merp Posted August 16, 2012 Share Posted August 16, 2012 I am a 2011 graduate with a B.S. in anthropology with an emphasis in health and medicine. I have wanted to be a PA since high school but got frustrated with the pre-requisite classes (mostly chemistry) during my freshman year and decided to change my major from biology to anthropology when I was a junior. I have taken several biology and chemistry classes with mostly b's in biology and c's in chemistry. I would like to apply to PA school next fall and have looked into retaking these classes and taking a few upper division classes in biology to become more competitive in my application. My science gpa definitely isn't where I would like it to be, but my cumulative gpa is around 3.5. Would it be a waste of time and money to go the non matriculation route for the sake of bumping up my grades and getting more experiences with chem and bio or should I just try to apply and take my chances? I have a lot of direct patient exposure, about 10-15 hours of shadowing a PA, and graduated with my B.S. in three years. Any help/opinions would be greatly appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mackjacks Posted August 17, 2012 Share Posted August 17, 2012 How much is a lot of direct patient exposure and what kind? Are you certified in anything? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merp Posted August 17, 2012 Author Share Posted August 17, 2012 I've worked as C.N.A. and as direct support in a group home setting for individuals with disabilities. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alster Posted August 17, 2012 Share Posted August 17, 2012 Most schools say science GPA needs to hit the magical minimum 3.0, so if yours is below that I'd definitely take some classes to get it higher! Maybe try to retake chem or move on to upper level bio courses to prove you can do the work. If you're above the 3.0 then I guess it's up to you, but if you have the option it would look better if you could prove that you were capable of doing well in more advanced science courses. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merp Posted August 21, 2012 Author Share Posted August 21, 2012 Thanks. I am trying to get into some classes last minute at my University. My calculated science gpa is a 2.9 (yikes) so even with all A's in the coursework I'll be taking I would barely be getting above a 3.0. Fun shtuff. Hopefully it's worth it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thelaststraw Posted August 22, 2012 Share Posted August 22, 2012 After graduating from undergrad, I am planning on re-taking some science classes that I need to take in order to make my GPA better for PA school. Do college's look down on online classes - just wondering??! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merp Posted August 26, 2012 Author Share Posted August 26, 2012 I talked to the PA adviser at my university (the university of Utah) and she had said that it wasn't looked down upon (at least at Utah) for students to take/retake classes after they've graduated if they were interested in PA school Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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