What should I do next?

[cmt2013]

I'm in my junior year in college and my GPA is a whopping 2.84. It's terrible I know, and I'm trying to work on that upward trend. I'm trying everything under the sun to get my grades to improve like tutoring, flashcards, study groups, etc but I can't seem to find that one thing that will really work for me. It's SO frustrating because my heart is so set on going to PA school and with a transcript full of Cs and Bs, it's just not looking too great for me. I don't know if there's something I'm doing wrong that I just can't seem to get those grades.

 

I'm going to keep trying my last 3 semesters to get better grades but I'm concerned that my grades still won't be good enough. If that's the case, is there such a thing as a post baccalaureate program for pre-PA students in Florida? I've tried to find information about this but the two schools I've contacted (UNF and USF) gave me the impression that their space is mostly for pre-MD students.

 

Your help would be appreciated :)

[zoecarroll16]

Well, I am no expert on PA school, but I will try to give you my two cents worth of advice as someone who has just gotten an acceptance. First, what is you major? Not that your major really matters for PA school admission, but there are certain classes you have to take as pre-reqs for admission to PA programs. If your major is something other than a science related one, you will have to fulfill those requirements before being considered by PA schools. Successful completion of these requirements will boost your GPA. If your degree is in a science field, re-take the ones you got Cs in and aim to get As.

 

My GPA was not stellar,my overall GPA was a B+ average. That was not enough to make me a standout canidate. My HCE was really helpful, I think, in being considered by schools: I've worked for 4 years as a nursing assistant on the organ transplant unit at the Cleveland Clinic. This brings me to my second and third question: Do you have any HCE, and if so, what kind of experience do you have? There are schools out there which will consider you with a lower end GPA if you have quality HCE. You need to get, or continue working on, your hands on health care experience. And then you should also do your research on specific schools and see where they place their emphasis. Some schools care more about gpa and test scores whereas others like a lot of HCE.

 

So, to tie together the grades and the HCE, my advice to you is to work on raising your grades over the next 3 semesters, get some high quality HCE (nursing assistant, emt, etc), and retake the courses in which you got a C. You may have to take sometime off after graduating in order to do this and make yourself a more outstanding candiate, so just be prepared for that. Most PAs have at least a decent amount of direct patient care before applying to programs unlike the traditional pre-med student who aims to get into med school immediately following undergrad graduation. All is not lost, and if your dream is truly to become a PA, you will get there. It just may take a little longer.

 

And finally, when you do apply, just make sure, again, that you have done your research and that the programs are a good fit for you. It will make all the supplementals and associated fees easier to fill out and pay. And will also help you to write a fantastic statement of purpose and set you on the path to realizing your dream. Good luck. I hope that this was helpful in some way!

[HopefulPA]

Well you need to make some major changes. How ever you have been studying isn't working. And you will need to figure this out quick. Also even with an improvement in GPA you need to get HCE and good experience before applying. Otherwise I am afraid that seat will go to someone else. Good luck.

[zoecarroll16]

That's very true, PAMAC! If you start to stress about the bigger picture, the smaller details, which are the foundation, are going to suffer. Focus on your classes and on getting the patient care experience, not the what, the when, the where, the how, or the what if.

[cinntsp]

You have to get a handle on your learning style and study habits before you can begin to pursue PA school. A low GPA can be overcome but not if you are still making lots of Bs and Cs.

 

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

[cmt2013]

I'm studying psychology which I really enjoy and I've taken some of the pre-reqs for PA school. I started at a new job at a hospital which gives me some patient care experience. I want to stay here at UF, which I know requires 2000 hours of HCE so I'm trying to work on getting that as well.

 

Thank you for making me realize that I shouldn't focus too much on the when, where, how, and what if! I feel pressured by the fact that I have 3 semesters left but I should focus more on the task at hand.

[IdahoPA]

Oh, no. I'm pretty sure we all said that you NEED to focus on the "how." If you have less than stellar grades, that's an indicator that your study skills aren't working for you. You're def gonna need to work on that before PA school or any further education. I'm don't know how your school works, but mine has student support services that offer tutoring, counseling and various little study skills classes. They have you do a VARK assessment that tells you if you are a visual/auditory/reading/kinestethic learner and tips to study/learn accordingly. (You can also find this online, if your school doesn't have SSS.) Your problem could be that you're doing something like flash cards, but you're actually an auditory leaner.

 

Hope you get it figured out!