Ask a PA Admissions Director

[themickk]

Thank you for answering my first question!

Since my school only offers one semester of A&P + lab, I took that course with the intent to take a following A&P II + lab course at another local college over the summer. As an admissions officer, does it look odd that I took A&P at two different schools? Also, because Cornell only has a one semester A&P class, it covers a wider range of material. The A&P II class will have some overlap, but as long as I cover all of the required body systems, will it be acceptable as my prerequisites?

 

Thanks again!

[paadmissions]

@themickk From my standpoint, no, I don't see it as an issue if you're taking the part 2 at another institution. Thanks!

[rnfromAZ]

PA admissions- I sent you a PM regarding GPA from classes taken a while ago. Should I post on here instead?

[alster]

Thanks for answering my question! I was also wondering if there was a point above the 300 range that makes an applicant stand out. Being top quarter or at 90th percentile or something? Or above a 315 or 320 or 330? Or does your program mostly want the 300 and then all is equal? Thanks again! It's great to get some perspectives from someone on the other side of the admissions process.

[queenofkings]

Thank you for your response, I do feel a true understanding for those lacking healthcare and those in under served health care communities. Especially the elderly homeless or state SNF. I was once homeless as a teenager and have a true gut understanding of what this feels like. I see a lot of discussion in regards to scores for the GRE and students concerned with high grades, which I appreciate as a necessary component. However, where does the life knowledge ,background and love of humanity come into the interview process. Assume it's literally during the interview component and the application ? I know one can get extremely high grades, but where does the empathy and compassion for humanity graded in regards to future students? Regards, K

[paadmissions]

@queenofkings Those non-cognitive factors are usually seen more and evaluated more so in the interview process. However, compassion, empathy, knowledge and excellence are things you can incorporate into your personal statement so they see it on paper. Also, life experience is something that can be documented on the application with your volunteer, leadership experience and positions held. All of that has a place on the application for programs to see. Life experience is valuable to an application for sure! Hope this helps!

[queenofkings]

It does , thank you. Kelli

[arashid]

Thank you so much for answering my first question! I have another question. I have my BA already and I am planning to apply to PA schools next cycle. Some are BA programs and some are masters. Would it affect me negatively in the future if I receive a BA in PA rather than a masters? Or should I only focus on applying to masters program, that way I won't have any issues with finding a job. Do you think in the near future PAs with a BA will have to convert to a master level PA degree?

[dilemma84]

Hi Admissions Director, my school recently decided to add another type of A&P courses, one is basic A&P for nursing majors and one is for biology majors. They used to have only one type of A&P, would it matter which type I take? I already have my bachelor in biochemistry so either type would not affect my bachelor. I'm taking A&P because the majority of PA Programs require it. Thank you so much for your time !

[Miriam123]

Hello. I noticed on several different PA school sites so far that RD hours are not mentioned towards the clinical hours required; however, I see that many people on this forum have mentioned that they were previously RD's, and their work hours counted.

1) I want to confirm that RD hours count towards the required clinical hours.

2) In order to become an RD, you have to do about 8 months of internships in different settings in the nutritional field. Would these hours count as well?

 

Thank you,

Miriam

[ashleeiglesias]

Thank you for answering all our questions, paadmissions! I've searched this thread and found variations of an answer to my question but still need your advice.

 

It has been 2 years since I graduated college so I have no one I could ask for an academic LOR. I have LORs from a nurse supervisor at my hospital job and one from a PA I shadowed. I'm taking some extra college science classes from May-August so I could potentially get an academic LOR from one of those professors at the end of July or August. I'm just worried if it's worth it to apply later in the game for an academic LOR? Would you suggest I get one from a nurse educator instead or wait till August to apply?

 

Also some background info: 89%(161) verbal, 56%(153) math GRE, 3.2 sciGPA 3.6 cumGPA, 2400 hours HCE as a CNA at a children's hospital

[paadmissions]

@arashid Thank you for your questions. By 2020 all PA programs will be at the masters level but employers really don't care which degree you've received. It won't impact the quality of education you get should you go the bachelors or masters degree...it will be up to you which program suites you. If you plan to go into academia you probably want to go the masters route. Hope this helps!

[paadmissions]

@ru 2013 thank you for your questions. I would recommend the A&P for biology majors. Hope this helps!

[paadmissions]

@miriam123 Thank you for your question. I think I'm safe to say that RD hours would count for most programs, including ours. However, to be safe I would contact the programs that interest you to double heck before you apply. Regarding your second question I don't think your internship hours would count since it can be viewed as student hours needed for the certification. I hope this helps!

[paadmissions]

@ashleeiglasias Thank you for your questions. I would recommend applying early and then submitting your academic LOR later if you're able to. For example, CASPA will mail your application with at least 2 letters received. Once your third letter comes in it will be uploaded to your application. However, double check with the programs you're applying to to make sure all 3 letters don't have to be received at the time you submit your app. Make sure you get to know your instructor well so they can write a good letter. Hope this helps!

[ashleeiglesias]

Thank you so much, you were very helpful!

[MATTFIN3]

If I was rejected by a program after an interview, would it be wise to reapply to the same program? I took one extra course since then and I've been continuing my HCE.

[paadmissions]

@mattfin3 Thank you fr your question. Did the program mention the option to reapply next cycle in their response to your interview? If not, it may be wise to consider another program(s). If they didn't and you're still unsure you could ask for feedback from the program to see if it was academics or interpersonal skills during the interview. They may give you some feedback, they may not. My opinion is that the reasoning behind it was due to the interview and not necessarily your academics. The least the program could say is no when you ask for feedback, but it never hurts to ask. I hope this helps!

[julio08]

Do you have any experience with applicants from Quebec? More specifically, have you encountered applicants coming from our CEGEP system?

 

Here is my situation (based on completion of a 90-credit B.Sc, see below):

cGPA: 2.70

sGPA: 2.47

Last 60 credit hour GPA: 3.15

 

As is routine in this province, I attended a pre-university program in CEGEP (acronym that loosely translates into "general and vocational post-secondary college") where I received a numerical grade the following:

 

General Biology I and II

Organic chem I

General chem I and II

Human anatomy and physiology

1 Psychology elective

 

These CEGEP credits were then applied to my B.Sc in molecular biology, essentially exempting me out of freshman year (ie. doing 90 credits instead of 120 credits). The grades for these credits appear nowhere on my university transcript. Only a note saying I was exempt from taking them to graduate. Any idea how this would play out once I applied to PA schools? Would courses taken at a CEGEP be incorporated into my GPA? I have since taken Biochem I + II and a slew of other prereqs sought by most PA programs in university.

 

Also, I'm going back to CEGEP to get certified as a clinical laboratory technologist/medical technologist part-time. Would those grades be calculated into my undergad GPA as post-bacc credits? If so, do you suggest I concurrently re-do all applicable prereqs (all grades for classes listed above were higher than 70%, closer to 80% and were not used to calculate my cGPA/sGPA)?

 

Sorry about the length of the post ... and any possible ambiguity. Its hard to know what gaps to fill when explaining this ... unique... school system we have up here.

[paadmissions]

@julio08 Thanks for your questions. Every program will have a different policy for applicants who have completed their degree outside of the US. I would first recommend having your transcripts evaluated by the World Education Services (WES) to determine the US degree equivalency and for your grades to be translated on a US grading scale. Some programs may count the courses you've taken outside the US and some may not. For example, our program's policies for situations such as these are:

- We use the WES evaluation to determine if the degree is equivalent to a bachelor's degree or higher. If it is equivalent then the degree completion requirement has been completed. This is the only piece of information that we pay attention to on WES evaluations.

- All prerequisite courses must be taken in the US regardless if you've already completed them. This policy will vary from program to program.

- If English is not your first language you must submit TOEFL scores in addition to GRE scores

 

Again, contact the programs that interest you to see what their policies are regarding foreign graduates. I would also recommend boosting the prerequisite and science GPA because it's not in a competitive range for most programs I've encountered lately. I hope this helps!

[Pa1487]

What questions do you recommend asking after the interview? My school provides the PANCE first time pass rates on their website so I do not want to ask that. Also do you think it is appropriate to close at the end of an interview?

 

Thank you in advance. I can't stress enough how much this forum truly appreciates your insight.

[Pa1487]

What questions do you recommend asking after the interview? My school provides the PANCE first time pass rates on their website so I do not want to ask that. Also do you think it is appropriate to close at the end of an interview?

 

Thank you in advance. I can't stress enough how much this forum truly appreciates your insight.

[paadmissions]

@Pa1487 Thank you for your questions. After doing your research, if anything about the program (curriculum, etc.) stands out as being unclear, it may be best to ask for further clarification. Hopefully, an admissions overview or welcoming session may help clarify a lot of those things for you...I try to do that with applicants when they first arrive on campus, but other programs may operate a little bit differently. Be insightful about your additional questions..consider topics like:

- Other than what is mentioned on the website, what do you feel are strengths of the program?

- What do you think the program could do better?

- If faculty bios are available you may want to ask questions about them as a provider or their past experiences..Don't ask a question that would make them restate what you've already read.

- What do you feel are the biggest adjustments the students have to make once in your program?

- If faculty bios are not available what is their approach to teaching and medicine?

 

In my opinion, if you have multiple individual interviews it's ok to ask these things more than once to get a feel from everyone. I would build off these topics as I think it will afford you the opportunity to get to know the program better and see if it's a good fit for you. Don't ask the simple questions where the answers can be found on the website. Hope this helps!

[paadmissions]

@Pa1487 Thank you for your questions. After doing your research, if anything about the program (curriculum, etc.) stands out as being unclear, it may be best to ask for further clarification. Hopefully, an admissions overview or welcoming session may help clarify a lot of those things for you...I try to do that with applicants when they first arrive on campus, but other programs may operate a little bit differently. Be insightful about your additional questions..consider topics like:

- Other than what is mentioned on the website, what do you feel are strengths of the program?

- What do you think the program could do better?

- If faculty bios are available you may want to ask questions about them as a provider or their past experiences..Don't ask a question that would make them restate what you've already read.

- What do you feel are the biggest adjustments the students have to make once in your program?

- If faculty bios are not available what is their approach to teaching and medicine?

 

In my opinion, if you have multiple individual interviews it's ok to ask these things more than once to get a feel from everyone. I would build off these topics as I think it will afford you the opportunity to get to know the program better and see if it's a good fit for you. Don't ask the simple questions where the answers can be found on the website. Hope this helps!

[Pa1487]

Thank you so much! This is great advice.

 

My final question is when wrapping up the interview do you think it appropriate to close in a panel interview and ask "when can I expect to hear from you?" I want to sound confident but not arrogant. Perhaps there is a better way to say this?