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Application Cycle 2012-2013!


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Well good news, I emailed the admissions person and she said the last of interviewees will contacted through next week and interviews will last through the end of the month! Still have hope!

 

Sorry Jenna. Please don't think I was questioning what you wrote or dont believe you. Had a breakdown moment after my friend said the dean welcomed them to "our last interview for this year". Am hoping against hope that the admissions person didn't misunderstand you and you have some dates she told you for later this month you wouldn't mind sharing with the rest of us desperate hopefuls!!! :) i appreciate that you asked and shared the news.

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Hey everyone. Yesterday was in fact the last day of interviews. One of the staff told me four were accepted from 26 individuals. Many were wait listed. I was one of those who were wait listed. It is kind of frustrating knowing you are so close without getting accepted. Dr. Harbert said around 25-30 percent of the incoming class will be pulled from the waiting list. If that is indeed true, there is still hope. The problem is that we don't know how many people are on the waiting list and my position on the waiting list. It is an honor and a blessing to have been selected for the interview. However, it is my opinion that they already have a good idea who they want to select prior to the interview. The interview can only hurt you not help you. I excelled in the interview and was wait listed. There was only two other people in my group yesterday during the group interview session. After your group interview, they gave us pizza in the student plaza and placed us in a room while each group's selection committee discussed the outcome for 15 minutes. Everyone is assigned different faculty members. Not everyone gets to interview with the top officials of the school, which is disappointing. I assumed that all participants interviewing would be interviewed by the same faculty members. Have a great day. If anyone has any questions, don't hesitate to ask.

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I interviewed with faculty and staff and did not get the opportunity to interview with the "top officials" and was accepted at my interview. Do not let that deter you or loose hope. We had roughly 40 individuals at my interview and 4 in each group. This is the only way they can interview a lot of students at once without having us there for 2 days. And as far as being wait-listed, they do pull a lot of students from the list so do not be discouraged. There is still hope for you.

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Micky053, that's awesome that you were accepted. I do realize that they pull from the wait list. I already mentioned that in my previous post by the way. I believe that the higher officials of the school have more influence as to who gets accepted than the mid level instructors or professors. I would much rather interview with guys like Dr. Harbert, Dr. Hillegas, and Dr. Seaton. They have more pull rather than the guy who runs the simulation lab, which is who I interviewed with. What that tells me is that they already had an idea who was getting accepted prior to being interviewed. As I mentioned earlier, the interview session can only hurt you not help you. I excelled in the interview session and definitely performed better than the other members in my group. I will keep my head up and hopefully be pulled from the wait list. I would have liked to have been first choice though. I'm sure you will have a wonderful experience in Knoxville. You are extremely blessed.

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Mike, I have to disagree. I didn't interview with any of the three "higher officials" you listed, and I am far from the best applicant on paper. I DO believe they have an idea of the sort of answers they like beforehand, and there are certain types that are predisposed to being selected, and, yes, those with 4.0s and 3 million hours of patient care experience are likely going to be accepted regardless, but PLEASE try not to be so negative. There's still a shot.

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Anitsisqua, you made your point about not getting an interview with the higher officials, but you are forgetting about the fact that the top 70 applicants will not be accepted. Universities as well as companies have to use affirmative action policies to accept or hire minority candidates. These practices are used in every day life because if you are a company or school that isn't minority friendly, you will be criticized by the general public and media. It is all about balance. The number of minority candidates that apply will be less than Caucasian applicants, but the percentage of accepted applicants will be the same. I am not being negative or displaying a bad attitude, I just call it how I see it. If I were a minority, there would not be a question as to whether or not I would be accepted. I am not saying you aren't qualified because if you weren't, you would not have been chosen for a seat in the upcoming class. All I am saying is that schools have to accept a certain number of minority candidates to protect themselves from legality and negative publicity. Have a nice day.

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Looking around my class, there is certainly no affirmative action here. Interview groups are randomized and there is no conference with the PD Harbert or anyone else outside of that group. So that wouldn't have helped anyone's chances. The interview certainly can help as there are people with less than stellar GPAs accepted right off the bat. Also, interview performance is subjective. I've seen many applicants who thought they did well in the interview, but just really turned people off with cockiness (happens the most often), sounding rehearsed, or just plain did realize their answers were not what the adcom was looking for.

 

The real cause here is that with rolling admissions, there will always be fewer acceptances on the back end. Just the way it is.

 

I wonder if people not accepted asked what they can improve on and the reply.

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didn't even get an interview... what now?

Hello piratesmile- I am sorry you sort of got ignored in this crazy debate over why someone got wait-listed... I hope this doesn't deter you from applying to the school again. I am not exactly sure what you should do now, but I do believe that maybe contacting the school and asking them where you might improve your application to get an interview next year is a good idea. I would also try to submit my application ASAP bc it is rolling admissions and if you are earlier in the pool, they are more likely to consider you. Things they look for: improvement in GRE scores and GPA (duh). I think the avg GPA this year was around a 3.4. (don't quote me on that) ... other things you can do are more pt care experience, I know I thought about becoming a scribe in the ER to get experience, there is a girl in my class that did that and it seemed to help a lot, not just with her getting in but with having a lot more knowledge for these difficult classes. I would try to get to know someone at the schools you are most interested in, who can give you some pointers. It is hard to know how to tell you to improve, and get an interview, when I don't know your background, but good luck to you!!

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didn't even get an interview... what now?

 

I apologize as well. I got a little too caught up in the other discussion and I'm sorry I passed over this question. I definitely have to agree with the above answer about contacting the school and asking for a review/evaluation. Last year, I didn't get in, but they told me how to improve my application, and this year I was accepted.

 

They know what they're looking for, and they can give you great guidance. Also, next cycle, don't be ashamed of being a reapplicant; it demonstrates dedication, which is something every program wants in its students.

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I have a question folks...

 

Does the college know how many schools we applied to thru CASPA?

 

Btw, if you play the affirmative action card (which is ludicrous) I think you don't understand why you didn't get in, are possibly a narcissist, and just blame other people for your humanly errors.

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Any CURRENT students know how soon those wait-listed will be notified of acceptance or rejection? What are some ways to improve your chances of getting in? Being from a small town with smaller colleges extra courses aren't available for me to take to help improve my app. However I'm still working on my clinical hours through my job, could that possibly help me?

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Hey everyone. Yesterday was in fact the last day of interviews. One of the staff told me four were accepted from 26 individuals. Many were wait listed. I was one of those who were wait listed. It is kind of frustrating knowing you are so close without getting accepted. Dr. Harbert said around 25-30 percent of the incoming class will be pulled from the waiting list. If that is indeed true, there is still hope. The problem is that we don't know how many people are on the waiting list and my position on the waiting list. It is an honor and a blessing to have been selected for the interview. However, it is my opinion that they already have a good idea who they want to select prior to the interview. The interview can only hurt you not help you. I excelled in the interview and was wait listed. There was only two other people in my group yesterday during the group interview session. After your group interview, they gave us pizza in the student plaza and placed us in a room while each group's selection committee discussed the outcome for 15 minutes. Everyone is assigned different faculty members. Not everyone gets to interview with the top officials of the school, which is disappointing. I assumed that all participants interviewing would be interviewed by the same faculty members. Have a great day. If anyone has any questions, don't hesitate to ask.

 

Just going to start from the top and give responses/retorts as we move down the post. First, there really isn't any order to the wait list. They don't have any idea who they want prior to interviews. They pull people in to see who will mesh well with the program, so saying the interview can only hurt you is asinine. Also, interviewing with top officials really doesn't have any bearing on your chances. I don't know much about the behind closed doors process, but I do know that every faculty member's say has the same weight.

 

Micky053, that's awesome that you were accepted. I do realize that they pull from the wait list. I already mentioned that in my previous post by the way. I believe that the higher officials of the school have more influence as to who gets accepted than the mid level instructors or professors. I would much rather interview with guys like Dr. Harbert, Dr. Hillegas, and Dr. Seaton. They have more pull rather than the guy who runs the simulation lab, which is who I interviewed with. What that tells me is that they already had an idea who was getting accepted prior to being interviewed. As I mentioned earlier, the interview session can only hurt you not help you. I excelled in the interview session and definitely performed better than the other members in my group. I will keep my head up and hopefully be pulled from the wait list. I would have liked to have been first choice though. I'm sure you will have a wonderful experience in Knoxville. You are extremely blessed.

 

Again, each faculty member's opinion is weighted the same in the process. These faculty aren't the type to pull rank on each other, they genuinely treat each other like a big family and respect each other's opinions. Along the same lines, each faculty member has different opinions about personality. You might think you rocked your interview, and in all likely hood you did. However, if you let any of the attitude you've shown on this board peep through during the interview, that might be why you're on the wait list now. It's perfectly fine for you to feel like you did better than the other applicants in your group, but the way you verbalized it has a lot of implications. I won't go into implications, but suffice it to say that the group of interviewers probably picked up on that and didn't think it would mesh well with the program.

 

Anitsisqua, you made your point about not getting an interview with the higher officials, but you are forgetting about the fact that the top 70 applicants will not be accepted. Universities as well as companies have to use affirmative action policies to accept or hire minority candidates. These practices are used in every day life because if you are a company or school that isn't minority friendly, you will be criticized by the general public and media. It is all about balance. The number of minority candidates that apply will be less than Caucasian applicants, but the percentage of accepted applicants will be the same. I am not being negative or displaying a bad attitude, I just call it how I see it. If I were a minority, there would not be a question as to whether or not I would be accepted. I am not saying you aren't qualified because if you weren't, you would not have been chosen for a seat in the upcoming class. All I am saying is that schools have to accept a certain number of minority candidates to protect themselves from legality and negative publicity. Have a nice day.

 

More asininity. Put the race card back in the deck.

 

I have a question folks...

 

Does the college know how many schools we applied to thru CASPA?

 

Btw, if you play the affirmative action card (which is ludicrous) I think you don't understand why you didn't get in, are possibly a narcissist, and just blame other people for your humanly errors.

 

I believe they can see it, but it doesn't play a big role in their decision making. Dean Harpert likes to tell everyone that his first time applying he applied to 18 schools and he likes to ask people how many they applied to this cycle. They don't really care how many you sent out. We've had applicants only apply here and we've had applicants apply to over 15. Doesn't really play any part in the decision.

 

Any CURRENT students know how soon those wait-listed will be notified of acceptance or rejection? What are some ways to improve your chances of getting in? Being from a small town with smaller colleges extra courses aren't available for me to take to help improve my app. However I'm still working on my clinical hours through my job, could that possibly help me?

 

I think they start pulling from the list in June, but they'll keep pulling from it, if they have to, all the way up until about a week before the first day. One of the ladies in our class got called one week before class started, so it ain't over til it's over. If you didn't ask during the individual interview, I'd call/email and ask what you can do to improve your chances. More HCE is always beneficial though.

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Question for any current students: *part* of my decision to not accept my seat offered this year was because I was concerned about finances. I am employed full-time currently, comfortable salary, and would lose my health insurance and job to go back to school. That, plus the costs of reolcation, equipment, books, etc made me very anxious. Are there any current students who were in a similar situation? Just curious as to what you did to make it work? I know we can apply for FAFSA, and I am assuming you can notify them that you will be losing your income to return to school - but how did that all play out?

 

As for all of the above discussion regarding admissions - I was a relatively 'non-traditional' applicant with a 'decent' science GPA, some non-traditional HCE, but a previous masters and diverse experience (domestic and abroad). It did appear that they want mature, articulate, responsible, driven people in their program.

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I like the fact that everyone is like a family. Mikejohn12, keep your head up, man. I know it is frustrating that you did not get accepted. I too was wait-listed as well. It would be wise to maybe call them and find out what your deficiencies were. Second, make specific corrective actions on those deficiencies. Last, show them that no matter the obstacle or challenge that you face, you will not let anything stand in your way of becoming a physician assistant. No one is perfect. I am a prime example of an individual, who isn't perfect. I am a military veteran with a poor academic record prior to entering the Marine Corps and decided to go back to school and pursue my dream to work in healthcare. It was disappointing to not be accepted, but that isn't the end of the world. You were wait-listed. I'm sure there were many who were completely rejected. O'neal, I really enjoyed meeting you last week. Thanks for giving me those points of contacts concerning the health professions scholarship. Antisisqua, outstanding job on getting accepted. lolWut, I thought your post was insightful and informative. I will definitely use that information during my next application process, but hopefully I will receive a call in the near future letting me know I was picked from the waiting list. Take care everyone and good luck on pursuing your dreams as a health care provider.

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Guest RetiredKe$haFan
I believe they can see it, but it doesn't play a big role in their decision making. Dean Harpert likes to tell everyone that his first time applying he applied to 18 schools and he likes to ask people how many they applied to this cycle. They don't really care how many you sent out. We've had applicants only apply here and we've had applicants apply to over 15. Doesn't really play any part in the decision.

 

Thanks for the reply lolWUT. I also figured they knew. The reason I ask is... although it may not play a part in their decision making, perhaps they want to know if you give an honest reply to the question "How many schools did you apply to?"

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Who did you guys contact last year to find out what the committee recommended for you to work on to be a stronger applicant? How did you contact them about that? Got the email rejection letter last week, so now trying to decide how to move forward to be a better applicant next year. Thanks!

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Who did you guys contact last year to find out what the committee recommended for you to work on to be a stronger applicant? How did you contact them about that? Got the email rejection letter last week, so now trying to decide how to move forward to be a better applicant next year. Thanks!

 

Work on interviewing better and becoming more personable. Try to bring something to the table that other people don't have. Continue working in healthcare and maybe take a hard science class like Genetics and make sure you get an A. On your next interview let them see (don't explicitly tell them) that you're going to become a PA and if you don't get into South you're going to get into someplace else. Next time, apply broadly (more than 10 schools.) Also very important... now you have experience interviewing. Make sure you build on that experience and give solid and genuine answers on your future interviews.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Yes a facebook page has been created but it is set to private and they have to add you. I was accepted at the March 8th interview and they just invited all of us 3-4 weeks ago so it may take awhile. Hopefully with all of the interviews being completed they will be able to add the next group a little bit quicker! And congrats on being accepted! I look forward to meeting you this fall!

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