Undergraduate education: Iowa State University
Overall GPA: 3.66
Science GPA: 3.63
GRE: The first time I took the GRE I scored a 299. I wasn’t going to retake it, but was asked to do so by one of my top programs in order to be further considered. I studied for a month straight and got a 309 (154V/155Q/4W) the second time around!
PA-CAT: Did not take
Total PCE hours: 1,454 hours through my positions as a CNA at a nursing home and Plasma Care Technician at BioLife.
Total HCE hours: 337 hours as a Dietary Aide.
Shadowing hours: I had 45 hours of PA shadowing (family med & urgent care), 18 hours of physician shadowing (ED), and 10 hours of shadowing a dietitian at a cancer clinic (I was a dietetics major). I filled out a shadowing request form at a local hospital, shadowed a family member, my primary care provider, and my grandma connected me with the dietitian. Once you have shadowed someone, ask if they know of anyone in a different specialty that also allows students to shadow!
Volunteer hours: 736 hours. I volunteered at a local animal shelter, two emergency departments, two food banks, one short experience while abroad, and one other position within a hospital. All these experiences were long-term commitments except the one I did in Europe.
How many times did you apply?: 1
Age: 21
Gender: Female
How many programs did you interview with and what were the outcomes? I received 7 interview invites. I interviewed and was accepted at 2 of them (denied the other 5 invites). And I was rejected from 4 programs.
Where will you be attending? Des Moines University
Anything you found interesting about interviews? At the time, it was very nerve-wracking, but looking back, everyone was so nice and welcoming! They all tried to make the process less stressful, which spoke to the quality of the program.
Were there any helpful resources (books, websites, webinars, etc) you used to get through prerequisites courses, the application or interview process? For my personal statement, I first had it edited by the writing center at my university for free. Then I had a few other people look at it. Lastly, I had it reviewed by www.myparesource.com! I used The Pre-PA Club Facebook group a lot to ask questions about the application process. I also just googled a lot of dos and don'ts of applying to PA school. Once I got an interview invite, I scheduled a mock interview through www.thepaplatform.com. Lastly, I reached out to a few PA-C and PA students on Instagram - they were all super helpful!
Any advice for other pre-PA students? Your hard work will pay off! And it definitely will take a lot of hard work, but it's worth it! Also, believe in yourself! I know it sounds cheesy, but throughout the whole application process, I didn't know if I would even get an interview invite. So, have faith in how far you have come and be purposeful and confident in the progress you have yet to make.
Where can we find you? (Instagram, TikTok, Website, etc) - @BecomingA_PA on Instagram! I absolutely love helping pre-PA students so feel free to DM me. I'd love to chat!
