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USJ 2019-2020 Application Cycle


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25 minutes ago, pahopeful151513131 said:

Does that mean that all interviews have already been offered and they have almost filled their class???

I'm not quite sure, but I think the first cycle of interview is probably filled and will have to wait for the next cycle(s) depending on the scores of the next batch to be reviewed.

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2 hours ago, Nismo15 said:

Was waitlisted for an interview and got the email for an invite for 6/25, would love to connect with others interviewing the same day!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I am also interviewing 6/25. I'll be flying in Monday morning, and I'll be available to meet up anytime that day. 

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4 hours ago, rfo1234 said:

Is it too late then to apply to this program? I've already applied to other programs so getting verified shouldn't take long. Although it seems like interviews are already getting full. 

They've already done two interview days, so I'm guessing probably around a third to half the class is probably full by now 😕

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2 hours ago, John999Rogers said:

USJ has the potential to be a very good program; but here's the problem... they aren't yet. PA school should be difficult, even very very difficult, but every single exam one quarter of the cohort fails and the majority are on the verge of failing. That is not "normal" for PA school. They actively "stress" the student while lacking any empathy for them. And if they do not like you for any reason or you are struggling in any area, they will tighten the screws until you drop out. PA school will be one of the hardest things you ever do, but they have managed to take it to the next level. 

Look at there retention rate and not their "manipulated numbers" which includes all the "decelerated" students. Ask them how many students began their program last year and how many are currently in it (hint 44 and now about 35) My guess is they had no intention of ever graduating 44 students. Their strategy: screen the best they can, let in more students than they can support, weed out the weaker students, and at the end of the 28 months have the best shot at a 100% PANCE pass rate. Meanwhile, many potential PA careers are destroyed. 

They are gunning to get a reputation and compete with the big names like Yale and Quinnipiac, however their program is not nearly refined enough and their faculty is no where near that level. The cohort is miserable and the professors utterly unsupportive.

Be very wary, do your own homework, and make your decision carefully. You've worked incredibly hard to get this far, you deserve a fair shot at becoming a PA.

Scary... are you in the program? How do you know this? 

Edited by Ksv11
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21 hours ago, John999Rogers said:

USJ has the potential to be a very good program; but here's the problem... they aren't yet. PA school should be difficult, even very very difficult, but every single exam one quarter of the cohort fails and the majority are on the verge of failing. That is not "normal" for PA school. They actively "stress" the student while lacking any empathy for them. And if they do not like you for any reason or you are struggling in any area, they will tighten the screws until you drop out. PA school will be one of the hardest things you ever do, but they have managed to take it to the next level. 

Look at there retention rate and not their "manipulated numbers" which includes all the "decelerated" students. Ask them how many students began their program last year and how many are currently in it (hint 44 and now about 35) My guess is they had no intention of ever graduating 44 students. Their strategy: screen the best they can, let in more students than they can support, weed out the weaker students, and at the end of the 28 months have the best shot at a 100% PANCE pass rate. Meanwhile, many potential PA careers are destroyed. 

They are gunning to get a reputation and compete with the big names like Yale and Quinnipiac, however their program is not nearly refined enough and their faculty is no where near that level. The cohort is miserable and the professors utterly unsupportive.

Be very wary, do your own homework, and make your decision carefully. You've worked incredibly hard to get this far, you deserve a fair shot at becoming a PA.

This is an interesting take. I did actually have a similar feeling at my interview last week...a lot of pressure to not fail and it did sound like many students were borderline the whole time. Sure, 100% PANCE pass rate, but only 80% of students make it there? Yikes

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PA school is never going to be easy. I will say that the information at Quinnipiac sounded very similar to that of St. Joe's. High requirements for passing courses (83%) and a big emphasis on a very difficult curriculum with even longer days. It is hard to know if the low retention rate is due to a first class with a wide variety of scholastic abilities or a failure of the program. Just my take on it.

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On 6/29/2019 at 10:47 PM, John999Rogers said:

USJ has the potential to be a very good program; but here's the problem... they aren't yet. PA school should be difficult, even very very difficult, but every single exam one quarter of the cohort fails and the majority are on the verge of failing. That is not "normal" for PA school. They actively "stress" the student while lacking any empathy for them. And if they do not like you for any reason or you are struggling in any area, they will tighten the screws until you drop out. PA school will be one of the hardest things you ever do, but they have managed to take it to the next level. 

Look at there retention rate and not their "manipulated numbers" which includes all the "decelerated" students. Ask them how many students began their program last year and how many are currently in it (hint 44 and now about 35) My guess is they had no intention of ever graduating 44 students. Their strategy: screen the best they can, let in more students than they can support, weed out the weaker students, and at the end of the 28 months have the best shot at a 100% PANCE pass rate. Meanwhile, many potential PA careers are destroyed. 

They are gunning to get a reputation and compete with the big names like Yale and Quinnipiac, however their program is not nearly refined enough and their faculty is no where near that level. The cohort is miserable and the professors utterly unsupportive.

Be very wary, do your own homework, and make your decision carefully. You've worked incredibly hard to get this far, you deserve a fair shot at becoming a PA.

Hi @John999Rogers and other applicants for the USJ PA program!

I am a 2019 graduate of USJ's PA Program and was curious about what new applicants had to say about the current interview and application process. I wanted to start off by saying that yes, USJ's PA program is challenging. It is difficult and will test you on multiple levels during your time there.  To read a post that states "one quarter of the cohort fails" each exam and to describe the professors as "utterly unsupportive," was shocking. My class did incredibly well during our time in the program, ultimately leading to a first time 100% pass rate on the PANCE. During the clinical year, we exceeded national averages on the EOR exams and we scored very high on each PACKRAT.

Throughout my rotations, I had multiple preceptors tell me how impressed they were with the USJ PA students. We were prepared and it showed. The faculty worked hard to make sure we were ready for clinical rotations, and we were. The last time I heard, I believe that almost my entire class has been hired already, including myself, with 3 people from my class getting accepted into prestigious PA residency programs. Many of us have been hired by places we did clinical rotations at.

I want to stress that yes, the program is newer and is growing and changing but that does not mean that the program is a failure or has a poor reputation. I would be happy to chat more about any questions or concerns and if I could be of help in any way. It was unfortunate to read this post and to hear such a negative description of my program, but I wanted to clarify some points for other applicants and to not discourage people from applying. Good luck to you all as you continue the application and interview process!

Best,

Jaclyn Neveu, MSPAS, PA-C

USJ PA C/O 2019

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On 6/25/2019 at 10:05 AM, PAorBust21 said:

It’s a long day but just be yourself and try to have fun and take it all in. You’re interviewing the school just as much as they’re interviewing you. 

Hi, do you know when you have to make a decision by, when the deposit is due?  Also how much is it?

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