Acceptance Stats

[calvinyang]

Hello all Pre-PA and PA students!

 

Congrats to all those who have been accepted for Class of 2014 and those who are currently working on completing the program. I have been searching throughout this site and every time I run across a stat posting of someone who was accepted but had a low GPA my hope goes up :=D:. However, the more I search the more I find those who are accepted with high GPA's and my hope goes down :sweat:. I am beginning to lose hope and worry, but everyone who has posted says to not lose hope and persevere. That's exactly what I am doing and will not stop until I get into PA School. For those who have already been accepted to Augsburg College for class of 2014 and those accepted earlier, could you please put up your stats so the rest of us can get an idea of what we need to work on? It would be greatly appreciated!!!

[pete5885]

Hello all Pre-PA and PA students!

 

Congrats to all those who have been accepted for Class of 2014 and those who are currently working on completing the program. I have been searching throughout this site and every time I run across a stat posting of someone who was accepted but had a low GPA my hope goes up :=D:. However, the more I search the more I find those who are accepted with high GPA's and my hope goes down :sweat:. I am beginning to lose hope and worry, but everyone who has posted says to not lose hope and persevere. That's exactly what I am doing and will not stop until I get into PA School. For those who have already been accepted to Augsburg College for class of 2014 and those accepted earlier, could you please put up your stats so the rest of us can get an idea of what we need to work on? It would be greatly appreciated!!!

 

I'd be more than happy to share my stats. Just remember, Augsburg looks for a well-rounded student, and even if you GPA isn't exceptional, you may possess other attributes that they're looking for! My interviewer told me that the only specific thing Augsburg looks for in their candidates is that they're nice. So just make sure you let them gain an understanding of who you are through your essays and interview.

 

Cum GPA: 3.765. However, my CASPA GPA was a bit lower (3.65) because it included grades from a couple of classes I repeated

 

Science GPA: ~3.6

 

DPC hours: 1505 (I worked as a Home Health Aide with elderly patients)

 

Volunteer hours: 25 (Pathetic, I know. But in my essays I included stories about older volunteer work I didn't include on my CASPA application as well as my planned volunteer hours/experiences)

 

Shadowing hours: 16

 

I'm not sure what else I should include...let me know if you want any additional information. I hope this helps and wish you the best of luck!

[calvinyang]

pete5885, thanks so much for your post! Looks like I still have a lot of work to do before I can apply :) I do have a couple of questions if you don't mind answering them for me:

 

1) Are you a Minnesota resident? Did you shadow in the metro area?

 

2) Since CASPA calculates GPA in a different way, am I able to get my GPA calculated through CASPA without having to submit my application? I just want to see where my GPA is and what I need to work on as far as raising my GPA.

 

3) What year are you currently in the program? How are things going as far as balancing school with family/friends, etc...?

[pete5885]

1) Yes, I'm from the metro area and I shadowed PAs and an MD from my hometown. I'm sure if you make calls to local clinics or hospitals, someone will allow you to shadow.

 

2) CASPA only calculates your GPA once you submit your transcript(s) and I believe you have to pay your processing fees before they do so as well. If you go to caspa.org you can go to the FAQs section which will probably answer most of the questions you may have.

 

3) I was actually just accepted to the program and will not begin until this summer. However, Augsburg offers information sessions for prospective students and they may have a panel of current students that can answer any questions you may have about the rigor of the program. Also, I had the opportunity to talk to first-year Augsburg PA students through the pre-PA organization at my school. From what I have heard, extending the program over a 3 year period allows for more normalcy in students' lives, but I'm sure much of their time is still spent studying.

[OpSite]

I'll share mine as well:

 

Cum GPA: 3.37 (however, more than half of this GPA was from 20 years ago. The GPA from my BS degree was 3.76 and the last five years was about 3.85)

Science GPA: 3.67

 

DPC hours: >20,000

 

Volunteer hours: ~ 1000 in recent years (I think...can't remember exactly)

 

Shadowing hours: 4

 

I was fortunate enough to speak to students right after they took an exam and what I was told is the first summer is very intense. After that, it's still intense, but there is a little more free time. I've not met a single person in this program that wasn't warm, enthusiatic and welcoming. It's a truly amazing experience and I can't wait to begin this journey in May.

[Carl4272]

Do you know how crucial it is to have shadowing hours to be accepted at Augsburg? I think my other stats are decent, but I will have no hours shadowing at the time of the application's deadline. (This is because 1. I only recently decided to apply this year rather than wait an extra year and 2. The PA I had plans to shadow moved.)

 

GPA: 3.75, Science GPA: ~3.60

DPC: ~900 but I'm only 20 years old

Service hours: 200 (as a sexual assault crisis counselor)

Graduating summa cum laude with a bachelor's of science in psychology.

I am a Minnesota resident, currently living in Minneapolis. Do you think I stand a chance?

[GoAwayAvalon]

It's hard to tell without knowing what your patient care experience is, but it seems like you have a good shot. As for shadowing, I don't think the amount of hours is important, but rather showing that you have a solid understanding of the profession. Augsburg always asks for an update to your application a few months after the deadline. It's mostly for your GPA, but you could mention shadowing experience then.

 

If you don't have any more leads for PAs to shadow, contact Arlene Lensing at office@mnacadpa.org. She is the administrator of the Minnesota Academy of Physician Assistants, and can forward your shadow request to PAs across the state. Hope this helps!

[Guest hmmmmm90]

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[Guest hmmmmm90]

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