djson Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 Hey everyone! I've just come across this forum and its been an awesome wealth of information. A quick intro about myself...I graduated in June 2011 from my undergraduate studies and didn't do very well. I received a 2.68 GPA but I stayed motivated to retake all the classes I did poorly in and did relatively well. I retook the classes where I received a bad grade and my GPA was a 3.9 for the 37 credits I retook. And if I correctly calculated my overall CASPA gpa, it is now a 3.23. While I have an upward trend of good grades, I still don't have any accumulated paid healthcare hours (only 150 volunteer hours at the local ED). My plan is to take a 1 month accelerated EMT class in late April and I can begin working (if all goes as planned) in June. I really don't know if I have a chance for this cycle, but I think I'm going to apply anyways. My question is should I apply early (April -June) or late in the application cycle so that I can show I've built maybe a few hundred hours of paid experience by that time. Also, are there any schools that are geared towards my situation of a slightly upward trend? Thanks for all and any advice you have for me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cinntsp Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 You don't have much of a chance this cycle. Normally applying early(and sending updates later if necessary) is the best way to go but in your case with no HCE and a low GPA it probably won't help you. You can try applying later in the cycle if you want to spend the money but you'll have a better chance next year with some HCE under your belt and an early broad application. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSA07 Posted March 21, 2013 Share Posted March 21, 2013 It really depends on the schools that you are applying to. Some schools do not require HCE hours. Do you have any shadowing experience with a PA? If I were you, I would probably still apply. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sprentic Posted March 22, 2013 Share Posted March 22, 2013 Yeah I definitely need to rack up my paid HCE hours right after I take my EMT course. I don't necessarily have the shadowing experience where I have set it up with a PA, but that is essentially what I do every week for about 4 hours as a volunteer. I work directly with 2-3 PA's to help suture, cast, and admit patients. I literally follow them around within the orthopedic clinic in the hospital. If I've built about 500 hours of paid HCE by August, would you say that is a good time to apply? Thanks for the input guys! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lang Posted March 22, 2013 Share Posted March 22, 2013 Like others have said, your answer will depend on where you want to apply. Each program is slightly different regarding applicant stats and required hours of HCE, etc. However, 1000 HCE hours is a very common minimum so 500 isn't competitive. Though its fantastic that you went back an did well in those classes, your GPA still isn't highly competitive either. BUT! Don't feel discouraged. You are doing all the right things. Just keep going and don't rush it. You really don't want to go through CASPA twice unless you have to. You will have to write a new personal statement and ask for letters of rec again. Also the HCE you will gain by waiting a year will help you tremendously in getting through PA school. Keep working, you'll get there!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marktheshark89 Posted March 22, 2013 Share Posted March 22, 2013 I would only apply to schools that have no hour requirements, and focus on your most recent academics (last 30-60 credits), if I were to apply at all. If you limit yourself to these schools, then the earlier you apply the better chance you will have. I don't think you have a great chance, but I think it's still worth it to apply. If nothing else you may get some constructive criticism back about other parts of your application, and you can see how schools view your GPA and upward trend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cinntsp Posted March 22, 2013 Share Posted March 22, 2013 I received a 2.68 GPA but I stayed motivated to retake all the classes I did poorly in and did relatively well. I retook the classes where I received a bad grade and my GPA was a 3.9 for the 37 credits I retook. And if I correctly calculated my overall CASPA gpa, it is now a 3.23. I'm curious about these numbers though because it's not possible to go from a 2.68 to 3.23 cGPA with only 37 credit hours assuming OP had 120+ SCH already since he has a degree. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lang Posted March 22, 2013 Share Posted March 22, 2013 I'm curious about these numbers though because it's not possible to go from a 2.68 to 3.23 cGPA with only 37 credit hours assuming OP had 120+ SCH already since he has a degree. I haven't done the math but what about grade replace? The op may be seeing a particular schools calculation. That is a very good thing to point out to the OP though. CASPA calculates your GPA differently. I'm not sure how they treat grade replacements bc I never retook a class but I do know that the GPA I graduated with from my university was higher than the one CASPA calculated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cinntsp Posted March 22, 2013 Share Posted March 22, 2013 I haven't done the math but what about grade replace? The op may be seeing a particular schools calculation. That is a very good thing to point out to the OP though. CASPA calculates your GPA differently. I'm not sure how they treat grade replacements bc I never retook a class but I do know that the GPA I graduated with from my university was higher than the one CASPA calculated. CASPA considers both grades in the GPA calculation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SopranoKris Posted March 22, 2013 Share Posted March 22, 2013 How would CASPA handle courses I was required to re-take because my pre-reqs were considered "too old"? I had to re-take Microbiology & Chem because my previous credits were 18 years old. The PA school will only accept them if they're less than 6 years old. So, I was forced to re-take courses I got an A in. While my GPA is still good (3.6 cummulative, 3.85 science/pre-req), would that look like a "ding" on my application because I re-took courses? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timon Posted March 22, 2013 Share Posted March 22, 2013 No it will not look like a ding. If you graduated with 120 credits and had 462 quality points (GPA points / aka a 3.85 GPA) and you retook or added lets say 16 more units at a 4.0 (just an example) CASPA would add the 16 units making your total 136 units with 526 quality points (or a 3.87 GPA). Basically your classes just keep getting added regardless if you retook them or not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SopranoKris Posted March 23, 2013 Share Posted March 23, 2013 No it will not look like a ding. If you graduated with 120 credits and had 462 quality points (GPA points / aka a 3.85 GPA) and you retook or added lets say 16 more units at a 4.0 (just an example) CASPA would add the 16 units making your total 136 units with 526 quality points (or a 3.87 GPA). Basically your classes just keep getting added regardless if you retook them or not. Thanks, Timon! I appreciate the quick response :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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