paadmissions Posted May 23, 2013 Author Share Posted May 23, 2013 @JoeM Thanks for your question. I think if you have 500 hours by the time you submit your application you should be ok because of the quality of your experience. If the program doesn't require hours, I think I'm ok assuming this, but contact the programs just to double check (as you've already noted that you are). There are other programs that may require 250-500 hours (hint, hint: our program ;) requires 500 hours) so check those out to if you're interested! Hope this helps! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paadmissions Posted May 23, 2013 Author Share Posted May 23, 2013 @swarley Thank you for your question. The only places I'm familiar with on CASPA where you would make comments would be to explain any academic dismissals, probations, etc, and where you put your personal statement. I would read over the FAQ page that CASPA has for applicants. They might have something on there that I'm not aware of or that I'm not thinking of off the top of my head. Hope this helps! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paadmissions Posted May 23, 2013 Author Share Posted May 23, 2013 @randonD Thank you for your questions. To be honest, I would prefer not to receive a CV for a student since all of the information provided is in the CASPA application in one form or another. Sometimes programs request it, but I have not come across many that do. However, if you do submit it, I don't think it would hurt your application. I hope this helps! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paadmissions Posted May 23, 2013 Author Share Posted May 23, 2013 Hi everyone! I will be out of the office on vacation May 24 -June 1st. My responses may be a little delayed, but I will eventually get back with each of you asap! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paadmissions Posted May 23, 2013 Author Share Posted May 23, 2013 @jwpfeiff Thank you for your questions and sorry for the oversight of your post. I would recommend 45-60 hours at least to demonstrate your potential to be successful. That many hours should obviously be enough to boost your overall GPA which is difficult to do. Your other factors: GRE, HCE and other volunteer/leadership positions will add a lot to your application. I would encourage you to continue on the track you've planned and look at making application not this cycle, but possibly next cycle depending on how quickly you can get the hours done. Remember, it's a marathon not a sprint so if it takes 2 more cycles you will be better prepared. Hope this helps and best wishes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paadmissions Posted May 23, 2013 Author Share Posted May 23, 2013 Hi everyone! I will be out of the office on vacation May 24 -June 1st. My responses may be a little delayed, but I will eventually get back with each of you asap! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cavvz Posted May 24, 2013 Share Posted May 24, 2013 I was looking at Drexel as one of my choices... I have 72 credits from a community college, how would you interpret this...acceptance without a BA? Non-Degreed: Those who do not hold an undergraduate degree but have accumulated at least 90 semester credit hours (or 135 quarter credit hours) of acceptable transfer credits at the time of application. Currently, Non-Degreed Applicants accepted intothe PA Program will matriculate for a single degree, the Master of Health Science, and notas candidates for dual degrees, the Bachelor of Science and the Master of Health Science.The provisional acceptance for a Non-Degreed Applicant who does not document on official transcripts the successful completion of all missing prerequisite or elective coursework by the end of the spring academic term prior to expected matriculation will be rescinded. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwpfeiff Posted May 24, 2013 Share Posted May 24, 2013 (edited) @paadmissions Thank you for your response and insight, it's greatly appreciated! Enjoy your vacation! Edited May 24, 2013 by jwpfeiff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpuckett163 Posted May 24, 2013 Share Posted May 24, 2013 My Bio 1 & 2 are more than 10 years old. Would it be better for me to retake them or to take advanced level Bio classes instead. All of the schools Im considering say they will take upper level Bio classes as a replacement for 1 & 2 if 1 & 2 are too old. I would like to retake 1 & 2 as a "refresher" but Im not sure if this route looks bad to potential admissions committees. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paadmissions Posted May 25, 2013 Author Share Posted May 25, 2013 @cavas Thank you for your questions. What I would do is ask for an unofficial evaluation of your transcripts from Drexels admissions people. If you've only completed 72 hours you have to make sure those are transferable credits. I may be wrong, but I don't think all 72 hours are transferable because they're all at the cc level. That said, some schools consider a lot more cc work to be transferable than Methodist does at the undergraduate level.. So I could be completely wrong. The last part of the statement you posted means (I think) that you have until the spring prior to their start date to complete the outstanding prerequisites. If you've been accepted and you don't complete them, your acceptance will be taken back. Hopefully this answers your questions. Please respond if it doesn't. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paadmissions Posted May 25, 2013 Author Share Posted May 25, 2013 @jpuckett163 thank you for your questions. I don't think it would hurt to retake Bio I (more animal/human biology driven),but if you're allowed to substitute upper level Bio courses and only have time to take 2 courses I would recommend anatomy and physiology and maybe cell biology, genetics, micro, or medical micro... These tend to be more challenging and better preparation for PA school in my opinion. I hope this helps! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiby321 Posted May 27, 2013 Share Posted May 27, 2013 I graduated in 2007 with B.S in bio, worked as emt for one years, went to med school in the Caribbean in 2008 for a year and half, failed out of med school because of serious personal reasons (abusive relationship), came back to the states and worked for three years at a non-medical related job to support my parents financially. My life was a mess and got a DUI in 2010. I have always love to help people and medicine is my passion, so i want to pursue a pa career. I am planning to take more classes to raise my gpa ( I have 3.1 overall and 2.9 science). But even if i raise my gpa, what are my chances of being admitted to a pa program given that I failed med school, was working a non medical related job and have a DUI record? Please help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paadmissions Posted May 27, 2013 Author Share Posted May 27, 2013 @tiby321 thank you for your questions. From our program's standpoint we do not admit students who have been dismissed from another nursing, medical or PA program. Even if you weren't technically dismissed from the program your academic struggles would be a red flag. However, you may find a few programs that may have different policies but this is one policy I'm not too familiar with (as far as other programs are concerned). I don't think the DUI will hurt you too bad as long as your up front with that information on your application. I hope this helps! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ppelavin Posted May 27, 2013 Share Posted May 27, 2013 Hello paadmissions, thank you in advance for your time and help! I have my application ready to go except for my personal statement which I'm struggling with topic wise. I applied to med school 2 cycles ago but even with a good post-bac academic record and 4 years of working in clinical research, my first 2 years of college just weren't super strong and I didn't make the cut academically. I got accepted to, and just finished (with a 3.74 GPA), a masters in biomedical sciences program which is affiliated with a med school and meant to strengthen your application to med school academically, but during the program I discovered the PA profession through one of our classes and became really interested in the profession and I realized it is a great fit for me. My current personal statement mentions my path of applying to med school, doing the MBS program and discovering the PA profession but I've gotten a lot of feedback from other applicants on this site, feed back which is greatly appreciated and that's gotten me thinking, to not include the fact that I applied to med school. I was hoping to get the opinion of someone who has read a lot of personal statements and worked in admissions, is this a something that would be a big red flag? Thank you so much! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiby321 Posted May 27, 2013 Share Posted May 27, 2013 @tiby321 thank you for your questions. From our program's standpoint we do not admit students who have been dismissed from another nursing, medical or PA program. Even if you weren't technically dismissed from the program your academic struggles would be a red flag. However, you may find a few programs that may have different policies but this is one policy I'm not too familiar with (as far as other programs are concerned). I don't think the DUI will hurt you too bad as long as your up front with that information on your application. I hope this helps! Dear paadmissions, thank you so much for your reply. I looked up a lot of schools and most of them require students to submit college/undergrad grades. So would it consider dishonesty if I do not include my med school grades? I read many post that schools/arc can find out about the "missing" grades. Or should I include them and explain the personal reasons that led to dismissal? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Docjay8541 Posted May 28, 2013 Share Posted May 28, 2013 Dear PAADMISSIONS My goal is to get to PA school, recently discussed this with one of my mentors and she pretty much told me its time I got my head out of my butt as I belonged here 10 years ago. Here is my background I have a Masters in Public Administration, I was a Navy Corpsman for 8 years and found I miss medicine. I am starting to take science courses at the local CC as they are required and I don't have them, Masters GPA was 3.3. My Goal is to be admitted to MEDEX, but I am looking at other programs as well. Should have all the science classes done and I am working on my statement. LOR;s from 1 PA 1 ER physician and Former CO of an overseas station. Have my MA cert and am looking for work to beef up my experience.What other ways can I prepare myself for PA school and ensure competitiveness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paadmissions Posted May 28, 2013 Author Share Posted May 28, 2013 @ppelavin thank you for your question. I would probably have to side with you not motioning that you applied to med school. Your intentions may not be to say that you're applying to PA school because you didn't get into med school but it could be perceived that way. I think it's ok to mention that early on your initial plans were to pursue the medical school track, but discovered the PA profession. At that point you should be talking about the what attracted you to the PA field, etc. I hope this helps! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paadmissions Posted May 28, 2013 Author Share Posted May 28, 2013 @tiby321 yes, you should include those grades. If you don't and schools find out, you could violate CASPA's code of conduct and that can keep you from applying to any program. Most importantly it would be dishonest. The best thing to do is give everything up front and provide an explanation. Hope this helps! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paadmissions Posted May 28, 2013 Author Share Posted May 28, 2013 @docjay8541 thank you for your questions! I think you've got a great résumé for PA school. I would check with all the programs you're applying to to make sure the cc level is ok for prereqs. Some programs have a preference of where you should take them others do not. If you're able to continue shadowing up until your matriculation date I would encourage you do do that. It doesn't hurt to contact these programs to see if there's anything else you should be doing. I hope this helps! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ppelavin Posted May 28, 2013 Share Posted May 28, 2013 Thank you very much paadmissions, I'll re-work my statement to reflect that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Docjay8541 Posted May 28, 2013 Share Posted May 28, 2013 Thank you very much, I am going to look into other shadow opportunities and see what I can find. I will also check with the programs based on your recommendation. Thank you again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justbeachy Posted May 28, 2013 Share Posted May 28, 2013 Dear paadmissions, You gave me some advice about retaking general chem, organic chem, etc at a 4 year institution to help boost my application. I have been considering doing a post bac program to retake just about all of the prereqs. Many of my classes are now 10 years old, except for micro and A&P. I know these programs are usually for medical school applications, but some don't require the MCAT and the classes are in line with the PA requirements. Specifically, I am looking into UC Berkeley's post bac extension program. I thought this would be a more succinct way to get through the coursework. Have you heard of pre PAs going this route? Will it look like I was intending to go to med school? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
optimist-ic Posted May 28, 2013 Share Posted May 28, 2013 Hello, Although I don't like to think negatively, I strongly believe that it's good to prepare for the worst. I am currently aware that I am going in with a weaker chance therefore would like to be prepared to apply for the following year if I don't get in this cycle. With that said, I currently have all the prerequisite courses fulfilled for the schools that I am applying to. However, my performance during my undergraduate years was poor. I've spent the last 3 semesters taking the prerequisite courses at a community college, making sure I did very well and finally brought my cumulative gpa up to a 3.0 (just enough to apply). I would like to continue taking classes during the Fall semester and registration just opened, but I don't know what classes I should take. Do you have any recommendations on what courses I should take during the Fall? I figured it might be a good idea to continue taking classes to a) continue boosting my cumulative GPA just in case I don't get in this cycle b) show the school during the interview that I am serious about getting into PA school and that I haven't been sitting around doing nothing c) keep my brain working during the time I'm waiting. I was thinking I can take medical terminology because a lot of schools don't require it but recommend it and also thought about taking physics since a friend who is applying to med school recommended it. I would like to have a full load of courses for my semester; 12-15 credits. -CGPA: 3.0 -SGPA: 3.75 -LOR: 3 (1 PA, 1 Prof, 1 EMS Chief) -HCE: 1000+ hrs as an EMT-B -Undergrad: Criminal Justice CGPA 2.75 -Prerequisite Courses Taken: A&P I, A&P II, BIO I, BIO II, MICROBIO, GEN CHEM I, GEN CHEM II, ORGO, ABNORMAL PSYCH, INTRO TO PSYCH, COLLEGE ALGEBRA -Plans to take GRE by end of July Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paadmissions Posted May 29, 2013 Author Share Posted May 29, 2013 @justbeachy thanks for your questions. I'm actually a fan of post bacc programs because it shows a lot of work done in a short amount of time. MU is currently in the process of developing our own post bacc program and Berkley is one we researched. Some other programs may have differing opinions, but we are in favor them. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paadmissions Posted May 29, 2013 Author Share Posted May 29, 2013 @jchung6934 Thank you for your questions. Other classes I would recommend are - org 2 - biochemistry -statistics - physics - medical microbiology - medical micro - genetics - cell physiology These are just a few recommendations, and also consider where you're taking these courses. Make sure the programs you're applying to don't have a preference of cc vs 4 year school. Hope this helps! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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