getting nervous about starting school

[beautifulday]

I'm starting to get nervous about school. I start in August and I'm worried I'm not going to be able to keep up. I've read a lot about how fast-paced it is and how so much information is thrown at you at once. I got As in all my prerequisites except Organic Chem in which i got a B. So I know I can study, but I just don't really know what to expect. Are the classes harder than O-Chem or Cell Biology? Can they even be compared to undergrad classes anyway? I saved my A&P book so I can restudy before school starts.

 

And my husband and I have to move to another state for school, rent our house, get an apartment, he has to get a job. And how am I going to EVER pay back my loan? I'm freaking out.

[Guest hubbardtim48]

I am feeling you pain! I start school next weekend!!!! I am excited, but scared at the same time. I you probably say that PA classes do not compare to o-chem, bio-chm, etc., but I can say that molecular cell bio course in my undergrad. was taking with CRNA students and I had some friends take patho which was taking with PA student. I know for my mol. cell bio course every lecture, test, quiz was the same, they CRNA students had to do a presentation at the end of the year. So, I can't answer you questions since I have not started yet, but I will sure find out very soon! I am scared about he loan situation also, but hopefully NHSC can help me out! Good luck!

[Just Steve]

I'm starting to get nervous about school. I start in August and I'm worried I'm not going to be able to keep up. I've read a lot about how fast-paced it is and how so much information is thrown at you at once. I got As in all my prerequisites except Organic Chem in which i got a B. So I know I can study, but I just don't really know what to expect. Are the classes harder than O-Chem or Cell Biology? Can they even be compared to undergrad classes anyway? I saved my A&P book so I can restudy before school starts.

 

And my husband and I have to move to another state for school, rent our house, get an apartment, he has to get a job. And how am I going to EVER pay back my loan? I'm freaking out.

 

Does your husband have the skills to land a job that can carry the household bills? If so, this means you can sink your entire first year salary into your debt and knock most of it out in the first year. Or sink half of your salary for a couple of years and kill the loan. My wife's salary runs our household. Our housing/food/bills do not require input from my income at this current time. Of course one spend repair or big medical expense and we're sunk, but we're rolling the dice and taking the gamble. Six figures is a big chunk o' change to be owing but it's doable. Many options are out there as well to pay your loans, or at least pay a good chunk of them.

 

As for the pace/difficulty of school. No one dropped out of my program due to academic reasons. The school is highly vested in you passing. If you need to ask for help, ask early and often. They want you to succeed but can't help you if they don't know you're struggling. Keep an open line of communication with your class advisor.

 

Good luck and try to relax. Tens of thousands of PAs have succeeded before you. It's not an impossible program. Believe in yourself.

[IdahoPA]

Tens of thousands of PAs have succeeded before you.

 

I think exactly this when I wonder about the fast pace. This thought also calms me when I start to think of the thousands of dollars in debt I'm signing on. Like you, I will be moving to a new city (one where rent will double...yay!) in a new state and my husband won't have a job. He is already looking for a new job and hopefully that works out; otherwise I will also be using loans to cover living expenses. Lots of PAs have huge loans and they manage to pay them off, and I will too. Some good tips I've heard include living a frugal lifestyle to reduce the amount of debt and continuing that lifestyle until the loans are paid off.

[mjohnson3604]

Hi,

 

This is sooooo normal. I agree with Just Steve, your program is invested in you. They won't just "let" you fail. As a wife/mom who moved to a different state I can identify with those fears (had them just last year). It will work out, because you WANT IT!! It's hard to say don't worry.....will just tell you it's normal to worry, but MANY have done it...you can too ;)

[eewee]

I'm nervous!! I don't have much in the way of family obligations except a sweet but rambunctious doggie who I haven't figured out how to accommodate yet. I'm very worried about being behind on the clinical skills aspect. Academics I think I might be relatively okay on since I'm not too far removed from a pretty solid undergraduate degree. But yes, I have moments of anxiety about moving to a new city alone and dealing with the rigors of the program. It's perfectly normal, I think. You were accepted because your program thought you were one of the best candidates. You deserve to be there, so own it! :smile:

[HLReed]

There is nothing magical about PA school. It is a bunch of material that you have to sink your time into. It sounds like you did the same as an undergrad.

 

Going in with a positive attitude will help a lot. I set out to have fun and I have had a blast. Two of the best years of my life.

 

Some tips: http://www.physicianassistantforum.com/2011/08/31/8-ways-to-dominate-didactic-year-5.html

 

A little confidence goes a LONG way when the going gets tough. Believe in yourself. Good luck.

[beautifulday]

thanks everyone for the positive words. it does help to know that many, many people have done it before. and that many have done the whole move and spouse job change before too. my husband has skills but he's hoping to be permanently retired once i graduate. but i do like the idea of sinking a chunk of my salary into the loan and getting it paid off quickly, so we may rethink that.

 

i worked full time while taking all of my prereqs because my undergrad degree was not in biology, so i had to start from the beginning. it's taken me since the fall of 2009 to complete them, but i definitely think it will be worth it. in fact, it's already been worth it because it's been so interesting.

 

so thanks. and good luck to everyone else to that's about to start.

[KhoiFish82]

Here's something that may motivate you

 

 

http://vimeo.com/1790734

 

[mainiac]

Here's something that may motivate you

 

 

http://vimeo.com/1790734

 

 

Good 1! KhoifFIsh

[kevinchs03]

Good luck at UT Southwestern man.

 

Here's something that may motivate you

 

 

http://vimeo.com/1790734

 

[KhoiFish82]

Thanks buddy! Goodluck at UNT! The finishline is only a mere 2.5 yrs away!

[Hckyplyr]

This is funny reading this stuff. Reason being, last year at this time I was you. I pretty much ruined my summer because of my stressing, worrying, what if's, etc etc etc etc. EVERYONE TOLD ME WHAT I'M ABOUT TO TELL YOU, AND I STILL DIDN'T LISTEN....So, I'm almost hesitant to say anything at all, because you will only do what I did. I took their advice in for a bit, be ok for an hour or maybe a day, then start again on myself. The first week of school, I lost 10 lbs, was getting sick (throwing up, diarrhea, you name it). All for what? Would my worrying or stressing do ANYTHING to change my situation for the better? Nope. Would it change the outcome of anything, or make anything easier for me? Nope

 

I know the hard work that goes into getting into PA school, as I've gone through it. Well, actually twice. I left one of the top 10 pharmacy schools in the country to switch over, so being the dummy I am, I stressed over both pharmacy and PA school. Anyways, everything people have told you and what you hear is pretty accurate. PA school is like trying to get a drink of water from a fire hose. It is extremely fast paced, and yes, it is hard. I just finished my didactic year last week, and my rotations start on monday (staring with orthopaedics). This year was crazyyy busy with everything. But you know what? It's all doable, because if it wasn't, no one would graduate. I constantly reminded myself of people going through muchhh tougher times than I. People working in the fields 16 hrs a day for pennies, people working at mcdonalds for minimum wage for the past 30 years, people who will never have the opportunity I have. Think of all the people before you (years ago) that went through school when they sat in little tiny desks barely big enough for them, no AC, no computers, no smart boards, nothing like the technology we have today. You and I are in such a unique position, and really have a tremendous opportunity. We have so much info at our fingertips. Have a question? The internet has your answer in 4 seconds. Not like years ago, where you had to pan through a 1000pg book to find it. There are millions of people all over the world who live a lifestyle that absolutely sucks, and their situation will never change. Therefore, be thankful for all that you have, and welcome the challenge. You will learn tons of interesting stuff, and just as much boring stuff to boot.

 

Your classmates will be right there with you. But I'll try to give you my situation real quick then wrap up this letter. My day was usually 8-5 or later (but you will also have alot of days of getting out early, lecturers cancel, etc) I go home, eat, shower, study from 8-12, rinse, repeat the next day. I ALWAYS took off friday night and alot of times saturday to spend time with my girlfriend and family. (Also to work, which I did on weekends) Also, we had plenty of people that worked jobs, so eventhough the school doesn't want it, its perfectly doable.

 

However, there were alot of my classmates that didn't study anywhere near the amount of time I did, crammed, went out every weekend, and still did fine. It's basically what YOU want to get out of your experience. I wanted to take as much stuff as I could in, because I realized I would never have this opportunity to be in class this much again. We lost one girl, but that was because of some issues beyond school. My faculty were fantastic. Always there to help and answer questions. (I cannot speak for anyone elses program)

 

Wow this is long, so I'll wrap it up. I'll say it again but I know you won't listen because I didn't. STOP WORRYING. ENJOY YOUR SUMMER. EMBRACE THE OPPORTUNITY. It's what you want to do, and you're obviously willing to put in the hard work, so you will succeed. It's the people that don't care that won't make it. I ended the year with a 4.0. Am I smart? Helllll no....I just put in the time and worked for it. Oh, and (for me atleast) PA school material is NOT difficult to grasp at all. It's the amount of material. I took O-chem 1,2 physics 1,2, calc 1,2, biochem etc. and all of those classes were more difficult to "grasp" than PA material. I wish you all the best of luck, and I will pass the torch over to you next year, so you can come back on this board and tell all the nervous PA students the same thing I just told you.....and they won't listen either....haha...............Goodluck guys. Take Care

 

Matt

 

And by the way. If you are really bored, this summer I would recommend reading through your schools EKG required book, or the radiology book. Only reason I say that is a big chunk of time is spent on these, and if you have a headstart and already have a huge grasp, it'll make school that much easier on you, freeing up time for other things. But if you don't ( I didn't do any preparation) you will be just fine as well. The two books we used were "Rapid interpretation of EKG's by Dr. Dubin (awesome book, makes things SO incredibly easy to grasp), and "Clinical radiology made ridiculously simple" by Hugue Ouellette, MD

[beautifulday]

thanks for the encouragement and recommendations, matt!

[Hemegroup]

Great post, Matt. Turn that nervousness into excitement ... and congratulations! Personally I hate Dubin's book, but there are some other great ones out there. PA school is less focused on the minute cellular processes, it's more of a macro-micro rapid view into conditions and how to handle them. Of course you're also studying Pathophysiology so you'll come across a lot of crossover. Rely on the faculty who support you, keep your nose to the grindstone, don't get involved in classroom drama, and you will rock.