Natalie0227 Posted April 1, 2022 Share Posted April 1, 2022 Hi there, my name is Natalie and this will be my second attempt at applying this summer for PA schools. I graduated with a low GPA... 3.226. I wish I had done better with my undergraduate but was more focused on playing collegiate softball than my grades for the first half of school which really, really messed up my GPA. When I applied last year, I had about 1,300 HCE hours as a CNA, a couple mediocre LORs, and no shadowing experience (COVID), and a GRE score of about 300. Over the last year, I was rejected from 15 PA schools, gained almost 1,000 hours in psychiatric medicine, 700 hours in emergency medicine as a tech (now have about 2,500-3,000 hours), took 2 courses at a community college, and I want to get new LORs, rewrite the personal statement, and retake the GRE. Do you think PA is realistic for me? Or is the GPA just too low? I am considering applying again this year or going for either a post-bacc program or even nursing. It's just so hard to be optimistic and I know I doubt myself, but is this a realistic thing for me to pursue? Am I even competitive this year? PLEASE let me know what you all think. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Integrity Posted April 5, 2022 Share Posted April 5, 2022 Hi, Natalie, Schools have different ways of calculating GPAs. Cedarville University, in Cedarville Ohio, will matriculate their first class of PAs in 2023. They only require a 3.0 GPA. This school will also calculate your GPA for the last two years of your degree. GPA is also just one area at which they look. Are you determined to become a PA? Do you have the grit and determination to see it through? If so, I definitely would not count you out. You have some excellent patient care experience and that is extremely important to schools. Strengthen areas of your application where possible (you do not want just mediocre recommendations) and let your passion shine in your personal statement. Did you have any interviews with PA schools? Practicing for the interview is extremely helpful. I did a mock interview at my university and it was SO helpful. It showed me where I was weak and needed more preparation. Then, it went pretty smoothly when I did the real thing. If you did go to interviews, contact the schools and ask if they can provide any feedback on your interview. Then, you can address areas of concern. Do not get discouraged. By persevering, you can show schools your dedication and hopefully find a school that will be a good fit. All the best, Sheila Tarwater Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buttercakes Posted May 24, 2022 Share Posted May 24, 2022 Just as a heads up, I am currently in my second semester of PA school, and I applied with a 3.19 sGPA, and a 3.22 overall GPA. It took me 3 tries to get in, but I am in now and doing it! I only say this to let you know that there is hope! If you can take or retake some science classes, just to show an upward trend in your GPA, that should help. But it sounds like you have a pretty varied life experience, with the colligate athletics, and some interesting work experience. Try to look for schools that do not place as much emphasis on GPA, but who like to see the applicant more as a whole! If you feel that your GRE is poor, try to retake it and kill it! Basically, just try to show your strengths and look for schools who want a more varied group of students with a lot of different life experiences. Hope this helps! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheFatMan Posted May 24, 2022 Share Posted May 24, 2022 You can absolutely do it. There is so much more than GPA that goes into being a good healthcare provider - look for programs that do a holistic application review. Unfortunately many programs don't look at applicants beyond GPA and test scores. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShanaePA Posted July 4, 2022 Share Posted July 4, 2022 (edited) I'm concerned as well. After CASPA verification, my overall gpa is a 3.19 but my science gpa is a 3.74. I hope that schools will accept me! I thought I wanted to be an accountant after high school and bombed that degree. I worked in Healthcare and realized my calling. I went back to school and aced all of my science courses. Literally A's in A&P, biochem, orgo, genetics. I really hope to get accepted and I hope you do too!!! Edited July 4, 2022 by ShanaePA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ohmyPA25 Posted October 8, 2022 Share Posted October 8, 2022 Have hope, I kept the hope up and just got accepted to a PA school. Keep going and fight, you’ll get there Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PAola123 Posted October 25, 2022 Share Posted October 25, 2022 On 4/1/2022 at 1:17 PM, Natalie0227 said: Hi there, my name is Natalie and this will be my second attempt at applying this summer for PA schools. I graduated with a low GPA... 3.226. I wish I had done better with my undergraduate but was more focused on playing collegiate softball than my grades for the first half of school which really, really messed up my GPA. When I applied last year, I had about 1,300 HCE hours as a CNA, a couple mediocre LORs, and no shadowing experience (COVID), and a GRE score of about 300. Over the last year, I was rejected from 15 PA schools, gained almost 1,000 hours in psychiatric medicine, 700 hours in emergency medicine as a tech (now have about 2,500-3,000 hours), took 2 courses at a community college, and I want to get new LORs, rewrite the personal statement, and retake the GRE. Do you think PA is realistic for me? Or is the GPA just too low? I am considering applying again this year or going for either a post-bacc program or even nursing. It's just so hard to be optimistic and I know I doubt myself, but is this a realistic thing for me to pursue? Am I even competitive this year? PLEASE let me know what you all think. Hey Natalie, I am currently an undergrad worrying about my GPA by the time of graduation as well. Can you share if you applied this year and where you are now? I am also trying to figure out if PA is achievable for me after a poor first year in college. Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Natalie0227 Posted November 2, 2022 Author Share Posted November 2, 2022 On 10/25/2022 at 9:20 AM, PAdreamerola said: Hey Natalie, I am currently an undergrad worrying about my GPA by the time of graduation as well. Can you share if you applied this year and where you are now? I am also trying to figure out if PA is achievable for me after a poor first year in college. Thank you! Hi there! So I ended up applying to about 20 PA schools this year. I was waitlisted for an interview at Midwestern, interviewed at South College Knoxville and was waitlisted, interviewed at Central Michigan University and was accepted! There are a couple things I'll say if you are in a similar boat, 1) it only takes one school 2) different schools are looking for different things and 3) keep improving and don't give up. One thing I utilized that helped me gain acceptance was reaching out to the graduate admissions director/advisor and scheduling meetings with him. I ended up going on campus a couple times (one of which I was able to meet the program director) and it definitely helped me gain an interview at the school. They straight up told me "at a certain point, GPA doesn't really matter. we want students who can bring more to the table than a numerical value." Which someone in the above comments definitely said. While I had a lower GPA, I definitely utilized my gap year (and a half). I got to about 3,000 PCE hours, took the PACAT (just to show I could handle the sciences), and retook some courses online at Portage. I truly think the amount of experience I gained compensated for the lower GPA and even helped me KILL my interview during all the situational, "tell me about a time..." questions. Just know that it is possible and there are ways to make yourself standout in the pool of applicants. I hope this helped, I would be more than happy to talk with you more and answer any questions because I too was anxious and doubted I could do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PAola123 Posted November 7, 2022 Share Posted November 7, 2022 On 7/4/2022 at 2:39 PM, ShanaePA said: I'm concerned as well. After CASPA verification, my overall gpa is a 3.19 but my science gpa is a 3.74. I hope that schools will accept me! I thought I wanted to be an accountant after high school and bombed that degree. I worked in Healthcare and realized my calling. I went back to school and aced all of my science courses. Literally A's in A&P, biochem, orgo, genetics. I really hope to get accepted and I hope you do too!!! Hi! I am wondering if you applied this year. Have you been accepted anywhere? Anything is helpful, thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PAola123 Posted November 7, 2022 Share Posted November 7, 2022 On 7/4/2022 at 2:39 PM, ShanaePA said: I'm concerned as well. After CASPA verification, my overall gpa is a 3.19 but my science gpa is a 3.74. I hope that schools will accept me! I thought I wanted to be an accountant after high school and bombed that degree. I worked in Healthcare and realized my calling. I went back to school and aced all of my science courses. Literally A's in A&P, biochem, orgo, genetics. I really hope to get accepted and I hope you do too!!! Hi, did you get accepted anywhere? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
natasha1992 Posted November 8, 2022 Share Posted November 8, 2022 Just wanted to give you all hope with low GPAs. This year was my third cycle applying and I got accepted to two schools! My cumulative GPA was like 3.12 with a science GPA of 2.69. I did retake a lot of science classes, especially pre-reqs, and really focused in my personal statement and interviews on how much retaking those classes has prepared me for PA school. I also did other activities in my undergrad that took my focus from academics, and I also emphasized what those activities taught me that will make me a great provider. I will also add that I have 13,000 hours of HCE/PCE and great letters of recommendation. It IS possible! Focus on schools that match your passions, that is more important that specific stats as long as you meet their minimums. If you have any questions for me or want advice, feel free to message me 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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