Jump to content

How did you narrow your list of schools down?


Recommended Posts

I have a list of 20 and am having the hardest time narrowing it down. I qualify for all of them and have good numbers compared to their prior class statistics. Any advice ? Thanks!


Lots of variables, like cost, proximity to places you either are or want to try living in, class size, programs you know people who attended, etc. See if you can cut your list in half and live with that.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ask yourself for each program on the list:

If this was the only offer I got would I attend or reapply the following year to get into a school I like better? (you'd be surprised at how often that comes up on the forum)

If this was the FIRST offer I got, would I be willing to put down a deposit to hold my place?  Would I cancel other interviews?  Would I hold out for a different offer instead?

You could rank them 1-20 and cut the bottom half of the list.

In addition to considering what UGoLong mentioned, consider PANCE rates, clinical rotation sites, # of elective rotations, cost of living (in addition to tuition).  For me I also considered if the program/school offered student health insurance - because I didn't want to deal with the marketplace or finding my own.  I also didn't want to have to find my own housing for rotations.  You decide what's important to you.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My first cycle applied to 22 with no interviews, second cycle applied to seven got two interview offers but by the time I got the second I was accepted into my school of choice. For me I had to be more realistic about where I applied, I had a 3.3 overall and a 3.4 science. I had ten years on an ambulance, eight as a paramedic mainly rural areas and reservations. I applied my second time to schools that had a high minimum for patient contact hours and acceptance GPA averages around 3.5

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Administrator
On 8/23/2018 at 2:18 PM, StevenBrule said:

Why do you want to narrow the list?  If you can realistically afford the money and attention to apply to 20 schools, do it.

It's not just the cost to apply, but the cost and time to attend the interviews.  If the OP can afford the time and money to go to up to 20 interviews, that's a much bigger commitment than just paying the CASPA fees.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

PANCE pass rate, cost, program length, and the location (big city or small town campus) was the order I used to trim down my list. I'm still applying above the average amount of schools. If you can afford all 20 schools then apply. It'll be costly for the applications and the supplementals and you'll have a lot of essays to write. But this is an investment into your future. I believe it is better to apply to more programs and have the chance to get more iv and get accepted the first time than to reapply again. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Depends on your stats.

Have good stats? 

Cut that list down by half..

Apply to 7 schools you think fit you and your stats perfectly.. Look at avg student stats

If all 20 fit you PERFECTLY, then apply to those with good reviews, high pance pass rates, low tuition, rotations in an area youd like to work...

Apply to 2 reach schools that are your "dream schools"

 

hope this helps

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Moderator

my criteria was a bit different back in the day:

1. which programs had part time options(I wanted to work the 1st 2 years to minimize debt)

2. which programs did not require ochem (this was most in 1990)

3. where could I see myself living for 3 years

there were 52 programs in 1991. I applied to 2. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1) Cost - I focused on programs that cost less than $90,000 for the most part. I eliminated every program that was estimated to cost over $100,000. This was most important to me personally because I want to pay my debt off in under 3 years (2 years ideally).

2) I eliminated all programs that required biochemistry.

3) I eliminated all programs in California and New York due to cost of living.

4) I eliminated all programs that require 2,000 hours minimum of PCE.

4) I eliminated all programs that were extremely far away from my state of residency. The furthest programs I have from my home state are North Carolina, Kansas, Miami, and Missouri.

5) I eliminated programs that had extremely high standards of their average accepted cohort or that were extremely biased towards in-state students even if they were semi-close (Butler, UNC, Texas schools, etc).

6) I eliminated programs that required a LOR from a PA because I didn't have that (Nova campuses).

That left me with exactly 21 programs that fell into that Venn diagram and I applied to 19 of those.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1) Cost - I focused on programs that cost less than $90,000 for the most part. I eliminated every program that was estimated to cost over $100,000. This was most important to me personally because I want to pay my debt off in under 3 years (2 years ideally).
2) I eliminated all programs that required biochemistry.
3) I eliminated all programs in California and New York due to cost of living.
4) I eliminated all programs that require 2,000 hours minimum of PCE.
4) I eliminated all programs that were extremely far away from my state of residency. The furthest programs I have from my home state are North Carolina, Kansas, Miami, and Missouri.
5) I eliminated programs that had extremely high standards of their average accepted cohort or that were extremely biased towards in-state students even if they were semi-close (Butler, UNC, Texas schools, etc).
6) I eliminated programs that required a LOR from a PA because I didn't have that (Nova campuses).
That left me with exactly 21 programs that fell into that Venn diagram and I applied to 19 of those.


That’s a system! Hope it works out for you.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Welcome to the Physician Assistant Forum! This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. Learn More