wesr_gordon Posted March 21, 2013 Share Posted March 21, 2013 So I had applied to schools this past summer and fall. I got no's from the majority, two interviews, and one wait-listed interview. My hunch is I won't get in to them. So far my achilles heel has been lack of HCE, which is what every school has said in their correspondence back to me. I'm currently getting my EMT-B and IV cert. so that I can hopefully land a job as a tech and acquire those hours. My question is: should I apply again when this CASPA opens or should I wait for the CASPA to open in 2014 and collect HCE hours? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marktheshark89 Posted March 21, 2013 Share Posted March 21, 2013 I definitely wouldn't apply to the same programs again that rejected you because of little HCE if you haven't done anything since the application to improve your HCE. If I were to reapply, I would choose schools that have little HCE requirements. There are some schools that have 0-500 hour requirements, and you may be more competitive for those, depending upon your GPAs. Of course, I think getting the HCE is your best bet for getting into any school, and also for getting medical experience that will be valuable in PA school and afterwords. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timon Posted March 21, 2013 Share Posted March 21, 2013 Just want to point out that each year your application needs to improve. That means GPA goes up, more classes added, new certifications, more HCE, more volunteering, and more shadowing. If you're going to apply with none of these being improved on then I would hold off. If you are applying with improvements then reapply. If the feedback you're getting says you need more HCE then apply to schools that don't require HCE as stated above until you at least meet the minimum amount required. Last year I applied to 8 schools. While I was improving my application to increase my weak points (GPA and HCE) I looked at programs that I'd like to attend that I met or exceeded their minimum requirements and I was not far off from their average accepted applicant stats. That narrowed down my list to 2 programs. Got my interview and got accepted. Something that stands out is that you got 2 interviews. 1 wait list and one still pending so that may be an area that you need to improve on as well. It only takes 1 school to give you the nod to become a PA and applying only gets you to the interview after that its all based on how well you performed during that interview. So that being said apply again, with improvements not just to your application but as well as improving your interviewing skills. Also the other item is when did you apply? Was it early or late in the cycle? Lots of schools are in rolling admissions and if you applied late maybe this time apply early and vice versa if you need to make improvements. And as you continue to add to your application even after applying you should be emailing those as updates to your perspective programs.Best of luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wesr_gordon Posted March 21, 2013 Author Share Posted March 21, 2013 Just want to point out that each year your application needs to improve. That means GPA goes up, more classes added, new certifications, more HCE, more volunteering, and more shadowing. If you're going to apply with none of these being improved on then I would hold off. If you are applying with improvements then reapply. If the feedback you're getting says you need more HCE then apply to schools that don't require HCE as stated above until you at least meet the minimum amount required. Last year I applied to 8 schools. While I was improving my application to increase my weak points (GPA and HCE) I looked at programs that I'd like to attend that I met or exceeded their minimum requirements and I was not far off from their average accepted applicant stats. That narrowed down my list to 2 programs. Got my interview and got accepted. Something that stands out is that you got 2 interviews. 1 wait list and one still pending so that may be an area that you need to improve on as well. It only takes 1 school to give you the nod to become a PA and applying only gets you to the interview after that its all based on how well you performed during that interview. So that being said apply again, with improvements not just to your application but as well as improving your interviewing skills. Also the other item is when did you apply? Was it early or late in the cycle? Lots of schools are in rolling admissions and if you applied late maybe this time apply early and vice versa if you need to make improvements. And as you continue to add to your application even after applying you should be emailing those as updates to your perspective programs.Best of luck! Great advice! I did apply to schools that did not necessarily require HCE but highly suggested it. I am glad I applied to know the process and what was involved, so I don't regret that. Fortunately by the time I send out the new application I will be working and I will have finished many of the prerequisites that were pending. So my application will be more complete and I will have two more certifications, more shadow/volunteer hours and more HCE hours. This past time I applied about a month before the deadline to many of the programs, which I don't think was early enough because a handful of the no's were from schools that had filled up BEFORE the deadline. This time I'd like to get my app out by August at the latest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wesr_gordon Posted March 21, 2013 Author Share Posted March 21, 2013 I definitely wouldn't apply to the same programs again that rejected you because of little HCE if you haven't done anything since the application to improve your HCE. If I were to reapply, I would choose schools that have little HCE requirements. There are some schools that have 0-500 hour requirements, and you may be more competitive for those, depending upon your GPAs. Of course, I think getting the HCE is your best bet for getting into any school, and also for getting medical experience that will be valuable in PA school and afterwords. Yes agreed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timon Posted March 21, 2013 Share Posted March 21, 2013 Great advice! I did apply to schools that did not necessarily require HCE but highly suggested it. I am glad I applied to know the process and what was involved, so I don't regret that. Fortunately by the time I send out the new application I will be working and I will have finished many of the prerequisites that were pending. So my application will be more complete and I will have two more certifications, more shadow/volunteer hours and more HCE hours. This past time I applied about a month before the deadline to many of the programs, which I don't think was early enough because a handful of the no's were from schools that had filled up BEFORE the deadline. This time I'd like to get my app out by August at the latest. Glad I could help. If possible try to apply before July. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wesr_gordon Posted April 2, 2013 Author Share Posted April 2, 2013 Any other opinions out there strongly for either side? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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