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Applying to PA School
Started by Beaver84
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It depends on how much you want to get in, the strength of your application and how flexible you are.
More specifically applying to one school drastically reduces the chances of getting in. I'm in Texas and it is not uncommon for folks to apply to 5 or 6 of the 8 programs here in Texas, if not all of them. If you live in the northeast then there are even more. Way out west less so. If you are willing to relocate and have the money to get to interviews and pay fees then the more places you apply the better your chances.
Strength of application is also important. If you are socially akward, do not appear confident, have a 2.0 in undergrad basket weaving, don't really know what a PA does and have no healthcare experience then you are going to have a tough row to hoe. If however, you are confident without being cocky, socially adept, have a 4.0 with a BS in molecular biology and an MBA, have previously been a paramedic and respiratory therapist then things will be much easier for you.
I'm not trying to be a smart-***, but there are a lot of things to consider.
Which school you want to go to, prior and future debt, family commitments, willingness to relocate and your desire to be a PA. It is really hard to tell you more without specifics about your situation.
More specifically applying to one school drastically reduces the chances of getting in. I'm in Texas and it is not uncommon for folks to apply to 5 or 6 of the 8 programs here in Texas, if not all of them. If you live in the northeast then there are even more. Way out west less so. If you are willing to relocate and have the money to get to interviews and pay fees then the more places you apply the better your chances.
Strength of application is also important. If you are socially akward, do not appear confident, have a 2.0 in undergrad basket weaving, don't really know what a PA does and have no healthcare experience then you are going to have a tough row to hoe. If however, you are confident without being cocky, socially adept, have a 4.0 with a BS in molecular biology and an MBA, have previously been a paramedic and respiratory therapist then things will be much easier for you.
I'm not trying to be a smart-***, but there are a lot of things to consider.
Which school you want to go to, prior and future debt, family commitments, willingness to relocate and your desire to be a PA. It is really hard to tell you more without specifics about your situation.
This question is roughly equivalent to the time-honored question, "how many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie-Pop(tm)?"
Start by making a list of schools you would be happy to attend. Don't bother adding programs in places you don't want to live. Don't include programs that are/ are not connected to a four-year med school if you're convinced you absolutely shouldn't/ should be at a school where there's a med school too. Forget about programs that don't offer a Master's, if you're determined to get a Master's.
(In my experience, people who hold their nose and add a couple of "safety schools" at CASPA time usually wind up disappointed -- the schools turn out to be more competitive than anticipated, and no interview comes of it; the interview goes lousy because the applicant secretly hates the school; or the applicant gets in and then has to suffer the decision to accept now or wait for word from the "good" schools. It's not worth the hassle.)
Then keep working at it little by little, until you get accepted to one of the schools you want. That's when you crunch into the candy shell and the whole process is over. 🙂
As a practical matter, there's a certain amount of guesswork and luck involved. Some of my classmates applied to 20 programs, had to fly around to 12 interviews, and decide among 4 acceptances. They applied to too many places. Some applied to 2 of the 3 (I think) PA programs in the Chicago area, and got accepted to 1 or 2. Did they do it perfectly, or did they luck out? No one can say.
Start by making a list of schools you would be happy to attend. Don't bother adding programs in places you don't want to live. Don't include programs that are/ are not connected to a four-year med school if you're convinced you absolutely shouldn't/ should be at a school where there's a med school too. Forget about programs that don't offer a Master's, if you're determined to get a Master's.
(In my experience, people who hold their nose and add a couple of "safety schools" at CASPA time usually wind up disappointed -- the schools turn out to be more competitive than anticipated, and no interview comes of it; the interview goes lousy because the applicant secretly hates the school; or the applicant gets in and then has to suffer the decision to accept now or wait for word from the "good" schools. It's not worth the hassle.)
Then keep working at it little by little, until you get accepted to one of the schools you want. That's when you crunch into the candy shell and the whole process is over. 🙂
As a practical matter, there's a certain amount of guesswork and luck involved. Some of my classmates applied to 20 programs, had to fly around to 12 interviews, and decide among 4 acceptances. They applied to too many places. Some applied to 2 of the 3 (I think) PA programs in the Chicago area, and got accepted to 1 or 2. Did they do it perfectly, or did they luck out? No one can say.
