Dilemma

[Lead Pipe]

Though I realize this is a great problem to have, I'm having trouble choosing between two schools. I'm a senior in high school and was accepted into Duquesne's 5 year accelerated PA program and into Northeastern as a health science major. I am 100% sure that I want to become a PA, but the problem is Northeastern offered me a full tuition scholarship. (room and board would end up being around 13,000 per year) Duquesne's scholarship was much smaller and the tuition will end up being about 27,000 per year for four years, with the last year being 40,000. (hopefully i'll get a scholarship for the last year but it's not guaranteed) What would you do in my position and why?

[Jdangerous]

Personally I would go with the full ride. This would free you up to have no debt and get some HCE before heading into PA school. But big decisions like this are, unfortunately, all up to you.

[WanderlustPA]

Well, consider where you would go to PA school if you chose Northeastern. At that point you will likely not get any scholarships. There are many schools where your tuition will be near $100k, so you may not save any money. I'd go with Duquesne if it were me. You will also graduate sooner and have a much higher earning power. This, of course, is assuming that money is one of the biggest factors in your decision.

[Timon]

I'd go for the 5 year PA program. You're already accepted which many people have a hard time doing, it'll streamline your time frame, you can still get HCE while in youre taking classes, just per diem if you don't want to overload your self, and as someone mentioned earlier you're going to end up with the same debt if you end up going to a 2 years master program after you get your BS.

[megs]

I almost never post here, but I thought that I could (hopefully) add some perspective to your decision....

 

Full Discloure: I am currently a senior (5th year) Health Sciences major at Northeastern, so my opinions are a bit biased, to say the least :)

 

I think you should take the full ride and go to NU. Yes, you may have to spend money on room and board, but there are ways to minimize spending, such as becoming an RA or living off campus as an upperclassman. Yes, Duquesne's program is much shorter, but I feel like you're denying yourself the opportunity to explore yourself and your options, and instead limiting yourself right from the beginning. You're only 17 or 18 years old, do you REALLY know what you want to do for the rest of your life? I was convinced that I wanted to be a pharmacist when I was a senior in high school, and clearly that didn't work out,hah. How can you be certain of your career choice when you've never really worked in the real world or had the opportunity to explore other careers, such as MD, DMD, SLP, Genetic Counselor, Public Health.... the list goes on and on. I don't mean to come off as condescending or anything like that, but from experience I can tell you that you can change SO MUCH as a person from 17 to 23... undergrad should be the time you spend exploring and enjoying yourself, not completing professional school and focusing all of your attention on a single avenue.

 

Having said that, being a Health Sci major at NU is awesome if you do plan on sticking with PA school. Since you have the option of participating in co-op (which I HIGHLY recommend), you have the ability to complete 2 6-month placements of full time work (real work, not typical intern or volunteer duties) in pretty much any avenue of medicine that you can think of. I personally did 2 co-ops that were entirely clinical (taking vitals, assisting docs with procedures, other medical assistant type duties), but you can also do research, public health, admin work, really almost anything. By the time I reached my senior year, I had already accumulated well over 2,000 hours of direct patient care due to co-op, in addition to working part time during classes. There is also ample opportunity to volunteer, do research, and participate in other activities while you are here. It wasn't until I actually worked with PAs day in and day out that I really decided to apply to PA school.... shadowing is good, but I got way more out of my paid experiences than I ever did following someone around for the day. When I start PA school next year, I know that I am mature enough to hand the incredibly stressful coursework, and my past patient care experiences will undoubtedly help me during clinicals when it comes to working with patients.

 

Plenty of my classmates are currently applying to PA school, and many of them have already been successful at getting acceptances. Personally, I got an interview invite from nearly every school that I applied to, and I will be attending Duke next year for PA school. I don't think I would have been nearly as successful if I hadn't had the experiences that NU made available to me during my time spent in undergrad. Yes, the idea of being a PA-C at 22-23 is appealing in certain aspects, but even if you take the 5-year route that many NU undergrads do, you can still attend PA afterwards and be a PA-C at 25, which is still incredibly young to most people.

 

So, this is just my 2 cents... feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions. I wish you good luck in wherever you end up attending :)

[annemarreb]

Definitely go for the PA program. As one post had mentioned, 'you are lucky to get into one already'. A lot of people are struggling to get into a program. Grab the opportunity NOW! You might regret it later. Anyway, at least you have some financial support other people don't have it.

 

As for the career certainty, in response to the previous post...I think nothing is really certain in life. Even a person who finishes a Phd might change his or her mind and become a PA. I salute this young kid for having a clear goal at this age. At least you have something to start working for. Other people find this process very difficult.

 

Good luck!

[just_me]

Welp I applied to quite a few of those 5/6 year programs as a transfer student and got in but chose to go the traditional route (BS first then apply to PA programs later) because of money and well I must say I didnt come out any better. See the program I ended up costs an arm and a leg so Im still knee deep in debt---kinda wish I had gone that route when I had the chance. On the other hand, I ended up with a lot of hce behind me which helped a little.

 

I guess what I would first is really think about WHY I want to be a PA. As a previous poster said, things change with time so how do you really know. I mean if Dusquene gives you the BS degree after year 3 or 4 then no biggie....if you change your mind you can go elsewhere and do something else. Youll have some debt under your belt but you still have a degree and options. Problem is that not all of those BS/MS programs work that way, some of those 5-6 years wait to the end to award both degrees.

 

If you really KNOW that PA is what you want and Dusquene awards the BS somewhere in the middle then go for it, that way if you still want to be a PA after youve gotten through the BS portion then you already have a seat and do not have to worry about the hundreds of dollars spent on applications, supplemental apps, traveling and the stress of not knowing.

[Lead Pipe]

Thanks for all of the responses they were very helpful. Money is pretty much the deciding factor at this point; which do you think would be cheaper in the long run?

[cinntsp]

Take the full ride and use that time to get HCE and figure out if becoming a PA is what you really want to do. The program at Northeastern sounds great based on what megs said above. It could be a great opportunity for you to get a feel for medicine.

[just_me]

Money wise, Northwestern and then getting into an inexpensive PA program...preferably one at a state school in your state.

[Lead Pipe]

I understand that Northeastern's program would give me a better feel for medicine and let me test it out a bit, but let's just say that I'm 100% sure I want to be a pa (because that could be it's own discussion). Which then would be smarter in terms of money? With DU, I know how much it will cost total, but with Northeastern I could end up either paying a lot or a little for PA school. With the five year program I would also be making money for a year instead of spending for a year. I guess the security of the five year program appeals to me; if I go to northeastern I could end up in a cheaper program and have very little debt but I could also end up in an expensive program and end up with the same debt that I would have from the 5 year, but with 1 less year to make money. From what I understand there's not too many scholarships or good financial aid for pa school (please correct me if i'm wrong). It's hard for me to disconnect emotionally and just look at the finances side, but you're responses are helping a lot(:

[Applicant]

I think there is something to be said about working outside the PA profession prior to matriculating PA school. In my case, I feel that taking 6 years doing clinical research, phlebotomy and public education built "soft skills" (interpersonal skills, self-awareness, adapting to stressful situations, emotional maturity, professionalism). These are all qualities that you may not have time to hone in on until you start your career as a PA. I have gotten feedback from these various positions that have made me very well aware of my strengths and weaknesses (which is a useful thing to be aware of and communicate when asked about this during interviews). These qualities are also very appealing to PA programs, especially if working in low-resource communities in or out of the country (which is what I did).

 

I feel like this issue needs to take a step back at the broader picture. Making yourself a well-rounded candidate prior to PA program definitely deserves consideration. It will help you connect and even empathize with your patients. Also, it will give you time to appreciate the value of various other professions that are involved in the care of your patient (lab techs, school teachers, etc). And you may even find that you want to pursue another line of work as you grow and evolve in the real-world.

[marktheshark89]

I'd go for DU. Assuming you finish in 5years, you will be at least 2-3 years younger than you would be if you went to northeastern and then did a 2-3 year pa program after that. In those two years, you can be making 80k or more as a new grad, and make up the difference that you would have saved by going to Northeastern, and then some. Just do the math -> 5 years x 13k = 55k debt vs 4 years x 27k + 40k = 148k. 148k - 55k = 93k. You can easily make that 93k in a little over a year as a new grad. Certainly there is interest to consider, but that wont start to build until 6 months after you graduate. Also, you'll be younger when you finish. I think time is the most valuable thing that you are missing here. You'd be around 23 after DU, and around 26 when you finish NU and PA school.

[lauraashley]

I would do the PA program for sure for exactly the reasons marktheshark89 posted. In the long run I think you will thank yourself.