BumbleBee Posted February 16, 2018 Share Posted February 16, 2018 Hello everyone! I have a bit of a headache on my hands. I wasn't very motivated my first year of college and got a lot of C+'s. During my second year I ended up having a medical issues and failed 4 classes without withdrawing from them. Unfortunately it still haunts me to this day. Obviously this means that my overall GPA is below the minimum required for the majority of PA schools. I have retaken all of my failed classes and got A's in them, but because the grades are not replaced I am now left with C's. cGPA: 2.91 sGPA: 3.07 The good news is that I have gotten A's in all of my prerequisite coursework like A&P, Organic Chemistry, and Biochemistry. The other good news is that my GPA's have both greatly improved my last two years of college. Last 60 credits GPA: cGPA: 3.61 sGPA: 3.72 I still need to take the GRE, but I plan on doing it soon. I have 100 hours of PA shadowing. I also will have 3000 hours of CNA paid experience by the time of application. I am curious as to how I should apply? Should I focus on schools that have a minimum GPA of 2.5? Or should I focus on schools that only look at your last 60 credits? What should I work on to be more competitive? Thank you for your time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaylee272 Posted February 16, 2018 Share Posted February 16, 2018 There are different ways to approach something like this but I would say retake the classes you got Fs in and boost your cGPA above a 3.0. Then, apply to schools with a focus on the last 60 units and get a high GRE score to prove you will be able to succeed in PA school. I think it will be your personal statement and LORs that make the difference (as they do for everyone). What makes you the right fit for the program over another person with similar stats? You have great stats otherwise. Make yourself stand out; explain (but do not make excuses) for the poor grades, show you have grown and deserve to be accepted! You can do it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BumbleBee Posted February 17, 2018 Author Share Posted February 17, 2018 Thanks for your response Kaylee272! I have already retaken the classes I got F's in, and thankfully I got A's in all of them. What are your thoughts on C's or C+'s that are still single attempts? Should I go back to school for a year to bump up all of those C's so I get up to a 3.0? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jchen14 Posted February 17, 2018 Share Posted February 17, 2018 Thanks for your response Kaylee272! I have already retaken the classes I got F's in, and thankfully I got A's in all of them. What are your thoughts on C's or C+'s that are still single attempts? Should I go back to school for a year to bump up all of those C's so I get up to a 3.0?Getting your cGPA and sGPA above a 3.0 will open A LOT of doors for you. Nearly all of the programs I looked require that 3.0 minimum. Then again, PA programs are sprouting quicker than weeds, but I would aim for that 3.0. How many classes would you need to retake to get to that 3.0 threshold? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BumbleBee Posted February 17, 2018 Author Share Posted February 17, 2018 I just calculated it and only 11 credit hours all graded with an A would push me over to a cGPA 3.01! So if I take one more semester I could pull it up! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pastudentw Posted February 17, 2018 Share Posted February 17, 2018 14 minutes ago, BumbleBee said: I just calculated it and only 11 credit hours all graded with an A would push me over to a cGPA 3.01! So if I take one more semester I could pull it up! If that is a reasonable option for you to do, I would say go for it. It really will open more doors for you as far as schools you can at least meet the minimum overall GPA requirement for. Other than that though, I think your application is great. Regardless of if you decide to take more classes to get your GPA up, you will really need to investigate the demographic of accepted applicants for the schools you apply to. Don't be afraid to call the program and have that discussion with them. Not all schools post their average accepted applicant stats but some do so look for that. I think if you don't have other barriers to applying broadly (location being the biggest restraint), you have a reasonable chance. Make sure you professionally discuss your GPA situation in your personal statement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaylee272 Posted February 17, 2018 Share Posted February 17, 2018 The only reason I would retake Cs is if they are in pre req classes! Some schools require a B- or higher in prereqs! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackCatWhiteCat Posted March 24, 2018 Share Posted March 24, 2018 Would you happen to have a list of upward trend schools? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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