jf201701212 Posted October 14, 2022 Share Posted October 14, 2022 Hi guys, I wanted to make a post because I’m feeling really nervous / discouraged at this point in the cycle. I’ve only had one interview so far which I was placed on the waitlist afterwards, I keep reading about others getting invites and acceptances and I’m just starting to second guess my application. Could someone take a look at my stats and tell me if there are any red flags? I haven’t heard a peep from any of my other schools and I know they’ve already sent out acceptances and interviews… agh this whole process is so nerve wracking. I feel like my LORs were all strong and genuine and I didn’t think my essay sucked! I’m just losing hope for this cycle…. Anyways here are my stats, any feedback would be appreciated! Thanks guys Submitted: May Undergraduate degree: Psychobiology BS at UCLA, graduated 1 year early GRE 158, 156, 5.0 Post bacc: 4.0 Cumulative Undergraduate: 3.65 Overall: 3.65 Science: 3.52 Extracurriculars: pre-PA club, medical study abroad (high school) HCE: 300 hrs (dermatology MA back office responsibilities) Leadership: 150 hrs (fitness leadership program at UCLA) Other: small business owner (400 hrs), sales cashier at UCLA recreation center (1200 hrs), peer tutor at UCLA (450 hrs) PCE: 3100 hours — dermatology MA, ophthalmic technician, EMT for 2 different companies Research: 20 hrs (assistant in neuroscience lab during study abroad in college) Shadowing: 76 in person, 20 virtual — dermatology, Trauma/ICU, cardiothoracic = in person Volunteering: ~41 hours — Claire Marie Foundation for Melanoma, The Hopeful Market Memberships: AAPA Honors: Dean’s list at UCLA Certifications: CPR/AAD, certified medical assistant, certified EMT Recommendation letters: 4 (professor, clinical supervisor, 2 MD’s) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ANESMCR Posted October 14, 2022 Share Posted October 14, 2022 How many schools did you apply to and what was the theme of your narrative? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UGoLong Posted October 15, 2022 Share Posted October 15, 2022 (edited) In general, your statistics look good. Maybe a little light on some of your hours. I would wonder about (1) your performance during the interview you got and (2) your recommendations. Edited October 15, 2022 by UGoLong Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrystalPA2025 Posted October 15, 2022 Share Posted October 15, 2022 Did you have anyone review your essay(s)? Your stats are pretty impressive! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeyoPA07 Posted October 18, 2022 Share Posted October 18, 2022 On 10/14/2022 at 8:59 AM, jf201701212 said: Hi guys, I wanted to make a post because I’m feeling really nervous / discouraged at this point in the cycle. I’ve only had one interview so far which I was placed on the waitlist afterwards, I keep reading about others getting invites and acceptances and I’m just starting to second guess my application. Could someone take a look at my stats and tell me if there are any red flags? I haven’t heard a peep from any of my other schools and I know they’ve already sent out acceptances and interviews… agh this whole process is so nerve wracking. I feel like my LORs were all strong and genuine and I didn’t think my essay sucked! I’m just losing hope for this cycle…. Anyways here are my stats, any feedback would be appreciated! Thanks guys Submitted: May Undergraduate degree: Psychobiology BS at UCLA, graduated 1 year early GRE 158, 156, 5.0 Post bacc: 4.0 Cumulative Undergraduate: 3.65 Overall: 3.65 Science: 3.52 Extracurriculars: pre-PA club, medical study abroad (high school) HCE: 300 hrs (dermatology MA back office responsibilities) Leadership: 150 hrs (fitness leadership program at UCLA) Other: small business owner (400 hrs), sales cashier at UCLA recreation center (1200 hrs), peer tutor at UCLA (450 hrs) PCE: 3100 hours — dermatology MA, ophthalmic technician, EMT for 2 different companies Research: 20 hrs (assistant in neuroscience lab during study abroad in college) Shadowing: 76 in person, 20 virtual — dermatology, Trauma/ICU, cardiothoracic = in person Volunteering: ~41 hours — Claire Marie Foundation for Melanoma, The Hopeful Market Memberships: AAPA Honors: Dean’s list at UCLA Certifications: CPR/AAD, certified medical assistant, certified EMT Recommendation letters: 4 (professor, clinical supervisor, 2 MD’s) Your stats are amazing! Every program is looking for different things. I applied to 15 schools and a lot of schools rejected me without a interview because they value older candidates with a lot of PCE. I have less PCE volunteering and shadowing experience and received a acceptance. With that being said, it’s still very early in the cycle. Some schools wait until after the deadline to give out interviews while others are a rolling admission. A school that values you and your experiences will come along. A waitlist is still amazing, that’s not a definite no. Do a lot of research on the programs you are applying to and what they value and try to match that. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jf201701212 Posted October 20, 2022 Author Share Posted October 20, 2022 @ANESMCR I applied to 13 schools (1 waitlist, 2 rejections from Stanford and yale), crickets for everywhere else! My essay was mainly centered around my experiences as an EMT, providing care to underserved populations, shadowing PAs in the ER, and the collaborative nature of the PA role…. I weaved in my experiences through my different PCE jobs throughout Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jf201701212 Posted October 20, 2022 Author Share Posted October 20, 2022 @CrystalPA2025 @HeyoPA07 thanks for the kind words!!! And yes, I had a couple people help me edit and review my essay. I’m trying to hang in there, just so anxious…. Good luck to you both Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ANESMCR Posted October 20, 2022 Share Posted October 20, 2022 (edited) 6 hours ago, jf201701212 said: @ANESMCR I applied to 13 schools (1 waitlist, 2 rejections from Stanford and yale), crickets for everywhere else! My essay was mainly centered around my experiences as an EMT, providing care to underserved populations, shadowing PAs in the ER, and the collaborative nature of the PA role…. I weaved in my experiences through my different PCE jobs throughout If you don’t get in this round I would recommend changing up your narrative. Sure, you can write about those things, but keep it limited to a small paragraph. They can see all of that on your CV and application. Keep in mind how many qualified candidates you’re up against, all writing about the same stuff. Your essay should tell a story, rather than a biography. You need to capture the attention of the reader. I’m sure you have some good stories from your EMT experience. Pick the craziest shit shows that you were able rock and blow it out of proportion. Edited October 20, 2022 by ANESMCR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jf201701212 Posted October 21, 2022 Author Share Posted October 21, 2022 3 hours ago, ANESMCR said: If you don’t get in this round I would recommend changing up your narrative. Sure, you can write about those things, but keep it limited to a small paragraph. They can see all of that on your CV and application. Keep in mind how many qualified candidates you’re up against, all writing about the same stuff. Your essay should tell a story, rather than a biography. You need to capture the attention of the reader. I’m sure you have some good stories from your EMT experience. Pick the craziest shit shows that you were able rock and blow it out of proportion. I think you’re right, my essay must have been generic… ugh! I’ll take your advice. Thanks for taking the time to give me your two cents!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ohiovolffemtp Posted October 21, 2022 Share Posted October 21, 2022 Another suggestion on how to build on your experience as an EMT: if you can have a doc or PA who's familiar with your work as an EMT weave in commentary on your strengths in their letters of recommendation, that would look very good. Particularly valuable strengths would be: interpersonal skills, especially in high stress situations, e.g. if you've shown that you can defuse tense situations and calm upset patients and family members, mentally ill and/or intoxicated patients, etc. ability to be a good team member ability to be calm and focused in high stress situations. If you know the folks who wrote your LOR's are saying this, you can say the same in your essays. From what I've seen, PA schools are looking for what kind of person you are, not what you already know. If accepted, you'll be paying the school lots of money to teach you medicine and procedural skills. They'll want to be admitting people who are easy to teach, play nice with others, and will be seen as providers with good interpersonal skills. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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