How do I make my CASPA application stronger?

[Porsh911]

This is my second time around applying for PA school. I have been rejected by 3 of the 5 PA programs I have applied for already. I decided to go for my RN in the mean time (because it will only take me a year since I'm already an LPN with a bachelors degree in biology) but I'm worried that if my application isn't strong enough for the 2013 cycle , I will be rejected again. I left nursing because I liked the traits of the PA profession, but it's looks like its easier for me to travel along the nursing track than it is for me to go for PA. I'm asking for your help because I'm afraid that if I get rejected again, then I will be forced to pursue the ARNP route. My advisors are even telling me its best for me to go this route because of my experience and background but it's not what I want to do. Please help. Thanks.

[rev ronin]

I'm afraid you don't provide enough information for anyone to help you. There are a dozen or so categories of reasons why schools would reject you out of hand: too low GPA, not enough HCE, poison LORs, lack of prerequisites, felony convictions, license revocations, lawsuits... we have no idea which of these might apply to you, nor whether completing an RN would help out with any of them.

[beattie228]

I agree with Rev. It's likely not just one specific area that is hurting your application. Did you get interview invites for the schools that rejected you the last time? If not, I'd say to look long and hard at your narrative first off. The narrative tells a story that your hard numbers may not with the hard numbers being GPA, GRE, HCE hours. With that being said, if your numbers aren't within a specific range, Thoreau himself couldn't write an essay to make up for that. Additionally, you have to look at what the program(s) of your choice are looking for in terms of candidates. Some programs want stellar HCE, others want off the chart GPA and GRE, while most want a happy in between. We would need more information about your application and if you received any specific reasons for rejections from the programs who have rejected you this far in order to be of any help. Without knowing anything about your application, I would say pursuing a BSN and working a year as a RN before you apply would certainly do wonders for your application. Not only would you be racking up high quality HCE, but you'd have experiences to write about in your narrative to convince an admissions committee that PA is your passion as opposed to NP.

[just_me]

First and foremost, the people you should direct this question to are the programs who are rejecting you. many outline the reasons directly in their rejection letters but most, you have to call them and ask. If you call and ask, some programs will look at your app and tell you specifically why your app wasnt strong enough

 

If your GPA is low, take more higher level sciences and health science related courses.

 

If your GPA is not the min of the programs you are applying to, stop wasting your money and apply to schools you qualify for. Some people have that "you never know till you try", but I think its better to look for the place you fit in.

 

Keep accumulating hce. LPN is great experience as well as RN. Maybe its not the quality of your experience but the number of hours. Again, if youre not meeting the min hce hours, apply elsewhere

 

Broaden your application field. May I suggest making a spreadsheet of every single program and then going through and deleting ones you dont qualify for based off hce, GPA and other things that matter to you but at least leave yourself 10 programs to chose from

 

I personally would avoid applying to too many out of state, state schools. Many have a preference for locals, private schools typically dont

 

If youre not even getting interviews, its either sloppy essays, lack of HCE, lack of GPA or all of the above (this includes applying to places that you dont meet the min. requirements for)

[Porsh911]

Thanks guys for all of your help. Rev I have a clean background, a total of 7665 hrs in HCE, all of my prerequisites (however my science GPA is not the best, its a 2.9), no license revocations, or lawsuits. Beattie228 I recently revised my narrative and I'm having an editor look over it as well. My GRE scores are fair. I meet the minimum requirement of the schools I have applied to. I took your advice and called the schools I applied to and many provided me with the reason I was rejected and they all focused on the same problem. MY SCIENCE GPA. YIKES!. Seems they want me to retake organic chem and biochem because I settled for a "C" in these courses (both one and two). I did fail organic chem one the first time and I was happy to make it out with a "C" the following term. I didnt know that these classes would have such a negative impact on my GPA because I have "A"s and "B" s in general chemistry, A&P 1&2, physics, genetics, comparitive anatomy, molecular biology, and vertebrae physiology, in addition to my nursing courses. Looks like I have to retake these courses to even be considered as an applicant. I plan on retaking them this upcoming summer. Just_me I had no idea that out of state, "state schools", had a preference for locals. I often avoid applying for private schools because their usually more expensive. I will apply to more in state schools this time around. Wish me luck because I'm aiming for "A" s in all of them. Again I thanks you all for helping me out. I aspire to be a PA and you guys just gave me a bost of confidence which was must needed in my time of self pity. :)

[rev ronin]

I agree with your assessment--it's most likely your science GPA that's holding you back. Understand that since CASPA averages everything, retaking prerequisites like OChem is one way to go about raising GPA, and may be necessary for programs that require OChem and a B or higher in each prerequisite, but that taking new/more advanced science classes is just as valid a way to raise your overall or BCP (Biology, Chemistry, Physics) science GPA.

[Porsh911]

Thanks Rev. You have been very helpful. But even though I'm retaking these courses I'm worried about how it would look on my transcript. Could it adveresly affect my application as well as strengthen it?

[marktheshark89]

I think it would look worse not to retake them, than to retake them (assuming you do well this time). But like rev said, consider taking other science courses that will boost your overall science GPA also, especially if the classes that you did poorly in are not specific prerequisites for the programs that you are applying to.

[beattie228]

I'd recommend taking as many health science classes that you can afford in addition to the prerequisites that you did not perform as well as you would have liked to. Not only does CASPA include those health science courses in your cumulative science GPA, but they're generally very interesting and applicable to your desired profession. Some examples include nutrition, pathophysiology, microbiology, health law and ethics, contemporary topics in medicine, etc. These will boost your science GPA in addition to retaking the courses you've already deemed lower than you would have liked, but also give you some things to talk about during your interview. As previously mentioned, CASPA will average all classes taken, so taking more science classes in addition to the prerequisites will help your sGPA come up some.

[Porsh911]

Thanks markthshark89 and beattie228. The nursing program I'm in has classes such as nutrition, and health law and ethics included in there curriculum that I will be taking next semester. So hopefully these classes will help boost my GPA. You guys are the best. I'm so glad I joined this forum. Very helpful and informative.

[frenchy]

Make sure you check with CASPA to see what course will be part of your BCP GPA. Nutrition is not part of this calculation. Here is a link to their course list. https://portal.caspaonline.org/applicants2013/faq/coursesubject.htm Check this out first. This is a copy of an email I received from CASPA asking about Nutrition being counted as a Bio class: Thank you for contacting CASPA, this email is in response to your recent inquiry. Nutrition courses are always considered Other Science, regardless of the department in which they were taken.

[en1195]

There are some programs that want nutrition, if they do then they will count it in your prereq GPA. If not, it is ignored, and lumped in with your other coursework to be included in your cumulative GPA.

[en1195]

Strength can be had by listing prominent PAs in the PA community that you have shadowed, and doing lots of community service, especially the kind your program specifically supports. If your school is in an urban setting, it would seem most likely that the school would look highly on community service done in that area. Same goes for rural settings. I volunteered at free clinics that surround my school. I want to do rural primary care, but my schools are both in urban areas, but my profs volunteered at a semi-urban center (a small but highly populated city)