ialegria Posted March 7, 2013 Share Posted March 7, 2013 Hi All, I am grateful to have gotten into two great schools, USC and WesternU. I was just wondering if the prestige of the PA school matters in the long run (job offers, salary, etc.) I am still debating which school I'd rather go to and weighing the pros and cons of each school. Any advice is greatly appreciated! Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator True Anomaly Posted March 7, 2013 Moderator Share Posted March 7, 2013 Nope........ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Friction Posted March 7, 2013 Share Posted March 7, 2013 I grew up wanting to go to USC, my Dad (alumni) has pictures of OJ holding my older brother as a kid (we kid he's lucky to be alive), so obviously I'm biased. I spent years around the campus and just love the East coast feel of all the brick buildings in the middle of downtown LA. Obviously SC is more expensive but I've heard many of their students say they enjoyed the extra time in the program. Many of them said it allowed them to enjoy things outside of school (football, LA, etc) and not feel so rushed. I believe their clinical rotations are a bit longer too, which some students said made them feel more prepared once they hit the market. Also, USC is known for having one of the best alumni networks of any university. All of that obviously comes at a cost being that SC is $45k+ a semester. Guess you just have to figure out if all that is worth the extra money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hemegroup Posted March 7, 2013 Share Posted March 7, 2013 There's a lot of crime around USC, something to consider. Of course you drive through it and on but still. There are also a lot of B rated restaurants lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Friction Posted March 7, 2013 Share Posted March 7, 2013 There's a lot of crime around USC, something to consider. Of course you drive through it and on but still. There are also a lot of B rated restaurants lol The USC medical campus, Keck School of Medicine, isn't on the main campus in South Central. Its in Alhambra. While its not the best part of LA, Pomona isn't exactly the best either... just saying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cinntsp Posted March 7, 2013 Share Posted March 7, 2013 I could see it mattering if you're applying somewhere local to a particular program if they are familiar with it, rotate students through, etc. Other than that it won't matter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CornellSPA Posted March 7, 2013 Share Posted March 7, 2013 Everyone gets the PA-C which is the important thing, but even 17 years after PA school when a patient asks "Where did you go to school?" and I reply "Cornell" its still pretty cool!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moiraine57 Posted March 7, 2013 Share Posted March 7, 2013 I wonder if this is going to stay true 5-10 years from now when 100 new PA schools open. I could see an argument at that point that if the market did get flooded students from older, more established PA schools might have a leg up. Just idle speculation though.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Steve Posted March 7, 2013 Share Posted March 7, 2013 I wonder if this is going to stay true 5-10 years from now when 100 new PA schools open. I could see an argument at that point that if the market did get flooded students from older, more established PA schools might have a leg up. Just idle speculation though.... Within that train of thought...Within each year's pulse of new grads, the new PA-C will be looking for ways to outshine their classmates, so they can land the nicer job/better pay, all of that. Makes you wonder what it will take to shine brightest in a sea of diamonds...personally I am hoping it's previous direct patient health care experience. Or it could be a wash as the baby boomers hit the retirement age and the Affordable Care Act is rolling along and demand of health care continues to climb. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hemegroup Posted March 7, 2013 Share Posted March 7, 2013 The USC medical campus, Keck School of Medicine, isn't on the main campus in South Central. Its in Alhambra. While its not the best part of LA, Pomona isn't exactly the best either... just saying. well i did not know that, thank you for the info, good to know Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cdpbme Posted March 7, 2013 Share Posted March 7, 2013 I'm really glad you asked that! I was wondering the same thing. What if someone gets into Stanford and USC... How on earth do you decide between the two? side note: there is a masters option at Stanford, so degree wise it is similar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator EMEDPA Posted March 7, 2013 Moderator Share Posted March 7, 2013 where you went to school helps more early in your career than later. for pure wow value USC>>>>>western. it doesn't hurt that USC is also a MUCH better program with access to the largest teaching hospital in the u.s. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BroncoPAS Posted March 7, 2013 Share Posted March 7, 2013 It's only one factor and should be weighed as such. Your undergraduate institution, rotation sites, previous health care jobs and references will all be listed on your resume as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
polarbebe Posted March 8, 2013 Share Posted March 8, 2013 Generally no. Local employers may have an general opinion regarding the quality of local program and their graduates but will usually look at the entire applicant's picture (as mentioned above). As a side note since you are rather forward thinking about employment now... for new grads with little or no HCE and in competitive markets (like NYC, and NY state with 18 programs more than any other state), PANCE scoring percentile (during my interview at NYU, HR literally told me new grads were "dime a dozen" and I was called in for my score; this was 3 years ago) and GPA may be important factors for new grads for employers to weed out some applicants. This is from NY Presbyterian (#1 rated hospital in the NYC metro area) searching for candidates for their open interview days March 11-15th: "Physician Assistants with one year of medicine experience, and new graduates with a 3.5 gpa or higher are encouraged to apply.U.S. News ranks NewYork-Presbyterian as the #1 hospital in New York (America’s Best Hospitals, 2012). " http://www.indeed.com/m/viewjob?jk=2022e59afd45ef57&from=serp When I attended my PA program, practicing PAs and faculty stated GPA didn't matter; network during your rotations to get a job. Definitely network, but I expect this trend to continue in certain geographic markets (rural probably not) as more PA programs open and employers will use additional criteria to at least sort who will come in for an interview. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UGoLong Posted March 8, 2013 Share Posted March 8, 2013 Based on what I've seen, few people really care where you went to school. How you come across, your health care experience, and your optional rotations are probably more important. There are duds from well-known schools and really good PAs from lesser-known ones. Which program do you like and which can you afford? A big loan for lots of years may not be worth it. Good luck! http://www.amazon.com/dp/1479372099/ref=tsm_1_fb_lk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ialegria Posted March 8, 2013 Author Share Posted March 8, 2013 Thanks, everyone for all your helpful advice! I really appreciate your opinions :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hemegroup Posted March 8, 2013 Share Posted March 8, 2013 Personally, I'd go with USC. Western is a fine school and is well-respected, but you got into USC!! Wow. Serious congratulations, btw, on both your acceptances. I have to disagree with some on here, I have found that the program matters. I've had people speak about "those hard east coast schools" when they found out I went to Drexel-Hahnemann. I there also had access to the teaching hospital and it was an invaluable source of experience for me. Yes a PA-C is a PA-C and employers are going to look at the whole package, but USC would likely scream just a tiny bit louder in your life. In the end you're going to goto school and learn how to practice medicine, regardless and that's all that really matters in the end. It likely wouldn't affect your salary to any huge degree, but then again who knows what experience you will gain and what lies down the road. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aerten Posted March 11, 2013 Share Posted March 11, 2013 What about if you would like to teach eventually? Does going to a "prestigious" PA program help you land a teaching job at another school down the line? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UGoLong Posted March 11, 2013 Share Posted March 11, 2013 I don't believe so. There are opportunities to teach -- many more coming up with more schools opening. If you ever want to be the director of a PA program, you would likely need a PhD (or ED). This is the case since most of the program now issue MS degrees and a doctorate (especially in education) seems to be a requirement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lov2xlr8 Posted March 13, 2013 Share Posted March 13, 2013 I think if you want to stay local to the school, it does matter... speaking from experience, hospitals in the big markets (NYC, LA, Philly) have their favorites in terms of schools and where they like to hire from... if you're looking to relocate, probably not so much, except a "wow factor" if you went to a school known for other than their PA School Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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