WAMC? Help!!

[premedtoprepa1127]

Hello everyone! I hope you guys are doing well  so I’m very new to this as I have recently made the switch from pre med to pre PA and I would love all the help I could get.

i really want to apply to PA schools this cycle so I was hoping I could receive some advice. I have the funds to apply and don’t want to miss out on the opportunity to. I think my GPA is average, I have lots of clinical hours, great volunteering, research, etc. The problem is I am missing 3 pre requisites and I’m kinda kicking myself in the foot for not taking microbio while I was in undergrad (I was even in the class but I ended up switching out for another higher division science class). As a pre med I wasn’t required to take A&P or microbio since were supposed to learn A&P in depth for med school and just bc med school is so much longer and drawn out.

I am thinking of two options and would love opinions on both! Should I apply to PA schools this July that have the least pre reqs (that way I’m applying somewhat early), or should I take microbio and A&P in the fall and apply to PA schools that don’t do rolling admissions? I’m basically looking for any chance to apply this cycle.

i have about a 3.6 GPA, didn’t do so hot in my chemistries but got A’s in all bio, biochemistry, upper division bio classes. I have about 3,000 clinical hours as an MA in Derm and internal medicine + a few hundred hours volunteering in the ER. As an MA I worked with a PA for a whole year straight. Idk if double dipping is bad but I legit spent over 500 hours working with him I have 2 research publications, 2 leadership positions, lots of volunteering as a tutor and working in underserved communities, I also helped build a mosque in my neighborhood.

 

if anyone could help me out I’d really

appreciate it! 

 

 

[Ty2PA]

I think getting apps in earlier is a good thing. Here's another thought: there are some online sciences from places like Portage Learning (my favorite, although there are several others) that you could start this week, and which are self paced AND include labs, and which you can move through fairly quickly. If you have the dedication, you could get at least A&P I and II done by July, and they are super fast on transcripts. Then apply with one class pending which most programs allow. Shoot, if you worked hard/fast enough you could get all 3 classes done before several of the app deadlines. There is a lot of concern around online sciences, and you should definitely check with your target programs, but in my experience the concern predated COVID. Every program I explored eliminated their "no online sciences" rules after 2020, permanently. They just need them to be from a regionally accredited institution. I'm sure there are some holdouts (definitely check!), but I believe it is uncommon. And for the record, I really enjoyed my online sciences, and dissecting brains and kidneys in my home office - my kids totally loved it.

[VarsityMed]

I would definitely get enrolled in the classes ASAP but first I'd also check what and how many pre-reqs your target programs allow to be in progress at the time of submission. There are programs that will specify that only X number of classes may be planned/in progress. Others may require that certain pre-reqs are completed before application and allow others to be done before matriculation (aka after you apply). Still others won't care either way. It sounds like you have good stats but it will be a waste of time/money/energy to apply to programs who won't consider your application until you're completed A&P or whatever. You can also apply to schools at different times; perhaps you send the "we don't care" schools you application while you take classes and the "must completed pre-reqs" schools your application once you're finished.

[premedtoprepa1127]

Thank you so much! I also had one q which was, i know most schools start accepting and looking at applications in May but is there an easier way to find out which schools have later cycles? As in I heard from a PA on a youtube video that some schools open their cycles in November!