Sophomore - POTENTIAL 3.3 GPA by senior year, chances? advice?

[mtnabril2293]

Right now I am a sophomore at BU going into Spring semester and I took a Journalism class last semester and received a D because I wasn't able to write the last final article because of an emergency flight home. Got a 0 on the final and my grade plummeted from a B+ to a D. This dropped my GPA from 3.1 to a 2.78.

I really want to become a PA.

The idea of assisting a doctor is so enticing. I have already signed up to begin volunteering at the local hospital starting next month (which I will continue till I graduate). If I get mostly A's I can graduate with a 3.2 - 3.4 GPA, but I feel like this is not nearly enough.

 

I plan to begin shadowing PA's and doctors as soon as I can meet some.

What else should I do to help myself get accepted into a PA school right after college??

I will do ANYTHING else.

I heard getting EMT certified may boost chances.

 

Please help! I really really wish for nothing more than to become a PA!

 

Thank you in advance, I look forward to hearing everyone's reply!

[rev ronin]

(sob story snipped)

I plan to begin shadowing PA's and doctors as soon as I can meet some.

(snip)

Please help! I really really wish for nothing more than to become a PA!

 

Please don't feed the trolls--or those so sufficiently clueless that they are indistinguishable from trolls.

[mtnabril2293]

Sorry, don't feed the trolls? I've never used a forum before but I've read many. I was just posting my situation for advice from those who have experience and know what it takes to get into a PA school. With a background and an understanding on what is needed to succeed

[GatorRRT]

If you want to "assist" a doc, don't waste years taking graduate level courses. Head to your local Everest College for a medical assistant program. :=-0:

[Moiraine57]

If it truly was an emergency flight home (true emergency, like your dad had a heart attack, your house burned down) go and see the professor with documentation. Tell her you're sorry, you weren't thinking clearly (due to the life threatening emergency), you should have called, is there anything that can be worked out, etc.

 

If she says no, go to the head of the department. Then go to the dean.

 

i have been to four undergraduate programs and I have never seen a uni screw a student for a true emergency. In fact, they'll usually bend over backwards to help him.

[Moiraine57]

Also, research the PA school you want to go to.

 

For example, my local PA school weights GPA scores heavily, as well as GRE score. i think the last time i checked, the avg prereq GPA was north of 3.5. So that gives me a hint of what I need to focus on.

 

If I were you, I'd get the journalism class issue resolved, get As in the rest of my classes, and find a paid healthcare position nights/weekends that I could work...whether that is CNA, EMT, whatever.

[cinntsp]

I really want to become a PA.

The idea of assisting a doctor is so enticing.

 

It sounds like you want to be a medical assistant(MA), which you can go do right now without any formal education.

[sartort]

I wasn't able to finish a term of coursework due to a true emergency. AMU's professors (online) didn't adjust my grades and I ended up with a D- in one of my courses and my As in others dropped as well. It worried me all through the admissions process but I think the admissions committees can see that something just happened that term and were able to see better grades after. I was accepted. If this is your only big problem you will be fine. I didn't mentioned it in my essay because I had better things to say and it worked out ok. Just relax and your consistent grades from now on will make it clear that this term doesn't reflect your abilities.

 

You do need healthcare experience and knowledge of the profession. Work on that and be willing to work in some other healthcare job for at least a year in between undergrad and PA school.

 

 

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[sartort]

Oh and I did try talking to the university. They said they were so sorry but didn't change my grades. Sometimes you just get screwed over and have to work hard to overcome it.

 

 

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[mtnabril2293]

Since I posted this till now I have been working hard and I have received a chance to shadow a Doctor for the summer. I have also signed up to volunteer at the local hospital. MA sounds interesting but not as interesting as the life of a PA (wouldn't you agree), and the flight home was because my uncle had a heart attack and I wanted to come home for the funeral. The final for journalism was an article and I didn't get the chance to get the interviews that I had set out to get, so I talked to him about it and he said he will not change it.

But I hope you can see that I am trying! Besides these few experience jobs that are set out for me in the near future, what else should I do to hopefully create my well-roundedness and darken the fact that my GPA is not as high as it should be?

 

Thank you for all of your responses so far! I promise I am keeping them all in mind!