When to apply to PA School

[ahuvag98]

Im a junior who decided fairly recently that I would like to follow the PA path. I have taken A&P, Bio I, and am in the middle of Bio II and chem I. I currently have around 400 hours of PCE. Ideally, I would love to attend PA school without a gap year between undergrad and PA school. I will be done all my science pre-reqs by the end of fall semester. When would be the best time to apply? I know some PA schools only let you apply with one outstanding course and I will be taking some science courses in the summer/fall. Thanks!

[whitecoatrosegold]

Hello there!

 

Yes, you are correct. Programs do have different pre reqs that sometime are very different so check specific programs for this. Many programs require psychology and medical terminology, so make sure you’re taking any courses programs you’d be interested in require. But if you won’t have many of the core requirements until Fall semester, it may be wise to wait and apply your senior year. I say this becuase many PA schools are rolling admissions. This means they begin looking at applications when CASPA opens in April before their deadline, which could be months later. If you don’t have all but 2 pre reqs done before Fall, and wait to submit until after the Fall semester, that will be December, and a large chunk of programs have deadlines between August-December. So you’d significantly lower your chance of an interview if the schools you submit to use rolling admissions.

 

Also, generally PA schools look for more HCE than other healthcare programs. That doesn’t mean people don’t get in with none, because they do, but higher numbers do make you a more competitive applicant. Some programs I’m applying to recommend 2,000+ just to apply, and many other deem that a competitive number. I would work hard to get more HCE this year and really build on it if you choose to wait a year. Have you shadowed a PA? If you chose this path recently that’s another important step. Not only will it solidify your desires to attend PA school, it shows admissions committees you have seen the profession at work. Some programs also require shadowing to apply, but I haven’t seen very many. Most do prefer some shadowing, though.

 

Also, what is your GPA? Have you taken/plan to take the GRE? When you submit a CASPA application, even if you have courses in progress, CASPA will not update your GPA once you submit and verify your application. So if you were hoping to raise grades, applying in April when the cycle opens means your Fall grades won’t calculate into your GPA.

 

Im not trying to discourage you in any way. I don’t know the full story of what pre reqs you have so I’m just giving broad advice. But from what you said, I think you would be a significantly stronger applicant next cycle. But if you have the pre reqs to apply and want to try this cycle, I recommend working hard on the personal statement. What you may not have in thousands of HCE hours can be made up by having a well written personal statement that some students don’t take enough time on. It’s your one chance to speak to admissions and show them why you want to be a PA and stand out.

 

Best of of luck to you on your PA journey!