List of PA Schools for those struggling with GPA

[babyface]

I recently saw someone say they were rejected from Arcadia because of their low GPA was not competitive, so although Arcadia says their minimum is 3.0, they don't seem to actually accept people with a low GPA.

Edited December 19, 2018 by babyface

[EMEDPA]

lots of places state a min gpa or 2.75 or 3.0, but if the vast majority of applicants have a 3.5 one would need to really stand out in another aspect of their application like this:

GPA 2.75, double major BSN and medical anthropology (while raising 2 kids as a single parent and working full time as an MA at a homeless clinic)

speaks english, spanish, and russian fluently (1 parent from russia and 1 from mexico)

has been an RN for 10 years working in underserved areas

came up with an idea for a homeless clinic in their underserved neighborhood, fund raised to build the facility and hire staff and currently volunteers there 1/2 time as its executive director.

spent 3 years working with Drs without borders in Gaza, Bangledesh, and eastern europe. 

I would accept the above applicant with a 2.0 over many folks applying today. before you laugh too hard, I have seen applicants like this. They deserve a shot. Grades can't be the only factor when someone has extensive life and health care experience and a demonstrated commitment to working with under served populations. 

[MT2PA]

2 hours ago, babyface said:

I've recently saw someone say they were rejected from Arcadia because of their low GPA was not competitive, so although Arcadia says their minimum is 3.0, they don't seem to actually accept people with a low GPA.

Meeting the minimum does not automatically make an applicant competitive.

https://www.arcadia.edu/academics/programs/physician-assistant

As you can see here the average GPA for accepted students is around 3.5 - so sure someone with a 3.0 might get accepted however it will be rare and as EMEDPA stated above, they will have an otherwise outstanding application.  Mathematically, some lower GPAs were admitted to get to that average.

Minimum GPA with minimum HCE/PCE may get an application looked at but it won't pass muster.  If Arcadia got thousands of applications this year with an average GPA that skewed high, then no, someone with a 3.0/3.1/3.2 is likely going to have a tough go of it.  Every cycle is unique.

EDIT:  As an aside even Arcadia has a footnote saying if you have significant *good* experience you should consider applying even if you aren't in the typical GPA range...further proving EMEDPAs point.

Edited December 18, 2018 by MT2PA

[babyface]

1 hour ago, MT2PA said:

Meeting the minimum does not automatically make an applicant competitive.

https://www.arcadia.edu/academics/programs/physician-assistant

As you can see here the average GPA for accepted students is around 3.5 - so sure someone with a 3.0 might get accepted however it will be rare and as EMEDPA stated above, they will have an otherwise outstanding application.  Mathematically, some lower GPAs were admitted to get to that average.

Minimum GPA with minimum HCE/PCE may get an application looked at but it won't pass muster.  If Arcadia got thousands of applications this year with an average GPA that skewed high, then no, someone with a 3.0/3.1/3.2 is likely going to have a tough go of it.  Every cycle is unique.

EDIT:  As an aside even Arcadia has a footnote saying if you have significant *good* experience you should consider applying even if you aren't in the typical GPA range...further proving EMEDPAs point.

Right, I agree with that. I just thought that for people who click on this thread, who'll will have low GPA's, listing a school like Arcadia who has rejected applicants because of their GPA, although it meets their minimum, wouldn't be too useful. Most schools have min GPAs of 3.0, but that doesn't necessarily mean anything. So, merely knowing that about a school wouldn't help someone with a low GPA, necessarily. I know that there's more to it, and that a low GPA can be admitted and that a lot of factors influence it (as I think most people do). And I know a more detailed list, of say, where admitted students with a low-GPA went to, would be more difficult and would also have its limitations. I just thought I'd mention that about Arcadia, that perhaps it's not necessarily a school for those struggling with GPA.

Edited December 19, 2018 by babyface

[Rodzm]

As a low GPA applicant I applied to 10 schools from this list. I was denied an interview to all but 1 school on the list. I applied to >20 schools and received 3 interview invites, 1 from the list and 2 others not on the list. I received an acceptance from a school not on this list. 

This list is a great starting point for low GPA applicants but most schools have similar prerequisites to this “low GPA” list. Many low GPA applicants have no doubt been accepted to the schools on the list and many have been accepted to other schools not listed here. Like others have said, simply meeting the GPA requirement is not enough in this competitive environment. 

[Packman PA]

I applied to 7 schools this cycle (2nd time applying) and 3 from the list.  I only received 1 invite and it was from this list and accepted to that school as well.  I agree you need to have other areas of your application be very high to help off set the low GPA.  For myself that was military medic of 4 yrs and over 20 yrs of working in the pharm research field along taking post bac classed to boost my gpa and classes that I knew the adcom would like to see (Med Term and Pathophysiology).   I will say never give up your dream no matter the age.  I will be turning 50 when I graduate, so if I can make it so can others.

[melody10]

@Packman PA and @Rodzm congrats to you both!

Would you both mind sharing the schools you applied to/were accepted to?

[Packman PA]

1 hour ago, melody10 said:

@Packman PA and @Rodzm congrats to you both!

Would you both mind sharing the schools you applied to/were accepted to?

I applied to Campbell University and will be starting this fall.   If you have any other questions I would be happy to answer

 

 

[roundabout]

On 12/19/2018 at 11:14 AM, Rodzm said:

As a low GPA applicant I applied to 10 schools from this list. I was denied an interview to all but 1 school on the list. I applied to >20 schools and received 3 interview invites, 1 from the list and 2 others not on the list. I received an acceptance from a school not on this list. 

This list is a great starting point for low GPA applicants but most schools have similar prerequisites to this “low GPA” list. Many low GPA applicants have no doubt been accepted to the schools on the list and many have been accepted to other schools not listed here. Like others have said, simply meeting the GPA requirement is not enough in this competitive environment. 

I created the list for the reason you stated, essentially a starting point. As a lower GPA applicant it gave me hope to know that I could even apply. So I was just hoping that it would do the same for others. Obviously no PA school is going to matriculate a large amount of low GPA students, but knowing you have a shot is a confidence booster.

[adventurePA]

Schools will definitely admit students with low GPAs however it does make it more difficult. A great way to address a low GPA is via your personal statement, only if you have a good excuse. Another option is to bite the bullet and retake the class that is lowering your cummulative GPA. GPA is important but it is not everything. If you have a bunch of hobbies/leadership roles outside of school perhaps this can set you apart however you will be fighting an uphill battle. I recently made a video on How to get into PA school. I briefly touch on the how GPA is not everything when applying to PA school. Maybe it will be helpful. Best of luck applying.

 

[Patricia5827]

Adventist university just added biochemistry I and II to their prerequisites  just for anyone who is applying there

[roundabout]

1 hour ago, Patricia5827 said:

Adventist university just added biochemistry I and II to their prerequisites  just for anyone who is applying there

Where did you see that? I only see Orgo 1&2

[Patricia5827]

24 minutes ago, johncfl said:

Where did you see that? I only see Orgo 1&2

That’s so weird I saw it on the site, and I emailed admissions there and they said it’s now a requirement. Now it’s not on the page anymore ugh

[roundabout]

10 hours ago, Patricia5827 said:

That’s so weird I saw it on the site, and I emailed admissions there and they said it’s now a requirement. Now it’s not on the page anymore ugh

Wow, if that is the case I will not be able to apply there anymore. I've had like 3 schools change the their requirements in the last few weeks and now I can't apply to their programs. It is pretty frustrating. 

[Patricia5827]

 @johncfl Oh wow I didn’t think that happened often. I’ll email them again and let you know what they say

Edited April 19, 2019 by Patricia5827

[Patricia5827]

@johncfl we’re good!

[roundabout]

Woohooo! Thank you! @Patricia5827

[JustYourAveragePAStudent]

On 12/18/2018 at 4:05 PM, babyface said:

I recently saw someone say they were rejected from Arcadia because of their low GPA was not competitive, so although Arcadia says their minimum is 3.0, they don't seem to actually accept people with a low GPA.

Schools with lower minimum requirements are actually doing that because they get more applications (and therefore fees --> $$$) than schools with higher minimum requirements. I can tell you now every single PA program has a specific "type" of student they like, and "average student profiles" are the way to figure out what that preferred student is. I did not rely on mimimum requirements when deciding which schools to apply to.

I am a first year (second year next month) student in Arcadia's PA program and I can tell you that a lot of people in my program had high undergrad GPAs and low patient care hours. Everyone in my program is young, and we had a lot of people straight out of undergrad (which also makes for an immature class, so look at average age on those profiles too).

[roundabout]

18 hours ago, JustYourAveragePAStudent said:

Schools with lower minimum requirements are actually doing that because they get more applications (and therefore fees --> $$$) than schools with higher minimum requirements. I can tell you now every single PA program has a specific "type" of student they like, and "average student profiles" are the way to figure out what that preferred student is. I did not rely on mimimum requirements when deciding which schools to apply to.

I am a first year (second year next month) student in Arcadia's PA program and I can tell you that a lot of people in my program had high undergrad GPAs and low patient care hours. Everyone in my program is young, and we had a lot of people straight out of undergrad (which also makes for an immature class, so look at average age on those profiles too).

That's good to know. I think it's crazy that you can go from having 500 hours of medical experience to possibly be performing high level medical procedures after a single year of hands on experience in PA school. I know it took me 2+ years to feel comfortable and confident doing medical procedures.

[JustYourAveragePAStudent]

1 hour ago, johncfl said:

That's good to know. I think it's crazy that you can go from having 500 hours of medical experience to possibly be performing high level medical procedures after a single year of hands on experience in PA school. I know it took me 2+ years to feel comfortable and confident doing medical procedures.

Totally! It is crazy for me too. I had over 4000 hours of HCE in a hospital and there are some people in my class that have never even had read patient contact before and just worked as a pharm tech or something like that. I cant imagine how they feel if I am even scared for clinical year haha

 

EDIT: no real patient contact other than the hospital experiences we had through arcadia

Edited April 27, 2019 by JustYourAveragePAStudent

[FromMic2Meds]

On 5/15/2018 at 3:39 PM, johncfl said:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0By3yy6sZlX1AR1locWF3VUNvRkE/view?pli=1

You are the GOAT!

[FromMic2Meds]

On 12/19/2018 at 11:14 AM, Rodzm said:

As a low GPA applicant I applied to 10 schools from this list. I was denied an interview to all but 1 school on the list. I applied to >20 schools and received 3 interview invites, 1 from the list and 2 others not on the list. I received an acceptance from a school not on this list. 

How many cycles did you apply for @Rodzm

[Packman PA]

8 minutes ago, FromMic2Meds said:

How many cycles did you apply for @Rodzm

I myself had a cGPA below a 3.0 but my last 60 credits cGPA was a 3.45.  I applied to 7 schools and got one interview and one acceptance from one of the schools on the list.  I start at Campbell University the end of July.  It took me 2 cycles to get accepted and I kept taking courses to improve my cGPA and show the ADCOM how serious I was about medicine.   Best of luck this cycle.

[FromMic2Meds]

On 5/24/2019 at 3:03 PM, Packman PA said:

I myself had a cGPA below a 3.0 but my last 60 credits cGPA was a 3.45.  I applied to 7 schools and got one interview and one acceptance from one of the schools on the list.  I start at Campbell University the end of July.  It took me 2 cycles to get accepted and I kept taking courses to improve my cGPA and show the ADCOM how serious I was about medicine.   Best of luck this cycle.

Thank you and good luck to you on this journey!

[Rodzm]

On 5/24/2019 at 1:53 PM, FromMic2Meds said:

How many cycles did you apply for @Rodzm

3 cycles over 4 years. Took a gap between 2nd -3rd cycle to really work on my GPA.