Ask a PA Admissions Director

[Ultimate123]

@paadmissions

I have a question about how you view Master's degrees. I have a poor Undergrad Overall and Science GPA ~3.1 and my Master's total and science are only ~3.2. So my overall GPA isn't stellar either. Does having my Master's (Exercise Physiology) help or hurt in this situation since I didn't improve too much? I definitely worked harder in grad school (clearly not hard enough), but my program was tough. I have taken A&P, Micro and Genetics as a post Bacc and gotten all A's. Does that help at all?

Since we are talking about my stats......I have a 310 GRE and about 7500 direct contact hours. Any chance I can overcome the bad GPA?

 

Thanks for all your help.

[Kalevich]

@paadmissions

I am currently completing my Bachelors along with working as an Anesthesia Tech in the O.R. I will have accumulated approx. 4 yrs in my position when I complete my degree. Do you feel my experience as an Anesthesia Tech will be sufficient HCE? Both the position and time spent.

Thanks!

-Matt

[QuirkyMedKid]

One question I've wondered is how do you stand out to the as an applicant. I don't like trying to juggle clubs with school. Are there other things I can do to stand out?

[FriedmanPAC]

Good evening and thank you for being available for incoming questions. I have heard on the forum that one of the schools I have applied for has been sending out interview invitations. I know they have received my supplemental application. Is it ever appropriate to call the school and inquire about your application status? Is it better just to wait it out?

[paadmissions]

@pglaser01 Thanks for your question. I don't hear as much "chatter" about this topic like I did in years past, but some, not all programs, may see an applicant not waiving his or her rights to a letter to be concerning. Perhaps it could be perceived as the applicant not "trusting" the writer or being concerned about what may be said about them. If you waive the right to the letter, it's perceived as you being ok with what is being said. I hope this helps. Thanks!

[paadmissions]

@justme Thank you for your question. There is nothing wrong about calling to inquire about the status of your application. If you want to ask anything about interviews, I would maybe ask if they've scheduled their interviews and see if they're willing to share those dates with you over the phone. I would caution you about inquiring about if they're scheduling one during the time you'll be interviewing with another program. Although I know your intentions are good it could be perceived differently. It's extremely difficult for programs to accommodate applicants in situations such as those...from our standpoint we are empathetic to those situations, but can't always make an exception for everyone. Tread lightly on how you approach it. Hope this helps some!

[paadmissions]

@ultimate123 Thanks for your questions. I do think having a masters degree in a relevant topic like Exercise Physiology is a plus to your application. If you were applying to our program I would have to look at your prerequisite GPA before I could say that your application would be competitive...other programs may approach in the same way. If you're able to calculate your prerequisite GPAs for the programs you're applying to, that would help you compare yourself to the programs' averages. I think your GRE and HCE are a strong balance to the other academic selection factors. Hope this helps.

[paadmissions]

@kalevich Thanks for your questions. I don't see why your hours wouldn't count and/or how they could be viewed as poor HCE. You've got time to start researching programs now, so if you don't see your position listed on websites it doesn't hurt to inquire with the programs that interest you. Anesthesia techs are not a common position our program sees so don't be surprised if you don't see it on the list of "typical" HCE positions. That doesn't mean it won't count, just call or email the programs to get clarification. Hope this helps.

[paadmissions]

@quirkymedkid Thank you for your questions. Non-cognitive factors like involvement in other activities outside of school can be important to some programs and show a good balance for some applicants. I would encourage you to get involved in your community or if you have ways via your HCE to get involved at your clinic or hospital I would try to seek those opportunities. Other ways applicants stand out on paper are through a strong and consistent academic performance (obvious), strong HCE, good LORS and a strong personal statement. Interviews tell programs a lot about an applicant and how they will fit in to the program and profession. It's important that you prepare yourself for your interview as well. Hope this helps a little.

[paadmissions]

@friedmanPAC Thank you for your question. I tend to ask applicants to let the process take it's course. It's ok to inquire about the status of your application occasionally, but it tends to make applicants, in my opinion, out to be over anxious. We realize how important this next step is in the lives of hundreds of applicants, but it's important to let the process work. I hope that the program initially contacted you to confirm receipt of your application. Alllll programs contact applicants with completely different letters and "next steps" for new applicants. Our program always confirms receipt of the application, notes any outstanding prerequisite requirements and includes a FAQ page. I'm not sure how the program you're applying to works, but if they haven't made reference to receiving all required coursework, GRE scores, etc. it does not hurt to call to make sure they have everything they need to consider your application further. If they have provided this information, I would encourage you to be patient. I'm assuming, like our program, other programs won't fill their class in one interview session. Hope this helps!

[justme]

Thanks so much!! You're a big help!

[zoopeda]

Quick one: are re-applicants generally considered favorably (ie, as tenacious and committed to the path, etc), unfavorably (ie, stigmatized as failures, stale, or unwanted, etc), or neither (ie, no different, considered exactly the way other first time applicants are)? Thank you!!

[justme]

Can you tell us when Mtehodist University will begin sending out interview notifications? Thanks!!

[justme]

sorry, Methodist!

[paadmissions]

@justme We plan to send out invites for September interviews in mid tolate-August. We interview until early spring. Thanks!

[tub60084]

Hello, I was wondering if applying to 20+ schools will affect the way my application is viewed?

[sumya_e]

What are some current issues physician assistants are facing.

[zoopeda]

Dear Admissions:

Are re-applicants generally considered favorably (ie, as tenacious and committed to the path, etc), unfavorably (ie, stigmatized as failures, stale, or unwanted, etc), or neither (ie, no different, considered exactly the way other first time applicants are)?

Thank you!!

[Gayana]

Hi, I really need your advice! In the past I have applied to PA schools two times, and both times i have been waitlisted. My undergrad GPA was 3.3. I decided to attend accelerated one year nursing bachelors program ( it is giving me a great knowledge and experience). However, I will still apply to PA programs next year, because this is what I want! I've been a straight-A student at my nursing program, but for some reason my school has added both my GPA from undergrad and GPA from nursing school, ending up currently a 3.5 GPA. So my questions are: Are Nursing school and successful completion of nursing program going to better my chances in getting accepted to the PA program? How do PA programs look at the nursing student applicants? And, whether I still have to re-take couple of my prerequisite coursework from the past with the C grade?

Edited July 30, 2013 by Gayana

[paadmissions]

@sumya_e Thank you for your questions. See issues made by our faculty below:

- Reforms in healthcare by far the biggest issue along with reimbursement from insurance companies.

- The decision whether to seek work in primary care or specialties, whether to seek a certificate of additional qualification, the changes in healthcare availability with the affordable care act.

- The policies/laws in his/her particular state. Not every PA is going to face the same issues although, prescriptive privileges and scope of practice issues are most common. Several Health systems give PAs complete autonomy whereas others restrict what they feel a PA should be permitted to do even if a particular task is considered an area of competence. Some some PAs are lobbying to get their state to be more PA friendly and expand their privileges.

[paadmissions]

@zoopeda Thank you for your question. We do have a lot of reapplicants each year. Our program does not hold it against the applicant if he/she applies, but we expect to see improvements in the application over time. For example, if we told an applicant the reason(s) they weren't competitive with the applicant pool was due to their GPAs, we expect the applicant to make improvements in the GPA from the previous cycle that they applied. I would make sure that if a program provided recommendations for improvement to your application, that you've done your best to meet their expectations. I hope this helps!

[paadmissions]

@gayana Thank you for your question. Nursing school is a somewhat relevant field to help you prepare for a medical program, but it's not always a guaranteed path to acceptance to PA school. Hopefully, the programs you're applying to will see that improvement to your overall GPA was due to your academic performance in nursing school. CASPA breaks down your application so programs can see your post-bacc performances. In your personal statement, I would make sure to talk about why you chose the nursing school route, how you think it has prepared you for the PA curriculum, how it has enlightened you about the PA profession, and why you are not pursing NP school over PA. I think being able to justify these points may provide the committee with an idea of why you took the nursing school route. Just because it's not the norm doesn't mean it's wrong, but be prepared to talk about it. Those are the questions I would have if I read your application. The positive side of your post-bacc work is that you performed well so that works to your advantage. If you still have Cs in your prerequisites you should consider retaking them to boost your prerequisite GPA. Nursing classes don't always count for PA prerequisites. Hope this helps!

[Gayana]

@paadmissions. Thank you very much for the advice!

[aerten]

@aeten Thank you for your question. I know from our standpoint, we don't follow up on clinical experience positions for applicants unless there is something that realllly jumps out as being strange, and that rarely happens. I assume that most programs don't have the time to that...I know we certainly don't. Hope this helps!

 

(Delayed response...)

Phew! Great news! Thank you so much for your response!

 

Also... in reading through many of the earlier posts on this thread and your consistently thoughtful responses, I feel very appreciative of the time and effort you have devoted to helping us "wannabes" along. Preparing to apply for PA school feels like a very challenging task, and it is a wonderful reassurance to get your perspective on things. THANK YOU!!

[allysons]

Hi, I am really early on this entire process of becoming a PA, I was wondering about the experience hours? Most people here seem to have years of experience after their undergraduate degree. I assume that people who apply out of college are at a disadvantage, so I was wondering as a Pre-PA student, what can i be doing throughout college as a job or anything to be gaining acceptable experience hours?