Another post about grades... Sorry

[runforrestrun7]

I am new here, so apologies if this isn't in the correct sub-forum... I am wondering if I even have a shot at PA school acceptance, or if I should give up.

Background: I graduated in 2010 with a non-science degree (I took a few science classes but these are irrelevant and "old" now), and went immediately to a post-bacc program at an Ivy League school.  I proceeded to stumble through most classes there, while working 40-60 hours a week (don't do this while taking intensive science classes) in a direct patient care/contact role.

pros = tons of patient experience, for 7 years.. realized patient care is where I need to be, excellent connections with surgeons/PAs. Cons = bad science grades here. 

Fast forward to now - I have finally taken the jump after being really discouraged with my former post-college self... and started taking the sciences again. Straight As so far, more than half way through, and kept this up while having a baby in the middle of it. Classes are not at Ivy League this time (I have two kids and a family to support, this isn't in our budget at all now), but I am also not working...

I played around with my CASPA potential GPA if I keep the good grades up, and cumulative it will be 3.56ish for science coursework.  And 3.8 overall.  Should I apply? I really am reading mixed messages across the internet, so I wanted to check with others going through this process. 

Thank you in advance!

 

[ajames]

Honestly, it would depend on the age of your children and availability of schools nearby, imo. Are they at an age you can be away from them for long periods of the day? Do you have someone to watch them or family who can help? And I say schools nearby because it's hard to uproot your children if they are older. But then again, you should apply if this is your dream and what you want to do. Just know why for the right reasons. You have good gpa if you're looking at cGPA 3.8 and scGPA 3.5ish. I definitely think you'd get interviews/acceptances...its just a matter if this is a good time for you to take on so much debt, dedication, and time from your babies. You have soul searching to do but if you can find your answers and clarity, it will allow you to be much stronger when you are ready. I wish you the best of luck.

[runforrestrun7]

Thank you so much for your input! My biggest concern is my competitiveness as an applicant.  Family is all on board with it... I will have one starting public school and one starting pre-school by the time my classes would start, so it's not as though they are infants and needing mommy 24/7 at that age. That being said, my last job was about 80% travel, so my oldest is really used to me being gone for days at a time sometimes, unfortunately. That plus taking anatomy and physiology over a 6 week summer course... the kids know "mommy goes to school" now. Super adaptable, easy tempered children - we are lucky. All of our family lives close to us as well... for these reasons, along with what you said about the difficulty of uprooting older kids, we have decided it's kind of "now or never" for this.  The debt is always a concern, but our house is mostly paid for (again, lucky with this, I know), so in the long run, it's not biting off more than we can chew. 

I am fortunate that I have about 5 programs within a 30 mile radius of where we are currently located (Jefferson, Philadelphia U (which is combining with Jeff but hasn't done so completely yet), Drexel, Arcadia, PCOM) and many of my connections are at Jefferson, so it's my top choice right now.  I know it's very competitive though... Sigh. I have this pervasive fear of failure, and it just needs to go away. 

 

[ajames]

It sounds like you have put a lot of thought into this and know what you're getting into. You seem to have good resources and a lot of nearby schools for you to choose from. I would start getting ready to apply, because you'll never know unless you try :]