ohshxtsaty Posted December 3, 2011 Share Posted December 3, 2011 I see that many applicants for PA school are older and have many years of patient contact experience and careers in healthcare. I am much younger, 21 now and will be graduating college soon with a bachelor's in biology. My GPA is about a 3.7 overall. Science GPA is approx a 3.6. I have volunteered as an EMT for 2 years now, am the vice president and training officer at my squad, worked part time since I was in high school (non-clinical), and been involved in numerous activities on campus (clubs, honor societies, etc). I have also been a research assistant for a year. I have very little shadowing - 30ish hours. Most of my volunteering is as an EMT but I have volunteered at soup kitchens, beach sweeps, etc with my school clubs. I have not taken my GREs yet. Am I at a disadvantage for being younger or not having as much patient contact experience? The two years I have experience probably add up to a good number of hours. I spend somewhere between 12 and 30 hours per week at my squad. Right now I am interested in applying to UMDNJ, George Washington U, Drexel, Cornell, SUNY Stony Brook, Eastern Virginia MS, and maybe Yale. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IdahoPA Posted December 3, 2011 Share Posted December 3, 2011 If you're aware of the history of the PA profession (and you should be), then you know that it began as an effort to get military medics who had plenty of HCE into a provider role. You can still see a lot of that today; many applicants have some career in a health-related field before deciding they'd like more/different education. That being said, there are plenty of programs that don't require HCE. Whether or not the ones you are interested require HCE hours, I couldn't say as I didn't apply to any of them. That information should be on their websites. You need to do some research into those schools and see what they require to determine if you'd be a good candidate. You otherwise sound like you would have a strong application. Make sure you can say (in writing for your PS and verbally for your interviews) why you are interested in the PA field, rather than MD or nursing. With your young age and lack of prior paid experience, someone is sure to ask. Good luck! (Also, apply as early as possible!!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ohshxtsaty Posted December 3, 2011 Author Share Posted December 3, 2011 Thanks for the advice! I am pretty sure all those schools require HCE which is fine, because I do have some. I think of that list the one that requires the most hours is Stony Brook which specifies 1000 hours, which I do have. It's just that I have 2 years while some other applicants have .. 10 years. Obviously being 21 years old, 10 years of HCE is not possible. So I was just wondering if that would be held against me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator EMEDPA Posted December 3, 2011 Moderator Share Posted December 3, 2011 1000 hrs + a 3.7 gpa makes you competitive at the vast majority of programs. a few require 2000-4000+ hrs( stanford. U.WA, etc) so obviously those would not be an option for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swimrgal02 Posted December 3, 2011 Share Posted December 3, 2011 I see that many applicants for PA school are older and have many years of patient contact experience and careers in healthcare. I am much younger, 21 now and will be graduating college soon with a bachelor's in biology. My GPA is about a 3.7 overall. Science GPA is approx a 3.6. I have volunteered as an EMT for 2 years now, am the vice president and training officer at my squad, worked part time since I was in high school (non-clinical), and been involved in numerous activities on campus (clubs, honor societies, etc). I have also been a research assistant for a year. I have very little shadowing - 30ish hours. Most of my volunteering is as an EMT but I have volunteered at soup kitchens, beach sweeps, etc with my school clubs. I have not taken my GREs yet. Am I at a disadvantage for being younger or not having as much patient contact experience? The two years I have experience probably add up to a good number of hours. I spend somewhere between 12 and 30 hours per week at my squad. Right now I am interested in applying to UMDNJ, George Washington U, Drexel, Cornell, SUNY Stony Brook, Eastern Virginia MS, and maybe Yale. Being young won't hurt you - it seems to be the norm in PA school now anyway. Your GPA is good! Keep taking upper Bio's and getting A's and you should be set. Try to get at least 1,000 HCE hours and shadow PAs in different specialties. A 1100 on the GRE seems to be "good enough" but anything higher will help. Retake it if you get below a 1000. I had maybe 150 hrs of non-HCE volunteering on CASPA and that "low" number didn't hurt me, but try to include non-HCE volunteering if you can. I interviewed/was accepted this cycle at a few schools on your list...I'd say you have a great shot at getting multiple interviews. At last but not least: the earlier you apply, the better! Get you app in sometime before June. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Narruc Posted December 3, 2011 Share Posted December 3, 2011 In my eyes you seem competitive. I applied this year only being 21 and I was accepted. Many schools require that your medical experience be payed, and not volunteer. But I'm not sure if that will hinder you or not. I say throw an application in next year, you never know what might happen. Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Steve Posted December 4, 2011 Share Posted December 4, 2011 It seems like you would be a good candidate for all kinds of programs ranging from MD, DO, PA...tons of options. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkwee Posted December 8, 2011 Share Posted December 8, 2011 It seems like you would be a good candidate for all kinds of programs ranging from MD, DO, PA...tons of options. That's true. OP, as a fellow Pre-PA student with similar "credentials" and experience as you, why didn't you opt for MD, DO, or RN/BSN/MSN? I'm still searching for my inner calling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winterallsummer Posted December 9, 2011 Share Posted December 9, 2011 As others said yep you look good, I think you could get in. Not trying to sound conceited, but I had stats competitive enough for MD school and beyond, but am very glad to have gone/going the PA route. Just because you have good stats doesn't mean you shouldn't consider PA! That is BS IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sealer04tx Posted December 9, 2011 Share Posted December 9, 2011 The great thing about being young is, if you don't get in this time, you can work full time, get some more HCE, and apply again next year from an even better position. Those are good stats though, so if your Personal statement is strong you could have a good chance. As others have said, be sure to know why you want to be a PA instead of an RN, MD, or DO. Or PT, OT, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HopefulPA Posted December 9, 2011 Share Posted December 9, 2011 There were about six 21-24 yo in my class (2009) my guess based on their personalities is that 3 or 4 of them will be wishing they went to med school when they reach their 30s . So why not take a year off school and get a job (not volunteer) working with patients and getting good HCE. Really make sure you choose the right path. Ask every PA/Doc the pros and cons of their career you work with and then make your decision. It will not only give you an additional boost HCE wise and make you a more competitive applicant, but reduce the risk of reget later in life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PArunner Posted December 9, 2011 Share Posted December 9, 2011 Where did you go to undergrad? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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