as1834 Posted January 15, 2019 Share Posted January 15, 2019 I'm a PA school hopeful, but I'm having a lot of doubts about applying this (2019-2020) cycle. The main points of my application are a mix of highs and lows and basically I'm wondering if I should try to apply this upcoming cycle or defer for another year. Any feedback is appreciated? Here are my key points: Graduated with B.S. in Biology form a top-30 university in May 2018 cGPA: 2.95 sGPA: 2.81 Last 60 hrs GPA: 3.44 Currently taking post-bacc classes at another 4yr university (low-level bio I got a C in freshman year and medical Terminology. I am planning to take AntPhys I & II and biochem this coming summer/fall (cutting it close ot the deadline). realistically, I'm expecting to get a GPA of around 3.7 in these all together, boosting cGPA to 3.06 & sGPA to 3.01. ~1,000 volunteer hours from a 6-month AmeriCorps program (not medical, but I took a semester break from undergrad to complete the program) GRE: 310 I'm working as a medical scribe right now and that's where it gets messy. To finish my pre-reqs in time for the 2019-2020 cycle I'd have ot essentially quit my job after only working there 9 months and having 1500 hours. If I defer, I'd leave my job NEXT January to finish my pre-reqs then and have close to 3000 hours by the time I submit my applications. I'm trying to be reasonable with the schools I apply to, but I'm just not sure if I should push for this cycle or play it safe and try to bulk up my resume over the next year. lol please help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest HopeToBePAC Posted January 15, 2019 Share Posted January 15, 2019 This may sound harsh, but right now, because of your GPA, you very likely will NOT get accepted anywhere, so there's no benefit to applying. Even when your cGPA and sGPA get to 3.06 and 3.01 respectively, that's cutting it super close and the chances of you getting accepted anywhere are still low because of your GPA. 1500 hours would be completely fine for an applicant with an average-good GPA, but in your case, you want over 3000 or so hours so you're able to stand out in the PCE aspect and make-up for your GPA that way. Because of your stats, my advice would be to play it safe, bulk up your resume, and apply next year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MT2PA Posted January 16, 2019 Share Posted January 16, 2019 Defer. Not sure if there's a reason you can't take pre-reqs WHILE working because that would be ideal overall. You may even need to wait 2 cycles to have a competitive app and even then you'll have an uphill battle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
as1834 Posted January 16, 2019 Author Share Posted January 16, 2019 ^Appreciating the honesty from you all. Just to clarify, the prereqs I still need to take are not available to me online or at night. & yes, I’ve checked more than one local college. The issue is that I work for an out patient clinic with one MD. I’ve talked with him and HR, but from their perspective it’s not worth it to have me on as a part-time employee (meaning I can’t go to class and show up to work 2hrs late 3 days a week). I am actively looking into other jobs at local hospitals where I could work 2nd/3rd shift to keep racking up hours while finishing up prereqs. Suggestions for that would also be helpful! Thanks again for all the advice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest PAhopeful85 Posted January 16, 2019 Share Posted January 16, 2019 I would say apply. I applied this cycle just to see my caspa gpa and got accepted. It was a surprise. Anything can happen! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
med10 Posted January 17, 2019 Share Posted January 17, 2019 On 1/15/2019 at 8:07 PM, PAhopeful85 said: I would say apply. I applied this cycle just to see my caspa gpa and got accepted. It was a surprise. Anything can happen! hi PAhopeful85, first I would like to congratulate you on your acceptance. would you please share or pm me your overall stats and the school that you got accepted please? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roundabout Posted January 17, 2019 Share Posted January 17, 2019 On 1/15/2019 at 7:36 PM, as1834 said: ^Appreciating the honesty from you all. Just to clarify, the prereqs I still need to take are not available to me online or at night. & yes, I’ve checked more than one local college. The issue is that I work for an out patient clinic with one MD. I’ve talked with him and HR, but from their perspective it’s not worth it to have me on as a part-time employee (meaning I can’t go to class and show up to work 2hrs late 3 days a week). I am actively looking into other jobs at local hospitals where I could work 2nd/3rd shift to keep racking up hours while finishing up prereqs. Suggestions for that would also be helpful! Thanks again for all the advice You could take the prereqs online through Doane or UNE as a last resort. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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