Ask a PA Admissions Director

[paadmissions]

@meaa14 Thank you for your questions. Academically, your GPAs look strong to me and because you've taken time to shadow a PA I think your application is more competitive. It may be beneficial to contact the programs that you're interested in to see how you compare to their applicant pool, but academically you should be competitive. If the programs require the GRE you will need to be within a competitive range with those scores as well. Make sure you're able to communicate through your personal statement (or through a supplemental application, if applicable) the reasoning behind the career change. That would be the first question I would ask when I read your application. Thanks and best wishes!!

[paadmissions]

@amsenarighi Your GRE scores are strong in my opinion. However, the prerequisite GPA may be a little low in comparison to the applicant pool... so if you're able to increase that GPA by retaking courses that would help especially if you prefer the PA field over the NP field. Hope this helps.

[themickk]

Hi!

 

I am entering my junior year at Cornell, which means I am getting ready to apply for schools within the next year. Although I have shown significant improvement, my freshman year was terrible, and I got a few C's in gen chem, gen biology, and calculus. I've taken many more biology and nutrition classes and have received A's and B's, but I'm afraid that the C's in gen chem will not even allow me to apply for many schools! I got an A in both semesters of Organic Chem, but so many PA schools set high standards for general chemistry over upper level chemistry courses like orgo and biochem. Is it worth retaking these classes, especially gen chem over my Junior summer and reapply summer after graduation?

 

Thank you for taking the time to answer all of these questions!

[ashmash]

Thank you for all of your very thorough responses. I have one more question since it looks like you are also taking on stats questions.

 

4000 Chiropractic assistant (rehab)

1300 PT tech/aide

2500 Medical genetics lab in prenatal cytogenetics for Baylor

 

160 v, 156 q, 4.0

 

Biology major

Sci 3.81

cGPA 3.9

 

My worry is that I have only been able to find one person who would let me shadow on Saturdays and I only have 20 hours. Also, my patient care experience is more physical rehab related rather than the standard EMT or CNA. What are your thoughts?

[aliss929]

Hello!

I'd love for you to help gage my competitiveness. The only prerequisite that I have completed is Statistics (both at the undergraduate and graduate level).

 

I am starting prerequisites at a local Community College and will probably end up taking 95% of them at the CC for financial reasons. I am confident in my ability to succeed in them, so let's imagine that my science GPA is 3.8. I will be taking:

Bio I, Chem I & Chem II, Biochemistry, Human Anatomy, Human Physiology, Pathophysiology, Genetics, Medical Terminology, and Psychology (Human Growth & Development).

 

I have a MS degree in Health Systems Management with a 3.97 GPA from George Mason University.

I have a BA degree in Economics with a 3.54 GPA from a small liberal arts college.

I have not yet taken the GRE, and may not end up taking it.

 

As for experience, I do not have much direct-patient care experience but I have worked in a wide variety of health-related roles for a few years.

2 years in Health Policy / healthcare anti-trust legislation @ the US Federal Trade Commission

2+ years as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ethiopia (my title was Community HIV/AIDS Advisor, I did mostly health education work and engaged in preventative activities like couseling and testing & vaccination campagins)

~1 year in Health IT (5 months as an intern w/ a boutique health IT firm, 6 months with a large Health IT firm as a consultant)

50 hours as a CNA for a home health agency

~700 hours as a CNA for a community hospital in the orthopedics unit (I start a part-time position there next week)

20 hours shadowing a PA

 

If I come out of the next 3 semesters with a 3.8 GPA (all from a CC) and hit the 1000 hours of HCE mark, would I be a competitive applicant? I have mapped out the next Fall, Spring, and Summer semesters and should be ready to apply by August 2013.

[dschelar]

Hi paadmissions,

 

First, many thanks for all the helpful information! You've given some valuble insight into the admissions proccess.

 

My question is regarding a low grade in anatomy lecture. I received a C in the lecture my sophomore year (the first semester after transferring schools). I took the lab component this spring as a post-grad and got a B. I'm wondering how much the low grade in anatomy lecture will affect my application. I majored in Biochemistry and did very well in multiple other challenging science courses (A in Biochem 1 and 2, A in Biological Physical Chemistry etc.). The other parts of my application include calculated CASPA GPA 3.48, CASPA science GPA 3.40, GRE scores of verbal 161 and quantitative 159, ~2,200 hours of HCE as a medical assistant and strong LORs from an MD, PA, and RN. I'd appreciate your input on how that one low grade affects my application.

 

Thanks for the help!

[paadmissions]

@themickk Thank you for your questions. I would probably recommend considering retaking the gen chem to improve your application and maybe consider delaying your application until those are complete. If you're able to fit in Biochemistry I think that would be beneficial as well. Be sure to make sure all the other required prerequisites are just as competitive. Hope this helps!

[paadmissions]

@ashmash Thank you for your questions. You seem to be a competitive applicant and your shadowing should help support your HCE more. You've exposed yourself to many fields and showing that you're taking an interest in the PA profession through shadowing is a must. My usual disclaimer is to check with the schools you're interest in to make sure you don't need to get another certification to make you more competitive. No issues with your academics though. Best wishes. Hope this helps!

[paadmissions]

@aliss929 Thank you for your questions. If you were applying to our program I would say I don't see a problem with the following courses being taken at a CC: BIO I, CHEM I and II, Medical Terminology, Psychology. I always strongly recommend you take the remaining ones at a 4 year institution to help with your preparation for PA school. That being said, I would check with the programs you're applying to to make sure they don't have a preference of where you take your courses. With a masters degree you may be advised differently from different programs, but I would recommend the others be taken at the university level. Hope this helps!

[paadmissions]

@dschelar Thank you for your question. I don't think the one C in the anatomy course will hurt your overall application. If you've successfully completed all other requirements including upper level biology and chemistry courses you should be ok. If you're dead set on improving your grade consider maybe taking an A&P II course to see how you do. That's only a recommendation, not something I would require someone to do if you (or they) were making application to our program. I think you should be ok though. Hope this helps!

[Bodiggler]

Hello,

 

I plan on applying in 2 years (class of 2017) because I still have 8 pre-reqs and the GRE to knock out of the way.

B.S. Health Care Systems Administration 3.42 GPA

A.A.S. Nuclear Medicine Technology 3.42 GPA 3.2 science GPA

I got a 4.0 my last 3 semesters of clinical rotations. GPA went up after a bad sophomore year (a few bad decision may or may not have been made...). I was able to raise my GPA from a 2.8 to a 3.42 in two years.

I am board certified in Nuclear Medicine Technology, PET, and CT. I also have great experience with insurance companies and reimbursement.

I will have around 12,000 hours of hands on clinical experience (very minimally supervised) at the time of my application.

How would I stack up assuming my GPA doesn't change and I do average on the GRE?

 

Thank you for your help. It is great for you to give us your time and valuable insight.

[paadmissions]

@bodiggler Thank you for your questions! I commend your ability to improve your grades in a very short time, as overall GPAs are very hard to raise. As long as you maintain where you are and do average on the GRE I think you'll be fine. You have very good clinical experience so I think that will hopefully help you to be prepared to handle the rigors of PA school. Just prepare for your interview as much as you'd prepare for application. I hope this helps!

[beancurd]

Hi paadmissions. Thank you for taking the time to answer these questions. I have a question of my own that has been bothering me a lot. Is it a big deal if I got a C- for the third class of a 3-classes biochem sequence if I did well for my General chem and organic chem? I'm worried because I notice some schools are willing to accept biochem sequence(although they also accept g-chem, as an either-or prereq for chemistry), and since you don't get to indicate which classes you're using to fulfill the prereqs per se, then theoretically speaking, they could say "Oh look, this person has a C- in a biochem class, which could be regarded as a prereq. Guess we won't be taking this applicant into consideration anymore."

 

Is this a possible scenario, or am I worrying too much? Thank you again for your input.

[cody_71]

Paadmissions thanks for your continued help. I applied last year to a PA program and was able to get an interview.

Unfortunately I was not accepted into the program. I have reapplied this year and will hopefully be invited back to interview.

As a key member of the admissions process what are the things you ask and expect to hear from a reapplicant. Any help

you can give would be greatly appreciated. Thank You

[paadmissions]

@beancurd Thank you for your questions. Interesting question and something that would be program specific because some programs do allow other courses to replace certain prerequisites. I'm going to approach this from our program's standpoint because we require 3 semester hours of Biochemistry. So if I were to look at your transcripts and you've completed at least one Biochemistry course with a C or better, in our eyes you've fulfilled the requirement. If the other programs wanted to count the entire series of Biochem courses they may do probably one of the following options 1- take an average of all 3 biochemistry courses, 2- require you to retake the 3rd Biochemistry course if you have to have a C or better, 3- allow you to substitute another chemistry course in for that 3rd biochemistry course. I'm assuming most programs that do require biochem would probably only look to see if you've successfully completed 3-4 semester hours of biochem and move on from there, but that's just a gut assumption. Usual disclaimer, contact the programs that you're interest in and see what they say! I hope this helps!

[paadmissions]

@cody_71 Great question. First and foremost, did you follow up with that program to see if they could give any feedback on why you were not offered a seat? If you did and they did not offer feedback (which could happen), I would approach the interview (if offered) with the following:

- Consider the possibility that your personality did not mix well with the program. Don't take this as a bad thing, but use it as a self-check... how can I improve my communication skills, my actions and consider how other may have perceived you. This is really hard to do, but a lot of times communication skills or body language tend to be a big factor in how you're perceived.

- Continue to do further research on the PA field. Many applicants who we've denied after their interview tend to show the committee that they really don't understand the role of the PA. It's important to understand today's healthcare issues and the PA/physician relationship so use that kind of as a platform to help you (if this is one of the reasons).

- We usually do like to see how you've reacted or improved yourself from last year. Have you taken steps to gain more real life experience? or how have you used this time to reflect on your desire to be a PA.

 

In my opinion, we usually deny applicants a seat because they really are not good fits for the program or profession. I'm not saying this is always 100% true, but is typically why most programs hold interviews. I hope this helps and best wishes.

[lifeofPAi]

I'll chime in my thanks, paadmissions, for taking the time out of your schedule to answer these questions! The world of PA school applications is difficult to navigate through sometimes..thanks for making it a bit easier. :)

 

My question to you concerns that awkward "in between" stage, after you've submitted your CASPA application and your supplemental applications, and before a possible interview. This may vary per school, but do programs generally like applicants to contact them once in a while (every couple of weeks maybe) updating their patient care hours, or asking questions, or showing interest in general? Or would contacting them before hearing anything be considered "annoying"? Any advice on the matter would be appreciated.

[pagrisha]

I'm applying to two schools in one year from now and I found out that both of them focus more on HCE/volunteering than gpa. With this in mind, I want to ask a question regarding my situation. I am 20 and finishing up my pre-requisites this year and should have a 3.4 gpa. However, I barely have any HCE besides shadowing a few PA's and an MD. Considering I have a year until I apply, I think it would be best for me to get a phlebotomy/EKG certificate and work in that field or maybe a medical assistant. So I have two questions:

 

What else can I do to obtain solid HCE besides phlebotomy/EKG in one year? If I had more time I would really conisder doing EMT or Surgical Tech since I love fast paced and high pressure enviornments, but I don't think I have enough time and finances for that. I'll save the high pressure enviornment for when I become surgical PA hopefully :=D:

 

Also, I see other applicants who have years upon years of experience (6+ years). It is near impossible for a 20 year old to obtain all that experience and compete, so how do PA programs stack up the younger applicants with the older more experienced ones? If all goes well, I will have a 3.4 gpa and one year worth of HCE and shadowing. I know that you might suggest to take a year off after finishing my pre-requisites and dedicate time to HCE, but I would really like to apply in one year.

 

 

Thank you for all your advice and time ahead of time, I really appreciate it!

[paadmissions]

@whimzical Thank you for your question. To be honest, I don't think most programs will contact you very much during the "in between stages." Although I would love to maintain contact with everyone in those stages, it's nearly impossible to do that unless they have software that can do that type of follow up. From my standpoint, if you're invited in for an interview I will maintain contact very much through the interview process and especially until your matriculate into the program. In my opinion it is good to call every once and a while (2 to 3 times) to check in, but it's not recommended you do it on a regular basis (weekly or monthly). I hope this helps and best wishes!

[jaznugget]

Hi paadmissions! I really appreciate you answering all of our questions.

 

My GPA is ~3.45, and I have around ~1,000 hours of HCE as an EMT and a medical assistant. I applied to 7 schools this year, and I submitted my application in mid-July. I haven't heard anything from anyone yet. I am getting a little nervous. If I have to apply again next year, what should I brush up on to make myself a more competitive applicant? Should I re-take classes I got B's and B+'s in? How could someone make themselves stand out more in an essay? I know that I will be gaining more HCE through out the year, but if there is anything else I should do, then please let me know. Thanks!

[paadmissions]

@pagrisha Thank you for your questions and you beat me to the punch about taking a year off. If you are adamant about applying within the year I would recommend the track you've planned. I would also couple that with shadowing a PA(s) to help you demonstrate to the committee you just didn't "take the fast track" to "just get hours-" although that may not be your intention, it could be perceived as such. If the programs you're considering focus on HCE hours it would be best to see the average for the incoming classes and maybe speak with a program rep to see how many hours are preferred at the time of application or how many hours are deemed to be competitive. If you're not able to meet those standards and those are the only programs you're considering you may have no other option but to take time off. It never hurts to have real life experience prior to going into PA school. I hope this helps and best wishes :)

[paadmissions]

@jaznugget Thank you for your questions. I do think on paper you're a competitive applicant and would recommend continuing your hours to keep that application strong. Are the programs you've applied to having their interview sessions now?; and if so, how many do they plan to have and when do they start interviews? Our program has a later start date (each August) so we don't start interviews until this September for next year's class. There are some schools who may have similar start dates (maybe a little sooner), but they have been known not to even start interviews until all applications have been received, their deadline has passed and those dates are usually in the spring. Its probably best to call the programs and see when they start interviewing.

 

I express to applicants that you don't have to have a perfect GPA and straight A's in your prerequisites to be a competitive applicant for PA school....at least that's how our program looks at it. So I rarely tell students to go back to take courses in which you've scored a B or B+ just to get an A. Other programs may have a different philosophy, but I would not strongly encourage people with your GPA to consider redoing it.

 

I hope this helps and best wishes!

[paadmissions]

If there are any further topics you all would like me to post a blog about please let me know!

[Fat Albert]

If there are any further topics you all would like me to post a blog about please let me know!

 

I think I speak for everybody here when I say that anything you choose to post will be of great interest to us. Thanks again for taking the time to do this!

[btech]

Hi, I have a question regarding summer/winter classes. Thank you ahead of time!

 

I wanted to ask how pa schools look at classes that students take during the winter and summer sessions? I've been told that it looks bad since its a shorter semester, but in my opinion its the same material and work. what do you think? For example I might take Orgo and psych during the summer. Also, do classes like nutrition, culture class, language, exercise/physical fitness look any good on applications. I ask this becasue I realize that PAs deal with informing patients about such topics quite often, and PA's deal with diverse patients as well. Thank you so much, I appreciate it!

 

As for the blog, I think many of us would find it helpful if you blog about HCE/volunteering and such topics.