PA schools that don't have expiring Pre-reqs

[alexamasan]

I do feel that older applicants are at a disadvantage because of courses they may have already taken no longer being counted. With that being said, there are a number of schools that do not have expiration dates on their pre-reqs or they waive the expiration if they have been working full time in healthcare. I've went through all the schools in VA, MD, DC, and PA. I'm going to list here all the schools I've encountered that have few or no expiration (at least no mention of expiration) on prereqs. Maybe we should all compile a list to help each other out. 

South University of Richmond

Emory & Henry College

University of Lynchburg

Anne Arundel Community College (Anatomy+Physiology in last 7 years, but no expiration on the other prereqs)

DeSales University (Anat+Phys, Microbiology within last 5 years, but exception may be given to those who have been working in healthcare. No expiration on other prereqs). 

Penn State (5 years for Anat+Phys, Microbio, but expiration is waived for those who have been working full time in healthcare). 

University of Pittsburg

[Lfelici89]

On 2/21/2019 at 5:07 PM, alexamasan said:

I do feel that older applicants are at a disadvantage because of courses they may have already taken no longer being counted. With that being said, there are a number of schools that do not have expiration dates on their pre-reqs or they waive the expiration if they have been working full time in healthcare. I've went through all the schools in VA, MD, DC, and PA. I'm going to list here all the schools I've encountered that have few or no expiration (at least no mention of expiration) on prereqs. Maybe we should all compile a list to help each other out. 

South University of Richmond

Emory & Henry College

University of Lynchburg

Anne Arundel Community College (Anatomy+Physiology in last 7 years, but no expiration on the other prereqs)

DeSales University (Anat+Phys, Microbiology within last 5 years, but exception may be given to those who have been working in healthcare. No expiration on other prereqs). 

Penn State (5 years for Anat+Phys, Microbio, but expiration is waived for those who have been working full time in healthcare). 

University of Pittsburg

Thank you for your help here. Lucky for us, it's not neccessarily true that "nontraditional" students are at a disadvantage, I've read a number of success stories! I have found Texas Tech, The university of Northern TX, Yale University, Midwestern (IL.), Duke, East Carolina, Wake Forest, & the University of FL. have no expiration dates on their pre requisites. GOOD LUCK! 

[ssteve05]

How did you guys find out that these schools would waive the expiration date in some cases? I have looked at the websites for a few of them, and I don't see that mentioned. I'm starting to feel hopeless about getting into PA school as a non-trad. 

[ohiovolffemtp]

Don't feel hopeless - go to a community college for the pre-reqs.  Cheaper, smaller classes, more likely to be taught by staff vs TA's.

[UGoLong]

I started PA school 30 years after my freshman year in college. I did not have to repeat math, English, or physics, but did have to repeat stats, psych, and one quarter of inorganic chemistry. I actually took the inorganic at the very end -- after organic and biochem! (As an adult learner, schools let me take whatever I wanted, as long as I was the one responsible for it.)  I had never had any biology in college (until I did my prereqs) and had about 20 years of part-time EMS experience when I applied to PA school. I took the vast majority of prereqs in a community college.

I viewed the additional classes as an advantage for me as a nontraditional student. First, I would be in competition with younger applicants and I would otherwise have a much smaller recent academic track record. Doing well on prereqs proved that I was still up to the work. Second, it proved to me -- and the schools -- that I really wanted to do this bad enough. Third, it exposed me to other nontraditional students and I found that to be motivating and enjoyable.

This isn't necessarily a race. I see nothing wrong with searching for schools that minimize your expenses during the prereq stage. Just remember that your journey to becoming a PA is about other things as well.

Good luck!

Edited September 27, 2021 by UGoLong

[ssteve05]

Thank you both. I will look into the costs and proximity of community colleges (I live in rural Maine) if push comes to shove. I also will try to find some way to enjoy the journey, as bleak as it seems to me currently. 

[Teesa]

Hey all,  please stay encouraged being a non-traditional student. However, Duke now requires prerequisites to be no later than 7 years. Yet, there are some schools out there that doesn't have an expiration date on prerequisites. Some include the ones listed above (besides Duke now) and add to the list Augusta University Medical Center.

 

[Teesa]

Has there been any updates regarding nontraditional students applying for PA school this cycle year. I'm wondering if there are any more schools that do not have an expiration date on pre-PA students pre-reqs or if they waive the expiration dates.

[laurie829311]

Teesa,

Red Rocks Community College in Arvada, CO doesn't have an expiration date either. I emailed and asked them. But if there is a certain school you are looking at the recommendation is to ask the school. If you don't mind me asking, but where are you applying to?

[Teesa]

On 9/27/2021 at 7:39 AM, UGoLong said:

I started PA school 30 years after my freshman year in college. I did not have to repeat math, English, or physics, but did have to repeat stats, psych, and one quarter of inorganic chemistry. I actually took the inorganic at the very end -- after organic and biochem! (As an adult learner, schools let me take whatever I wanted, as long as I was the one responsible for it.)  I had never had any biology in college (until I did my prereqs) and had about 20 years of part-time EMS experience when I applied to PA school. I took the vast majority of prereqs in a community college.

I viewed the additional classes as an advantage for me as a nontraditional student. First, I would be in competition with younger applicants and I would otherwise have a much smaller recent academic track record. Doing well on prereqs proved that I was still up to the work. Second, it proved to me -- and the schools -- that I really wanted to do this bad enough. Third, it exposed me to other nontraditional students and I found that to be motivating and enjoyable.

This isn't necessarily a race. I see nothing wrong with searching for schools that minimize your expenses during the prereq stage. Just remember that your journey to becoming a PA is about other things as well.

Good luck!

Thank you for the encouragement. How are things now?

[Teesa]

On 5/16/2022 at 5:41 PM, laurie829311 said:

Teesa,

Red Rocks Community College in Arvada, CO doesn't have an expiration date either. I emailed and asked them. But if there is a certain school you are looking at the recommendation is to ask the school. If you don't mind me asking, but where are you applying to?

Long time no read.... How are you doing on your journey re: Pre-PA?

[UGoLong]

18 hours ago, Teesa said:

Thank you for the encouragement. How are things now?

Thanks for asking! I'm doing fine. Working part-time for the same cardiology practice I started with 16 years ago and teaching for a PA program half-time. Getting older but not yet thinking about retiring.

Good luck to you!

[Teesa]

6 hours ago, UGoLong said:

Thanks for asking! I'm doing fine. Working part-time for the same cardiology practice I started with 16 years ago and teaching for a PA program half-time. Getting older but not yet thinking about retiring.

Good luck to you!

Thank you... That's great! I received a couple of interviews last cycle; however, was placed on the alternative list for 1 and denied the other. I am not giving up; yet, I am having a difficult time rewriting my personal statement.

[Tah0609]

Yale online has no expiration on pre reqs.

[UGoLong]

On 1/31/2023 at 6:18 PM, Teesa said:

Thank you... That's great! I received a couple of interviews last cycle; however, was placed on the alternative list for 1 and denied the other. I am not giving up; yet, I am having a difficult time rewriting my personal statement.

If you are getting interviews, then the problem could be mostly in your interview performance. Here is some standard advice for you to consider:

There is a feeling that applicants have to somehow “show” themselves – or outshine the other applicants – at the interview. That’s a lot of pressure and often throws them off their game. From my perspective, the most important thing is to be yourself. The most important preparation is to learn something about the program you are interviewing. Also to be able to answer some basic questions, like why you wanted to be a PA in the first place. Don’t over-practice your answers or they’ll seem rehearsed and don’t come up with answers you think they want to hear. Give them something that gives them some insight into who you are.

Put yourself in the interviewer’s place: they know you have the necessary grades and experience and now want to know enough about you  to (1) see if you’ll fit in and (2) that you won’t be a problem child. If you are overly tense and rehearsed, they may just see you as a shy, 2-dimensional person with nothing special to add to their class. On the other hand, don’t overshare intimate details of your life or have answers that run on for more than 30 seconds or so.

This may sound somewhat contradictory, but it actually models the role of the PA. All your career, you will meet new patients and need to build rapport with them in just a minute or two to the point that they are willing to share personal information.  So, be friendly, but the way you would with a new boyfriend’s parents, for example. Friendly, but not like you would be with a real peer.

I have been on interview teams where interviewers also ask bizarre questions just to see how the applicant responds. “If you could be any body part, which one would you be?” Is there a right answer? Heck, no! Just pick something and go with it. They just want to see you think on your feet.

If you’re in a group interview, acknowledge what the other applicants have said and build on the topic from there. Show that you are a good team player since that’s also another big part of being a PA.

My final piece of advice is not to feel that this is the only interview you will ever have and, if you screw it up, your life is over! Feeling like that just makes you tighten up and not come over the way you would like to. Be relaxed, know who you are and why you’re there, and just take things as they come.

Best of luck and please keep me posted!

[Teesa]

On 2/5/2023 at 10:57 AM, Tah0609 said:

Yale online has no expiration on pre reqs.

Thank you for the update.

[Teesa]

22 minutes ago, UGoLong said:

If you are getting interviews, then the problem could be mostly in your interview performance. Here is some standard advice for you to consider:

There is a feeling that applicants have to somehow “show” themselves – or outshine the other applicants – at the interview. That’s a lot of pressure and often throws them off their game. From my perspective, the most important thing is to be yourself. The most important preparation is to learn something about the program you are interviewing. Also to be able to answer some basic questions, like why you wanted to be a PA in the first place. Don’t over-practice your answers or they’ll seem rehearsed and don’t come up with answers you think they want to hear. Give them something that gives them some insight into who you are.

Put yourself in the interviewer’s place: they know you have the necessary grades and experience and now want to know enough about you  to (1) see if you’ll fit in and (2) that you won’t be a problem child. If you are overly tense and rehearsed, they may just see you as a shy, 2-dimensional person with nothing special to add to their class. On the other hand, don’t overshare intimate details of your life or have answers that run on for more than 30 seconds or so.

This may sound somewhat contradictory, but it actually models the role of the PA. All your career, you will meet new patients and need to build rapport with them in just a minute or two to the point that they are willing to share personal information.  So, be friendly, but the way you would with a new boyfriend’s parents, for example. Friendly, but not like you would be with a real peer.

I have been on interview teams where interviewers also ask bizarre questions just to see how the applicant responds. “If you could be any body part, which one would you be?” Is there a right answer? Heck, no! Just pick something and go with it. They just want to see you think on your feet.

If you’re in a group interview, acknowledge what the other applicants have said and build on the topic from there. Show that you are a good team player since that’s also another big part of being a PA.

My final piece of advice is not to feel that this is the only interview you will ever have and, if you screw it up, your life is over! Feeling like that just makes you tighten up and not come over the way you would like to. Be relaxed, know who you are and why you’re there, and just take things as they come.

Best of luck and please keep me posted!

Thank you very much for insightful words . I truly appreciate you taking the time to help me brainstorm where I may have went wrong during my interview.  I will definitely take your advice into consideration if I receive another interview this upcoming cycle. However, I am having a little difficulty rewriting another personal statement.

[UGoLong]

2 hours ago, Teesa said:

Thank you very much for insightful words . I truly appreciate you taking the time to help me brainstorm where I may have went wrong during my interview.  I will definitely take your advice into consideration if I receive another interview this upcoming cycle. However, I am having a little difficulty rewriting another personal statement.

You can draw on what you've already done if it worked to get you interviews. The main addition is to add something about what you are doing this year to make yourself a better applicant.

[Teesa]

Thank you very much. I have been looking at what to add and delete.