mobadia Posted March 4, 2013 Share Posted March 4, 2013 Hey all! I am looking for some advice on what I should do between application processes...I graduated in 2010 with a BS in Biology. Following graduation, I went on a 2 week medical mission trip to Ecuador.. came back and went straight to work as a scribe in February 2011. Since then, I have continued to work as a scribe in the ED and have accrued 3,263 hours. I have shadowed two PAs (176 hours) and had done numerous volunteering throughout undergrad and even became one of the founding officers of the Pre-PA society at my university. The downside: My overall and science GPA are below average, as well as my GRE score. I applied to about 15 PA programs last year (I was just so ready to get in and start school!) and was very pleased when I was offered interviews at three schools: Stony Brook University, UT-Pan American, and Duke University. Following my interviews, I was discouraged when I was not offered admission from 2 of the 3. I am still currently waiting to hear back from the third. I am trying to be proactive and set up a plan of what to do in the time that I am waiting to re-apply, and I have a bit of a dilemma. I know that the application for the next cycle opens up this April (in 2 months). However, between the time of my last application and now, I have only obtained additional work hours as a scribe (2,349 hours to 3,263 hours). So I have considered holding off on this cycle so that I am able to much improve my application in other areas and then re-apply in the spring of 2014. I am trying to decide if it would be most beneficial for me to either: 1.) Retake the GRE. Retake any classes that I received C's in. Take additional upper level biology and chemistry courses. Work a part-time job as a MCAT or GRE course instructor. OR 2.) Retake the GRE. Add on to my HCE hours and become an EMT. I would greatly appreciate any insight on these options, or any additional advice or other options that you may have. Congratulations to all that have been accepted this cycle, and good luck to those who are applying in these upcoming months!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TarheelGirlx3 Posted March 4, 2013 Share Posted March 4, 2013 First of all, what is your sGPA, cGPA, and GRE score? What are you considering "low"? Also, I am not a pro at this so take it with a grain of salt, but I feel like your HCE are FINE, I don't see why you would need to go back and do EMT, or something like that. So if your grades really are lower, go back and take some of the classes you did poorly in. But whats your stats? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TThielen Posted March 4, 2013 Share Posted March 4, 2013 Some schools don't look very highly on scribe hours....look into getting a CNA cert or something, in Michigan you can get this in as little as 3 weeks. I would retake any courses less than a B-. Also whats wrong with applying again? Wait to submit your app in July or August. The worst they could say is no and you're still in the same boat you're in now. Plus if you end up interviewing it lets them put a name with a face that way if you apply a 3rd time they have seen you and may possibly remember you. I think it helped me that I interviewed at the same school twice and it was with the same person, she recognized me and it was a big advantage. I also called the schools that I didn't get into and asked why/what I could do to improve my app, can't get any better advice than from the school who you interviewed with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nj10 Posted March 4, 2013 Share Posted March 4, 2013 How did you feel about your interviews? Your stats/experience must have been competitive enough to get your foot in the door at 3 programs. Perhaps something went wrong at the interview stage? I also agree with TThielen about contacting the programs that turned you down and seeing if they would be willing to give you any feedback. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mobadia Posted March 4, 2013 Author Share Posted March 4, 2013 Thank you all for the advice and insight -- I plan on contacting the two schools after April 1st, as they requested that applicants do not reach out to them until after this date, when the class is finalized. Do you believe that these questions would be appropriate to ask, or just a general "What areas of my application deserve improvement?" Overall GPA is 3.2 Science GPA is 3.0 GRE is 1,060 (old scoring) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TThielen Posted March 4, 2013 Share Posted March 4, 2013 That question is good. But frankly I was pretty blunt about it when I asked, and I called them instead of the email route. I asked, "what did the adcom say as to why I didn't get in? What were the negatives on my profile?" I even looked up the prof on the schools website who interviewed me and emailed her similar questions, she responded quickly and told me every way possible that I could improve my app. She remembered me the next year at interviews because of that email. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whoRyou Posted March 5, 2013 Share Posted March 5, 2013 That question is good. But frankly I was pretty blunt about it when I asked, and I called them instead of the email route. I asked, "what did the adcom say as to why I didn't get in? What were the negatives on my profile?" I even looked up the prof on the schools website who interviewed me and emailed her similar questions, she responded quickly and told me every way possible that I could improve my app. She remembered me the next year at interviews because of that email. TThielen & others do you think it is was wise to be so blunt? I know at times I can be, and some of my closest friends have told me that I should watch it because it could possibly get me in trouble. Which reminds me of a story to share. A woman who interviewed me for a job mind you, NOT for PA school or for any school for that matter told me upfront she was was NOT going to hire me because I intimidated her. Later I found out it was because I actually asked her questions that no one else had asked her before and she did not know how to answer them. I always do my 'homework' before and after the interview so I can critique myself. G-D knows I am my own worst critique when it comes to things like this, because I know there is always room for improvement. So, I always wonder if I need to 'cool my jets' sometimes. :O_O:I just rather know than NOT know. I do not want to be the ostrich in the sand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nj10 Posted March 5, 2013 Share Posted March 5, 2013 A woman who interviewed me for a job mind you, NOT for PA school or for any school for that matter told me upfront she was was NOT going to hire me because I intimidated her. Later I found out it was because I actually asked her questions that no one else had asked her before and she did not know how to answer them. I find this a little odd, and unlikely to be a common occurrence. Perhaps the woman was unprepared or new at conducting interviews, or maybe it was your approach. As far as PA school, I think asking a program what areas of your application could be improved shows you're serious about doing what it takes to become a qualified applicant. I can't imagine programs would be intimidated or turned off by this unless you approached them in a rude and aggressive way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moiraine57 Posted March 5, 2013 Share Posted March 5, 2013 TThielen & others do you think it is was wise to be so blunt? I know at times I can be, and some of my closest friends have told me that I should watch it because it could possibly get me in trouble. Which reminds me of a story to share. A woman who interviewed me for a job mind you, NOT for PA school or for any school for that matter told me upfront she was was NOT going to hire me because I intimidated her. Later I found out it was because I actually asked her questions that no one else had asked her before and she did not know how to answer them. I always do my 'homework' before and after the interview so I can critique myself. G-D knows I am my own worst critique when it comes to things like this, because I know there is always room for improvement. So, I always wonder if I need to 'cool my jets' sometimes. :O_O:I just rather know than NOT know. I do not want to be the ostrich in the sand. If this was a one time thing, I'd say the woman was weird. If you find this happening to you frequently, I'd say there's a fine line between being direct and being an a$$ and you could be crossing that line. Also, some people (especially women in my experience) just aren't as comfortable being direct. Many people want to be perceived as "nice" and " team players" and they get mad at you for forcing them to be direct about painful truths. HOWEVER...you should have (or learn to acquire) enough awareness to figure out who these people are and approach them on their level. They'll often tell you what you want to know if you read into things a bit. E.g "Your qualifications are excellent, I just don't think you'll be a good fit for this team right now" means "I found you to be an a$$ and I don't want to work with you." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TThielen Posted March 5, 2013 Share Posted March 5, 2013 TThielen & others do you think it is was wise to be so blunt? I know at times I can be, and some of my closest friends have told me that I should watch it because it could possibly get me in trouble. Which reminds me of a story to share. A woman who interviewed me for a job mind you, NOT for PA school or for any school for that matter told me upfront she was was NOT going to hire me because I intimidated her. Later I found out it was because I actually asked her questions that no one else had asked her before and she did not know how to answer them. I always do my 'homework' before and after the interview so I can critique myself. G-D knows I am my own worst critique when it comes to things like this, because I know there is always room for improvement. So, I always wonder if I need to 'cool my jets' sometimes. :O_O:I just rather know than NOT know. I do not want to be the ostrich in the sand. Asking a blunt question about your application (your life) and being demanding are two different things. If you're polite and are asking for an honest question you should get an honest answer. Something along the lines of, "What can I do to improve my application for next year?" or "Can you tell me what my weaknesses were in my application?" Those should go over just fine, if not IMO I wouldn't want to attend that school anyways. Besides they rejected you and sent you a letter about it, what's more blunt than that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GatorRRT Posted March 5, 2013 Share Posted March 5, 2013 Considering you made it to the interview stage at some decent programs, I don't think your stats are as much a problem as your interview skills are. I'd keep with the scribe gig (if its good enough for Duke, it's good enough to me), retake any C or lower prereqs and reapply this cycle. Also, read up on the profession and work on those interview skills. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.