Ask a PA Admissions Director

[evansja07]

I am going to be applying to PA programs this coming CASPA cycle. I am retaking my General Chemistry class this summer and it ends on July 22nd. ( I made a D in the course previously many years ago). I am expecting to make an A in the course. With the schools I am applying to, there is a rolling admissions process and I can have a pending prerequisite course as long as it is finished by December 2015. I know it is important to apply early, so should I submit my CASPA applications before this summer course is completed or should I wait until the course is finished and then complete my CASPA application? I want to know would admissions committees favor seeing the retaken grade first and foremost vs. awaiting a grade with the prior grade as a D?

[sdnola]

Hi, what are the administration team's thoughts on degrees from National University?  I am weight the difficult decision to leave my full time job to pursue a part time job and attend junior college classes or continue my full time position and attend National University.   Thank you for any direction.  i have not found questions of forums to answer this question.

[paadmissions]

@evansja07 Thank you for your question. I would recommend you going ahead and submitting your application, but make sure you have the chemistry as a planned or in-progress course on your CASPA application. Admissions committees should see that. Hope this helps!

I am going to be applying to PA programs this coming CASPA cycle. I am retaking my General Chemistry class this summer and it ends on July 22nd. ( I made a D in the course previously many years ago). I am expecting to make an A in the course. With the schools I am applying to, there is a rolling admissions process and I can have a pending prerequisite course as long as it is finished by December 2015. I know it is important to apply early, so should I submit my CASPA applications before this summer course is completed or should I wait until the course is finished and then complete my CASPA application? I want to know would admissions committees favor seeing the retaken grade first and foremost vs. awaiting a grade with the prior grade as a D?

[paadmissions]

@sdnola Thank you for your question. National University is regionally accredited so courses taken there should count. I'm not all that familiar with the reputation of National University but they do confer bachelor's degrees. If you are considering online classes through them (not sure if that's your plan) I would encourage you to aim more for in the classroom classes before going the online route.  You may want inquire with the programs you're interested in to get their opinion if you have high doubts about the quality of education you'll receive. I know this isn't much help, but hope it helps some. Thanks!

Hi, what are the administration team's thoughts on degrees from National University?  I am weight the difficult decision to leave my full time job to pursue a part time job and attend junior college classes or continue my full time position and attend National University.   Thank you for any direction.  i have not found questions of forums to answer this question.

[Hope326]

hello

I have a question regard LORs. What are the requirements for the LORs? what type of things should the physician or PA writing the LOR should include in the letter? I was asked by my PA who is writing my LOR for the letter requirements. I searched the schools I am applying to, but they mainly states a letter from a clinical supervisor without additional details

[KiB]

Hi paadmissions (and other future PAs),

 

Thank you so much for the wonderful insight! I would like to ask you a few specifics.

 

My undergraduate degree is in political science, and my GPA from that time is horrible (2.5). I worked for 4 years in a very different career before deciding to change to PA. I had to go back to school to take all of my pre-req classes, which ended up being nearly 60 credit hours, almost all biology, chemistry, and math. Being older, wiser, and with determination to become a PA, I earned a 3.82 for those credit hours. After applying last year and receiving only one interview, I'm very nervous about my chances. Will any school accept me with this history?

 

This cycle I will have ~2300 HCE hours working as a CNA at a hospital and great GRE scores. As for letters of recommendation, I know my current manager will write a great one. I have an excellent recommendation from my former boss, but that was not a medically related job. Should I still use him? Finally, is a letter from a nurse I work with acceptable or would it be better to ask a second manager? Both would give me great recommendations, but the nurse works closely with me and could speak to my personality better. What would an admissions committee rather see?

 

Finally, I have considered starting my master's in public administration while I wait for PA school to start. I figure that if I never get in I have to have a backup plan started! Would this be seen as a positive, negative, or neutral thing by admissions committees?

 

Thank you!

 

 

[Nostraadms]

Hello Paadmissions, thank you for taking time to answer our questions.

 

I have a 4.0 GPA for my prerequisite classes for PA school; however, i have a low overall gpa because I got B's and C's in my non-prerquisite science classes (ochem, physics, biochem, calculus).

 

My questions is: how significant are the non-prerequisite science classes compared to the prereq classes? How much do those classes impact decisions made by pa admissions?

[RegnumAnimalia]

Hey paadmissions, you've given me insight before and I'm back for more!

I shadowed an alumni PA of the program I interviewed at and all the questions were about him! Seriously, every single one was asking about how he interacted with patients, and doctors, and nurses. Not a single thing was asked about myself. I ended the interview even with asking "Is there anything on my application you'd like for me to touch base on" I got a nope and sent on my way. I wasn't surprised I got a rejection letter, but why even interview me if there was no interest in me?

[j1254]

Hello paadmissions,

          I am applying this application cycle and I was wondering if you could offer some advice regarding my situation. I am in the process of retaking both A&P 1 and 2 because they I took these classes more than 5 years ago. Currently, I’m enrolled in A&P 1 which will be completed in the next few weeks and am starting A&P 2 in the beginning of May, completing it in mid June. I was wondering if there was a way to complete my online application and have all my transcripts and letters of recommendation sent over prior to completing A&P 2 without being rejected outright. I understand that submitting early is very important. This is why I want to get all of my materials in as soon as possible and do not want to wait until after this course has ended to submit my application. Though, I also don’t want to submit my application in the end of April to have it rejected due to my A&P 2 course being out of date. Is there a way to submit my application in the end of April and email the universities that I am applying to, stating that I am currently retaking this course and will resubmit an updated copy of my transcript with the grade for A&P 2? Please let me know the best way to handle this situation.

 

Thank you in advance.

[paadmissions]

@assa26 sorry for the delay I'm out on vacation. If you'll go to our website at www.methodist.edu/paprogram and click on Letters of Recommendation on the left hand side of the page I have a list of traits that CASPA actually asks the evaluator to score. That hopefully will give you some guidance that you can share with the PA and whomever else you want to writes letter. Hope this helps!

hello

I have a question regard LORs. What are the requirements for the LORs? what type of things should the physician or PA writing the LOR should include in the letter? I was asked by my PA who is writing my LOR for the letter requirements. I searched the schools I am applying to, but they mainly states a letter from a clinical supervisor without additional details

[paadmissions]

@kib thanks for the post and sorry for the delayed response. I would encourage you to reapply again and give at least one more shot. You'll find many applicants who were accepted have had to apply multiple cycles before being accepted. Sometimes there just aren't enough seats. However, reach out tot programs you applied to ,if you're reapplying, and make sure there aren't any parts of your application that need improvement. I would encourage to write a new personal statement with you new application though. In regards to your question about your LOR, have a medical coworker or supervisor write a letter rather than you other employer. Hope this helps!

Hi paadmissions (and other future PAs),

 

Thank you so much for the wonderful insight! I would like to ask you a few specifics.

 

My undergraduate degree is in political science, and my GPA from that time is horrible (2.5). I worked for 4 years in a very different career before deciding to change to PA. I had to go back to school to take all of my pre-req classes, which ended up being nearly 60 credit hours, almost all biology, chemistry, and math. Being older, wiser, and with determination to become a PA, I earned a 3.82 for those credit hours. After applying last year and receiving only one interview, I'm very nervous about my chances. Will any school accept me with this history?

 

This cycle I will have ~2300 HCE hours working as a CNA at a hospital and great GRE scores. As for letters of recommendation, I know my current manager will write a great one. I have an excellent recommendation from my former boss, but that was not a medically related job. Should I still use him? Finally, is a letter from a nurse I work with acceptable or would it be better to ask a second manager? Both would give me great recommendations, but the nurse works closely with me and could speak to my personality better. What would an admissions committee rather see?

 

Finally, I have considered starting my master's in public administration while I wait for PA school to start. I figure that if I never get in I have to have a backup plan started! Would this be seen as a positive, negative, or neutral thing by admissions committees?

 

Thank you!

[paadmissions]

@nostraadms sorry for the delay I'm out on vacation. Some if the courses like biochemistry, organic and calculus are important classes that I think,whether required or not, are looked at and carefully considered because they are difficult and relevant preparatory courses. I would recommend that you consider retaking some of them to boost you overall science GPA. You may find admissions committees may put more weight in these classes than you think. We require those type of classes so it would be required for you to do well in them to be competitive. Hope this helps!

Hello Paadmissions, thank you for taking time to answer our questions.

 

I have a 4.0 GPA for my prerequisite classes for PA school; however, i have a low overall gpa because I got B's and C's in my non-prerquisite science classes (ochem, physics, biochem, calculus).

 

My questions is: how significant are the non-prerequisite science classes compared to the prereq classes? How much do those classes impact decisions made by pa admissions?

[paadmissions]

@Regnunanimalia sorry for the delay. That's a really hard question to answer. I'm not sure the intentions behind all the questions about the alumni rather than you and don't want to speculate too much. That said, I'm assuming there were other parts to your interview rather than one portion that may needed to be improved upon. If you're still interested in that program,or even if you're not, feedback regarding your interview could be helpful for you to prepare for future interviews. I would encourage you to seek feedback if you feel comfortable asking. Hope this helps!

 

Hey paadmissions, you've given me insight before and I'm back for more!

 

I shadowed an alumni PA of the program I interviewed at and all the questions were about him! Seriously, every single one was asking about how he interacted with patients, and doctors, and nurses. Not a single thing was asked about myself. I ended the interview even with asking "Is there anything on my application you'd like for me to touch base on" I got a nope and sent on my way. I wasn't surprised I got a rejection letter, but why even interview me if there was no interest in me?

[paadmissions]

@j1254 thanks for your question. I would submit the application and make sure your planned and in-progress courses are listed on the application. Make sure the programs you're applying to have flexible policies that would allow you to submit transcripts after you submit your application and that all coursework doesn't have to be completed at the time of application. I think most programs that have,for example, a December (or later) deadline allow you to submit your application with outstanding courses, then allow you to update them when the courses are complete. Hope this helps!

 

Hello paadmissions,

I am applying this application cycle and I was wondering if you could offer some advice regarding my situation. I am in the process of retaking both A&P 1 and 2 because they I took these classes more than 5 years ago. Currently, I’m enrolled in A&P 1 which will be completed in the next few weeks and am starting A&P 2 in the beginning of May, completing it in mid June. I was wondering if there was a way to complete my online application and have all my transcripts and letters of recommendation sent over prior to completing A&P 2 without being rejected outright. I understand that submitting early is very important. This is why I want to get all of my materials in as soon as possible and do not want to wait until after this course has ended to submit my application. Though, I also don’t want to submit my application in the end of April to have it rejected due to my A&P 2 course being out of date. Is there a way to submit my application in the end of April and email the universities that I am applying to, stating that I am currently retaking this course and will resubmit an updated copy of my transcript with the grade for A&P 2? Please let me know the best way to handle this situation.

 

Thank you in advance.

[RegnumAnimalia]

@Regnunanimalia sorry for the delay. That's a really hard question to answer. I'm not sure the intentions behind all the questions about the alumni rather than you and don't want to speculate too much. That said, I'm assuming there were other parts to your interview rather than one portion that may needed to be improved upon. If you're still interested in that program,or even if you're not, feedback regarding your interview could be helpful for you to prepare for future interviews. I would encourage you to seek feedback if you feel comfortable asking. Hope this helps!

 

 

I appreciate your feed back, and I know everyone else who has asked you appreciates it. Please don't fret about any delay in responses!

[thegreenmansaidhi]

Hi paadmissions,

 

I really appreciate all that you're doing for us pre-PA students! You're offering some excellent advice. I was wondering if you could do the same for me :). I graduated from a small private instutition in California 1 year ago (I'm 23 right now). My cumulative GPA is 3.82,, science GPA is ~3.7. I got 316 on my GRE, with 5.0 in the analytical section. I served on the health careers club commitee at my school, worked with a club at my school for an orphanage in Tijuana, was inducted into the honors society at my school upon graduation (no more than the top 5% are invited to apply), worked as an Anatomy Lab TA and tutor and a Parasitology TA. I also took an online med term course through UC San Diego. I expect that my LOR's will be very good, one from a professor/MD I worked as a TA for, one from a general surgeon MD I am scribing for, and another from a PA I have shadowed. I have about 70 hours of PA shadowing in the ER and primary care (which I'm continuing to do), and I'm working as a medical scribe in general surgery, gastroenterology, and internal med clinics. I also have my national and CA-state phlebotomy certification/license. I have about 100 sticks (only about ~60 hours) from this, as I cannot seem to find a job. I only began scribing recently, within the past 6 months, and have only accrued about 400 hours so far.

 

I was really hoping to apply this upcoming cycle, but I know that my HCE hours are not competitive. My health careers adviser recommended that I purposefully wait until July or even August (ah!) before submitting my application, that way I'll have around 800 hours and more volunteer experience. What are your thoughts about this? Or should I apply early and just hope schools will consider my application regardless of my hours? Is it okay to just state on my application that I'll have about 1,500-2,000 hours of experience by the time I actually enroll in a PA school? I've heard that admissions committees don't really care about this :/. I know I probably won't be able to stay in California, given the amount of importance most CA PA schools place on having a certain number of hours. Could you think of any schools where I would possibly be considered a fairly decent applicant? Or should I just give up on this year, save myself the time and money, and apply next year? I'm just so confused.

[paadmissions]

@thegreenmansaidhi Thank you for your questions. Of course I'm going to recommend our program since we require only 500 hours of clinical experience ;) We actually have CA residents in our program and who have recently graduated from the program. Always a thought!! www.methodist.edu/paprogram

When to submit your application for other programs is so hard to judge without knowing their deadlines. I would think submitting in July, I'm hesitant to say wait until August, would be ok for programs with a December or January deadline. However, most programs are rolling admissions so the earlier the better. Our program allows for applicants to submit monthly updates to their hours even after the application is received, but you may want to see if others work the same way. Also, not all program accept scribing hours. You'll see about half of the programs do accept them and half do not.  Be sure that you're not applying to programs that do not accept them because you're wasting your time and money if you're not planning to accumulate hours through another "position." Hopefully it's not hard to gather feedback from programs, but it never hurts to ask if those programs if you would be competitive without taking a year off. It's an expensive process so get as much information that you can before you start. Hope this helps!

Hi paadmissions,

 

I really appreciate all that you're doing for us pre-PA students! You're offering some excellent advice. I was wondering if you could do the same for me :). I graduated from a small private instutition in California 1 year ago (I'm 23 right now). My cumulative GPA is 3.82,, science GPA is ~3.7. I got 316 on my GRE, with 5.0 in the analytical section. I served on the health careers club commitee at my school, worked with a club at my school for an orphanage in Tijuana, was inducted into the honors society at my school upon graduation (no more than the top 5% are invited to apply), worked as an Anatomy Lab TA and tutor and a Parasitology TA. I also took an online med term course through UC San Diego. I expect that my LOR's will be very good, one from a professor/MD I worked as a TA for, one from a general surgeon MD I am scribing for, and another from a PA I have shadowed. I have about 70 hours of PA shadowing in the ER and primary care (which I'm continuing to do), and I'm working as a medical scribe in general surgery, gastroenterology, and internal med clinics. I also have my national and CA-state phlebotomy certification/license. I have about 100 sticks (only about ~60 hours) from this, as I cannot seem to find a job. I only began scribing recently, within the past 6 months, and have only accrued about 400 hours so far.

 

I was really hoping to apply this upcoming cycle, but I know that my HCE hours are not competitive. My health careers adviser recommended that I purposefully wait until July or even August (ah!) before submitting my application, that way I'll have around 800 hours and more volunteer experience. What are your thoughts about this? Or should I apply early and just hope schools will consider my application regardless of my hours? Is it okay to just state on my application that I'll have about 1,500-2,000 hours of experience by the time I actually enroll in a PA school? I've heard that admissions committees don't really care about this :/. I know I probably won't be able to stay in California, given the amount of importance most CA PA schools place on having a certain number of hours. Could you think of any schools where I would possibly be considered a fairly decent applicant? Or should I just give up on this year, save myself the time and money, and apply next year? I'm just so confused.

[thegreenmansaidhi]

@thegreenmansaidhi Thank you for your questions. Of course I'm going to recommend our program since we require only 500 hours of clinical experience ;) We actually have CA residents in our program and who have recently graduated from the program. Always a thought!! www.methodist.edu/paprogram

When to submit your application for other programs is so hard to judge without knowing their deadlines. I would think submitting in July, I'm hesitant to say wait until August, would be ok for programs with a December or January deadline. However, most programs are rolling admissions so the earlier the better. Our program allows for applicants to submit monthly updates to their hours even after the application is received, but you may want to see if others work the same way. Also, not all program accept scribing hours. You'll see about half of the programs do accept them and half do not.  Be sure that you're not applying to programs that do not accept them because you're wasting your time and money if you're not planning to accumulate hours through another "position." Hopefully it's not hard to gather feedback from programs, but it never hurts to ask if those programs if you would be competitive without taking a year off. It's an expensive process so get as much information that you can before you start. Hope this helps!

Hi paadmissions!

 

Thank you very much for your feedback. Your program is already on my list :). I am aware of the fact that some PA schools do not accept scribing as HCE, and have been contacting programs reagrding this. Thank you, again! I will wait until late June/early July to apply, I think.

[AmenaK1188]

I am really interested in becoming a PA and have been taking the pre-reqs to apply. My Undergraduate degree was in Political Science and my GPA was 3.66. However, my freshmen and sophomore year I attended different schools so the grades  I earned were not reported to the school I graduated from. I was dealing with personal issues my freshmen year along with the transition from a high school student to college student.  I recently calculated my over all undergraduate gpa and it was 3.04 and my science gpa at this point was 2.69 not counting the classes I need to retake. I am also taking more classes in the summer and in the following fall. I am also retaking the classes that I received less than great grades in. I plan on getting my certifications for PALS, ACLS and BLS before marticulation. I am also currently shadowing two PA-Cs. I need some advice on what my next steps should be. 

 

Please Help

[sabdulaziz]

I will be applying this year to schools across Texas and both programs in Oklahoma. My GRE score is low- 298. However, my GPA is 3.82, I've been shadowing and volunteering consistently, and I have strong references. As per my understanding, many schools don't care much for the GRE scores. I've explicitly been told to not retake the GRE from one of the advisors at the OKC program. However, I'm not sure what the norm is at other schools. From all of the schools I'm applying to, only one of them have a numerical minimum, so I wasn't sure if all of the other programs didn't put as much emphasis on it or if they have somewhat of an unofficial standard they go by. I've seen many questions asked and answered about GRE scores, but I was wondering if I should retake it or if my GPA and/or letters of recommendation would compensate for it. Thanks in advance for your help!

[jashdown]

PA Admissions, thanks for your advice on my previous question, it was helpful. I now have a question about letters of recomendation. I am planning on asking a PA that I work with and a professor who knows me well, both of whom will write good letters. I am struggling on the third. I work at a hospital and  a group home for people with developmental disabilities. I believe that my manager at the group home would write the best letter, she knows me personally and my quality of work. My other options are a nurse or a doctor at the hospital, I do not believe their letter would be as good, they do not know me on a personal level. Who should I go with? As always, thank you for your help.

[pajem]

PA admissions, what would you recommend to a student who has been waitlisted to do in order to be considered for acceptance?  Situation:  I interviewed with a really good school in CA, and I just received a waitlisted letter (3 days ago).  This was my second interview this year.  The first interview, I never heard back from the program even after inquiring when the program had started early this year.  I have one more school left to hear from hoping for another interview, do well and be accepted.  I applied to 9 schools total in 2013. 2013 was my 2nd time applying to different PA schools and I learned a lot from first time mistakes I made.  I know CASPA just opened, however, I do not want to diminish hopes of getting in for 2014.  The school that has waitlisted me, encourages students to send in updates such letters of recommendations, updated transcripts for consideration.  I intend on sending updated transcript in May as soon as my college algebra and composition grades are submitted.  Also, I am writing an email to the school to find out specifically in what areas of application were average and need to be polished.  Your advice is greatly valued.

[jtracy]

Dear PA Admissions Director:

 

I am just finishing up my P.A. pre-reqs in May and am getting my application ready on CASPA.  My first question is based on my background, can you please tell me whether I am a competitive applicant?  I am 35 years old with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science (Major) and Communications (Minor) from the University of Iowa.  My overall undergraduate degree GPA was 3.33.  I pretty much got all A's the last year and a half of college.  I was bored with Comm classes, which brought my GPA down).  I have received almost all A's in my P.A. pre-reqs (only one B in microbiology - I was working 35 hours a week at the time).  I have been working as a clinical assistant at a local hospital for the last year and a half.  I have volunteer experience, but not a lot of it is recent.  2 years of Habitat Young Professionals from 2007-2009 - about 800 hours; 2010 - about 80 hours teaching English to refugees; 2012 - about 50 hours volunteering at the local homeless shelter.  I have about 80 hours total of P.A. shadowing experience: 40 family practice and the rest dermatology, pain management, ER, etc.

 

Prior to going back to school I worked in the legal field as a paralegal for family law.  In my 20's I thought I wanted to be a lawyer, so I bounced around firms to see what I could learn from different attorneys.  I ended up learning a lot, but it doesn't look great on my resume.  Also, when my father was sick I moved home to the Midwest and it was difficult to find work there.  I am very concerned about the work history portion of CASPA.  I feel like I have grown up immensely in the last several years and that I have direction and a clearer purpose - evidenced partially by my good pre-req grades.  I worry that my work history is going to look bad.  Do I need to include it?  Is it okay if I just include my medical work history?

 

Any information you could provide regarding my competitiveness and advice about work history on CASPA would be greatly appreciated!

[medicKT]

Hello,  I am working on applying for PA schools this application cycle and I have a question about my house of health care experience. I work as a paramedic and have heard that only a percentage of the hours worked are counted due to standby time. What is a common percentage of hours that applicants use? 

 

Thank you

[paadmissions]

@AmenaK1188 Thank you for your question. I would hope if you've performed well especially in your jr and sr year and post bacc work, that the programs you're applying to will see the strong upward trend in academic performance. That said, be careful with your science GPA and make sure there are no cut off points for science GPAs for the programs that you're applying to. I've heard of some programs, regardless of a spectacular turn around in performance, have hard limits on GPAs. Some programs do not and are able to be more flexible in their considerations. 

In regards to health care experience, make sure shadowing will count for the programs you're applying to. If you have to have paid hours (which a lot of programs require), you may have to seek other ways of getting hours outside of shadowing. Make sure to do your research carefully before applying. Hope this helps!

I am really interested in becoming a PA and have been taking the pre-reqs to apply. My Undergraduate degree was in Political Science and my GPA was 3.66. However, my freshmen and sophomore year I attended different schools so the grades  I earned were not reported to the school I graduated from. I was dealing with personal issues my freshmen year along with the transition from a high school student to college student.  I recently calculated my over all undergraduate gpa and it was 3.04 and my science gpa at this point was 2.69 not counting the classes I need to retake. I am also taking more classes in the summer and in the following fall. I am also retaking the classes that I received less than great grades in. I plan on getting my certifications for PALS, ACLS and BLS before marticulation. I am also currently shadowing two PA-Cs. I need some advice on what my next steps should be. 

 

Please Help