PAhopefulLY94 Posted March 22, 2017 Share Posted March 22, 2017 Hey everyone, So I applied to about 9 PA schools this year, thinking I would just go anywhere to be a PA. However, after doing some thinking after interviews and rejections, and acceptance, I really want to stay local in Michigan or even in Illinois to go to PA school. I got waitlisted at 3 schools. One in Wisconsin, one in Illinois, and one in Michigan (my top choice program). However, I got accepted to a school in Florida. I know anything can happen with being on the waitlist, but I am preparing for not getting in off the waitlist. I am not thrilled about the school I was accepted to. So my question of advice is... if you were in my shoes and had a chance of getting into your top choice school if I re-applied, would you take one more year and re-apply locally and around the Midwest with a risk.. or would you just take the opportunity to go to Florida and finish your education? I am also 22 years old (turning 23 this summer), 3.4 GPA, 3.6 last 60 credit GPA, 305 GRE with 5 on writing, worked as a medical assistant for 2,940 hours, research 2 years, and volunteered about 100 hours total. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bandidorooobs Posted March 22, 2017 Share Posted March 22, 2017 I would just take the leap. There's no guarantee wherever it is you wanna go next year would take you. Definitely up to you though. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pastudentw Posted March 22, 2017 Share Posted March 22, 2017 If it were me (which I was in a similar situation), I would plan on attending the program you were accepted to. I would not take the risk of turning down an acceptance and reapplying. Applying next cycle equates to at least one year of lost salary as a PA plus more application fees and all the other expenses that go along with applying. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beattie228 Posted March 22, 2017 Share Posted March 22, 2017 In all honesty, you're the only person who can answer this question for yourself. You'd hate to risk the acceptance you have in hand for the off chance that you'll be accepted next year at the schools you're interested in but got wait-listed in this last cycle. In all honesty, your GPA is good but not great and your HCE hours are a bit on the low side so certainly something to keep in mind with regards to having a coveted acceptance letter in hand. You can always do your PA training in Florida, try to do 1-2 rotations in Michigan or Illinois if your school allows for it and then plan to move back to the Mid-West if Florida isn't your bag. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gavmalav Posted March 22, 2017 Share Posted March 22, 2017 Life has no guarantees. Looking around the forum, PA school is a vehicle. Make the most out of school and do your best once you're started on your career. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
south Posted March 22, 2017 Share Posted March 22, 2017 I'm the captain of Team Wait in the other section this was posted in. Sub Team Florida Sucks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mgriffiths Posted March 22, 2017 Share Posted March 22, 2017 Personally I would go to the program you are accepted to now because there is absolutely no guarantee that you will get in somewhere next year, and I've been told that your chances of getting into PA school doesn't increase each year you apply (and may in fact decrease your chances). The one factor would be differences in tuition. I don't know when these two schools actually start, but maybe take the seat in Florida, but if you get into the MI program then withdraw and go to MI. BUT, I would personally NOT stay in Florida after you finished PA school. I've never worked there, but a lot on the forum here about sub-optimal salary and benefits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragonfruit28 Posted March 22, 2017 Share Posted March 22, 2017 My gut says take the leap, and plan to attend the Florida school. HOWEVER, I personally did the unspeakable (ha!) and turned down an acceptance in hopes of getting off the wait list at my top school (geographic and family reasons - being close to my husband, as we are having a baby). It worked out fine for me - I was accepted a few weeks after turning my acceptance down. However, that was a huge gamble, and before I made that decision, I made sure I was okay with potentially not getting into school - ever, potentially. It was worth it to me. Good luck in your decision! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lyndhurst Posted March 22, 2017 Share Posted March 22, 2017 How hungry are you to start PA school? How settled and happy are you with your life in Michigan? I dont think turning down the acceptance is a bad decision. No point starting the stress of PA school in a place you dont want to be at a school you have reservations about. Of course you need to be at peace with the fact you might reapply and not get in. Contact the schools where you are waitlisted and get feedback on what prevented them from offering you an accpetance. Improve your application with more clinical hours, although you have enough for most schools. Finally have a plan B...if you absolutely dont want to do MD/DO (although I would take the next year to really make sure) thne you should consider RN-->NP. The end ppint career wise for PA and NP is pretty much the same. There is more than one way to work in health care as a provider. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PAhopefulLY94 Posted March 22, 2017 Author Share Posted March 22, 2017 My gut says take the leap, and plan to attend the Florida school. HOWEVER, I personally did the unspeakable (ha!) and turned down an acceptance in hopes of getting off the wait list at my top school (geographic and family reasons - being close to my husband, as we are having a baby). It worked out fine for me - I was accepted a few weeks after turning my acceptance down. However, that was a huge gamble, and before I made that decision, I made sure I was okay with potentially not getting into school - ever, potentially. It was worth it to me. Good luck in your decision! Thank you for your advice! It's just killing me because my gut is telling me take the risk and re-apply! I just don't know what to do and I don't want to make the wrong decision. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PAhopefulLY94 Posted March 22, 2017 Author Share Posted March 22, 2017 How hungry are you to start PA school? How settled and happy are you with your life in Michigan? I dont think turning down the acceptance is a bad decision. No point starting the stress of PA school in a place you dont want to be at a school you have reservations about. Of course you need to be at peace with the fact you might reapply and not get in. Contact the schools where you are waitlisted and get feedback on what prevented them from offering you an accpetance. Improve your application with more clinical hours, although you have enough for most schools. Finally have a plan B...if you absolutely dont want to do MD/DO (although I would take the next year to really make sure) thne you should consider RN-->NP. The end ppint career wise for PA and NP is pretty much the same. There is more than one way to work in health care as a provider. I am hungry to start PA school... but at a place that I want to be. I don't want to be unhappy with my choice if I decide to go to Florida and regret not taking the chance to get into my dream school when I am so young! And I do have a pretty good if not great chance of getting in because I volunteer there a lot and they love 2nd time applicants. I do have nursing school as my Plan B as well as a possibility of a different Master's degree. I just don't want to make the wrong decision and it is eating me alive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
south Posted March 22, 2017 Share Posted March 22, 2017 What are the various deadline dates and where are you on the waitlists? If the deadline for the FL school acceptance gets close, you could accept the day before and wait to pay the deposit until the day before that deadline. Then if the other school calls or you still want to wait you can forfeit the deposit and turn them down. This sucks but it's very common. Edit: with recent comment, more firmly in my opinion to wait . screw FL. i turned down two schools with no other acceptances in hand. it's stressful but again, pretty common. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PAhopefulLY94 Posted March 22, 2017 Author Share Posted March 22, 2017 What are the various deadline dates and where are you on the waitlists? If the deadline for the FL school acceptance gets close, you could accept the day before and wait to pay the deposit until the day before that deadline. Then if the other school calls or you still want to wait you can forfeit the deposit and turn them down. This sucks but it's very common. Chicago: June would be when I would hear back Wisconsin: May I would hear back Michigan: August Florida: August I already paid the deposit to Florida. I am talking with the woman that interviewed me at the Michigan school to see what I would have to improve for next year and then I would keep deciding based on that. I know with this program, they love second time applicants as I have talked to many people who were second time applicants and what they did to improve their application. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BruceBanner Posted March 22, 2017 Share Posted March 22, 2017 Go to the least expensive school you get accepted to. It's going to suck and be stressful no matter what. Minimize your debt, you'll be thankful later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AbeTheBabe Posted March 23, 2017 Share Posted March 23, 2017 Accept before the deadline to the Florida school, pay the deposit, and forfeit it if you get into a closer school. Don't reject it and wait another year. You'll have to reapply and re-interview which will cost thousands, not to mention you'll be losing out on a year of a PA salary. I moved from Los Angeles to Florida for school and I'm so glad I did. My wife wasn't thrilled (to say the least) but she grew to love it there and I'm glad we got to experience living there. We're back in LA now and she wishes we were back there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arthropathy Posted March 23, 2017 Share Posted March 23, 2017 Why did you apply to a school that you didn't want to go to? How would you feel if next year you weren't accepted anywhere,including this school in FL? (Don't assume that if you turned down an acceptance this year that you would automatically be accepted next year) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dabba Posted March 23, 2017 Share Posted March 23, 2017 Go to FL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SedRate Posted March 23, 2017 Share Posted March 23, 2017 All the above is good advice. If you choose the FL school, consider setting up your rotations in the Midwest like another poster suggested. Keep in mind that if you don't get accepted at the others and then decline FL, you'll have one more year for more experience, more preparation and more waiting. Yes, declining and waiting may mean tuition might have increased and you're missing out on an extra year of income and debt payoff, but you're not going to a school you don't want to go to and "settling" for. With that said, declining will likely place a black mark on your record with that school. Don't reapply to that school next year, if that's what you choose. Tread lightly because waiting a year may not make you a shoe-in. PA school is a vehicle to get you to where you want to be. YOU are the one that puts in the money, work and time. Make sure it's the choice for you and a school that will help you succeed. Consider all the factors involved; you're only 22. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LPZ Posted March 23, 2017 Share Posted March 23, 2017 I would personally go to Florida. If you get off the wait list, fantastic! If not, make the most of where you are at. You have to ask yourself if you are willing to wait another year, spend the money to reapply and possibly not get in anywhere? It would be great if everyone could go to their top choice, I get it. Really. But life is what you make it. Unless this Florida place is terrible, go and get it done. Then move wherever you want. Good luck on whichever path you choose! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TWR Posted March 23, 2017 Share Posted March 23, 2017 You get out of anything what you put in to it. Take Florida school and you work your butt off for 2 years. You have the power to make this a better situation. What do they call the lowest ranking graduate from medical school? ..... Doctor!! Go to Florida and shine!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WeBuyAndSellJunk Posted March 23, 2017 Share Posted March 23, 2017 Going to play Devil's advocate here a little... 1) Do you have living expenses, food, etc.. paid for in Michigan or one of the closer areas? This is a huge cost and increased my debt load by about 30k over a 2 year period. It could have easily been more if I lived in an area with a higher COL. 2) Are you okay living in Florida once you graduate? Some schools don't let you have distant rotations due to the need to return for testing, ability to evaluate the rotation site, etc... You will likely get job offers from places that are affiliated with the school or were preceptors for you. As golden as the PA job market seems to be, there are absolutely areas that are saturated or are monopolized by a terrible employer. 3) I see lots of bad job offers on this forum from people wanting to stay or work in Florida 4) Some states require you to have a job lined up before you can even apply for a state license. I do not know if Michigan is this way, but it makes it exceptionally difficult to find a job after graduating in a different state. Clarify this situation. 5) Compare school costs. Crunch some numbers to see what you could make taking a year off, what you could save by attending a cheaper school, etc... 6) Significant other's thoughts? I am not saying don't go. There are lots of reasons to attend the Florida program, but I would consider some of the points above. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Potatolife Posted March 23, 2017 Share Posted March 23, 2017 What Michigan schools did you apply to? PA progams are competitive, but the Michigan ones are very competitive because Michigan is PA-friendly. There are many PA job opportunities. One professor told me that each student gets an average of four job offers before even graduating PA school. I think you should go back to the schools that rejected you and ask them what you could do differently. If it seems reasonable and attainable, then make a decision from there. You seem like a well-rounded candidate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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