Ask a PA Admissions Director

[paadmissions]

@chris.shannon77 I would assume based on the information provided that you would be a competitive applicant. I obviously don't want to speak on the behalf of the programs you're interested in, but your recent work seems strong to me. Unfortunately, our program is located in NC so we're out of range :). That said, best wishes on applying!

Thanks for the input.

 

Just to close loop on this;

 

1. 55 hours of Post Bacc @ 3.90 GPA.  All fall into a science category.

 

2. Most (48 hours) of those hours were University but some of my classes throughout my course work were community college and/or online because of full time military or work.

 

3. Fall of 2012 and all of 2013 was full time student status with the Nuclear Medicine Technology Program at Rutgers University.  Some of the courses included Nuclear Physics I & II (B+, A), Radiobiology (B+), Radiopharmacy (A), Radiochemistry (A), Clinical Applications classes (A's), and Clinical Practice throughout all of 2013 (All A's).

 

Letters of recommendation are from the Nuclear Medicine Program Director (who taught all of the hard classes), from my clinical site, and from a PA.

 

If your program is in the Northeast, you think I should apply to it, and it isn't a conflict of interest because of the forum PM me and I'll add it to my program list.

[paadmissions]

@disregardless Thank you for your question. At least for the programs that require 500 hours I think you'll be ok, especially with the academic stats you've provided. For the programs that require 1000 hours, if you can update those hours when you're done I would encourage you to do just that. For those programs that don't allow updates, I'm assuming you're "stuck" with what you've provided thus far.  It's hard to say what the other programs will think if they require 1000 and you're slightly below. If they allow updates you may be somewhat competitive and your academics may carry you for those programs. However, a lot of programs that do require 1000+ hours tend to have a lot of their applicants exceeding that requirement (at least the ones that I've been around). If this year doesn't work out, you'll have sufficient hours under your belt by next year and it will probably make a difference. Hope this helps! 

 

@paadmissions

 

Hi I just submitted my application last week but I have something I was worried about. I submitted my app with around 820 HCE hours. At first, I was going to wait until I hit 1000 HCE hrs but I heard otherwise that it is better to apply Late June rather than Late July/Early August. I'm starting to regret that decision and I somewhat wish that I reached over 1000 hrs on my CASPA app before submitting it. Is this something I should be worrying about? I also mentioned on my application that I would be working Full-Time obtaining HCE until I enrolled.

 

Most of the schools I applied to require 500 hrs. The ones that require 1000 hrs I'm planning to apply to when I reach the 1000 hr mark (probably late July. What are my chances with the 1000 hr schools?). Another problem I encountered is that some schools don't allow you to update your application and will only accept the number of HCE hrs on the submitted CASPA.....

 

Here are my stats below:

 

Undergrad Ed School: Boston College

Major: Bachelor's of Arts in Theology.
         (Took a lot of Bio courses. Basically at least a Bio Minor. Finished all of the Pre-Med requirements before switching to Pre-PA)
Cumulative Undergrad. GPA: 3.54 (Verified GPA)
Science Undergrad. GPA: 3.37

Age at application time : 22

1st GRE: 321 Total. (159 Verbal. 161 Quan. 4 Writing. Hopefully my Personal Statement can offset this writing score...)

Direct Patient Care : EMT-Basic 590 hours. ER Tech 236 hours.

Shadowing: 36 PA Hours. Split among Neurosurgery, Orthopedics, Dermatology, Pediatrics, Internal Medicine.
79 MD Hours. Internal Medicine Private Practice.

 

Extracurricular/Research Activities: 180 hrs of Volunteering at Cancer Hospital, Working Part-time all throughout college, Biomedical Research, Working Catering, Middle East Mission Trip, Mexico City Service Trip.

Schools Applied: Schools in Philly, California, DC, Atlanta, Boston.

Application Submitted Date: 6/27/14. Verified 7/1/14.

 

Thoughts?

 

[paadmissions]

@nostraadms I would encourage you to seek CNA work if you're able to. The advice you've received so far is probably on par with the thoughts of a lot of programs. Some programs may view chiropractic medicine less favorable versus experience in a traditional doctor's office. That's not a knock on chiropractors (we have 1 who just graduated from our program and 1 currently enrolled and they are [were] terrific students), but it may be best to seek CNA work to keep your options for PA school more open. Hope this helps. 

Hello again PA admission, thank you so much for taking your time to answer my question.

 

A few follow up questions to my previous post.

 

What is your opinion of chiropractor assistant as hce? 

Would PA programs view CNA as better experience than chiropractor assistant? Some of the duties for CA are doing the ultrasound therapy, electric stim, some exercise therapy. I'm bummed out because my boss said i won't be involved in taking medical history, vitals, subjective complaint from patients and physical exam - would this be viewed negatively? When I asked my boss, he said not to interfere or even give my opinion on assessment, so there really is no input from me.  

 

I did what you suggested and contacted the programs I am applying to and each said they count my work as hce, but they said competitive hce would involve assessment, treatment, physical exams, etc...

Would I be better off with pursuing CNA?

 

Thank you again. 

[paadmissions]

@cuzco Thank you for your question. It would all depend on the LOR requirements for the programs you're applying to. I've seen some programs require a letter from a PA and some that do not. If you feel the RN who you worked with in Peru knows you well enough to evaluate professionalism, intelligence, patient interaction, dependability, etc., and the programs you're applying to don't require that a PA writes a letter on your behalf, I think you'll be fine. if they do require that a PA or physician write a letter for you, I would encourage you to keep shadowing those people so they can write a good and fair evaluation of you. You may want to research the LOR requirements a little further for the programs that you're applying to. Hope this helps!

Hi, I'd like your opinion on how competitive I am for this cycle.

 

My stats:

cGPA 3.7

sGPA 3.8

1,172 hours HCE (368 nursing home CNA, 152 medical volunteer in Peru, 652 hospital float CNA)

I've also done a lot of volunteering in the community

 

The issue is my letters of rec. I haven't shadowed with any PAs or MDs more than twice each so none know me well enough to write a letter ; At the hospital I float to a different unit every night so no single person has seen me work enough to write me a letter ; my nursing supervisor at the nursing home probably wouldn't remember me because it was several years ago I worked there and I was very part time.

 

As a result, I have a letter from my ochem professor, a letter from my microbiology professor, and a letter from an RN I volunteered with down in Peru.

 

I'm really afraid my unimpressive letters of rec will make it impossible for me to get accepted.

 

What do you think?

[paadmissions]

@illigsc Thank you for your questions. I usually think applicants with a 3.5 + GPA (overall and in the sciences), strong GRE scores and meeting or exceeding hour requirements have very little to worry about when it comes to getting an interview (if you apply at the appropriate time [i.e. ahead of the deadline]). If the programs you're applying to only require 500 hours I would think you exceeding that requirement is always a huge plus and balances your application. I remind applicants that just because the grades and hours are there you still have to interview, which is the determining factor on whether or not you are accepted. I've seen straight A students come in for an interview and assume that just because the grades are there they assume they've got the acceptance in the bag. So make sure you prepare for your interview as much as you have prepared your application. Hope this helps!

@PA Admissions director....Quick question, I graduated with a Bachelors in Microbiology with a cumulative GPA of 3.92 (I have Roughly the same science GPA) I have accumulated 830 hrs as a home health aide along with 150 volunteer hours at a hospital doing direct patient care. GRE score was 310. Do I have a competitive application to get in SOMEWHERE (Do not have a large preference on school choice), but most schools I am considering require no more than 500 Health Care Patient hours.

[rcardill]

@paadmissions 

 

What is the best way to go about estimating health care experience hours? I am worried about being slightly off on number of hours on my CASPA and how schools even go about verifying an applicants experience. 

 

Thank you!

[paadmissions]

@rcardill Thank you for your question. I think I'm ok to say that most programs do not require that you show documentation for your hours that are listed on your CASPA application. That said, if something looks out of place or fishy with the number of hours one completed in a certain amount of time, programs reserve the right to contact the supervisor, etc. I tell applicants to guesstimate to the best of their ability the number of hours if they don't have logs or pay stubs to refer to. For example, we have several special force medics who apply and they have thousands of hours of a span of several years. It's difficult for them to be 100% accurate with those hours especially during if a (or many) deployment(s) were included during that time. As long as it is not "out of place" looking I think your closest estimate will suffice. Hope this helps!

@paadmissions 

 

What is the best way to go about estimating health care experience hours? I am worried about being slightly off on number of hours on my CASPA and how schools even go about verifying an applicants experience. 

 

Thank you!

[rcardill]

@paadmissions

 

Thanks a lot! 

[daisy88]

@paadmissions

 

PA admission Director, Thank you for the great advices you give. Greatly appreciate your help!

 

I have a weird situation where I am confused on what to do. I am considered as an international student due to my immigration status, just a big mess trying to get my permanent residency but now I will be getting my green card by end of this year for sure. Now considering this, would I have to take Toefl exam? If so I have not taken it yet and I need to submit soon on CASPA. Plus, I have been in the United States since elementary school so have done all my schooling here in the USA so I didn't know how I would stand my chances for PA school just because of my status. Also, if I do have to take the toefl is it too late to take it now or should I just submit without it. I plan on submitting my application on CASPA in end of July, is submitting it at end of July too late itself? I am applying mostly in the Southeast PA programs.

 

My stats:

GPA:3.9

Gre: 153-V and 154-Q, 4 writing

Direct health care as ED tech 500 hours and work as prn

Indirect Health care as receptionist 2200 hours

Other experience as retail business management/co-owner-4000 hours

Shadowing: PA-50 hours and MD-20 hours

Volunteer:350 hours

 

Thank you

[paadmissions]

@daisy88 Thank you for your question. To be honest, I'm not really 100% sure on the immigration status question. The best advice I can give you is to contact the programs that you're applying to see what their policies are for applicants who are not US citizens. I'm sure you will get several different answers and you want to make sure you're not wasting your time applying to programs that only accept US citizens. That said, if you applied to our program, we have an international admissions office (they deal mostly with our undergraduate students), but I would ask them to assist me with an applicant in that situation. We have never run into this type of situation before so I don't want to make up anything and it be inaccurate. In regards to the TOEFL, we require any applicant whose first language is not English to submit TOEFL scores. Again, this is a program decision so you may need to clarify with those programs whether or not you  need to take it. The timeline of when you need to take it will also be dependent upon the program. Hope this helps!

@paadmissions

PA admission Director, Thank you for the great advices you give. Greatly appreciate your help!

I have a weird situation where I am confused on what to do. I am considered as an international student due to my immigration status, just a big mess trying to get my permanent residency but now I will be getting my green card by end of this year for sure. Now considering this, would I have to take Toefl exam? If so I have not taken it yet and I need to submit soon on CASPA. Plus, I have been in the United States since elementary school so have done all my schooling here in the USA so I didn't know how I would stand my chances for PA school just because of my status. Also, if I do have to take the toefl is it too late to take it now or should I just submit without it. I plan on submitting my application on CASPA in end of July, is submitting it at end of July too late itself? I am applying mostly in the Southeast PA programs.

My stats:
GPA:3.9
Gre: 153-V and 154-Q, 4 writing
Direct health care as ED tech 500 hours and work as prn
Indirect Health care as receptionist 2200 hours
Other experience as retail business management/co-owner-4000 hours
Shadowing: PA-50 hours and MD-20 hours
Volunteer:350 hours

Thank you

[Illigsc]

@PaAdmissions I had a question about HCE. I am a home health aide. In your experience is that good health care experience? It is direct patient care and paid. I had to take an STNA course to get the job, however it does not require my certification.

[SJH716]

@PAadmissions Director....this post may upset some people and I apologize. I am a potential PA student and a felon, the felony is for larceny - misappropriation of funds. The short of it is, in my last career part of the job function was acting as a Trustee to fiduciary accounts. I processed a loan from one account to another, where the money was paid back, however the act was illegal. It wasn't my intention to break the law nor did I believe, at the time, the loan was out of scope of my duties otherwise it would not have occurred. Fast-forward to today, I will be applying to schools where I will be honest and upfront about the incident, all other items, e.g. GPA, HRE, etc are on par or above minimum requirements. My question is what would you suggest I do to at least make myself get to an interview? In an interview I can verbally express the situation and discuss what I've learned from it.

 

Any suggestions from you or others is welcomed. Thanks.

[daisy88]

@paadmission Director, thank you for your advice. I am getting in contact with the schools I am interested. Also, as far as my stats go am I a competitive candidate? And would you consider submitting on CASPA at end of July as late?

 

My stats:

GPA: 3.9

Gre: V-153, Q-154, Writing-3.5

Direct health care as ER tech 500 hours working as prn

Indirect health care-2500 hours

Experience outside healthcare-4000 hours

Shadowing: PA-50 hours and MD-20 hours

Volunteer-350 hours

[paadmissions]

@llligsc Thank you for your question. Some programs may view home health aide as 'ok' experience. If you are able to transition to a clinical setting I think that experience will be more valuable, but I'm certain you have learned important lessons about compassion, patience, etc. as a home health aide which is always beneficial to have as a provider. Since you've been paid and have patient contact, your hours will probably stand more of a chance to count for programs, but to be safe I would email the programs that interest you (after you've read their website) to see if your hours count. When you talk with the programs make sure to have a detailed description of your responsibilities so they know the type of contact you have. The reason I say this is because some applicants who have the same background act more as "sitters" rather than performing duties similar to a CNA. Hope this helps!

@PaAdmissions I had a question about HCE. I am a home health aide. In your experience is that good health care experience? It is direct patient care and paid. I had to take an STNA course to get the job, however it does not require my certification.

[paadmissions]

@sjh716 Thank you for your question. If you are a competitive applicant and if I were you, I would do my research before applying. This research would include:

1. Contacting the medical boards in the state(s) in which you plan to practice. You need to make sure you can get a license to practice, otherwise you're wasting your time and money applying; and if accepted to a program, you would be wasting your education. Be willing to provide documentation, court documents, etc. if needed. 

2. After getting some feedback from the medical board(s), you then need to set up an appointment or contact the programs that you plan to apply to. Many programs probably have a policy in place for applicants with a background. I know our policy is that no one who has been convicted of a felony is eligible for admission. Students with a criminal background history, regardless of the intentions behind the mistake, are difficult to get into clinical facilities for rotations. In particular, large hospital systems and federal facilities. Keep in mind some preceptors (PAs or MDs who take students on rotations) may work in a private practice but may have hospital privileges that would require the student to have the same. Backgrounds can be a huge barrier. 

We all make mistakes and it is my hope that if offered an interview you have the chance to explain what you've learned from it, but make sure to check with the above people before moving forward. Hope this helps!

@PAadmissions Director....this post may upset some people and I apologize. I am a potential PA student and a felon, the felony is for larceny - misappropriation of funds. The short of it is, in my last career part of the job function was acting as a Trustee to fiduciary accounts. I processed a loan from one account to another, where the money was paid back, however the act was illegal. It wasn't my intention to break the law nor did I believe, at the time, the loan was out of scope of my duties otherwise it would not have occurred. Fast-forward to today, I will be applying to schools where I will be honest and upfront about the incident, all other items, e.g. GPA, HRE, etc are on par or above minimum requirements. My question is what would you suggest I do to at least make myself get to an interview? In an interview I can verbally express the situation and discuss what I've learned from it.

 

Any suggestions from you or others is welcomed. Thanks.

[paadmissions]

@daisy88 I do think your stats are very competitive for many programs. The GRE scores support the GPA nicely, which is one thing our faculty like to see. As far as submitting at the end of July, it depends on where you're applying. I would assume you would be safe for many programs that have a fall deadline, but make sure to be aware of deadlines. Most deadlines are misleading because a lot of programs operate on rolling admissions (first come, first serve) so the earlier you apply the better. Hope this helps!

@paadmission Director, thank you for your advice. I am getting in contact with the schools I am interested. Also, as far as my stats go am I a competitive candidate? And would you consider submitting on CASPA at end of July as late?

My stats:
GPA: 3.9
Gre: V-153, Q-154, Writing-3.5
Direct health care as ER tech 500 hours working as prn
Indirect health care-2500 hours
Experience outside healthcare-4000 hours
Shadowing: PA-50 hours and MD-20 hours
Volunteer-350 hours

[cvmedtech]

Hi! I was wondering if my stats are competitive enough to apply or if there is anything else you would recommend I do before applying. Also, should I wait to apply next cycle? Thank you so much for your advice!

 

Major: Medical Laboratory Science with minors in Chemistry and Biology

Overall GPA: 3.78

Science GPA: 3.68

Last 60 credits GPA: 3.96

I did not take the GRE and don’t plan to (my two top schools do not require the GRE)

HCE: 6,000 + more (currently employed as a medical technologist)

Direct patient care: ~830 hours doing phlebotomy at a rehab hospital, ~150 hours volunteering at a local hospital, ~30 bone marrow assist and preps

Volunteer: Big Brothers/Big sisters, Relay for Life, Hershey Park, and my hospital volunteering as a Patient Care Aide.

PA Shadowing: ~25 hours in general surgery and family medicine (I’ll be shadowing more PA’s in the future)

MD Shadowing: ~115 hours (I tried to shadow in different disciplines including family medicine, gynecology, pediatrics, emergency medicine, internal medicine, and surgery)

Licensure:  Clinical Laboratory Scientist

Certification: American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP), CPR/AED Certified
Extracurricular Activities: ASCP Scholarship recipient, Primary Care Day participant, People to People, Treasure for Pre-Med Society, Completed laboratory leadership series, Serve on performance improvement committee

Letters of Rec:  An MD, a PA, and my college organic professor.

[Rachel666]

@paadmission Director Thank you for all your suggestions and I have learnt a lot from this thread.  As a first time applicant, here's a few questions I have:

 

1) My GRE score is verbal 142(16%), quant 160(78%), so not that good especially on verbal.  Fortunately among the 7 or 8 schools that I want to apply, only 1 actually requires GRE but it needs both offical and self-reported score on CASPA.  My concern is: if I self report, will it adversely impact my chances even at the other schools that don't require GRE?  Will they think negatively of my qualification because of something they don't require but have seen on CASPA?

 

2) I am taking my final two prerequisite courses now (general chemistry II and organic chemistry) and won't have the grades until early Aug, but 2 schools i want to apply have deadline of Sep 1.  So do you think it's worth waiting for these grades to become available but taking the risk of not being considered by those 2 as my CASPA application will be too late?  I read on CASPA that all the pending courses won't be taken into GPA calculation and applicants will have to self report to schools, so that means I will have to report the two chemistry grades to most schools later, just because I want to apply the few ones which have earlier deadline.

 

I graduated from college over 10 years ago so need to re-take about 8 prerequisites, plus my grades back then were not that good anyway (many Cs).  I'm confident I can get A on both chemistry class, so it will definitely help on my overall and science GPAs.

 

Any comments will be greatly appreciated!

[afaulise]

@paadmission Thank you for being so willing to help us newbies-

 

I have applied to a number of programs this year and I think I have a really good chance. However I just found out I am pregnant. My husband and I have a plan in place, we discussed this a lot before even beginning to try to start a family. We also have A LOT of support from family in whatever capacity we find that we will need at the time.

Here is my question- When interview time comes around I will definitely be showing, I know that admissions cannot ask me directly about my pregnancy, but is it ok if I address it? I understand and appreciate the commmitment that is PA school and I am completely dedicated. I want them to know that I am prepared for school and a family but will they care? Is this something they would hold against me when considering me as an applicant? Any advice you can give is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[rnfromAZ]

PA admissions director/ all Pre PA students:

 

I have decided to defer my application until next cycle because I am still in the process of taking prereqs and the priority review deadlines for my potential programs have passed or are coming up soon. I want to get everything done, essay, etc and have it all ready to go when the next cycle opens and all I have to do is submit my letter of intent and have my recommendations written. Problem is- Ive taken classes at upwards of 7 different universities/CCs and I had to re-order a few transcripts some of them bc they got lost in the mail on the way to CASPA - pushing back my potential verification and submit date. Im afraid that will happen again and unless I submit my app to CASPA and have it all verified I will have to start from scratch next cycle and who knows... maybe more will get lost since I will have to send them again causing another delay

 

So would it be frowned upon if I submit my incomplete (missing a letter of recommendation) app CASPA in order to "save" my transcripts for next cycle? I would not submit this to the schools of my choice. 

 

 

Help!

 

Thanks

[Topsy]

`Here's my stats:

 

Graduated magna cum laude, Bradley University 2003, major psych, minor studio art.

GPA/science GPA is solid. Guessing around 3.6 or so. 

Post-bacc at SIUC. Don't know what my official CASPA GPA is...but I think I've gotten more A's than B's.

Have a smattering of W's on the transcript, but address it in my PS.... so it is what it is.

 

Over 2500 HCE in home healthcare, post-acute rehab facility for people recovering from traumatic brain injuries, and ICU unit secretary/CNA.

 

40+ hrs shadowing a family practice PA and a pediatric PA

 

30+ hrs volunteer at children's hospital - playing with kiddos in the onc dept/ensuring their families have a positive experience in general

100+ hours volunteer at resale shop (all proceeds go to the children's hospital)

20 hours hospice volunteer

400 hours direct service volunteer - women's center that helps survivors of domestic/sexual abuse

30 hours tutoring elementary school kiddos

 

1500 hrs undergrad research assistant with a child neuropsych lab

 

GRE: 155 verbal 67%, 146 quant 25% (me don't add so good), 5 analytical writing 93%.

 

Other things: pretty confident that I have a bitchin' personal statement, will have decent LOR from 1 professor, 1 volunteer coordinator, 1 PA.

 

Question: I want to apply this year...probably by the end of this week. Should I take the GRE again because my math score was so low???????

[paadmissions]

@cvarner Thank you for your question and sorry for the delay. Based on what you've listed I would assume you're in a good place to be competitive. If you ever decide to take the GRE and do well, you will probably open yourself up to more options for PA school should this cycle not work out. Your hours are very strong so I would recommend you apply this cycle to the programs that don't require the GRE. I hope this helps!

Hi! I was wondering if my stats are competitive enough to apply or if there is anything else you would recommend I do before applying. Also, should I wait to apply next cycle? Thank you so much for your advice!

 

Major: Medical Laboratory Science with minors in Chemistry and Biology

Overall GPA: 3.78

Science GPA: 3.68

Last 60 credits GPA: 3.96

I did not take the GRE and don’t plan to (my two top schools do not require the GRE)

HCE: 6,000 + more (currently employed as a medical technologist)

Direct patient care: ~830 hours doing phlebotomy at a rehab hospital, ~150 hours volunteering at a local hospital, ~30 bone marrow assist and preps

Volunteer: Big Brothers/Big sisters, Relay for Life, Hershey Park, and my hospital volunteering as a Patient Care Aide.

PA Shadowing: ~25 hours in general surgery and family medicine (I’ll be shadowing more PA’s in the future)

MD Shadowing: ~115 hours (I tried to shadow in different disciplines including family medicine, gynecology, pediatrics, emergency medicine, internal medicine, and surgery)

Licensure:  Clinical Laboratory Scientist

Certification: American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP), CPR/AED Certified
Extracurricular Activities: ASCP Scholarship recipient, Primary Care Day participant, People to People, Treasure for Pre-Med Society, Completed laboratory leadership series, Serve on performance improvement committee

Letters of Rec:  An MD, a PA, and my college organic professor.

[paadmissions]

@rachel66 Thanks for your question. I would assume you would be ok to list your GRE scores on your application even if the program does not require them. If they don't use that as a part of their considerations I don't think it will hurt you. As far as the 9/1 deadline, I would go ahead with submitting the application and then send official transcripts when the courses are complete. There is a section in CASPA where you can put what you're in progress of taking so I would think they would see it. To double check, you may want to call/email the program to make sure that is an acceptable way to update your application after you've submitted it. Hope this helps!

@paadmission Director Thank you for all your suggestions and I have learnt a lot from this thread.  As a first time applicant, here's a few questions I have:

 

1) My GRE score is verbal 142(16%), quant 160(78%), so not that good especially on verbal.  Fortunately among the 7 or 8 schools that I want to apply, only 1 actually requires GRE but it needs both offical and self-reported score on CASPA.  My concern is: if I self report, will it adversely impact my chances even at the other schools that don't require GRE?  Will they think negatively of my qualification because of something they don't require but have seen on CASPA?

 

2) I am taking my final two prerequisite courses now (general chemistry II and organic chemistry) and won't have the grades until early Aug, but 2 schools i want to apply have deadline of Sep 1.  So do you think it's worth waiting for these grades to become available but taking the risk of not being considered by those 2 as my CASPA application will be too late?  I read on CASPA that all the pending courses won't be taken into GPA calculation and applicants will have to self report to schools, so that means I will have to report the two chemistry grades to most schools later, just because I want to apply the few ones which have earlier deadline.

 

I graduated from college over 10 years ago so need to re-take about 8 prerequisites, plus my grades back then were not that good anyway (many Cs).  I'm confident I can get A on both chemistry class, so it will definitely help on my overall and science GPAs.

 

Any comments will be greatly appreciated!

[paadmissions]

@afaulise Thank you for your questions and congrats! No, we can't ask you about it, but a "round-about-way" to address it if given the opportunity is to talk about the support systems you have in place to handle the adjustment. You'll want to talk about the family support that you'll have in place should classes be rearranged and that you recognize the time commitment to PA and how you plan to balance that and being a new mom. You should also check with the programs to make sure there are no issues with a new mom in any type of cadaver lab setting Make sure there are no policies that would affect breastfeeding, etc. Just a thought and hope this helps!

@paadmission Thank you for being so willing to help us newbies-

 

I have applied to a number of programs this year and I think I have a really good chance. However I just found out I am pregnant. My husband and I have a plan in place, we discussed this a lot before even beginning to try to start a family. We also have A LOT of support from family in whatever capacity we find that we will need at the time.

Here is my question- When interview time comes around I will definitely be showing, I know that admissions cannot ask me directly about my pregnancy, but is it ok if I address it? I understand and appreciate the commmitment that is PA school and I am completely dedicated. I want them to know that I am prepared for school and a family but will they care? Is this something they would hold against me when considering me as an applicant? Any advice you can give is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[paadmissions]

@rnfromAZ That's frustrating I'm sure! i checked CASPA's FAQ page about returning applicants, which means that your information was saved from the previous cycle so the process is a lot less tedious than the previous time. According to their response, your application will have to be mailed to programs for your information to be saved, which I'm gathering you're aware of this by your post. So this obviously would mean you'd have to apply to at least one program. If you choose to do that, make sure that you would seriously consider that program(s) as an option if you submit your application. If you've missed the deadlines for the programs that are your top choice, I would probably recommend you start the process next cycle rather than wasting time and money to apply to program(s) that you really have no interest in attending. That said, you may find out if you do apply to a program that might not be your first choice that that program could be a good fit for you. Hope this helps!

PA admissions director/ all Pre PA students:

 

I have decided to defer my application until next cycle because I am still in the process of taking prereqs and the priority review deadlines for my potential programs have passed or are coming up soon. I want to get everything done, essay, etc and have it all ready to go when the next cycle opens and all I have to do is submit my letter of intent and have my recommendations written. Problem is- Ive taken classes at upwards of 7 different universities/CCs and I had to re-order a few transcripts some of them bc they got lost in the mail on the way to CASPA - pushing back my potential verification and submit date. Im afraid that will happen again and unless I submit my app to CASPA and have it all verified I will have to start from scratch next cycle and who knows... maybe more will get lost since I will have to send them again causing another delay

 

So would it be frowned upon if I submit my incomplete (missing a letter of recommendation) app CASPA in order to "save" my transcripts for next cycle? I would not submit this to the schools of my choice. 

 

 

Help!

 

Thanks