applying for the 2020-2021 cycle

[MedIsLifePA]

On 1/17/2020 at 9:13 PM, ParanoidCreep said:

It can also be HCE, it really depends on the school, however HCE isn’t really required separately from PCE so it doesn’t really matter too much if it is paid or volunteer work. 

Gotcha! Yeah I've seen that PCE, volunteering, and shadowing really mean the most to these schools. 

[TKnox]

I will be applying this April as well. Definitely nervous, but excited. I also have to take me GRE still..=)

 

[MedIsLifePA]

20 minutes ago, TKnox said:

I will be applying this April as well. Definitely nervous, but excited. I also have to take me GRE still..=)

 

What are your top choices?

[msaenz18]

Good luck to everyone this year! Personally, it will be my 4th time applying. Have gotten interviews every year, but either waitlisted or rejected for the most part. 
 

here's my stats, if y'all have any Suggestions please feel free to comment! Just want to try something different this year and start early as well as have a place to document my journey. 
 

PCE: 6000+ Hours as a Holding tech for 2 different outpatient cardiac and peripheral cath labs. Mainly do pre and post op holding duties like prepping a patient for their procedures, vitals, IV, blood draws, etc. Post op wise I pull arterial and venous lines and hold Manual pressure, or help care alongside nursing staff for any closure device we may have used. Currently being crossed trained as a scribe to be in the Lab with the doctor if our current scribe is ever sick. 
 

GPA: 3.2 cumulative / 3.3 science, would be a lot higher Had I cared more and not gotten Cs in gen chem 1 & 2 and micro. Sucks that my early undergrad years I fell into the whole college life, also played baseball and that was a huge blow because I missed so much class. However junior and senior year I turned it on and aced all upper dicision classes. Anatomy 1 & 2, physics 1 & 2, Ochem 1 & 2, biochem, genetics, stats. had a very heavy course load and even took multiple full time summer semesters to graduate a semester early.

GRE: 297 quite possibly one of the reasons I have failed to get in. Never retook it because I was getting interviews but now I feel like it's time to finally push me over the hump. I'm confident I will be able to achieve my goal of a 310 after taking it once. 
 

Shadowing: 200+ I've shadowed 2 orthopedic surgeons that had PAs as first assist in the OR as well as a PA that worked in the clinical setting for the Cardiologist I worked for. Currently trying to find a PA in dermatology around my area since that is a field that interests me. 
 

Volunteer 200~ I coached baseball for my high schools fall team, done free PAD and CAD screenings with the companies I've worked for, fed the homeless multiple times at a local catholic worker house. 
Also another thing I will try to work on before end of April. 
 

I'm extremely optimistic this year as I have finally left the old cath lab I was at where I wasn't necessarily surrounded by Staff and or a doctor that wanted to help me reach my ultimate goal. I feel like a LOR from a doctor says a lot and the one I worked for refused to because he said he was too busy, and when I did get some of the staff to write a LOR for me it wasn't necessarily genuine and from the heart, they all seemed rushed, which I feel faculty can sense. 
 

I work for a vascular company who now appreciates me and the work I put in, but also my ultimate goals. Personal accolades are awesome for applying but we must not forget having good LORs and people around you to support you in what you're trying to do. It makes such a difference in your overall app and effort, but most importantly your confidence.  

GOOD LUCK TO EVERYONE! I live in Texas, so with many schools here I plan to once again apply to all of them as well as some in states I would see myself enjoying like Arizona, Florida, New Mexico.

[emilymuff]

21 hours ago, msaenz18 said:

Good luck to everyone this year! Personally, it will be my 4th time applying. Have gotten interviews every year, but either waitlisted or rejected for the most part. 
 

here's my stats, if y'all have any Suggestions please feel free to comment! Just want to try something different this year and start early as well as have a place to document my journey. 
 

PCE: 6000+ Hours as a Holding tech for 2 different outpatient cardiac and peripheral cath labs. Mainly do pre and post op holding duties like prepping a patient for their procedures, vitals, IV, blood draws, etc. Post op wise I pull arterial and venous lines and hold Manual pressure, or help care alongside nursing staff for any closure device we may have used. Currently being crossed trained as a scribe to be in the Lab with the doctor if our current scribe is ever sick. 
 

GPA: 3.2 cumulative / 3.3 science, would be a lot higher Had I cared more and not gotten Cs in gen chem 1 & 2 and micro. Sucks that my early undergrad years I fell into the whole college life, also played baseball and that was a huge blow because I missed so much class. However junior and senior year I turned it on and aced all upper dicision classes. Anatomy 1 & 2, physics 1 & 2, Ochem 1 & 2, biochem, genetics, stats. had a very heavy course load and even took multiple full time summer semesters to graduate a semester early.

GRE: 297 quite possibly one of the reasons I have failed to get in. Never retook it because I was getting interviews but now I feel like it's time to finally push me over the hump. I'm confident I will be able to achieve my goal of a 310 after taking it once. 
 

Shadowing: 200+ I've shadowed 2 orthopedic surgeons that had PAs as first assist in the OR as well as a PA that worked in the clinical setting for the Cardiologist I worked for. Currently trying to find a PA in dermatology around my area since that is a field that interests me. 
 

Volunteer 200~ I coached baseball for my high schools fall team, done free PAD and CAD screenings with the companies I've worked for, fed the homeless multiple times at a local catholic worker house. 
Also another thing I will try to work on before end of April. 
 

I'm extremely optimistic this year as I have finally left the old cath lab I was at where I wasn't necessarily surrounded by Staff and or a doctor that wanted to help me reach my ultimate goal. I feel like a LOR from a doctor says a lot and the one I worked for refused to because he said he was too busy, and when I did get some of the staff to write a LOR for me it wasn't necessarily genuine and from the heart, they all seemed rushed, which I feel faculty can sense. 
 

I work for a vascular company who now appreciates me and the work I put in, but also my ultimate goals. Personal accolades are awesome for applying but we must not forget having good LORs and people around you to support you in what you're trying to do. It makes such a difference in your overall app and effort, but most importantly your confidence.  

GOOD LUCK TO EVERYONE! I live in Texas, so with many schools here I plan to once again apply to all of them as well as some in states I would see myself enjoying like Arizona, Florida, New Mexico.

This is only my first time applying, so take whatever I say with a grain of salt. With that said, I honestly do not believe that the GRE is a huge factor for admissions committee's, especially with the rest of your stats looking great. Have you invested in a professional to look over your personal statement and/or helped with interview techniques? 

I wish you the best of luck this year and hope you get in. 

[msaenz18]

6 minutes ago, emilymuff said:

This is only my first time applying, so take whatever I say with a grain of salt. With that said, I honestly do not believe that the GRE is a huge factor for admissions committee's, especially with the rest of your stats looking great. Have you invested in a professional to look over your personal statement and/or helped with interview techniques? 

I wish you the best of luck this year and hope you get in. 

I hired a professional last year to read over and help with my personal statement. Thought I had written my best one last cycle. 
 

as for the interview I never thought I needed assistance, and most all of them went very well, but I'm pulling out all the stops this year. 

[emilymuff]

4 minutes ago, msaenz18 said:

I hired a professional last year to read over and help with my personal statement. Thought I had written my best one last cycle. 
 

as for the interview I never thought I needed assistance, and most all of them went very well, but I'm pulling out all the stops this year. 

Again, I'm not sure what the right answer is haha, but I sincerely hope you get an acceptance this year. 

[MedIsLifePA]

On 1/21/2020 at 1:49 PM, msaenz18 said:

Good luck to everyone this year! Personally, it will be my 4th time applying. Have gotten interviews every year, but either waitlisted or rejected for the most part. 
 

here's my stats, if y'all have any Suggestions please feel free to comment! Just want to try something different this year and start early as well as have a place to document my journey. 
 

PCE: 6000+ Hours as a Holding tech for 2 different outpatient cardiac and peripheral cath labs. Mainly do pre and post op holding duties like prepping a patient for their procedures, vitals, IV, blood draws, etc. Post op wise I pull arterial and venous lines and hold Manual pressure, or help care alongside nursing staff for any closure device we may have used. Currently being crossed trained as a scribe to be in the Lab with the doctor if our current scribe is ever sick. 
 

GPA: 3.2 cumulative / 3.3 science, would be a lot higher Had I cared more and not gotten Cs in gen chem 1 & 2 and micro. Sucks that my early undergrad years I fell into the whole college life, also played baseball and that was a huge blow because I missed so much class. However junior and senior year I turned it on and aced all upper dicision classes. Anatomy 1 & 2, physics 1 & 2, Ochem 1 & 2, biochem, genetics, stats. had a very heavy course load and even took multiple full time summer semesters to graduate a semester early.

GRE: 297 quite possibly one of the reasons I have failed to get in. Never retook it because I was getting interviews but now I feel like it's time to finally push me over the hump. I'm confident I will be able to achieve my goal of a 310 after taking it once. 
 

Shadowing: 200+ I've shadowed 2 orthopedic surgeons that had PAs as first assist in the OR as well as a PA that worked in the clinical setting for the Cardiologist I worked for. Currently trying to find a PA in dermatology around my area since that is a field that interests me. 
 

Volunteer 200~ I coached baseball for my high schools fall team, done free PAD and CAD screenings with the companies I've worked for, fed the homeless multiple times at a local catholic worker house. 
Also another thing I will try to work on before end of April. 
 

I'm extremely optimistic this year as I have finally left the old cath lab I was at where I wasn't necessarily surrounded by Staff and or a doctor that wanted to help me reach my ultimate goal. I feel like a LOR from a doctor says a lot and the one I worked for refused to because he said he was too busy, and when I did get some of the staff to write a LOR for me it wasn't necessarily genuine and from the heart, they all seemed rushed, which I feel faculty can sense. 
 

I work for a vascular company who now appreciates me and the work I put in, but also my ultimate goals. Personal accolades are awesome for applying but we must not forget having good LORs and people around you to support you in what you're trying to do. It makes such a difference in your overall app and effort, but most importantly your confidence.  

GOOD LUCK TO EVERYONE! I live in Texas, so with many schools here I plan to once again apply to all of them as well as some in states I would see myself enjoying like Arizona, Florida, New Mexico.

This will be my first year applying but try to do more volunteering. I have heard that they weigh your PCE hours based on the type of work you did and the title. Also, from what I've seen, 200 volunteer hours are not a lot. That's a little below average. So because your GRE score isn't the highest, I would say make sure you volunteer as much as possible by April. Your shadowing hours look great and the amount of PCE you have is great also. 

[melaniechews]

Hi guys! I just started a blog for upcoming pa applicants:

https://pasteps.blogspot.com

please feel free to ask me any questions and I'll try my best to reply!!

Edited January 24, 2020 by melaniechews

[PAFarhat2B]

On 1/15/2020 at 6:20 AM, emilymuff said:

I am finally able to apply this year, and I am so excited, but I am starting to self-doubt. I know I am a competitive, non-traditional applicant, but so is everyone else (which is great), that is why it's so hard to get in. Though I am also only applying to 1-2 schools, which is drastically decreasing my chances. 

Maybe it's all nerves. 

Anyone having similar feelings??

I too am a non traditional student and finally applying this year. I know I am competitive as well!! I look great on paper but I did not do well on the GRE. I keep debating whether I should re take it or not. I am applying to two schools, one requires the GRE and one does not. 

Nerves like crazy!!!

[emilymuff]

On 1/24/2020 at 3:16 PM, PAFarhat2B said:

I too am a non traditional student and finally applying this year. I know I am competitive as well!! I look great on paper but I did not do well on the GRE. I keep debating whether I should re take it or not. I am applying to two schools, one requires the GRE and one does not. 

Nerves like crazy!!!

I am sure that is frustrating. It is hard to know what to do especially when the prereqs are not standardized. I got a 300 on my GRE, and while this is my first time applying, I do not think the GRE is weighed too heavily. Unless it's an atrocious score, I cannot imagine the GRE being the deciding "yes or no" factor, especially if the rest of your application (essay included) is stellar. I considered retaking the GRE, while 300 isn't a horrible score, I don't think it sticks out like a sore thumb.  

[hbhalla]

On 1/15/2020 at 6:45 AM, emilymuff said:

Yes, 

My husband is Active Duty Navy, and we are moving to a new location at the end of this year, but we won't know that location for another month or two. So my options are Yale online and whatever PA program is near our new location. Will probably be EVMS, Nova Southeastern in Jax, or MEDEX Tacoma. There is a PA program applying for accreditation in San Diego, but that process takes a while. So we'll see! 

Hi,

I live in San Diego. Do you know which program is applying for accreditation here? I haven't heard of one. Also good luck!

 

[emilymuff]

4 hours ago, hbhalla said:

On 1/15/2020 at 6:45 AM, emilymuff said:

Yes, 

My husband is Active Duty Navy, and we are moving to a new location at the end of this year, but we won't know that location for another month or two. So my options are Yale online and whatever PA program is near our new location. Will probably be EVMS, Nova Southeastern in Jax, or MEDEX Tacoma. There is a PA program applying for accreditation in San Diego, but that process takes a while. So we'll see! 

Hi,

I live in San Diego. Do you know which program is applying for accreditation here? I haven't heard of one. Also good luck!

 

Point Loma Nazarene University, the ARC-PA website has a list of applicant programs: http://www.arc-pa.org/applicant-programs/

[JDraper]

On 1/15/2020 at 3:20 AM, emilymuff said:

I am finally able to apply this year, and I am so excited, but I am starting to self-doubt. I know I am a competitive, non-traditional applicant, but so is everyone else (which is great), that is why it's so hard to get in. Though I am also only applying to 1-2 schools, which is drastically decreasing my chances. 

Maybe it's all nerves. 

Anyone having similar feelings??

I'm applying for my first time this year as well! It's been 7 years since I graduated undergrad, and I've slowly been checking off prereqs. A long journey of self doubt and questioning if its still worth it, but I'm determined. If I never try, I know I'll die wondering. I too, am applying to only 3 schools. Good Luck! 

[JDraper]

On 1/27/2020 at 9:50 AM, emilymuff said:

Point Loma Nazarene University, the ARC-PA website has a list of applicant programs: http://www.arc-pa.org/applicant-programs/

Saint Augustine in San Marcos is also applying for accreditation; they tried last year and had to reapply. I was shocked because they already have other health professional programs established so I thought it was a guarantee. I used to live in San Diego, but have since moved to Cupertino, CA.

[emilymuff]

18 hours ago, JDraper said:

Saint Augustine in San Marcos is also applying for accreditation; they tried last year and had to reapply. I was shocked because they already have other health professional programs established so I thought it was a guarantee. I used to live in San Diego, but have since moved to Cupertino, CA.

Good to know! I think it is odd that it has taken this long for a PA program to get established in San Diego. 

[MedIsLifePA]

Hey guys so like I said, I'm a part-time physical therapy assistant and a full-time clinical cancer research coordinator. 

My LORS are from the doctor/physical therapist I work for, my clinical research supervisor, my grad school professor (took her for 2 classes: "drug development" and "clinical research"), and the PA I shadowed the longest (hematology specialty). Do those seem pretty strong? Be honest. 

[MikaGoesGo]

Hello everyone!

I am heavily thinking about applying this application cycle. However, I still need to complete a microbiology course. I plan to take it later in the year (fall). I'll be taking the GRE in April which I know will be cutting it close.

Currently, my stats are:

3.6 cumulative, 3.5 science

1000 hours Medical scribe

1700 hours AmeriCorps

300 hours afterschool teacher

500 hours summer research intern

I just completed an EMT course and am fully licensed as of January. I'm still searching for employment!

Oh, is shadowing a must? I worked alongside PAs as a medical scribe but I never shadowed them per say. I have since left my scribe position unfortunately.

[MedIsLifePA]

13 minutes ago, MikaGoesGo said:

Hello everyone!

I am heavily thinking about applying this application cycle. However, I still need to complete a microbiology course. I plan to take it later in the year (fall). I'll be taking the GRE in April which I know will be cutting it close.

Currently, my stats are:

3.6 cumulative, 3.5 science

1000 hours Medical scribe

1700 hours AmeriCorps

300 hours afterschool teacher

500 hours summer research intern

I just completed an EMT course and am fully licensed as of January. I'm still searching for employment!

Oh, is shadowing a must? I worked alongside PAs as a medical scribe but I never shadowed them per say. I have since left my scribe position unfortunately.

Shadowing isn't a must but it is very strongly preferred by all.

[jparra1]

Hi Everyone!

I am really excited that the 2020-2021 cycle is about to begin, I've been planning my application for months!

My current stats are as follows:

cGPA: 3.57 sGPA: 3.3 also completed an MPH in 2018 (3.5)

GRE: 319 Q+V and 5 AW

PCE: 1300 hrs Medical Scribe/MA

HCE: 500+ hrs Alcohol Education Specialist/Hospice Intern/2 Medical Missions

RESEARCH: 2100+ hrs Human Subjects Research/Medical Education Research (4 expected pubs by app submission)

VOLUNTEER: 500+ hrs Mens Homeless Shelter/Board Member of Non-Profit

SHADOW: Currently 327 hrs (MD/DO/PA in cardiology, sports medicine, urology, and transplant surgery)

 

Good luck to everyone this upcoming cycle, I know we are all gonna do really well and contribute significantly to the PA profession in the future!

 

Edited February 27, 2020 by jparra1

[DomRRTtoPA]

This is my 3rd attempt applying to PA school although I only applied to a single school for the past 2 years. I have been on these boards and the subreddit for years and have learned quite a bit. Now that my daughter has graduated high school this is my year! I made a spreadsheet of all the schools in the nation with their prereqs and was able to locate over 30 schools to apply to. I have narrowed the list down to ~20 and am very excited to get the process going again. Here are my stats:

cGPA: 3.59 

sGPA: 3.64

GRE: 308 AW 3 =(

PCE: 28,000+ as a respiratory therapist

VOLUNTEER: 100 at the homeless shelter and library

SHADOW: 20hrs 

[MedIsLifePA]

I am sooooooooo nervous! App cycle is opening next month ahhhh

[DomRRTtoPA]

Ohh I almost forgot, here is the spreadsheet I made if anyone is interested. http://paschoolprereqs.com/spreadsheet/ Disclaimer: I do not make any money off this website in any way or form at this time

[breese96]

Hi, 

looking at you guys stats makes me nervous  and really question should i apply. im super nervous because Morehouse is my top choice! i am currently applying to 11 schools right now.

i have 4992 shadowing hrs but neither are PAs

patient care experience 1152

volunteering 1406

research 846

i am currently working on my phlebotomist license to add to my patient care

my gre score was a 290

undergraduate GPA  was 3.87

i started graduate school but wasn't able to finish due to financial and family reasons but my gpa was 2.45 (due to those same reasons) 

[KuchiKopi]

11 minutes ago, breese96 said:

Hi, 

looking at you guys stats makes me nervous  and really question should i apply. im super nervous because Morehouse is my top choice! i am currently applying to 11 schools right now.

i have 4992 shadowing hrs but neither are PAs

patient care experience 1152

volunteering 1406

research 846

i am currently working on my phlebotomist license to add to my patient care

my gre score was a 290

undergraduate GPA  was 3.87

i started graduate school but wasn't able to finish due to financial and family reasons but my gpa was 2.45 (due to those same reasons) 

So what were you in grad school for? And what is your GPA now?