Undergraduate education: University of Connecticut, my degree was in Allied Health Science
Overall GPA: 3.88
Science GPA: 3.89
GRE: Verbal-155 Quantitative-152 Analytical Writing-4.5
Total HCE hours: over 2000
Total PCE hours: 1600
Shadowing hours: 24
Other volunteer hours: 2000+
LORs: 4
How many times did you apply?: one time! my first time!
Age: 24
Gender: Female
How many programs did you apply to? 10
How many programs did you interview with and what were the outcomes?
I received 7 interview invites and ended up interviewing at 5 programs. I turned down the other 2 interviews, as I had already committed to a program. I was accepted at 2 programs, and wait listed at the remaining 3 programs
Where will you be attending? I am thrilled to be committed to MCPHS in Boston. For as long as I wanted to be a PA, my dream was to attend this program. I am so excited to begin in the Fall of 2019!!
Any red flags on your application? My GRE scores were not as strong as I had hoped. I struggled with the GREs, and ended up taking them twice to improve my scores. It was not my strong suit, but I knew I had other areas of my application to be proud of.
Anything you found surprising about interviews? As nerve-wracking as they were, I loved my interviews! For the most part, I loved getting to know the program, faculty, and students. However, my first interview was an MMI style, and I was completely thrown off as it was SUPER challenging. I definitely learned a lot from that first interview and am ultimately grateful that it challenged me to prepare even harder for the next interview.
Were there any helpful resources (books, websites, apps) you used to get through prerequisite courses, the application or interview process? I utilized your book (PA School Interview Guide), along with the book "How to Ace the Physician Assistant School Interview" by Andrew Rodican (affiliate link). I seriously think that both of these books were the key to my successes, along with practicing out loud in front of a mirror and to my family and friends. I was lucky to also have contacts through Instagram and PAs I shadowed to help me during my application and interview process.
Any other advice for other pre-PA students? My best advice would be to start preparing to apply early. Allow enough time to shadow, study for the GREs, gain patient care hours, and strengthen your application through volunteer work. Prepare your personal statement before the application opens in April as well. I found that this really allowed me to have adequate time to make sure my application was as strong as it could be, and left enough time to prepare for interviews. I also would say to take interviews as seriously as possible, preparing for them intently and thoroughly. I believe that because I was prepared for my interviews, I felt confident and could be myself without letting nerves take over. I hope this helps!!
Where can we find you? On instagram! @sarahconnors_7
Message me with any questions or concerns, or email me at sarah7connors@gmail.com .
If you've recently been accepted to PA school and would like to be featured in an "Accepted!" post to share your story and advice with other PA hopefuls, send an email to savanna@thepaplatform.com
