KatsandKaffeine Posted May 11, 2020 Share Posted May 11, 2020 So hopefully the third times a charm! Can someone give me some advice as to my chances of getting in/ good programs to apply to? cGPA: 3.36 sGPA: 3.36 PCE: 4500 and counting GRE: 310 I took Micro, Biochem, Orgo 1, and Genetics after graduating with my BS and got A's in all of them, hopefully showing an upward trend to any schools. I have great LORs and my PCE is hospital OR based as well as Medical office based. I don't have tons of volunteering hours (~100) which I know could hurt me considering my GPA I should also mention that I was a 2 sport NCAA athlete for all 4 years of college. My schools of choices right now: University of Tampa, USF, South University, Wake Forest, UNC, Gardner-Webb, Campbell, University of Tennessee, Elon, Duke (gotta try right?), FGCU, Emory Any advice/Insight would be greatly appreciated!!!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laybunny Posted May 12, 2020 Share Posted May 12, 2020 (edited) What kind of PCE do you have? Your GPA is definitely on the lower side, but I think if the rest of your application is strong and you apply to a wide net of schools, you should get at least a few interviews. Have lots of people review your PS, and I would get shadowing under my belt if you have not already. I would also recommend applying to at least 8 - 12 schools, if you can afford it. I think one massive mistakes applicants make is simply not applying to enough schools, since this is to some extent a numbers game. A second mistake is not researching the programs thoroughly, so always email/call the program if you have a question about a prerequisite or requirement. Edited May 12, 2020 by Laybunny 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KatsandKaffeine Posted May 12, 2020 Author Share Posted May 12, 2020 Thanks! i have worked as a medical assistant in a doctors office specifically for a PA. I also currently work as a tech in a cardiovascular and transplant OR. my goal is to apply to around 15 schools. thanks for the advice! I for sure need to have my personal statement reviewed again by a few people. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mgriffiths Posted May 12, 2020 Share Posted May 12, 2020 12 hours ago, Laybunny said: I would also recommend applying to at least 8 - 12 schools, if you can afford it. I think one massive mistakes applicants make is simply not applying to enough schools, since this is to some extent a numbers game. A second mistake is not researching the programs thoroughly I'm not sure the utility of applying to that many schools, but it seems to be a pretty normal school of thought here so maybe I'm wrong. But, point #2 I would say is MUCH more important. WHY are you applying to said schools? What about their program makes you want to go there? If you can tailor your CASPA essay to this a bit that would be good, but this is extremely important when/if you are offered an interview. You want to stand out during your interview and the more you know about the program and can reference said information the better. Of course you don't want to be a robot just spouting facts found on their website, but that comes back to interview skills that are vital to acceptance once you have been offered an interview. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KatsandKaffeine Posted May 12, 2020 Author Share Posted May 12, 2020 Those are all great point and things to think about. I really appreciate the insight! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laybunny Posted May 12, 2020 Share Posted May 12, 2020 1 hour ago, mgriffiths said: I'm not sure the utility of applying to that many schools, but it seems to be a pretty normal school of thought here so maybe I'm wrong. But, point #2 I would say is MUCH more important. WHY are you applying to said schools? What about their program makes you want to go there? If you can tailor your CASPA essay to this a bit that would be good, but this is extremely important when/if you are offered an interview. You want to stand out during your interview and the more you know about the program and can reference said information the better. Of course you don't want to be a robot just spouting facts found on their website, but that comes back to interview skills that are vital to acceptance once you have been offered an interview. Well, the reason lots of people probably quote this number is from this. https://beaphysicianassistant.com/blog/why-you-should-identify-target-pa-programs "In recent PAEA annual PA student surveys, the likelihood of getting into PA school capped out somewhere between 8 to 12 applications." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JD2012 Posted May 12, 2020 Share Posted May 12, 2020 (edited) You should be able to get in with those stats. Your GPA and PCE hours are higher than mine. I had a 309 GRE but a bunch of shadowing hours and volunteer time in different activities. Check my about me page in my profile to compare. What I did notice though is you have a good number of really tough schools to get into like Wake Forest, Duke, UNC, Emory. I suggest applying to maybe a couple of reach schools. My first cycle I applied to a bunch of really top-rated programs and I felt like that hurt my chances and ended up with no interviews at all. The 2nd cycle I only applied to Florida programs and one in Savannah and ended up with 5-6 interviews including a "reach school" for that cycle and finally an acceptance to my top choice. Edited May 12, 2020 by JD2012 1 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KatsandKaffeine Posted May 12, 2020 Author Share Posted May 12, 2020 Okay thanks. I’m trying to stay in the NC/SC area but maybe I should broaden my area a bit more. I’d love Wake Forest but I just need to get in wherever I can go! Thanks for the advice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mimithebest Posted May 13, 2020 Share Posted May 13, 2020 9 hours ago, JD2012 said: You should be able to get in with those stats. Your GPA and PCE hours are higher than mine. I had a 309 GRE but a bunch of shadowing hours and volunteer time in different activities. Check my about me page in my profile to compare. What I did notice though is you have a good number of really tough schools to get into like Wake Forest, Duke, UNC, Emory. I suggest applying to maybe a couple of reach schools. My first cycle I applied to a bunch of really top-rated programs and I felt like that hurt my chances and ended up with no interviews at all. The 2nd cycle I only applied to Florida programs and one in Savannah and ended up with 5-6 interviews including a "reach school" for that cycle and finally an acceptance to my top choice. Do you mind sharing the schools you applied to? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JD2012 Posted May 13, 2020 Share Posted May 13, 2020 13 hours ago, mimithebest said: Do you mind sharing the schools you applied to? It was about almost 4 years ago my first cycle but off the top of my head it was Duke, Yale, University of Colorado, and two more top ones if I remember, including whatever programs are in Florida. For my second cycle the info is in my about me section in my profile, but it was all of the FL programs available in 2017 including South in Savannah. Gannon or University of Tampa weren't around and I also didn't apply to Advent since I am not religious. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mgriffiths Posted May 13, 2020 Share Posted May 13, 2020 On 5/12/2020 at 10:55 AM, Laybunny said: Well, the reason lots of people probably quote this number is from this. https://beaphysicianassistant.com/blog/why-you-should-identify-target-pa-programs "In recent PAEA annual PA student surveys, the likelihood of getting into PA school capped out somewhere between 8 to 12 applications." but the article literally is stating to target schools rather than use a "shotgun" approach, and to save money. In that same section, 4 "paragraphs" down the author states, "Being selective may mean that you apply to less than 8 programs, but if you choose well, the number should not matter much." I understand the author is just quoting the PAEA statement, but still. That is a LOT of applications. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CTPAAPPLICANT2018 Posted May 16, 2020 Share Posted May 16, 2020 (edited) I would look at the class average of some of the programs you're applying to this cycle and previous cycles just for comparison. You have a few programs listed that are very well known and individuals with competitive stats tend to apply there. If you have the money then it doesn't hurt to keep them as reach programs. A lot of people say lower stats applicants should apply to a lot of programs to increase their odds, which I completely agree. But you have to be strategic as well and apply to the programs you think you have a good shot at as well to increase your chances of landing those interviews. I had a 3.38 cGPA, 3.27 sGPA, 302 GRE, around 5000 PCE, 117 shadowing hours 2018-2019 cycle I applied to 14 programs and received 1 interview but was rejected 2019-2020 I applied to 22 programs/ received 7 interview invites/ 2 acceptances/ 1 waitlist You just have to do your research! The quantity of programs you apply to does matter in terms of increasing your odds but your stats should relatively match their accepted students. Hope this helps! Edited May 16, 2020 by CTPAAPPLICANT2018 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patricia5827 Posted May 19, 2020 Share Posted May 19, 2020 Totally not an answer to your question, but I’m entering my third cycle too and have pretty much much the same stats. Best of luck to us! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MFVC8 Posted May 29, 2020 Share Posted May 29, 2020 On 5/16/2020 at 11:16 AM, CTPAAPPLICANT2018 said: I would look at the class average of some of the programs you're applying to this cycle and previous cycles just for comparison. You have a few programs listed that are very well known and individuals with competitive stats tend to apply there. If you have the money then it doesn't hurt to keep them as reach programs. A lot of people say lower stats applicants should apply to a lot of programs to increase their odds, which I completely agree. But you have to be strategic as well and apply to the programs you think you have a good shot at as well to increase your chances of landing those interviews. I had a 3.38 cGPA, 3.27 sGPA, 302 GRE, around 5000 PCE, 117 shadowing hours 2018-2019 cycle I applied to 14 programs and received 1 interview but was rejected 2019-2020 I applied to 22 programs/ received 7 interview invites/ 2 acceptances/ 1 waitlist You just have to do your research! The quantity of programs you apply to does matter in terms of increasing your odds but your stats should relatively match their accepted students. Hope this helps! Hey would you mind sharing the schools that’s offered you an interview ? Thank you!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KatsandKaffeine Posted May 29, 2020 Author Share Posted May 29, 2020 On 5/18/2020 at 11:31 PM, Patricia5827 said: Totally not an answer to your question, but I’m entering my third cycle too and have pretty much much the same stats. Best of luck to us! Hi! Best of luck to you too! Just submitted 16 apps today so I’m hopeful! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
passionate4PA Posted June 14, 2020 Share Posted June 14, 2020 On 5/18/2020 at 11:31 PM, Patricia5827 said: Totally not an answer to your question, but I’m entering my third cycle too and have pretty much much the same stats. Best of luck to us! same! good luck to both of yall!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KatsandKaffeine Posted June 14, 2020 Author Share Posted June 14, 2020 18 hours ago, passionate4PA said: same! good luck to both of yall!! Good luck to all of us! Hoping for the best for everyone applying Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.