What are my chances?

[AA43560]

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I am an exercise science major

Current cumulative gpa is 2.63

Grades in some of my science classes

Gen Chem 1- B-
Gen Chem 2- C
Organic Chem- D (will retake spring semester and I will be able to delete this grade)
Organic Chem Lab-C+
Biology 1- B-
Biology 2-C
Human Anatomy 1-B-
Human Anatomy 1 Lab-B-
Human Anatomy 2-C- (retaking this semester but cannot delete as far as I know)
Human Anatomy 2 Lab-C
College Algebra-D

I have a ton of mediocre grades in really easy classes such as College Composition 1 due to screwing around and not taking school seriously.


Now I'm not blind. I know my grades are absolute garbage. I have some research experience (never been published and i was mostly an assistant). EMT certified but no work experience. I know my odds arnt looking good for ANY PA schools but its still something I really want to do.

 

[deleted6669]

most programs require a min gpa of 3.0 to make the first cut. you have some work ahead of you to get there if that is what you want. get a job with that emt cert and rack up some serious hrs.
the programs with the most leniency regrading gpa want to see thousands of hrs of health care experience.

 

[Makati2008]

most programs require a min gpa of 3.0 to make the first cut. you have some work ahead of you to get there if that is what you want. get a job with that emt cert and rack up some serious hrs.
the programs with the most leniency regrading gpa want to see thousands of hrs of health care experience.

Agree with EMED. Sadly your best bet is what he said to do OR look for new pa schools that are very lenient as well. Also you need to ask yourself if you can make it in PA school(looking at your grades in human anatomy are a red flag for me as well as your Chem grades->some pa schools teach anatomy at approximately 60% of the difficulty of the med school level and at least for me organic helped me understand pharm and biochem and your grades seem to reflect someone who doesn't understand the material possibly.)

Lastly, are you done not taking school seriously? If so your retakes need to reflect that because in my class the average gpa was a 3.4 or 3.5 and rumor has it that although a 2.85 was the min to get an interview applicants with less than a 3.0 applications were screened out.

Good luck

 

[ChillyRN]

One thing that might be helpful is to take some graduate level courses (and make straight As of course) and show them a transcript that proves you are capable of more than you have demonstrated to this point. I would make them science courses obviously. You might also consider retaking several more of those classes in effort to demonstrate mastery of the material. I don't want to be discouraging, but I have two friends with GPAs a full point higher than yours, outstanding GRE scores and 10 years experience as paramedics that have been through 4 years of application cycles and have not been able to get into PA school. They can't move and don't have very many school choices, and perhaps you do. I wish you luck, but you have some obstacles in front of you!

 

[pamac]

I am an exercise science major

Current cumulative gpa is 2.63

Grades in some of my science classes

Gen Chem 1- B-
Gen Chem 2- C
Organic Chem- D (will retake spring semester and I will be able to delete this grade)
Organic Chem Lab-C+
Biology 1- B-
Biology 2-C
Human Anatomy 1-B-
Human Anatomy 1 Lab-B-
Human Anatomy 2-C- (retaking this semester but cannot delete as far as I know)
Human Anatomy 2 Lab-C
College Algebra-D

I have a ton of mediocre grades in really easy classes such as College Composition 1 due to screwing around and not taking school seriously.


Now I'm not blind. I know my grades are absolute garbage. I have some research experience (never been published and i was mostly an assistant). EMT certified but no work experience. I know my odds arnt looking good for ANY PA schools but its still something I really want to do.

You are in a tough spot. I applied to a few schools with a gpa above 3.0, and had better grades than yours, and didn't hear back from most of the places I applied to. I had interview invites to a few. I had over 4000 hours hce as well as a lab scientist in a rural facility, and some decent research from undergrad. In the 11 courses you mentioned, you didn't get higher than a B minus, and then only managed that in 4 of them. No A's. In my last 40 hours i had nothing lower than a B, and a 4.0 in anat and phys, pathophys, and the last 20 credits of hard science I took. Then you mention mediocre grades in easy classes. You seem to know where you stand at this point. I went to nursing school to improve on hce and grades. If I were you, I'd plan to work towards that or para medicine, or respiratory therapy. Right now PAschool is the hottest thing, and average successful applicants have 3.5 gpa's or above, science and cumulative. You have a hill to climb, but I'd start by working on another career to tide you over for a while. The kids with good grades jump in ahead of us because they earned it.

I know how you feel, though, because I was in a similar slump. I had grades that approached what you posted, albeit better. The key is that I was willing to spend a few years fixing things, and make a complete change. Reality is a good thing to face. When you say the odds are against you, that's not even accurate.... If you applied with what you have, or even slightly more, your odds would be zero. But, they improve with every course you retake, and each additional class you succeeded in. Start by taking anat and phys (find a combined course). Show yourself you can do well. Then retake bio 2 and gen chem 2. Then take patio phys, and then retake algebra.