Fat chance?

[ToriE]

I look pretty terrible on paper. My (personally) estimated CASPA GPA is probably around a 3.0 overall, just above that for science. Not insurmountable, but I have a long and fudged up undergraduate story. Went to university straight out of HS with a full ride but left after two years because I had no idea what I wanted to do and the pressure of keeping a scholarship (dependent on a five year bachelors/masters program for biology) made me miserable. Worked in restaurants for about 4 years before realizing I needed more. Went back to school for biology, heard about PAs, and everything clicked. Did fairly well in school overall but I have about a year where I failed a few classes due to personal crisis. Retook every class and got the A. However, I understand CASPA takes these failures into account. My university’s grade replacement GPA upon graduation is a 3.5 overall with a 3.6 in science but these are not what admissions will see. Did very well on my GRE though I’m not sure how heavily that is weighted in PA programs. Looking for advice on ways to make me stand out beyond these pitfalls in the general screening process. Currently interning as an autopsy technicion two days a week at an ME’s office, volunteering weekly at a hospital, and have a full time job as a medical scribe in the same hospital’s ED. Once my internship is over in the spring I plan on taking a CNA course and finding a part time job with that. I’m looking for honest advice and opinions about my shot at applying in the 2020 cycle. Is there anyone who has succeeded in overcoming a rough educational history? Low CASPA GPA? A late start in the field with under 1000 patient hours (scribing excluded)? Am I going for the right jobs? I have a solid employment record in the service industry with management experience that I have found greatly applicable in my new experiences in the medical field, should I include this in my personal statement? Also, my statement at this point is centered around succeeding beyond the issues that make my eligibility crap on paper. But I’ve also read that issues should be discussed clearly but briefly and shouldn’t be the focus. I have no geographical restrictions on where I apply. Does anyone know of specific schools known for looking at applicants entirely over sorting by numbers? Help!

[diablo03]

I know when I went to school they looked more at trends than they did solid numbers.  if you at least make the minimum of numbers, then i would go for it.  Be expected to discuss those experiences and explain how they made you a better person, how you learned from it, etc.

 

I would definitely make sure that you have some decent healthcare experience to back up the lower points in your application.  Getting the interview is the hardest part (IMO) and once you do that, it's all dependent on your personality and how the school feels you would "fit"

[Guest HopeToBePAC]

First things first, you want to make sure both your cGPA and sGPA are at least a 3.0 minimum (not sure what you mean "about"). Mistakes happen and it's up to you to explain why they occurred, what you learned from the experiences, and how you bettered yourself has a person. So you'll have to intertwine that within your personal statement. Not all schools accept scribing, so unless you'll be applying to only schools that do accept it, you're gonna want to get your CNA certification and get those hours in so you have something besides scribing. I won't sugarcoat things, so I will say that it'll be tough but you'll have to improve your app a lot. You could apply next year's cycle, but you might have a better chance if you wait until maybe the 2021 cycle and bulk up a lot of PCE (>3,000) because your GPA is so low. 

[roundabout]

10 hours ago, ToriE said:

I look pretty terrible on paper. My (personally) estimated CASPA GPA is probably around a 3.0 overall, just above that for science. Not insurmountable, but I have a long and fudged up undergraduate story. Went to university straight out of HS with a full ride but left after two years because I had no idea what I wanted to do and the pressure of keeping a scholarship (dependent on a five year bachelors/masters program for biology) made me miserable. Worked in restaurants for about 4 years before realizing I needed more. Went back to school for biology, heard about PAs, and everything clicked. Did fairly well in school overall but I have about a year where I failed a few classes due to personal crisis. Retook every class and got the A. However, I understand CASPA takes these failures into account. My university’s grade replacement GPA upon graduation is a 3.5 overall with a 3.6 in science but these are not what admissions will see. Did very well on my GRE though I’m not sure how heavily that is weighted in PA programs. Looking for advice on ways to make me stand out beyond these pitfalls in the general screening process. Currently interning as an autopsy technicion two days a week at an ME’s office, volunteering weekly at a hospital, and have a full time job as a medical scribe in the same hospital’s ED. Once my internship is over in the spring I plan on taking a CNA course and finding a part time job with that. I’m looking for honest advice and opinions about my shot at applying in the 2020 cycle. Is there anyone who has succeeded in overcoming a rough educational history? Low CASPA GPA? A late start in the field with under 1000 patient hours (scribing excluded)? Am I going for the right jobs? I have a solid employment record in the service industry with management experience that I have found greatly applicable in my new experiences in the medical field, should I include this in my personal statement? Also, my statement at this point is centered around succeeding beyond the issues that make my eligibility crap on paper. But I’ve also read that issues should be discussed clearly but briefly and shouldn’t be the focus. I have no geographical restrictions on where I apply. Does anyone know of specific schools known for looking at applicants entirely over sorting by numbers? Help!

It won't be impossible, but it will be hard. If I were you I would prepare to apply more than one time to PA school. Also, like others have said make sure your GPA is definitely above 3.0 because regardless of your trends you will be autofiltered out. Depending on how old you are I would advise you to get a certificate that allows you to have a bit stronger HCE and ultimately allows for some autonomy in the medical field and use that for a year or so. But don't give up if it's what you want!

[MT2PA]

Plenty of schools are known for a more holistic approach.  Some will calculate last 60 credits.  Browse the forum, the information is there.

Find programs where your stats are in line with the matriculating student stats.  Make sure you meet minimums.

[UGoLong]

I see no reason that you can’t compute your own CASPA gpas. Just include all classes taken (failed or not) and see where you are.

PA programs report the percentage of people who get through their programs. For that and other reasons, they want to accept students who can survive an academically challenging program. If you had some problems before, without belaboring the point in your essay, you should try to convince them that you can hack it. Taking some challenging cousework now is one approach.

I often advice applicants to take pathophysiology (maybe the closest undergrad class to PA school), genetics, biochem (if not already required), or something similar.

If you really want to get your grades up, demonstrate that you can succeed in their program, and get some good PCE, you can probably do it.

Best wishes.


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