Jump to content

When researching schools, what is most important up front??


Recommended Posts

Hello and thanks for taking a look at my post! Doing some quick research. When you applied to school or if you are applying, what are some of the things you wish(ed) would be available right up front to find quickly without too much searching? Stats like Avg cohort GPA? Accreditation status? Location? Pre-reqs? GRE/MCAT? Fees? Important dates? etc. Obviously there a lot of factors in choosing a school but what are maybe 3-5 things that you think should be essentially front page?

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...

Essentially all of the information you've listed is usually found underneath the admissions portion of a school website or can be answered in the FAQ section by just glancing through.

I think some important factors that should also be taken into consideration which may be harder to find is faculty turnover rate, help with job placement or support for alums, whether the curriculum is systems based or not, classes pass/fail or graded and remediation opportunities, etc.

When beginning the application process, I started very general with what states/areas of the country I would potentially want to live in for school as well as post graduation as a lot of job opportunities can come from clinicals and networks in the area of your school. Then I just create an excel spreadsheet listing all the programs in that state the stats mentioned above and began to whittle away removing programs with lower than the national average PANCE, any schools that had inconsistent or bad trends with PANCE, any schools above $110k, if I didn't meet prereqs based on what courses I had taken (some schools require specific psychology courses while others take any upper level for example", and then started looking at facilities the campus had, # of and rotations and their length, if you had to travel a lot for clinicals, etc. 

 

Everyone will put more weight on categories that are important to them based on finances, family life and responsibilities, etc.

  • Like 1
  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Along with things mentioned I also want to add that programs which had a PA specific cadaver lab stood out to me. I want that experience, whether or not other people think that it is important. Sometimes learning that info you had to ask, or take part in an information session. It was something that had some weight in my decisions.

Edited by KuchiKopi
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Welcome to the Physician Assistant Forum! This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. Learn More