Re-taking classes

[bastcj]

I am a senior at James Madison University and plan on taking probably 2 years off before I go to PA school to get hours and re-take some classes. I went to an open house at Shenandoah University in Virginia and they said it does not necessarily matter if you re-take a class at a community college. Has anyone else heard differently? Also, has anyone heard if schools take into consideration a re-take class to be online? Thanks!

[SopranoKris]

It depends on the program you're applying to, since they all have different acceptance standards & criteria. Some schools don't mind re-takes. Others don't want pre-reqs from junior college or community college, they want upper-division only. You'll need to speak with an advisor at the school(s) you want to apply to in order to be sure what is and is not acceptable.

[Torshi]

Taking two years off sounds excessive. Because if you wait two years to apply you'll have another year off due to the interview cycle which amounts to a total of 3 years off prior to matriculating.

 

One year sounds sufficient to retake courses, and gain a good amount of HCE. It doesn't matter where you retake the course, as long as you already proved that you can handle taking upper-lvl science course and succeeding at the university level then you should be fine.

[Friction]

I think your best bet is to contact the schools you're interested in attending. Find out their policies regarding retaking courses and whether or not they want upper division courses (most don't really care). Getting answers to these questions will really allow you to tailor your future goals much better. I think the biggest thing is finding the best balance between what you're looking for in a PA program and what fits your current HCE/academic situation.