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University of Tampa 2021-2022 Application Cycle


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Update about the PA-CAT!

The PA-CAT has been changed to optional and used as a preference for this year only. The PA-CAT will be required for all future admissions cycles. Please leave the questions regarding the PA-CAT blank if you do not plan on taking the exam. If you are unable to skip the question regarding meeting the requirements, please select yes if all other requirements are met.

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Hi everyone! I am currently a first year PA student at UT undergoing orientation this week. The faculty informed us today that just last week they made the decision to make the PA-CAT optional for the upcoming class. But I want you all to know, that although it is optional, it will be one of their “admission preferences.” Not taking the exam is totally fine and will not hurt your chances of getting in, but it definitely will help if you are weak/lacking in other areas. Good luck guys! You all got this!

Edited by dljackson288
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So I just wanted some feedback from you guys.. I do plan on taking the PA CAT within the next few days. It’ll be the first time I take it & I’m worried I might score low (it’s a new and upcoming exam). Do you think not taking the PA CAT at all would hurt my chances even more than actually taking it and possibly scoring low? I’m curious on how guys are approaching this new change in the exam being optional..

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 8/18/2021 at 9:26 PM, Nkpa20 said:

Thanks for the update @FabFuturePA. Can you shed some light on your class, website says average accepted student has 15k PCE. Is your whole class that way? Wondering where the 3000 ish hours would stand. Thanks!!

Sorry for the late response! 15k average PCE sounds about right as there are a good bit of older applicants that matriculate into the program so they have years, some even decades of experience. Some being a medic or corpsman in the military, pharmacists, etc. But do not let that number discourage you. That's maybe about 1/3 of my class - I'm not sure how many exactly. I came in with about 5000 hours of PCE~3ish years of experience and so did many others in my class, or even less than that. The more hours you have is a plus, of course, but as long as you have at least the minimum, you will be fine. Our class is exponentially diverse in an array of aspects, so do not let that number steer you. Whatever you can highlight on your application that you think will make you stand out, whether it be research that you've done or maybe a certain role you do in your job, make sure you do that! I know it's a long waiting game but I wish you all luck as you wait for interview invites! 

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8 hours ago, FabFuturePA said:

Sorry for the late response! 15k average PCE sounds about right as there are a good bit of older applicants that matriculate into the program so they have years, some even decades of experience. Some being a medic or corpsman in the military, pharmacists, etc. But do not let that number discourage you. That's maybe about 1/3 of my class - I'm not sure how many exactly. I came in with about 5000 hours of PCE~3ish years of experience and so did many others in my class, or even less than that. The more hours you have is a plus, of course, but as long as you have at least the minimum, you will be fine. Our class is exponentially diverse in an array of aspects, so do not let that number steer you. Whatever you can highlight on your application that you think will make you stand out, whether it be research that you've done or maybe a certain role you do in your job, make sure you do that! I know it's a long waiting game but I wish you all luck as you wait for interview invites! 

Thank you so much for this!

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  • 4 weeks later...
On 10/5/2021 at 8:07 AM, maf18 said:

Does anyone know they send interview invites?

Hey! Per their website, interview invites will be sent by 12/17/21. I'm guessing not much sooner than sometime in Novermber...since their app deadline only just passed on Friday (and they're non-rolling). Their interview dates are posted as well: 1/7/22, 1/14/22, 1/21/22, 1/28/22. The wait is killing me too! Hang in there 🙂

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  • 1 month later...

Hello everyone! I've debated on if and when to make this post and just decided to go ahead and make it now as opposed to later since some of you will start getting notified about your status in the next few weeks. My name is Chris. I just turned 48 last week and I was originally in the 2021 cohort here at UT. As of week 11 (Oct. 28th) I was put on a medical leave of absence and officially placed into the 2022 cohort. I won't be returning to Oregon during this 10 month "break" but instead I will be rehabbing my shoulder and eventually getting a job to keep me from being isolated and to maybe learn some new relevant clinical skills that might be of use moving forward. Since I'm here in Tampa, already admitted into the program, and I was almost finished with the first semester (arguably the most difficult one) before the decision was made to move me, I obviously have some important information for us as a group moving forward. I will answer what questions I can within reason that are ethically reasonable to answer at this point in the process for you but I obviously don't want to ruin the experience for you. The surprise and reaction in the moment is part of the fun and the learning process and I don't want to take that from you. 😜  I will try my best to help us avoid some of the mistakes that we made with the 2021 cohort. I can't help you with the PA-CAT since I didn't take it so don't ask me because IDK anything about it. All that I know about it has already been stated here by others in this forum. 

Whatever questions you have fire them out. I will either answer them or I might defer my answer until once the interviews are established or once the cohort is established depending on the nature of the question. I might not know the answer and if I don't I'll get the answer for you. I also plan to set up the Cohort Facebook page as well as a Cohort GroupMe (2021 uses this a ton) page that you will be invited to once the cohort is established in February 2022. We will likely also have a MS Teams page for uploading textbooks, docs....etc. too, but we'll worry about that later. I'll probably come over during some of the interviews and meet some of you since I'm just across the street from campus on the Riverwalk. Anyway, sorry for the long post. I'm usually not this talkative and likely won't be moving forward. Just wanted to introduce myself and make myself available to you as a resource. I'll likely be more valuable once you've interviewed and beyond that but feel free to ask whatever. I look forward to meeting you all once you're in. The 2021 cohort is and always will be my first "cohort family" and I love those guys, but those of you that get invited to the 2022 cohort will be family too. We've got one hell of a journey ahead of us folks! Some will be on you as individuals to successfully learn and complete, but a lot of it will require teamwork and a willingness to work, struggle, fail and succeed together as a team. I hope you are all ready. Take care.

Regards,

Chris McCaskill

University of Tampa-PAM

Cohort 2022                                                                                                                              

c.mccaskill@spartans.ut.edu                                                                                                                       (feel free to email and I'll give you my number too if you want to text)

Edited by Mac1973
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  • 2 weeks later...

Are there any re-applicants on here from last cycle? If so I was just wondering does the program wait until exactly December 17th to let us know if applicants receive an interview or do they inform us before then? Also after the interviews in January how long until interviewees are notified? Thanks.

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On 11/23/2021 at 1:15 PM, DOCRAH said:

Are there any re-applicants on here from last cycle? If so I was just wondering does the program wait until exactly December 17th to let us know if applicants receive an interview or do they inform us before then? Also after the interviews in January how long until interviewees are notified? Thanks.

Hello…last year, I received my interview invitation via email on December 15th and had to reserve my interview date by December 17th. To the best of my knowledge they sent out all the invitations on the same day. After I interviewed on January 29th, I was then called by two faculty members (Dr. Yealy and Dr. Mularoni) on February 2nd or 3rd at work and given the news that I had been selected, congratulated and asked if I would be accepting the invitation. After freaking out and verbally accepting, I then received my official “Acceptance to UT’s PAM Program” email on February 5th. You then have roughly 10 to 14 days to officially accept and secure your seat with the deposit. That’s when everything gets a little more real and things start moving slightly  faster. I think they take a couple of days to contact the selectees by phone to get everyone verbally notified and invited and then they send out the welcome email to everyone on the same day. Hope this helps. 

Edited by Mac1973
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On 11/29/2021 at 11:11 AM, Mac1973 said:

Hello…last year, I received my interview invitation via email on December 15th and had to reserve my interview date by December 17th. To the best of my knowledge they sent out all the invitations on the same day. After I interviewed on January 29th, I was then called by two faculty members (Dr. Yealy and Dr. Mularoni) on February 2nd or 3rd at work and given the news that I had been selected, congratulated and asked if I would be accepting the invitation. After freaking out and verbally accepting, I then received my official “Acceptance to UT’s PAM Program” email on February 5th. You then have roughly 10 to 14 days to officially accept and secure your seat with the deposit. That’s when everything gets a little more real and things start moving slightly  faster. I think they take a couple of days to contact the selectees by phone to get everyone verbally notified and invited and then they send out the welcome email to everyone on the same day. Hope this helps. 

Yes it did very much so. Greatly appreciate your transparency. 

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