How did you decide which pre-reqs to prioritize?

[Joanna0102]

Hi Everyone,

I'm currently taking pre reqs to apply to PA school after working in another field for 13 years. I made a spreadsheet listing out the pre-reqs for the schools I plan to apply to next year (I have kids so I'm a bit limited geographically). The tricky part is that while there are common courses for all programs, there is a good amount of variation. While I'd like to apply to multiple programs, each one seems to increase the number of total courses I would need. Did anyone else returning to school encounter this situation? Did you spend another year taking classes or did you end up applying to a handful of programs? 

Thanks!

[hustleforthePAC]

Like yourself I'm also a non traditional student with a decade in a different industry. I recommend taking medical terminology , chemistry, biology, microbiology, anatomy then physiology. 

Science majors also applying to pa School have all these prerequisites and it'll work in your favor to prove your academic strength. When i applied first cycle with the basic pre requisites i received 2 interviews, second cycle i aced organic chem and took biochemistry , genetics and that helped me get even more invites to different schools. 

Keep taking classes to increase your chances of getting an interview invite while you focus on getting high end direct health care experience and volunteering in the little free time you have. 

[DarcyJ]

Yep. This was my situation as well. I picked my first-choice school and tailored my plan to their prerequisites while adding on the other schools' at the end if I didn't get accepted. Fortunately, I was a great match to my first choice. 

ETA: My career was in healthcare though, so I didn't have to worry about PCE hours. 

[Shelby89]

As someone who is currently a PA student, if I could go back, I would take all the prerequisites for all the schools  purely for the edification. If you have not been in school in 10 years like I had not been, the material is incredibly dense and fast. My peers who had recently taken upper division biochemistry, both semesters of organic chemistry and a full dissection anatomy course in undergrad are performing far better than those who did not. I had a 4.0 going in to PA school, and I spend 15 hours a day on weekends studying to get B's. Those who took biochem already only have to study for 8 hours a day. It's something to keep in mind, rather than just a "check in the box" but as knowledge required to succeed. 

[DarcyJ]

I can understand this viewpoint. However, with every prerequisite costing me more money and more time, it was a no-brainer at age 39 to submit my application as soon as my prerequisites were met for my first-choice school. Also, I have two children, so the sooner I can be finished with school, the better it is for everyone.

I have been back in school for three years taking prerequisites part-time while my husband completed the last years of his Air Force career. He just retired and I'll be starting PA school in 5 months. So, I'm really pleased with the way it has worked for us.

I may need to spend more time studying than my classmates who took more prerequisites, but I'll still be finished at the end of those 28 months.

Nothing wrong with taking more prerequisites. Just wasn't right for my family and me.

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[Joanna0102]

Thanks everyone for your different perspectives. I'm definitely not getting any younger so the thought of delaying school another year is not ideal but I might not have a choice if I don't get in to a program. I also worry about the financial burden of lost full time income and pre req tuition. Science classes at my community college are $1000! While We are financially prepared for 2 years out of work during  of PA school, the longer it takes to get in, the more strained I think we will be. 

[Lizli1]

This was also my situation! I have been out of school only for three years though so I did have some of the prerequisites done already. What I did was a ton of research, I looked at the requirements of probably about 150 programs nationwide and tailored my courses to the most commonly required courses. I did have to go back to school for a year, but limited the schools I applied to based on the prerequisites available for me to take in my area within that year. I basically just elminiated schools where my classes were expired or where they had an unusual amount of courses required. Hope this helps! Good luck on your journey! 

[EMEDPA]

As a paramedic with a prior BS degree in medical anthro, I only applied to two programs that my undergrad coursework met the requirements for. If I had been required to go back for more coursework, I would have aimed for MD/DO. Back in the day, ochem and biochem were not required for PA school(and in my opinion still should not be). I had 11 bio courses(including A+P with dissection, pathobio, etc) a year of chem, foreign language, and all the standard GE courses.

[Joanna0102]

Thanks EMEDPA! I think I will likely end up with a pretty short list.You went to Drexel right? I'm in Philly and it's where I'd like to end up (for multiple reasons). They are also the only program in the area that doesn't have a time limit on coursework so I can use my undergrad courses with a few new + re-take of A&P. 

 

Thanks Lizli! It's encouraging to hear others in the same situation and that it worked out for you. I think I just barrows my list down. I've found it interesting that some of the more established programs require the least classes and without a time limit. 

[EMEDPA]

Yup, Hahnemann/Drexel. Great program/faculty/clinical sites.

[aceface]

I would prioritize the chemistry classes first, then fit all the other pre-reqs around that. Most schools make you take in sequence gen chem 1> gen chem 2> Ochem 1> Ochem 2> Biochem 1.