Please Help! Low GPA but want to pursue PA Schools

[monkeiboi]

Hi guys,

 

So here is my stories: I graduated a 4-year University with a low cumulative and science GPA. However, I am really interested in pursuing a career in as a Physician Assistant(or my second priority is Pharmacy). I am thinking of boosting up my GPA by retaking my lower division science courses at a community college in hope to improve my GPA while gaining some experience working at a doctor clinic. Will this work out? I asked some of the PA schools and it seems like they are okay with retaking courses from a JC. I am also thinking about post-bac programs but I am not sure how this works and they are quite expensive. Is post-bac a better option or look better on application instead? Anyone has been in similar position please share some advices! I hope I am not in a dead end. I have been very depressed about this. I really hope I can move forward with my career/life:sweat: Any tips, advices, personal experiences are greatly appreciated!

Another question is that usually how do pre-PA students obtain their clinical hours? I know about EMT and NA position but those program pretty long and I don't think I will have time on top of my classes. I am thinking of working as a medical assistant but I am not a certified MA so I am not sure how this will work...?

PS. I am new to this forum so I apologize if this question has already been asked

[lifeofPAi]

Hey,

 

As a person who has been in the same boat as you, I can sympathize. Let me be upfront and say it's not going to be an easy road, but it certainly is possible. Through all the forum posts here, you'll come across people who have succeeded through intense perseverance. Let's hope we're both those people. :)

 

Retaking classes at a community college is a good idea, just be sure and check with the programs you're thinking of applying to and see if they are okay with it. Every PA school, unfortunately, is different, so be sure the steps you are taking to become a better applicant are going to be recognized by the programs you want to apply to.

 

People, myself included, think post-bac programs are a way to prove to an admissions committee that you CAN make the high grades in higher education. If you graduated with a 2.5 from your undergraduate school, committees will probably be hesitant on accepting you because they won't be convinced that you're ready for the rigor of a PA program. However, if you graduated with a 2.5 in undergrad, but a 3.8 in grad school, THEN committees will be more likely to give you that second look. Again..this is a personal choice. It's not necessary for PA school.

 

You've heard about EMT's and NA's because, quite honestly, they're the easiest way to get your foot in the door in the healthcare industry and get those clinical hours. You can try for MA positions for sure, but from my experience..I applied for various MA positions for a number of months and was never given a shot because I didn't have the "certification." Very few clinics and hospitals will hire you without a certification because they don't want to waste time and resources training somebody. They want somebody who knows the basics already. I ended up taking an EMT class (just enroll at your local community college..it seems like you're going there anyways so might as well add this to your course load) and I loved it. I got my EMT certification, and the very next month, I challenged the CNA exam and got that certification too. I found a job at a major hospital in three weeks, and I'm working there now. So my advice? Get that certification. It's like picking out a needle in a haystack if you try and find a job for direct patient care hours without any certification.

 

My last bit of advice is to just APPLY. There are many people on this forum who ask whether they have a shot or not, and many people give them advice or are critical of their chances, but honestly...the only people who can answer that question for you are the admissions committees who are looking at your application. Someone at a school may see something in your application that stands out and may take you. You never know! It's all about playing the game. Have strong letters of recommendations, strong essays, and apply EARLY so admissions committees have more time to look through your application instead of weeding you out quickly based on your grades. If you don't get in the first time around, contact the schools that rejected you and ask them for feedback on how to be a stronger candidate.

 

Don't be depressed. I was where you are, but I decided to take the plunge and apply. We'll see how it goes. You just have to set aside concrete goals and you'll be fine. It's not the end of the world. :)

 

Hope this helps.

[monkeiboi]

ill cut and paste what i said to another poster that sounded just like you:

 

i wouldnt do any kind of post bacc marketed towards pre-med, or pre-pa that didnt give you a direct route to an actual healthcare job. what im talking about is avoiding a biomedical masters degree, or some other degree offered by places that also have medical, dental, or PA programs. often they offer these kinds of degrees to folks rejected from thier program as a way to supposedly boost your chances (and provide them with 23000 dollars). forget that. nursing, respiratory therapy, radiologic technologist, lab science (be aware that direct patient care hours might be difficult to obtain in lab).... all of those land you a good paying job at the end of them. they also can contribute decently to gpa. paramedic is another alternative, but in my area they make 14 bucks an hour or often less, which is what my phlebotomists make. paramedicine here is also saturated.

 

im not one to enjoy just meeting the minimum gpa requirement, so for a couple years ive been plugging away to do as well as i could. there are going to be folks with 3.0's that manage to get in, but the lower the gpa, the more of an anomoly it is to see folks like that getting accepted. i think with a 3.0, one needs to expect to gain some compelling health care experience in order to be competetive... and that takes time. it may be a few cycles before you realize your dream, and i personally would rather be in a decent career making a good wage while im struggling to get into a PA program.

 

 

Hi PAMAC,

Do you mind linking me to the thread that the above person posted? I want to find out more about why to not do a post-bac program. I am just wondering what is the most typical route that people with the same situation as me do?

[GatorRRT]

What happens if after your post bacc you still don't in? You're left with a useless piece of paper. Get a second degree in a health care field, get the HCE, then apply.

[Guest carolanimal]

Hi PAMAC,

Do you mind linking me to the thread that the above person posted? I want to find out more about why to not do a post-bac program. I am just wondering what is the most typical route that people with the same situation as me do?

 

I would try to take as many science classes as you can at a 4 year college. However, many schools are okay with community college courses. The best thing to do in your situation is to gain high quality HCE to offset a lower GPA.

[monkeiboi]

I have a BS in Biological Psychology and minor in Biological Science

My science GPA is pretty low 2.7 and culmulative is 3.0. However, I am hoping to raised up my science and culmulative GPA by retaking the pre-req science courses at my local community college.

I have had experience as a pharmacy intern(almost 2 years), volunteering at community clinics( doing vitals, assist med student and doctors, administrative stuffs, etc) for 1 year. I am also a research assistant at a social science lab(if that helps).