I need clear advice about what to do before applying to PA School

[alwaysmotivated]

Hello, I am a Senior Biology Major with a cumulative GPA of a 2.75 and a science GPA of about a 2.3. I know a lot of PA programs already require and expect nothing less than a 3.0. I am on tract to graduate May 2015. A lot of my science course I earned C’s in. What do you recommend I do before applying to PA School? I am taking a year off to hopefully improve my GPA by taking a lot of other science related and recommended course for several of the programs I would like to apply to. Also I am taking this year off to also prepare for the GRE as well as get started on the required clinical hours for a PA School.

What do you recommend I do in order to boost both of my GPA’s?

What is the best profession to part take in when it comes to gaining clinical hours?

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE NO NEGATIVITY! I understand the state of my GPA but I’m a person who is looking for how to better my situation and reach my goal, not dwell on the things I can’t change. Thank you so much! All ideas ARE WELCOMED!

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[referee3]

It's pretty simple; retake all the science classes you got a C or below in during your year off. You will have to get A's in all those as your GPA needs a lot of work and PA schools are getting more competitive all the time. I think you may really need to take at least 2 years off in order to be able to boost your GPA sufficiently and also fit in all of the required clinical hours.

Before you start any of this you really need to do some self evaluation to see why your grades are consistently so low and make some major life/studying changes in order to turn your situation around.

Good luck!

 

[BnjoGrl]

I agree...you have to retake any classes you got a C in and you really need to get an A in those classes. Especially the major prereqs like anatomy, physiology, microbiology, etc. Your goal is to show the programs you are applying to that you are able to improve upon yourself and do better academically. They want to see that you have the ability to thrive in a rigorous PA program.

Make sure you do really well on the GRE since a higher score there will offset a lower GPA. As far as the clinical hours, try to find something that you do not need to spend time getting a certification for. For example, you could be a Physical Therapy Aide which requires no prior training and you can get started right away. Or, look into clinical research...as long as you are having direct contact with the subjects it will count as clinical experience. I would get working on those hours as soon as possible and make sure it is paid clinical experience. There are some programs that do not require any experience or very little so look into applying to those programs.

Best of luck! Taking at least a year off sounds like a good idea...and like referee3 mentioned above, you may realize you need more time. If you need more time, take it. It is amazing how much you can improve your application in a year.

 

[referee3]

I agree...you have to retake any classes you got a C in and you really need to get an A in those classes. Especially the major prereqs like anatomy, physiology, microbiology, etc. Your goal is to show the programs you are applying to that you are able to improve upon yourself and do better academically. They want to see that you have the ability to thrive in a rigorous PA program.

Make sure you do really well on the GRE since a higher score there will offset a lower GPA. As far as the clinical hours, try to find something that you do not need to spend time getting a certification for. For example, you could be a Physical Therapy Aide which requires no prior training and you can get started right away. Or, look into clinical research...as long as you are having direct contact with the subjects it will count as clinical experience. I would get working on those hours as soon as possible and make sure it is paid clinical experience. There are some programs that do not require any experience or very little so look into applying to those programs.

Best of luck! Taking at least a year off sounds like a good idea...and like referee3 mentioned above, you may realize you need more time. If you need more time, take it. It is amazing how much you can improve your application in a year.

To continue off what Bnjogrl just said, also make sure the clinical experience you do get is high quality. The reason for this is because there is no residency after you graduate from PA school. You just look for jobs right away. Many students are not fully trained by the time the graduate and cannot immediately fulfill their role to the level of proficiency that their attending would like. You need to almost treat your clinical experience like a pre-PA school residency where you become competent in various clinical skills.

I know this from experience because I have a friend who is a PA and she has been fired by multiple docs because they say she doesn't have a solid clinical background and doesn't know what she is doing and her response to the docs is that she never learned it in PA school.

You don't want to be in a position like this.