. Regarding showing a PA, I have tried to reach out to former hospital, connections from friends, but most hospitals require me to have some sort of documentations from school allowing me to shadow. My MPH program could not write me one because they are not related to that field, and I cannot ask the PA program to give me one since I am not enrolled. Once again, thank you for sharing your ideas with me. and congrats on your acceptance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SNA3189 Posted December 9, 2015 Share Posted December 9, 2015 I had a hard time finding a PA to shadow also. The first time I was applying, I sent out dozens of letters, actually in the mail, explaining my background and my goals, to different local PA's. I heard back from a few, but most said they couldn't help me. Finally I came across some distant connection at work who was able to put me in contact with some department head at a local ED and that got me my first shadowing experience. My second time applying, that same hospital gave me this whole to-do workup and told me that there was now only specific times throughout the year, "sessions", that they could accommodate shadowing. I basically had a breakdown. I ended up googling different practices, regardless of the field or specialty, different urgent care centers, and any place I could find that had PA's employed there. I called up every option that popped up and I ended up shadowing a great woman at a private Physical Therapy office. I didn't even realize a PA would work there and she was just as surprised that I wanted to shadow her lol. It wasn't very exciting but in the end she wrote me a great LOR. Is the program that you're enrolled in now something that once you finish, would get you a good job with hands-on PCE? Because it might work out that you work for a year or so, which might also allow you to study and prep for the GRE in your free time, and then reapply? There's also plenty of schools that don't require the GRE. The only reason I took the GRE was because in my first round of applications, I applied to schools that didn't require it. I wanted to be able to expand my options when it came to schools I was even eligible for. There's definitely not a "one size fits all" method to get into school, but if it's what you want, go for it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cevinbn90 Posted December 9, 2015 Author Share Posted December 9, 2015 To sarader, the program that i am working on MPH is more like a research based type of profession. I will get to do field practice, but I don't think I would actually get to take care of patients. Therefore, I want to be able to jump right into PA school as soon as possible. I am also trying to finish this degree. Next time I am applying I will try to apply for more schools. Thank you for your tips Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glorious_Ignoramus Posted December 11, 2015 Share Posted December 11, 2015 cevinbn90 - prospects are decent for an mph degree...what is your draw to pa school? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cevinbn90 Posted December 29, 2015 Author Share Posted December 29, 2015 To glorious-ignoramus, my answer probably sounds pretty typical. Growing up, I was pretty involve with medicines, its not that my family comes from a medicine background or anything, but because as a child from an underdeveloped country like Vietnam, I got sick a lot. Frequent visits to the hospitals, trying western and eastern medicines, etc. Therefore, my career goal was heavily oriented towards medicines. My family has a business background, but I was never into any of that. I realized that I did not want to be a doctor, I wanted to be something similar, hands on, clinical related. There were multiple options for me, PT, nursing, emt. But out of the options, PA was the most fitting option for me. It is the closest thing to being a doctor, where I can treat patients. I had a misconception about MPH (a great degree nonetheless), but I wanted something more hands on. People would ask me why not being a nurse practitioner or a nurse, why be a PA? Being a PA gives me the opportunity to learn and adapt to different areas in medicines, where physicians are often locked in one specialty or two. That flexibility is something that drew me in the most. My course works were set to be a doctor, if I want to be an NP, i have to restart again. Therefore, PA was the most appropriate choice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MyNameWasUsed Posted December 29, 2015 Share Posted December 29, 2015 so lateral mobility is your only reason to not become a physician and instead a PA? Why did you realize you didn't want to become a physician? Is it really just lateral mobility? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beniimo Posted December 29, 2015 Share Posted December 29, 2015 What is everyone's thought on the application essay when reapplying through CASPA. I really liked my original essay. Do you think it is important to rewrite my essay and apply with a new thesis? Or do you think it would be OK to keep my old premise with minor edits. I'm not sure the significance of our personal statements in the overall application process. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.