simplelife Posted January 13, 2018 Share Posted January 13, 2018 I have had a pretty hectic time for my first two years in undergrad. I'm currently a health science major planning to graduate in 5 years. Given the statistics, it sounds like my natural science gpa is like about a 2. something. I was very unmotivated my first two and a half years as I was sure that medical school was not the right option. I also did not make wise choices by retaking some of the courses I didn't do so well in my second year. My grades right now are at 2.0 and I have about two and a half more years to complete all my reqs. Would it still be wise to take some science courses for next year( senior year) or is it ok to take it after I graduate after the fifth year? At this point, I am not a very good candidate, but I am willing to work super hard in my health science major to finish those courses before continuing to my fifth year major curriculum that I couldn't finish in 4 years. I hope the "5th" year doesn't sound so bad to employers and PA schools, but I am doing all I can to improve my grades and graduate with a sound major. My grades so far for my pre-med classes were: Please note I was first on that track until I decided I'm not interested in medicine anymore. ORGANIC CHEM- 2 times- F,repeat -F GEN BIO D, and repeat to get F CALC- C for CALC 1 / AS FOR CALC 2- MY GRADE DIDNT SHOW = possibly retake GEN CHEM- chem 1- c/ chem 2C - retake if necessary GEN CHEM LABS- B+ / C HAN 200- C for PA SCHOOL ( ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY1) HAN 202- C- retake to get an A ( A & P 2) HAN 251- D+ retake for Health science MAJOR TO GET A C or above. ANTHROPOLOGY- C I still plan to take some of the pre reqs after undergrad ( 5 years). I plan to work in an EMT now, or just work at an hospital to gain clinical experience. I plan to continue working for atleast three more years even after I graduate. I'm also taking an internship for AIDS/ peer education as well as other issues that plague students at my university. However, I still don't know if its plausible to retake ORGANIC chem for the third time, as well as bio. I could just retake CALC 1 and GEN CHEM 1+2 if the C is not enough. It sounds as if I need to work hard and need to get experience in volunteering, research and jobs. Please tell me what the best approach to this would be at this point in time. I think PA sounds like a better option than medicine + etc as working hands on with others seems much better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ket131 Posted January 13, 2018 Share Posted January 13, 2018 I do not know what other classes you have taken to get yourself to a 2.0, but from the classes I see here, on a 4.0 scale, you are slightly above 1.7 science GPA. I did not add the labs in my GPA calculator. That was adding calculus, which may actually just count towards math in CAPSA. Look, I am going to be honest here, I had a difficult time getting my grades up to get into PA school. I had 5 C-s and a C- and that set me below 3.0 for science GPA because I had a lot of science class grades in the B range. I retook three of those classes (Two with C's and the C-) and got A's in all of them and took 8 other science courses and got A's in all of them. I did this while working full time. So for about 1.5 years I spent working full time and in school part-time-fulltime. My science GPA went from somewhere in a 2.9 to a 3.1. Now, you see what I am talking about...1.5 years to go up 0.2! Lets take your Organic Chemistry classes, you have a GPA of 1.0 for them. Lets say you retake and get an A and then take Organic Chemistry II and get an A, your GPA will be a 2.0 for the Organic Chemistry Classes. If you did the same thing for general biology and retook at got an A, and went onto the second course and got an A, you will be at a 2.25 science GPA for those classes. Lets say you retake A&P I to get an A, adding the C- and A for your A&P II you are around a 2.93 for those classes. For the general chemistry, retaking those to get As would put you at a 3.0 for those classes. So, for these set of classes if you got all A's in the retakes you science GPA for these classes would be a 2.54. Now lets say you smash some upper devision biology courses, genetics, microbiology, and Biochemistry (maybe some upper division health science courses) and get A's in all of those and maybe get 2 A's in something like geology and psychology you will have a sGPA of 2.89. So that was 5 classes. Three more A's will get you above a 3.0 to a 3.03 science GPA. If I add the HAN 251 D+ and make the retake an A, and add the Anthropology C and an add an A from another random health science course, you will end up at a 3.0 even. Remember that this is only the case if the courses you mentioned are the only science courses you have taken, otherwise the numbers will be different, likely they are. Essentially, that is somewhere on the order of 15+ courses that you need A's. That is two more years of school with just science based classes to get that science GPA up. There are other courses that are needed as well for people to graduate at their various institutions. I needed 3 theology courses and 2 philosophy courses, 3 language and some other stuff like english etc etc. Some of the PA schools require English courses or Ethics. You need to smash those types of classes too to get your cumulative GPA up as well, I don't know where that stands. I hope that it is obvious at this point. If you want to have any chance of getting into PA school you need to lock it down. No more F's, no more D's, no more C's. I would also say no more B's, because you need to get your science GPA above a 3.0 and cumulative GPA... and a B is a 3.0 on the GPA scale and you will not get above it in a reasonable amount of time with anything less than A's. It might be possible to get into a post bacc program and then get A's in every single class, but CASPA is going to count the grades from your current institution and that is just a butt load of money. If you really want to be a PA (you have to decide this for yourself) you can pull this off, a post-bacc program is a good option. There are also PA programs that look at the most recent credit hours and put more emphasis on those as well as PA programs that take 2.75 science GPA and cumulative GPA. I hope this is not discouraging, you just need to work really really really hard. Harder than a lot of the people on here will have to work. I was on your side of the boat, just believe in yourself and as Shia Labeouf would say "Just do it!" Feel free to PM me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilygurlie Posted January 13, 2018 Share Posted January 13, 2018 Retaking classes to get a worse grade is a huge red flag. You need to retake all pre reqs you got a C or lower in and get A's. No exceptions. And then, you should take an additional year of upper level sciences classes (8-10). It's crucial you identify what you're doing wrong and fix it now. Statistically, the odds are against you as it's highly unlikely you will go from making F's and C's to all A's. That's a huge jump. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LadyNichiavelli Posted January 13, 2018 Share Posted January 13, 2018 The PA path IS medicine, so your last line throws me off. You really are undertaking a huge endeavor with so many C's and F's (even after retakes) on your record. The odds are against you and (in response to the original question posed in your title) I feel like you should realistically explore other healthcare options. I imagine even the most holistic school would be extremely hesitant to take on an applicant with these stats...even if you do somehow manage to pull of all A's in 15+ science courses. I hope you don't take this personally. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LadyNichiavelli Posted March 19, 2018 Share Posted March 19, 2018 Lol so I'm bumping this thread because this OP seems to like sending childishly patronizing messages to whomever gives him/her unsatisfying answers. Maybe someone else can step in and tell them what they want to hear? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator EMEDPA Posted March 19, 2018 Moderator Share Posted March 19, 2018 getting in is a long shot at this point. for starters, don't retake courses you don't need for PA school like calc. you need a min of a 3.0 overall and sci gpa to be competitive for most programs or 2.75 with years of high level experience like RN, RT, MEDIC at some of the older programs. a post-bac year after year 5 might be in order if this is really what you want to do, but you need basically 2-3 years of all As to pull you out of the hole you are in. some schools don't require ochem....keep that in mind. you might want to actually get an A.S. in something like xray, paramedic, rn, rt to both build your gpa and your experience. please don't attack other members in PMs. very not cool.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ket131 Posted March 19, 2018 Share Posted March 19, 2018 I ran into this guy back in Jan, I am glad I wasn't the only one! -Ket Conversation simplelife 0 Started conversation: January 13 · Report Hi, you seem to know a lot about PA school! I know people have given me the answers that are more than likely the consequences to my grades but improving them would be a good thing to do as of now in my second semester of junior year. . I really do think they did lay out the consequences of my situation and the reality. I will have to improve. I think we should talk! First of all, do you know what exact classes I can retake. I know all is not lost. maybe that’s a good option? Thanks. Ket131 55 Replied: January 13 · Report Hey, All of the classes that I mentioned in the main thread are ones that would need to be retaken. There is a very slim margin of error for you though as was mentioned by myself and others. Getting only A's can be tough but not impossible. It is important to ask yourself if becoming a PA is truly what you want to do. What classes are you in right now? -Ket simplelife 0 Replied: January 14 · Report so I would have to retake general chem, general calculus, general bio and organic chem ( those are for third time)? You guys don't know much about my situation, so you can decide if I have a " slim margin of error." does that make sense simplelife 0 Replied: January 14 · Report I am not finishing all my required courses in undergrad. I am planning to take off from school and take it from another accredited institution. If I do well from now on, I can make it. but it seems, the PA board on here doesn't understand me. are you guys even up to any good? You can't say I have no future because I do. I know what I'm capable of doing. if I don't study well, I wont get good grades. its as simple as that but if I do well, then that's a good thing. I think there is chance for PA school because compared to med school and optometry/ pharmacy it isn't hard at all. Ket131 55 Replied: January 14 · Report You are right, I do not know your situation. I would be interested to know your situation. If you reread the thread and our current conversation, no one said that you have no future. That being said, "slim margin of error" is what you have to work with and I did not say that it is impossible to do. I myself had to step up my game and get all A's to be able to get my GPA up. What do you think you need to do to get into PA school? Regarding the courses, you would indeed have to take those courses for a third time, because some of them are required for PA school and some of those courses allow you to move onto higher level courses that are also required to get into PA school. For example, you need general biology courses with C's and above to get into microbiology, cell biology or genetics (classes often required for PA school). Organic Chemistry I & II are often required for PA school and precursor courses to get into biochemistry, which can also be required for PA school admission (it is for mine). Also, to say that PA school "isn't hard at all" compared to medical school, pharmacy school and optometry school is an underestimation of the profession. PA programs are very intense, very competitive and often come with no breaks. My PA program has only one month off total and that comes between the didactic phase and the clinical phase and that time is used to work as a PA-S for underserved communities. The program lasts for just over 2.5 years. The other programs you mentioned often have the didactic summer phases to recollect. Regarding the acceptance rates of PA school, they extremely selective. My PA school has 1500+ applicants yearly and only accepts 30 individuals. When I went to a medical school thing at the university in my home state they have a little over 1000 applicants and about 250 individuals they accept. Statistically, getting into medical school (at least the one I am referring to) is greater than getting into a PA program. simplelife 0 Replied: January 15 · Report I think I need to do well in the other courses and do a lot of volunteering to get a heads start to get “into PA school. “As for your information, they said it’s very hard for me to get in and the chances are low if you don’t remember. So, if you think that’s not something to demoralize think again. I never said PA school isn’t hard at all. It will take work and dedication but not as MUCH compared to other schools if that’s what you think? It depends on the PA school and I’m not from where you are either. As for my grades, I plan to take calculus 1/2, maybe GEN CHEM 1/2 ( i don’t think it’s needed since I do have a starting point), general bio for a third time to get into anatomy, microbiology, biochemistry and genetics for upper level courses. To take the advances courses like orgo for the third time and ORGO 2/ as well as physics 1/2 I’ll need to do at a CC. As for upper level BIO, physiology and cell bio it’s all done at CC. If you message me like this over the internet, it’s funny because you barely know me and people start making assumptions as quoted by you “ slim margin of error" and your reasoning behind it. Ket131 55 Replied: January 15 · Report I suggest going back and rereading everything in the thread you made and this conversation. You are getting offended when no one said anything about you personally. You asked for other people's opinions and they gave you their opinions. Also, the others who commented in your thread were not wrong. I have said nothing, but tried to support your choice and reaffirm that you can get into school with hard work. However, you are taking the fact you would have to retake many courses and the idea that you more than likely would have to have no more poor grades as a personal attack, when this is not about your character. You can ask others on here for advice from here on out and ask for their opinions with regards to your academic history. However, this conversation is over. I wish you luck simplelife 0 Replied: January 16 · Report Have fun spreading this anonymity of "hate." wish you luck in this vicious cycle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator True Anomaly Posted March 19, 2018 Moderator Share Posted March 19, 2018 I think this has gone far enough Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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