bootsandstethoscope Posted January 14, 2019 Share Posted January 14, 2019 Hello! I am very likely to be a reapplicant for the 2019 cycle (still waiting to hear back from three schools this cycle). I was wondering if someone could send some advice my way about what I can change before the next cycle. Bachelor's Degree Fresno State in Biology, minor in Physical Science Per CASPA, overall non-science GPA 3.67, overall science 2.99. GRE 303 (first attempt - didn't study at all for it). ~6000 hours of ER scribing, ~3000 hours of dermatology medical assisting, over 100 hours of volunteering in a NICU and a year of breast cancer and lung cancer undergrad research. Science GPA excuse, I had some family problems during junior year of college fled an abusive living situation so it screwed up my home life quite a bit. I then started working full time to support myself and going to school full time which gave me quite a few B's and a couple C's. There is an upward trend though and I had straight A's my last semester. This past summer I took Anat/Phys which I got A's in and it was a total of 12 units while working full time. I applied to 10 schools, received no interview offers (still waiting to hear from 3 schools but still...) Wondering if my personal statement was the problem? My GPA is unlikely to change much because I have a science degree already so to take more science classes really doesn't change it much. Things I changed for this upcoming 2019 cycle are... -signed up for a medical terminology class that should end in May -have another year of PCE hours so that will increase from ~3000 to ~4700 hours. -rewrite personal statement Thanks for all and any help! I appreciate all constructive criticism. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caligal Posted January 14, 2019 Share Posted January 14, 2019 Your science GPA is probably what's holding you back because your other stats seem pretty good. Can't you re-take some of your pre-req science courses? That could really help you out. If you think your personal statement can use some editing, let me know, Id be more than happy to read it. I'm a 2 time applicant and got accepted recently. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nichole96 Posted January 14, 2019 Share Posted January 14, 2019 Your sGPA is the problem. Plain and simple. It may require more classes/money/time than you'd prefer, but you need to raise it. (Also your non-science GPA doesn't matter - only your cumulative GPA does.) I would add more science courses to your action plan. It's good to show that you're capable of nailing As in science courses while working. Also, don't underestimate the important of building a good school list. Look for schools that fit your interests, and more importantly, schools where you are within range of the accepted students stats. I would encourage you not to apply in April and instead to focus on taking solid science classes - one or two per semester would be ideal. By next year, you'd potentially have As in 6-8 hardcore science classes that would go a long way toward improving your application. Best of luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bootsandstethoscope Posted January 14, 2019 Author Share Posted January 14, 2019 7 minutes ago, Caligal said: Your science GPA is probably what's holding you back because your other stats seem pretty good. Can't you re-take some of your pre-req science courses? That could really help you out. If you think your personal statement can use some editing, let me know, Id be more than happy to read it. I'm a 2 time applicant and got accepted recently. Thanks! Is there a way to privately send it to you? I'm somewhat new to the forum. Even if you don't have time to give heavy edits or anything, even a cursory glance at it to say, "Yep, that's the problem" or "No, looks ok" would be helpful to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bootsandstethoscope Posted January 14, 2019 Author Share Posted January 14, 2019 8 minutes ago, nichole96 said: Your sGPA is the problem. Plain and simple. It may require more classes/money/time than you'd prefer, but you need to raise it. (Also your non-science GPA doesn't matter - only your cumulative GPA does.) I would add more science courses to your action plan. It's good to show that you're capable of nailing As in science courses while working. Also, don't underestimate the important of building a good school list. Look for schools that fit your interests, and more importantly, schools where you are within range of the accepted students stats. I would encourage you not to apply in April and instead to focus on taking solid science classes - one or two per semester would be ideal. By next year, you'd potentially have As in 6-8 hardcore science classes that would go a long way toward improving your application. Best of luck! Thank you for the feedback! Yes, it's definitely more money than I want to spend. Even applying is super expensive for me on a medical assistant salary. I will look into it anyway though, thank you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caligal Posted January 14, 2019 Share Posted January 14, 2019 3 minutes ago, bootsandstethoscope said: Thanks! Is there a way to privately send it to you? I'm somewhat new to the forum. Even if you don't have time to give heavy edits or anything, even a cursory glance at it to say, "Yep, that's the problem" or "No, looks ok" would be helpful to me. Click on my page and you'll see a message icon next to my name! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest HopeToBePAC Posted January 14, 2019 Share Posted January 14, 2019 You're not meeting the 3.0 minimum science GPA cut-off that almost all PA schools have, which is why you're not hearing back. I know it sucks because you're just almost right there at a 2.99, but admissions are harsh and you're most likely getting filtered out. You're going to wanna take a few science classes, get As, and bring it up over the 3.0 mark. You also only mentioned your non-science GPA and not your cumulative GPA? You have a lot of PCE which is good. You have a chance, just bring your sGPA up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bootsandstethoscope Posted January 14, 2019 Author Share Posted January 14, 2019 Just now, HopeToBePAC said: You're not meeting the 3.0 minimum science GPA cut-off that almost all PA schools have, which is why you're not hearing back. I know it sucks because you're just almost right there at a 2.99, but admissions are harsh and you're most likely getting filtered out. You're going to wanna take a few science classes, get As, and bring it up over the 3.0 mark. You also only mentioned your non-science GPA and not your cumulative GPA? You have a lot of PCE which is good. You have a chance, just bring your sGPA up. Cumulative GPA is 3.36 per CASPA. I'm honestly looking up science classes to retake right now because 2.99 really is the pits. Thank you so much for looking it all over. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest HopeToBePAC Posted January 14, 2019 Share Posted January 14, 2019 4 minutes ago, bootsandstethoscope said: Cumulative GPA is 3.36 per CASPA. I'm honestly looking up science classes to retake right now because 2.99 really is the pits. Thank you so much for looking it all over. Of course! 3.36 isn't bad. I'm not sure how many credits you have total, but I would just choose a super easy class that CASPA would count under your sGPA (nutrition or public health, for example), get an A, and bump yourself to a 3.0 (or higher) You could also re-take classes you did bad in too, but I believe CASPA will count both the old grade and new grade. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bootsandstethoscope Posted January 14, 2019 Author Share Posted January 14, 2019 1 minute ago, HopeToBePAC said: Of course! 3.36 isn't bad. I'm not sure how many credits you have total, but I would just choose a super easy class that CASPA would count under your sGPA (nutrition or public health, for example), get an A, and bump yourself to a 3.0 (or higher) You could also re-take classes you did bad in too, but I believe CASPA will count both the old grade and new grade. Ok, now that is some serious light at the end of a tunnel. I was over here gearing up to retake physics or something. LOL. I actually am signing up for a nutrition class this semester also already and I can add another easy one. I had no idea nutrition counted! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PACrankset Posted January 14, 2019 Share Posted January 14, 2019 My suggestion is likely similar to others, retake science classes to break that 3.0 mark. However I would say that often times the biggest way you can adjust this is retaking any classes where you got a C. The idea here is you get A's and then the GPA for that class will average out at a B, thereby affecting change in you GPA. The other thought here is some programs have a minimum of a C for prerequisite classes, but some will say you must have a B. So not a bad idea to look at that aspect for the specific schools you are looking at. Alternatively you can also take upper division classes in the science category like virology, genetics or immunology, these will help a lot once you are admitted too. If you want another opinion on you personal statement feel free to message me, i'm only to happy to help with that sort of thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patricia5827 Posted January 24, 2019 Share Posted January 24, 2019 Other than the science gpa, I’d say get actual quality PCE hours. Being a scribe and medical assistant aren’t top tier (I’ve been a scribe for 4 years and recently got my emt to get better hours). Plus, if you’re reapplying, why not go out with a bang and improve your pce as well? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest thatgirlonabike Posted January 28, 2019 Share Posted January 28, 2019 See of any CC near you offers n AAS in Emergency Medicine (Paramedic). The classes are informative yet not that challenging (and almost all count towards a science GPA) and you can a lot of hands on clinical hours (they won't count for PCE) and then get a job with some good high quality PCE to offset your grades. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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