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Can I still be a competitive applicant with an F?


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Hi all,

 

I am currently an electrical engineer major(junior). When I was a freshman, my GPA was 4.0 at a university. I transferred my sophomore year and my gpa gradually dropped and now it is 2.92. I wanted to be in the medical field all my life, but I wasn't sure as what. PA was one of the career choices, but I didn't want to box myself into a corner with a bio degree just in case I wanted to do something else. So I decided to be a biomedical engineer, but I soon learned that its more advantageous to be an EE.

 

Around my spring semester of my sophomore year, I was positive I didn't want to do EE, but if I switched majors, I would have had to stay an extra year and I felt as though I wasted my time with the engineering courses. Staying an extra year would also be too expensive. As time went on it became harder and harder to study because I didn't really know why I was going to school or what I was trying to achieve beyond a bachelors. Classes don't interest me and I have no motivation. I became really depressed and my grades plummeted and I even failed one class. At this point it is too late to switch majors, I'm committed to graduating with a EE degree. However, I have decided that that being a PA is something I would enjoy and like to do. Since I know what I'm working towards now, I'm trying to work towards a strong ending and get the best grades possible for my EE degree.

 

I plan on becoming either a CNA or an EMT for experience. I have not taken a few of the prereqs, but I know I can get straight A's in any science class. I got A's in all my chem and physics classes. I love bio so I'm not worried about the grades for the prereqs. I'm more worried about the gpa I graduate with. I have a few C's and one F. Will I still be able to get into a PA school in this situation?

 

Any responses would help! Thanks!

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Just curious as to what class you got the F in? Regardless, I think you can really prove yourself by retaking the class or a more difficult course and getting an A. Then you could talk about any reasons that might have contributed to you getting the F. Based on what I've read on here, if you can bring your GPA up a bit (atleast above 3.0), you can still be competitive (especially if you are able to build up a significant amount of HCE as a CNA or EMT like you mentioned in the meantime)

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I think the biggest concern is the downward grade trending in addition to a 2.92 cGPA. I'm also guessing your science GPA is around a 2.92 or below as well. That being said it may be in your best interest to add a bio minor so you can stay enrolled in school rather than going for a post Bach. Heck maybe double major or change majors and minor in engineering.

 

To answer the original question, no a single F in a gen ed class will not hold you back from getting into a PA program. I got in with a 2.93... However had a strong upward grade trending (2.31 undergrad 2.0 fresh, 2.25 soph, 2.5 jr, 2.7 sr / 3.69 masters / 4.0 post bach) which helped me. In your case your GPA is doing the opposite. That needs to be corrected either by stop taking those engineering classes or by treating them as if you don't get an A you're not going to get in.

 

Just my advice and take it however you want. Speaking from personal experience it's easy for programs to not even glance at your application when everyone has 3.4-3.7 GPAs and thousands of hours of HCE and its only getting more competitive every year.

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I had three Fs(and a couple Cs and a D). One was a science class and the other two weren't. I addressed that year in my personal statement. My last 30 were 4.0 and my last 60 were 3.8...so showing an upward trend is crucial. I had 1 interview my first cycle but had 3-4 outstanding prereqs. I finished those and had 6 invites the next year.

 

So for the short answer...an F will not keep you out of PA school if you handle your business.

 

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

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"I have not taken a few of the prereqs"?

 

You sound like you are just on the cusp of your prereqs; it's too soon to tell what your relevent grades will be. I can't imagine that you're ready to apply at this stage. You have biology, anatomy, physiology, some psych classes, and -- depending on your schools -- a number of other ones.

 

If you're close to graduation, I'd just graduate and get a job. Then you could use your free time to get healthcare experience and take your prereqs. It took me

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I had an F in my 2nd English course due to completely forgetting to complete my assignment when I took an Incomplete in a summer semester back in 1994. At the time, I was finishing my associate's and the school told me they would accept my honors creative writing course in lieu of finishing English 102. I went to drop the course, but it was past the drop date. So, they gave me an Incomplete. I was supposed to turn in 2 papers by the following semester. I completely forgot about them when I started a new job. Fast-forward 18 years: I didn't realize until I went back to school in 2012 that the F was on my transcript. Prior to the F, I had a 3.95 GPA. That dropped me at that particular school to a 3.25. I've had a 4.0 GPA since going back to school and now my cumulative GPA is a 3.65.

 

My point is, keep striving to get as many As as you can to keep increasing your GPA. If your F was a while ago, it might not be such a big deal. I had an interview at a university for a different program and they asked about the F. I explained the situation and it wasn't a big deal. I'll be completing my nursing degree in their program before applying to PA school :D Hopefully, I can keep the GPA up so I'm competitive enough to get in to PA school.

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