bajorgen Posted October 26, 2012 Share Posted October 26, 2012 I am planning on applying this coming spring with hopes of being accepted into a program straight out of undergrad. I am a D1 college athlete that will letter for 4 years while also maintaining a 3.87 gpa (science gpa is 3.9). I have not taken the GRE yet, but am confident that I will get an above average score. My LOR will come from a MD, clinical supervisor, and the last one is still unknown. The part of my application that is lacking will be my HCE due to the large time commitment that college athletics entails. I will hopefully have about 500 hours of HCE at the time of applying, and these hours come from being a Medical Assistant at a urology office part-time(minimal hours per week). Do you think that the benefits of playing college sports (teamwork, communication, dedication, time management) will be seen as positive aspects of my application by PA programs, or is the minimal HCE all that they will look at? Also, would a LOR from a coach or athletic director (could give information about my character, work ethic, etc.) be good or is it not relevant enough to PA school? Any suggestions or advice is greatly appreciated!! Thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GatorRRT Posted October 26, 2012 Share Posted October 26, 2012 Being an athlete, maintaining a high GPA and getting the HCE you've managed so far is impressive. Keep getting those hours and maintain your GPA. You are on the right track. As for LORs, the MD and clin supervisor are perfect. You need to get a third from a PA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benm93 Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 even without the athletics, that is impressive. It also shows them you can manage your time. I was an athlete too... its hard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myironlung Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 almost same stats as you except i did pt aide for my hce with similar hours. got in. i know what you went through but unfortunately i dont think these people on admissions have a clue what it takes, no matter how much you try to explain. i would still make the effort though, you never know if their own kids are playing or something like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sotaskimmer Posted November 4, 2012 Share Posted November 4, 2012 Adcoms may not know exactly how difficult it was for you, but I think that they will appreciate how you did great academically (like all the other good applicants), PLUS played a college sport. Definitely shows dedication and perseverance, as well as good time management. So many athletes just let academics slide when they don't feel like putting in the effort. Did you work also through college? I think if you did, they'd have to conclude you're a superstar. Best of luck, study hard for the GRE, and you shouldn't have too hard of a time finding a spot. Oh yeah and get your 3rd letter from a PA, pretty essential. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bajorgen Posted November 4, 2012 Author Share Posted November 4, 2012 Thanks everyone for your advice! @sotaskimmer, yes I did also work part-time as a MA at a urology office. I have worked hard to keep my grades up while competing in the PAC-12 conference playing volleyball. My main concern is the lack of HCE that I will have compared to other competitive applicants. I plan to get more experience over the summer, when I am on summer break from school and volleyball, but at the time of applying (hopefully early May) my hours will not be too impressive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sotaskimmer Posted November 4, 2012 Share Posted November 4, 2012 Well 500 hours is not nothing... although you're right, not impressive on its own. But I think its definitely enough to get you to an interview at many schools, and at that point you have a chance to explain why it's mediocre. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lumina Posted November 4, 2012 Share Posted November 4, 2012 As for LOR I would look at the schools you are applying to. Some of my schools wanted an academic professor to write one letter. Personally I had a PA write me a LOR my first year (I only applied to one school & didn't get in), but this year I couldn't get in contact with her unfortunately and the MD that originally gave me the PA's contact information wrote my LOR (so he knew about my shadowing experience). Anyways I heard back from 5 schools so far for an interview so if you are having problems getting a PA to write an LOR I would say its not the worst problem to have (it worked out fine for me at least!!) Also I have gotten the feeling that every school looks at things differently. Some schools take a strong GPA/busy undergrad schedule into heavy consideration and others love applicants to have a ton of HCE so it is good to apply to a couple if you are lacking on something. I think if you apply to more than a couple schools you will definitely get an interview or more! Remember luck plays a small role in the application process. And applying early is key! CASPA doesn't send out the applications to schools until June sometime (I believe) so keep that in mind. Good Luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kmkasubo Posted November 8, 2012 Share Posted November 8, 2012 @bjorgen: I can relate. I was a DII athlete at a very successful program, namely a NCAA championship runner up. My gpa was a 3.87 and plenty of other extracurriculars. This is my third year applying, and first year getting an interview. I had internships that amounted to over 300 hours, which was well below the average applicant. When I called after the 2nd rejection they said although the gpa and athlete combination was impressive it is impossible to make exceptions for anyone when there are over 800 applicants (WI schools). After graduation from my undergrad I get a cna license and have been working for around 7 months. I finally get interviews! So all I can recommend is getting into any medical setting and doing time. And I mean doing time! It's tedious work but well worth it. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PAAllDay3 Posted November 8, 2012 Share Posted November 8, 2012 What are your stats for the sport you played? this might make a difference Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bajorgen Posted November 9, 2012 Author Share Posted November 9, 2012 Play volleyball in the most competitive sports conference in the country, PAC-12 and have contributed in at least 50% of games every year. I have been a "scholar athlete" every year, and am currently coming back from an injury this season, torn labrum after shoulder dislocation. Are you talking about actual stats in the game? I'm not sure how that would impact my application... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JCofield Posted November 10, 2012 Share Posted November 10, 2012 This is a great question. Right now I am in high school, but plan on playing basketball in college. (I was offered to a school in the SWAC division.) it's amazing how u found time to do all this and keep your grades up. I played high school basketball for four years all while dual enrolling over 60 college credits. Right now it is a perfect 4.0 gpa. BUT I am worried as well about attaining hce hours. Even though I will be getting my cna license in a few months before I go off to school, I really doubt I will have time to get hours. I wonder if you could have asked a coach or something to get hours with the team's personal trainer, the university's nurse or MD. Idk. Just throwing stuff out there. I know I will need something that works around my class and sports schedule. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blondesparkle12 Posted November 16, 2012 Share Posted November 16, 2012 @bajorgen I too was a Division 1 volleyball player ( certainly not at the Pac 12 level!! ) but I really emphasized that in my applications,essays and interview. I had about 500 or so healthcare hours when I applied this cycle and pretty decent grades and test scores. I think it says a lot about your ability to not only multi-task, but to handle stress and be a member of a team. While an admissions committee probably wont understand the FULL amount of time college athletes spend between practicing,lifting/conditioning and playing games , I think if you spell it out for them at some point it will definitely be to your advantage. Not many people can say they were a D-1 athlete, so use that as a unique selling point! I had NO time during school/summers to get HCE , but I did do a bit of shadowing when my schedule allowed. Since I graduated in May I have been working as a medical assistant and that's how I got my hours. Good luck to you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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