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Hi everyone! I graduated this past December with my Bachelor's in Psychology, minor in Biology and applied to MUSC PA program and was waitlisted. I am looking to buff up my application for next cycle, and am playing around with a few ideas that I would love some personal and professional opinions on.

Some background: My GPA was not very competitive as I did not know what I wanted to do/did not take school seriously for the first several years. I did take the PA-CAT and GRE and scored average on GRE but competitive on PA-CAT. I was a medical scribe in an ED for a little over two years and did have a management position for one of those years. I have worked full time throughout my undergrad career and therefore have not completed any volunteer hours thus far. 

Debates: I am considering going ahead and pursuing a MPH as I want to eventually obtain that degree anyway. The MPH program I am looking at is an accelerated 12 month program that does not allow students to work due to the educational commitment but would fit into my timeline for reapplying. They also offer 18 month (allows PT work) tracks as well as the typical 2-3 years with the stipulation that the degree is completed within 5 years of starting. If I choose a track other than the 12 month, I would have to take a sabbatical to complete PA school if admitted this next cycle. However, I also have a job offer as a FT remote scribe for a Telehealth company (I had to move out of state suddenly and am currently unemployed). This job is a 9-5 M-F position that would allow me to volunteer regularly.

My question for you all is what should I do?? I would love to choose the path that would make my re-application to PA school more competitive, and am wondering what would be considered more of a valuable experience. I have heard pros and cons for both, such as the work experience giving "real world" experience, but I feel I already have that with scribing and having to work FT for the last 8 years. I also heard some opinions that completing the MPH prior to PA school gave students a leg up on PA coursework and they felt more prepared. I would love to go ahead and do the 12 month accelerated program to just knock this degree out and am thankfully in a position financially where that would be doable for me. OR should I just take the standard MPH track and work FT while volunteering here and there?

I know this is a lot- I'm definitely overwhelmed! Any and all advice/experience is welcomed and appreciated 🙂

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