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Hi,

I attended the University of Michigan and graduated last year with a degree in Neuroscience. At first I thought I was going the medical school route, but after I figured out my values and discovered more things about my character, I decided to go the PA route the middle of my Junior year. Here are my stats:

-GPA overall: 3.7

-Science GPA: Haven't calculated yet (I took a LOT of science courses), but I got B's in all these core classes: Genchem/lab, Pchem, Intro genetics,Organic chem1&2 (but for both labs I got A's), Physics 1 &2 (B+ for the second lecture course, but A's in both labs), biochem b+

But I've gotten the following grades for these other core classes:

Intro human phys: A+, Upper-level human phys: A+ , Animal Physiology:A-, Microbio: A, Medical terminology: A+, Human Anatomy: A+, Genetics and Molecular Biology Upper Level: A+, Nutrition: A, Neurobiology: A, all psychology/neurobio courses: A, Statistics: A+

I have never gotten anything below a B, and I usually only had 1 B per term. These courses were all taken at U of M.

-Research Experience: Looked into/designed experiments to identify possible synaptic defects in hippocampus of schizophrenic mice

-Certifications: CPR/First Aid, Phlebotomy technician certificate (which I haven't been able to use... :( )

-HCE: 1.5 Years Part time at an Assisted Living Facility (wiped butts, took vitals, transfer, catheters, using lifts, etc.)

*I started this job as a senior in Undergrad

-Concurrently, a year working taking care of a girl who cannot walk (toileting, transfers, medications, physical therapy exercises)

-And also oncurrently, year of working at the hospital speaking to patients to enroll in diabetes studies and also looking at their data to determine eligibility (this doesn't count as direct experience for some schools)

*I've been working 3 jobs all together since I graduated.

Total Hours: Roughly 1,700, excluding the diabetes job.

Shadowing: 2 Pa's, roughly 35-40 hours

 

Volunteering: hospital volunteering, homeless shelter volunteering, Nursing home volunteering

 

Gre: 158 Quant (79%tile) Verbal:160 (86%tile), Writing: 4.5

 

Others: AAPA Affiliate Member, fluent in Japanese, held club leadership positions

 

I've been told my GPA/GRE is good enough, but I'm not sure whether I have enough HCE. I have obtained letters from a core academic professor, as well as the supervisor for the girl I take care of, and I plan on getting one from a PA...but 1)would it be detrimental to my application of the PA couldn't say anything stellar about me (I don't think I've shadowed enough to have a personal relationship)?

 

2) Should I take another year off, try to get a CNA certification, and find a job at the hospital and build more hours? 3)Would these stats/experiences (I've learned some great lessons out of these experiences, such as facing the loss of people under my care) be good enough for schools such as Emory, Duke, Wake Forest, etc? I don't care too much about the ranking, but I do want to make sure I go to a GOOD program since I think I worked REALLY hard in undergrad (I never took a summer off!)

 

Thank you!

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Hi,

I attended the University of Michigan and graduated last year with a degree in Neuroscience. At first I thought I was going the medical school route, but after I figured out my values and discovered more things about my character, I decided to go the PA route the middle of my Junior year. Here are my stats:

-GPA overall: 3.7

-Science GPA: Haven't calculated yet (I took a LOT of science courses), but I got B's in all these core classes: Genchem/lab, Pchem, Intro genetics,Organic chem1&2 (but for both labs I got A's), Physics 1 &2 (B+ for the second lecture course, but A's in both labs), biochem b+

But I've gotten the following grades for these other core classes:

Intro human phys: A+, Upper-level human phys: A+ , Animal Physiology:A-, Microbio: A, Medical terminology: A+, Human Anatomy: A+, Genetics and Molecular Biology Upper Level: A+, Nutrition: A, Neurobiology: A, all psychology/neurobio courses: A, Statistics: A+

I have never gotten anything below a B, and I usually only had 1 B per term. These courses were all taken at U of M.

-Research Experience: Looked into/designed experiments to identify possible synaptic defects in hippocampus of schizophrenic mice

-Certifications: CPR/First Aid, Phlebotomy technician certificate (which I haven't been able to use... :( )

-HCE: 1.5 Years Part time at an Assisted Living Facility (wiped butts, took vitals, transfer, catheters, using lifts, etc.)

*I started this job as a senior in Undergrad

-Concurrently, a year working taking care of a girl who cannot walk (toileting, transfers, medications, physical therapy exercises)

-And also oncurrently, year of working at the hospital speaking to patients to enroll in diabetes studies and also looking at their data to determine eligibility (this doesn't count as direct experience for some schools)

*I've been working 3 jobs all together since I graduated.

Total Hours: Roughly 1,700, excluding the diabetes job.

Shadowing: 2 Pa's, roughly 35-40 hours

 

Volunteering: hospital volunteering, homeless shelter volunteering, Nursing home volunteering

 

Gre: 158 Quant (79%tile) Verbal:160 (86%tile), Writing: 4.5

 

Others: AAPA Affiliate Member, fluent in Japanese, held club leadership positions

 

I've been told my GPA/GRE is good enough, but I'm not sure whether I have enough HCE. I have obtained letters from a core academic professor, as well as the supervisor for the girl I take care of, and I plan on getting one from a PA...but 1)would it be detrimental to my application of the PA couldn't say anything stellar about me (I don't think I've shadowed enough to have a personal relationship)?

 

2) Should I take another year off, try to get a CNA certification, and find a job at the hospital and build more hours? 3)Would these stats/experiences (I've learned some great lessons out of these experiences, such as facing the loss of people under my care) be good enough for schools such as Emory, Duke, Wake Forest, etc? I don't care too much about the ranking, but I do want to make sure I go to a GOOD program since I think I worked REALLY hard in undergrad (I never took a summer off!)

 

Thank you!

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Hi,

I attended the University of Michigan and graduated last year with a degree in Neuroscience. At first I thought I was going the medical school route, but after I figured out my values and discovered more things about my character, I decided to go the PA route the middle of my Junior year. Here are my stats:

-GPA overall: 3.7

-Science GPA: Haven't calculated yet (I took a LOT of science courses), but I got B's in all these core classes: Genchem/lab, Pchem, Intro genetics,Organic chem1&2 (but for both labs I got A's), Physics 1 &2 (B+ for the second lecture course, but A's in both labs), biochem b+

But I've gotten the following grades for these other core classes:

Intro human phys: A+, Upper-level human phys: A+ , Animal Physiology:A-, Microbio: A, Medical terminology: A+, Human Anatomy: A+, Genetics and Molecular Biology Upper Level: A+, Nutrition: A, Neurobiology: A, all psychology/neurobio courses: A, Statistics: A+

I have never gotten anything below a B, and I usually only had 1 B per term. These courses were all taken at U of M.

-Research Experience: Looked into/designed experiments to identify possible synaptic defects in hippocampus of schizophrenic mice

-Certifications: CPR/First Aid, Phlebotomy technician certificate (which I haven't been able to use... :( )

-HCE: 1.5 Years Part time at an Assisted Living Facility (wiped butts, took vitals, transfer, catheters, using lifts, etc.)

*I started this job as a senior in Undergrad

-Concurrently, a year working taking care of a girl who cannot walk (toileting, transfers, medications, physical therapy exercises)

-And also oncurrently, year of working at the hospital speaking to patients to enroll in diabetes studies and also looking at their data to determine eligibility (this doesn't count as direct experience for some schools)

*I've been working 3 jobs all together since I graduated.

Total Hours: Roughly 1,700, excluding the diabetes job.

Shadowing: 2 Pa's, roughly 35-40 hours

 

Volunteering: hospital volunteering, homeless shelter volunteering, Nursing home volunteering

 

Gre: 158 Quant (79%tile) Verbal:160 (86%tile), Writing: 4.5

 

Others: AAPA Affiliate Member, fluent in Japanese, held club leadership positions

 

I've been told my GPA/GRE is good enough, but I'm not sure whether I have enough HCE. I have obtained letters from a core academic professor, as well as the supervisor for the girl I take care of, and I plan on getting one from a PA...but 1)would it be detrimental to my application of the PA couldn't say anything stellar about me (I don't think I've shadowed enough to have a personal relationship)?

 

2) Should I take another year off, try to get a CNA certification, and find a job at the hospital and build more hours? 3)Would these stats/experiences (I've learned some great lessons out of these experiences, such as facing the loss of people under my care) be good enough for schools such as Emory, Duke, Wake Forest, etc? I don't care too much about the ranking, but I do want to make sure I go to a GOOD program since I think I worked REALLY hard in undergrad (I never took a summer off!)

 

Thank you!

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Your HCE is probably the new "average" in terms of today's applicant. That in combination with your grades should get you into a "nontraditional" program. Research programs that focus on academics, and apply to 5-7 schools you're interested in. I'd be surprised if you didn't get a few interviews with your current stats. I say go for it. Good Luck!

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Your HCE is probably the new "average" in terms of today's applicant. That in combination with your grades should get you into a "nontraditional" program. Research programs that focus on academics, and apply to 5-7 schools you're interested in. I'd be surprised if you didn't get a few interviews with your current stats. I say go for it. Good Luck!

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Your HCE is probably the new "average" in terms of today's applicant. That in combination with your grades should get you into a "nontraditional" program. Research programs that focus on academics, and apply to 5-7 schools you're interested in. I'd be surprised if you didn't get a few interviews with your current stats. I say go for it. Good Luck!

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*sigh* are you joking? Do you want us to just tell you that you have a GREAT clinical experience? I have seen people get into schools with A LOT LESS of it, including me. APPLY NOW!!!

 

Some schools don't even ask for PA letter, due to HIPPA. Some that kind to mind are Drexel and EVMS. I am sure there are plenty of others. It WOULD be helpful to have one though.

 

You really have nothing to lose except a few hundred bucks, but THAT is why you have these jobs, right?

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*sigh* are you joking? Do you want us to just tell you that you have a GREAT clinical experience? I have seen people get into schools with A LOT LESS of it, including me. APPLY NOW!!!

 

Some schools don't even ask for PA letter, due to HIPPA. Some that kind to mind are Drexel and EVMS. I am sure there are plenty of others. It WOULD be helpful to have one though.

 

You really have nothing to lose except a few hundred bucks, but THAT is why you have these jobs, right?

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*sigh* are you joking? Do you want us to just tell you that you have a GREAT clinical experience? I have seen people get into schools with A LOT LESS of it, including me. APPLY NOW!!!

 

Some schools don't even ask for PA letter, due to HIPPA. Some that kind to mind are Drexel and EVMS. I am sure there are plenty of others. It WOULD be helpful to have one though.

 

You really have nothing to lose except a few hundred bucks, but THAT is why you have these jobs, right?

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I went to U of M and had grades a notch below yours but a bit more patient care and got in. You have a great chance applying to schools that focus more on academics vs HCE. I'd be shocked if you didn't get an interview at Wake Forest because I know three people who interviewed there last cycle with stats that I'd gauge to be below yours. You probably also have a good shot at Northwestern and Rosalind Franklin if you're interested in the Chicago area. Midwestern and Rush also jump to mind. If you are in Ann Arbor and will be remaining there until you get into PA school and are interested in a great home care job with a fun quadriplegic feel free to PM me for more info. Assuming you aren't the girl I Facebook messaged about not getting an interview because of a quote on FB. :)

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I went to U of M and had grades a notch below yours but a bit more patient care and got in. You have a great chance applying to schools that focus more on academics vs HCE. I'd be shocked if you didn't get an interview at Wake Forest because I know three people who interviewed there last cycle with stats that I'd gauge to be below yours. You probably also have a good shot at Northwestern and Rosalind Franklin if you're interested in the Chicago area. Midwestern and Rush also jump to mind. If you are in Ann Arbor and will be remaining there until you get into PA school and are interested in a great home care job with a fun quadriplegic feel free to PM me for more info. Assuming you aren't the girl I Facebook messaged about not getting an interview because of a quote on FB. :)

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I went to U of M and had grades a notch below yours but a bit more patient care and got in. You have a great chance applying to schools that focus more on academics vs HCE. I'd be shocked if you didn't get an interview at Wake Forest because I know three people who interviewed there last cycle with stats that I'd gauge to be below yours. You probably also have a good shot at Northwestern and Rosalind Franklin if you're interested in the Chicago area. Midwestern and Rush also jump to mind. If you are in Ann Arbor and will be remaining there until you get into PA school and are interested in a great home care job with a fun quadriplegic feel free to PM me for more info. Assuming you aren't the girl I Facebook messaged about not getting an interview because of a quote on FB. :)

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