Genera Pre-PA Questions/UC Davis PA Program

[BayAreaA]

Hello Everyone,

 

I just graduated from UC Berkeley this past spring. I have a degree in Molecular and Cell Biology. I went to a CC for two years then transferred to UCB. I have a GPA of about 3.4 (~70 units) from the CC and a 2.94 (~52 units) from UC Berkeley. My Science GPA is just below a 3.0.

 

I am signed up to take Anatomy (5 Units) and an EMT (6units) class at Los Medanos Community College Next Semester. I plan on working as an EMT full time from June 2013 until I apply in 2014. In the meantime I will be Taking Micro and physio in the Fall (2013) and will be working on the Afghan Women's Breast Health Project while tutoring Chemistry and Math on the side. I will also look into shadowing a PA at the county hospital.

 

1. Does anybody know the job outlook for EMTs in the Bay Area. How should I go about getting a full-time position now if I want to start work in June?

 

2. I am fluent in Farsi/Dari. Does Farsi/Dari count as knowing a language of a minority population in California (Because I know UC Davis really favors bilingual students), or are they looking more for the generic knowledge of Spanish and Mandarin, etc?

 

3. When does the cycle for PA applications open, when does it close and when is the best time to apply?

 

4. How do I calculate my CAPSA gpa? Does CAPSA include (+) and (-) grades? What about P or NP?

 

5. Any suggestions on what else will strengthen my application for UC Davis?

 

I will also apply to other Northern California Schools (such as Stanford, Samuel Merritt, Touro) but my number 1 choice is UC Davis. Any and all suggestions would be highly appreciated. THANK YOU!

[BayAreaA]

Sorry, I meant GENERAL*

[rpackelly]

Here are the prereqs-

 

 

1. A bachelor’s degree in a health related field
   
2. A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0
   
3. A minimum 2.7 GPA in all sciences
   
4. Three letters of recommendation (submit with CASPA application, see CASPA website)
   
5. Statement of purpose, personal history describing the applicant’s background and experiences, rationale for seeking the degree, and intentions for applying the newly-obtained knowledge and skill (submit with CASPA application, see CASPA website)
   
6. 1000 hours of clinical experience in a health related field within the past 2 years
   

 

Make sure your gpa is clearly calculated at 3.0 or above. That’s a UC requirement.

 

Make sure you get your 1000 hours in. Count everything so that if they do not count some hours, you will still be ok

 

Get As in your CC courses.

 

Emphasize your bicultural/bilingual heritage highly. I cannot recommend this enough, it is very, very important to the program.

 

Look at their web site, the application cycle varies a bit year to year

 

I was full and part time faculty there for almost 10 years.