Third-time applicant, what to do next

[thirdtimesthecharm]

Hey guys, this year will be my third time applying to PA school. I have also been applying for the past two years and received one interview each year. The first year I didn't really feel like I had a firm grasp on the profession and the second year I still didn't feel confident about my interview. In hindsight, I can say with confidence that I deserved to be rejected the first two times around. For the past year, I have done almost everything I can think of to improve my chances of getting in. I juggled jobs (both in the medical field) to accumulate more hours, I took additional courses to expand my options, and in the midst of all this, I found a PA to shadow in my spare time. Out of eight schools, I got one interview this cycle. I thought I did well during the interview. It was probably the best interview I've given in my entire life however, I don't think it will be enough to get me in. Said school is handing out their last wave of acceptance letters and I didn't get one. Assuming that my application is not perfect, what are some other actions I can take to improve my application for the next cycle?

 

Major: Kinesiology [b.S.]

Undergraduate GPA: 3.49

Science GPA: 3.6

Post-baccalaureate GPA: 4.0 (Two courses: Medical Terminology and Sociology)

HCE prior to interview: ~1800 hours EMT, ~600 hours Physical Therapy Aide, +2000 PACU Technician, 480 hours volunteer

[UGoLong]

I can't tell much about you from the info above.

 

Your grades are good, your experience is good. Your ratio of interviews per application is low, why?

 

I've interviewed people with your major, so that's probably not it.

 

What prereqs did you take? Have you taken anything that shows you would do well in PA school?  Medical terminology and sociology aren't really going to show that. May I suggest pathophysiology: the foundation of the PA curriculum. 

 

Did you take the GRE or elect not to and concentrate on the relatively small subset of schools that don't require it? Take the GRE; it opens up the opportunities.

 

I would also suggest taking a good look at who is doing your references. And your essay. The latter is your major path of showing reviewers something about you besides your GPA cut 47 ways (which is what the CASPA application process results in.)

 

Bottom line: if the is the third time you applied and you are getting so few interviews, something is off with your approach. Why you didn't get in at the one place that you interviewed is another story, but isn't where I would suggest focusing on.

 

Good luck.

[ProSpectre]

I agree with the above advice, and I would also add that you should look carefully at the schools you apply to, and tailor them to your strengths. You should review the stats of recent matriculating students to programs you are interested in and apply to those programs where you would be at least average or above average with your GPA/GRE/HCE. I would also revise your essay and think carefully about what your focus is in it, as it is probably one of the most important parts of an application. Overall, I think your GPA and HCE should be good enough to at least get you interviews, so I would rethink which schools you are applying to and have others who you trust review your personal statement. Good luck in the upcoming cycle.

[thirdtimesthecharm]

Thank you all to who applied, I appreciate it. I definitely need to take a different approach on my personal statement and interview strategy. To be honest, I think my biggest problem has to be my essay. I'm almost certain that is the reason I'm not receiving as many interviews as I should. I wasn't too sure what to write about so I focused on qualities that have made me successful in my current job. Wrong approach?

 

In regards to my prerequisites, I have everything except biochemistry. I am an idiot for not taking it during my undergrad however the pathophysiology is a great recommendation. I took sociology because it was a requirement to most CA schools and I noticed medical terminology was also becoming more common as a requirement. I also took the GRE but I scored a little under the average.

 

My references were my immediate supervisor, a physician, and a physician assistant that I both shadowed. 

[ProSpectre]

I think an essay can make or break an applicant who may not excel in other parts of their application. I would definitely put in the time to not only write a great essay, but have others you trust read and critique it before you write the final draft (my essay went through many, many drafts). This is important since things you understand perfectly may come off the wrong way when read by others. It would be a good idea to have the PA who wrote your recommendation to read and critique your personal statement too if possible. Also, read other essays of people who have been successful in getting accepted to PA school, not to copy (of course) but to see what elements are important in a solid PA school personal statement. Some of the books about getting accepted to PA school have examples of both good and bad essays and would be a good place to start.

[UGoLong]

Sounds like you have a plan now! Don't feel like an idiot for anything. You might, for example, be able to take patho or biochem at your local community college (accepted by many programs; you can check with the ones you are interested in.)

 

If your GRE was below average, prepare and take it again. If it was the math that sank you, their on-line review at GRE.org can be a big help. There are other approaches out there for the rest of the test.

 

Your essay can be about whatever you want it to be, but not just about how good you are. Most of the good ones tell the interviewer something about who you are through story. How you got interested in medicine, etc. The advice to see what others write is probably a good idea if you're a bit lost here. But don't be a carbon copy of anyone else; you need to tell your own story.

 

So now you know what to work on. Changing things up after a few failures is the way to go.