Accepted Student Unsure if Should Reapply?

[edm12]

I need some advice...

 

I have been accepted to an excellent PA school in Boston and don't get me wrong I am thrilled and honored BUT this school was my last choice throughout the application process as it is 3 years and cost about $80,000 more to attend. I received feedback from schools I didn't get into that said everything about my application was great but I didn't have as much experience as other applicants. I also was missing a pre-req which I took over the winter.

 

Since then I have accrued around 400 more hours as a volunteer EMT and worked a full 8 months more at a primary care office as a clinical assistant. Should I go to my last choice school and pay more AND wonder what if? Or should I reapply to my top choices, wait a year, and finish at the same time and pay less money?

 

My concern is what if I don't get in during round 2 and then I and kicking myself for not going to the Boston school. I also then prolong my start date even more! Finally, please keep in mind that the application process is expensive and it is a struggle for me to apply again financially. I am also worried that I can't keep waiting for something better to come along :/

 

Any help is appreciated :)

[Guest]

3 years of PA school is a lot better than 2 years. 2 years sounds awesome until you actually try to do it and live 2 years constantly stressed and anxious. I would do 3 years in a heartbeat if it meant I could have one day off a week for myself. Sure it is $80,000 more but you will pay it off. Obviously no one can change your mind here but this is just my perspective.

[KMD16]

My concern is what if I don't get in during round 2 and then I and kicking myself for not going to the Boston school. I also then prolong my start date even more! Finally, please keep in mind that the application process is expensive and it is a struggle for me to apply again financially. I am also worried that I can't keep waiting for something better to come along :)

 

You certainly answered your own question :)

[UGoLong]

$80,000 in loans (and interest) is a substantial issue, as is the cost of living in Boston. Hard to believe that the cost of the application process is anywhere near that much!

 

If you are freaked out by waiting and reapplying then just go to Boston. On the other hand, if you got in there and now you have even more credentials, I would suspect you'd get in elsewhere next time.

 

I did a two year program. It was concentrated but doable, as long as you treated it like the job it was. I went home most weekends and put school behind me (unless there was a test Monday or Tuesday!)

 

Whatever you decide to do, good luck!

[sartort]

I think that the stress of spending the next year wondering if you will get in is worse than the extra loan money, and I do understand fully that the loan money is pretty awful. Personally I would never have applied to a program that I wasn't willing to go to if it was the only place I was accepted. It sounds like you may have a better chance the next cycle but it's still only a chance. Spending the extra year in school learning to be a great PA is at least a better use of your time than spending it trying to be a great PA applicant, right?

[winterallsummer]

Go to this school. Look at it this way:

 

3 yr PA program = a PA 3 yrs later

2 yr PA program + 1 more yr of waiting (assuming you get in) = a PA 3 yrs later

 

Bite the bullet and go with the sure thing. Besides if your TOTAL college loans are less than 160-180K when you graduate you will be fine.

[UGoLong]

As a go-from-your-gut kind of guy, I can understand why you might go with the bird in hand. On the other hand, $80,000 is about one year's pay after you get out of school and money that might otherwise help you and your family (if you have one already) get a start on life. I can tell that that's making you nervous from your post. And the "3 years will be easier than 2" doesn't include the joys of not having an income for that extra year.

 

I think it comes down to deciding if getting accepted in Boston was a lightning bolt (like winning the lottery -- something that won't ever happen again to you) or just an indication that maybe you are really a decent candidate. The question is: what do really you want to do and how much do you believe in yourself? "Should I go to Boston because they were crazy enough to admit me when no one else on earth would, or should I look for a situation that is a better mix for me?"

 

Only you can decide what's best. The rest of us are just bystanders, some of whom would probably be less sure if it was our lives hanging in the balance.

[Timon]

Let me first start by saying I have no clue about your stats or how competitive you are as an applicant. What I am about to say below is just my analysis saying that you're a typical applicant with a 3.4+ GPA / great academic history / 2k+ hours of paid direct patient contact HCE / can interview well / no family / not married / etc.

 

When you break it out and look at the cost involved your better off waiting the year and reapplying and here is why.

 

Currently you are working and lets say you're making about $40k a year. I'm assuming the cost of your program is $80k a year (since it costs $80k more for the 3rd year) and we'll just use $80k as a baseline number. The average PA starting salary is $80k a year as well.

 

 

 

Now that we have all three numbers lets have some fun....

If you declined your spot you'd keep making $40k a year and chances are wouldn't start your next program until Summer 2014.

 

That program starting 2014 would cost $80k a year (just using the baseline number) x 2 years.

 

The current program you are accepted to starting 2013 costs $80k a year x 3 years.

 

So the total debt acquired by the Boston program is $80k x 3 years = $240,000.

 

The debt of going to another PA school at a rate of $80k a year x 2 years = $160,000.

 

In addition to that you are also making $40k for 1 year (2013-2014).

 

There is no loss of income as a practicing PA because regardless of the program you wouldn't graduate until 2016.

 

So the net / net is a difference of ($40k of income + $80k of debt = $120k of debt) advantage 2 year program.

 

----------------------------------------------

 

Now lets say you didn't get in next year and you graduated class of 2017 from a 2 year PA program. It would be a wash with no advantage to either route. You'd have $40k + $40k of income for 2013-2014 since you'll stop working at your current job 2015 with a total of $80k revenue which equals the entry level PA income of $80k.

 

 

I hope this makes sense. So to sum it up: If you feel its only your experience and that your stats will have sufficient experience to be in the top 3% then apply this cycle and decline your seat.

[edm12]

Thank you all very much. I wish you all weren't so split. I have had most of these same thoughts....

 

I do believe in myself, I am just tired of waiting.

 

 

Thanks again!