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Virginia: EVMS CASPA Cycle for Class of 2021


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Congratulations to those who received offers of admission! Would anyone mind sharing their stats and whether it was your first or second attempt? I am curious to those who were second-time applicants, what do you feel made the difference between this cycle and last cycle? Was it an increase in patient care hours, better interviewing performance, etc.? 

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7 minutes ago, mrhandshake said:

Congratulations to those who received offers of admission! Would anyone mind sharing their stats and whether it was your first or second attempt? I am curious to those who were second-time applicants, what do you feel made the difference between this cycle and last cycle? Was it an increase in patient care hours, better interviewing performance, etc.? 

I had a CASPA GPA of 3.4 with a science GPA of a 3.6.  I didn’t recalculate my prerequisite GPA but I believe it was much higher.  This was the last School I applied to because I never thought I could get in.  It was one of my top choices.  I have about 13,000 patient care hours as a phlebotomist, a pharmacy technician in disease management, and ED scribe.  I have about 500 hours of volunteer work as a youth mentor to at-risk girls, city clean up, working in a free medical clinic in Carries, Haiti (2 years in a row), fundraising for JDRF, and volunteering at a local ER as an ED Tech.  I have 165 hours of PA shadowing.

I applied to 16 schools my first round (2017-2018 Cycle) and this was my last interview of that cycle.  I reapplied to 22 schools in May this year for the 2018-2019 Cycle because I only held an alternate seat at one school (UOP in Cali).  My 2nd cycle application was much stronger because I have a letter of recommendation from an American nurse I worked with in Haiti, about 2,000 more hours of PCE, and I took a year of O-Chem and Gen Chem.  Plus I added shadowing of surgeons in orthopedics & ophthalmology.

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I’ve noticed that a fair number of EVMS applicants don’t get in the first go around. 

So this leads me to a few thoughts. 

1. EVMS prefer reapplication?

2. Reapplicants do better because EVMS is very particular in their selection criteria and reapplicants adapt accordingly therefore making it look like EVMS prefers reapplicants?

3. First time applicants that do get in have unique experiences, LOTS of HCE (paid), and good qualifying and prerequisite GPAs. 

I hate to break this down into such generalities but I’ve noticed EVMS is quite interesting in its selection process. 

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46 minutes ago, mrhandshake said:

Congratulations to those who received offers of admission! Would anyone mind sharing their stats and whether it was your first or second attempt? I am curious to those who were second-time applicants, what do you feel made the difference between this cycle and last cycle? Was it an increase in patient care hours, better interviewing performance, etc.? 

First attempt. 

Qualifying (last 40) cGPA: 4.00     (CASPA cGPA is 3.59 thanks to a small handful of Cs 20 years ago)

Prerequisite GPA: 4.00 

PCE: 10,000+ hours as a dental hygienist 

Volunteer/Community: ~63 hours, some from over ten years ago 

LORs: 1) MD mentor, 2) DDS supervisor at a dental office, 3) College chemistry instructor 

Shadowing: Only 4 hours at the time of applying 

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On 7/21/2018 at 11:15 AM, medic1210 said:
On 7/21/2018 at 10:39 AM, mrhandshake said:

Congratulations to those who received offers of admission! Would anyone mind sharing their stats and whether it was your first or second attempt? I am curious to those who were second-time applicants, what do you feel made the difference between this cycle and last cycle? Was it an increase in patient care hours, better interviewing performance, etc.? 

On 7/21/2018 at 11:15 AM, medic1210 said:

I’ve noticed that a fair number of EVMS applicants don’t get in the first go around. 

So this leads me to a few thoughts. 

1. EVMS prefer reapplication?

2. Reapplicants do better because EVMS is very particular in their selection criteria and reapplicants adapt accordingly therefore making it look like EVMS prefers reapplicants?

3. First time applicants that do get in have unique experiences, LOTS of HCE (paid), and good qualifying and prerequisite GPAs. 

I hate to break this down into such generalities but I’ve noticed EVMS is quite interesting in its selection process. 

I usually don’t like sharing stats because I think as PA candidates we get too caught up with what everyone’s doing and then we compare ourselves to each other, but I hope this insight helps those planning to be a reapplicant.

I got into a few programs and this was my first time applying ever. My overall GPA was 3.76 and BCP (science was 3.31). Unsure about EVMS’s specific prerequisite GPA calculation. My peri-clinical hours involved pharmacy tech, volunteering with hospice, red cross, and on the Indian Reservation. PCE: 5,000 as a phlebotomist and ophthalmology assistant. I shadowed a PA for about 40 hours. As you might notice, my science GPA and my PCE are under average. I did have lots of experiences on my CASPA. I did lots of things while I was an undergraduate student like lead a research team, participated in the pre-PA club, and sung in an acapella group. Every program prefers different things and has different ways of screening applicants for interviews/acceptance. Some things will for sure land you an interview (like looking impressive academically), and then when you interview, it could be completely different aspects that earn you the acceptance. Now I can’t speak for any admissions panel as I have never been on one, but I can confidently say at the end of the day, they are looking for well-rounded individuals who undeniably want to become a PA for the right reasons, who will be able to get through the program successfully, and most importantly, will become outstanding PAs and contribute to the community. There are a LOT of things that go into that. And because PA programs are so competitive, there are SO many qualified applicants who deserve to get in, but don’t. And that might just be the case for 1 cycle, but not the next. That’s why a lot of schools stress that you be yourself in the interview. If you get an interview, you have already proved that you can successfully get through a PA program. Now they just want to make sure the program is the right fit for you and vice versa. Sometimes you might need to do some research on programs and change where you are applying to. My best advice is to obviously ask for feedback from specific programs and follow their advice. But do what YOU value. Do what YOU think will better prepare you to become a PA. I have learned random but valuable things from experiences that might seem insignificant to others. All of those things have bettered me as a person and will ultimately better me as a clinician working with patients. So I encourage you to go out and do what the programs suggest you improve on, but also find things you want to do and do them! Write about your experiences when you volunteer/work. I believe that if you genuinely do things that you think will improve you as a PA candidate and don’t just jump through the hoops because you have to, you will end up where you’re supposed to be.  

 

 

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25 minutes ago, JoshPAS said:

 

Thanks for the insight and congratulations!

 

Did anyone that interviewed on Monday hear back as of yet? From what I can tell only students who interviewed Friday or Saturday heard back so far, but I could be wrong.

 

Also, did anyone receive a rejection or waitlist email as of yet?

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On 7/21/2018 at 12:27 PM, DarcyJ said:

First attempt. 

Qualifying (last 40) cGPA: 4.00     (CASPA cGPA is 3.59 thanks to a small handful of Cs 20 years ago)

Prerequisite GPA: 4.00 

PCE: 10,000+ hours as a dental hygienist 

Volunteer/Community: ~63 hours, some from over ten years ago 

LORs: 1) MD mentor, 2) DDS supervisor at a dental office, 3) College chemistry instructor 

Shadowing: Only 4 hours at the time of applying 

I, too, am a dental hygienist who will be starting in January! 

-Bobbie 

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I got an email on 06/29 that my application was complete, but I haven't heard anything since. How long did it take for you guys to receive interviews after your email?... Do they have another wave of interviews or did I apply a little too late?

CASPA 6/2

CASPer 6/3

EVMS File Complete 6/29

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5 minutes ago, SDPA19 said:

I got an email on 06/29 that my application was complete, but I haven't heard anything since. How long did it take for you guys to receive interviews after your email?... Do they have another wave of interviews or did I apply a little too late?

CASPA 6/2

CASPer 6/3

EVMS File Complete 6/29

The EVMS application deadline was 3/1/2018.  Did you apply for the 2017-2018 Cycle or the 2018-2019 Cycle?  We just concluded interviews for the 2017-2018 Cycle (for the class of 2021).

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10 minutes ago, Bonist55 said:

The EVMS application deadline was 3/1/2018.  Did you apply for the 2017-2018 Cycle or the 2018-2019 Cycle?  We just concluded interviews for the 2017-2018 Cycle (for the class of 2021).

I applied for the 2018-2019 cycle. I'm starting to think I'm on the wrong page..... haha 

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  • 2 weeks later...
15 hours ago, dp1391 said:

did anyone from Monday interview heard back?  Also what about decline statuse

I had interviewed on Monday (7/16/18) and got a rejection email 7/30/18. Good luck and congrats to everyone who got in or is on the wait list! and to those who were rejected...try to keep hope alive. I know I am trying to.

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I had interviewed on Monday (7/16/18) and got a rejection email 7/30/18. Good luck and congrats to everyone who got in or is on the wait list! and to those who were rejected...try to keep hope alive. I know I am trying to.
Thank you.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

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