is it possible to get into PA school with a low undergraduate GPA???

[Jason1910]

I am about to be a junior this Fall and my GPA is currently 2.6. I was in college thinking a lot about my major and I was undecided with what I wanted to do but I recently decided that I was interested in PA school and becoming a physical assistant My current major is in Accounting and I am interested in knowing if I have a chance. I know that I have to take the prerequisites and to possibly change majors. did not get to take any pre requisite classes yet and I don't have any volunteer hours because I was thinking about this career just recently. I also have about 5 W grades so I had to withdraw from 5 classes due to some personal issues and mistakes. If I calculated the highest GPA that I can get by graduation, it will be around 3.3. Is it possible for me to get accepted anywhere? What should I do to stand out?? I had to withdraw from Calculus 1 twice due to bad professors but I am thinking about trying to pass all of the prerequisites and to succeed. I am mostly scared about the W grades, which will hinder me a lot in applying to anywhere. Is it a chance to get in or am I just wasting my time?

[mxray]

In regards to changing you major, unless it is something you want to do, you don't have to change it to apply to PA school. I know someone who has a degree in computer sciences and minor in history that is a phenomenal PA. You just have to make sure that you have the required prerequisites for programs.

To answer the question do you have a chance? There is always a chance. No one can tell you whether or not you're wasting your time, that is only something you can decide. Will you have to work hard to achieve this goal? Absolutely! You can be accepted with F's, D's, and W's on your transcript BUT it does make it difficult and you have to do other things to make yourself standout as much as possible. If you finish your degree with an upward trend in grades and get A's/B's (mostly A's) in your prerequisites this will show the admissions committee you can handle setbacks and grow from them. Having a lot of good PCE hours will help and volunteering is important too. If you're applying to schools that require the PACAT or GRE, scoring well on these will also help. Your personal statement and letters of recommendation can make a difference in helping your application stand out.

Hope this helps!