First Post, Advice Needed!

[ChaseA17]

Any advice needed here guys!

First off, I am a recent graduate of University of Central Florida with a B.A. Psychology. I have been working on the Psychiatric Ward (as a PCT/Psych Tech) at Florida Hospital (here in Orlando) for 2 years now. I am now at their Health Sciences College (accredited) taking the pre-PA requirements that I had yet to meet in my time at UCF.

My GPA is 2.6 but is getting better and will be (hopefully) around 2.8 when it comes time to apply. I screwed around earlier in my collegiate career and well yall know the rest. But i have a steady and certainly uphill progression since last spring in boosing my GPA.

I have over 100+ hours shadowing a Physician and am starting rounds with two PA's (Internal Medicine, Surgery) starting in the next few weeks.

I have over 100+ hours of volunteer time playing guitar for patients in the hospital from room to room, and at the end of the summer with be a counselor at a special needs camp locally, voluntarily.

I feel confident that i will do above average on the GRE's and hopefully better.

Any advice as to where i could apply or what I can do to beef up my application to make me a desirable applicant?

Any advice appreciated, thanks!!!

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[guetzow]

Great clinicals, but you've just been HOSED by your GPA. Possible remedy: Most institutions want the science pre-reqs to have been taken within 5 years of application. Therefore, depending on when you "Started", you may want to retake some classes.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

Great clinicals, but you've just been HOSED by your GPA. Possible remedy: Most institutions want the science pre-reqs to have been taken within 5 years of application. Therefore, depending on when you "Started", you may want to retake some classes.

Agreed. Your GPA will most likely tank your chances of getting in without some additional work.....and it may be a good refresher.

 

[Chronic Student]

Most PA schools look at the applicant as a whole, rather than just one aspect. You can have a deficiency in one area and a strength in another can balance it out.

However, you will face an uphill battle in convincing them that you can handle the coursework.

When you get to the interview stage people are more alike in their applications than different. This means you will be competing with a lot of folks with 3.5 or greater GPAs.

In addition, even the people that do get in with stellar GPAs often have trouble with the coursework and courseload.

You would be hard pressed to find anyone who attended PA school who would not agree that a lot of their classmates had trouble adjusting from near perfect GPAs to just barely passing for a lot of them.

I am not trying to discourage you, just know that it is going to be a tough row to hoe. First in applying and getting in and then completing the didactic phase.

 

[FourMoreYears]

Just be sure to apply to a lot of schools (15+)