After 3 years of rejection letters, should I consider getting my MPH before applying again?

[dd0507]

On 11/19/2018 at 7:39 PM, Lilygirl8 said:

Hi all,

Third time applicant here. I’m desperate for some feedback from you all. I’ll try to make it short and sweet..

I have an incredibly low undergraduate GPA, a 2.9 to be exact. I did horribly in large lectures (general courses), but as I got into the upper level bio courses, I got As and B+s. After graduating, I re-took a few courses and took a few new ones as well to “boost” my GPA. (Hint: doing this does not boost your GPA as much as you think it well due to the way that CASPA calculates GPAs). Regardless, I got As in those courses. I have well over 10,000 hours of direct patient care (EMT, patient care technician, chief medical scribe, and now medical assistant but not certified MA). I have around 600 hours of shadowing PAs. I am certified in ACLS and also have an EKG Interpretation & Analysis course under my belt. I feel that I am so deserving of a seat in one of these programs, but my GPA is clearly holding me down. I’ve solicited feedback on my applications from the schools that would offer it, and the few people that I spoke with said that I was a very strong candidate even with my GPA (they take into consideration your last 60 credit hours and I technically have a 3.6 for just those hours). I’ll be 5 years out from undergrad come May 2019. Some of my pre-reqs (the ones I did the most poorly in, actually) are or will expire soon for some schools. On a rejection letter I received today, it said that I was a strong candidate for their MPH program and would be given priority consideration if I were to apply. Is this something I should seriously look into? I’m tired of thinking “ok just maybe take 1 or 2 more classes and get A’s, then they’ll see that you’re capable”, because at this point I don’t think it’s going to do much for me. I know it doesn’t mean much, but every MD, PA, NP, RN I have worked with has said that I would make an incredible and successful PA, which I believe as well. I think my patients would say the same, again not that it matters at this point in time.

 

I lied, that ended up being a long story long- but I felt I had to include the details. Please give me your honest opinion! Thank you so much. 

Hi! I'm in the same boat as well. I have been applying on and off for the past 11 years but only at one local college because of being a single mom w/ 3 kids at home and could not relocate. I have had 5 interviews and numerous denial letters. This year my youngest is finally 18. I am 45 years old with 20+ years of experience as a CT/Xray tech and have a good amount of hours volunteering. I graduated with my AAS and BAS with honors but lovely CASPA doesn't care about that lol! My sGPA is only at a 3.1 cGPA 3.4 and last 60 3.6. I, as well, have been told I would make an excellent PA, along with great LOR's. One interviewer flat out told me, having the heart is not good enough and another asked how I would handle the rigorous program having 3 young kids (IMO he should've never asked me that). I may not be a 4.0 student, but damn I'm not stupid lol!  I know it's my GPA that is holding me back. Their concern is my ability to handle the curriculum.  I'm not in my 20's and able to go to school full time. I had kids to raise, a full time job, and paid for my classes out of pocket.  I have repeated classes either for better grades/expiring. I have never considered anything else than PA b/c that is where my heart is. Until recently, I learned about ABSN's and the numerous programs for NP. I'm at that point in my life that I do not want to be a life long student. I have perseverance, but what I want is to be a mid level provider and be done with school. At what point do you realistically say, this isn't going to happen and move on? My only con about going the NP route, is I honestly prefer the medical model over theory and writing papers. This year I plan on applying to about 10 PA schools and a few ABSN programs. If I do get into and complete my ABSN, I will evaluate then to see if I will continue onto FNP or reapply for PA. Anyways, thanks for letting me share. This is my first post about my situation and it's nice to see/get feedback from other's in the same situation  

[FuturePA9987]

If I were you, I would focus on programs that look at the last 40-60 credits. You said what your last 60 credit GPA was, what about your last 40? Look at schools like EVMS that does a replacement GPA and uses your last 40 GPA instead of your cumulative. If you aim for schools like that, you have a much better shot! I wouldn't do the MPH if PA is what your heart is truly set on.