Undergraduate education: Villanova University, B.S. in Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience
Overall GPA: 3.67
Science GPA: 3.46
GRE: 158 Verbal, 153 Quantitative, 5.0 Written
Total HCE hours: 104
Total PCE hours: ~1,400
Shadowing hours: 35
Other volunteer hours: ~200
LORs: 4 Total (1 from a professor, 1 from a PA, 1 from an NP, and 1 Health Professions Advising Committee Letter)
How many times did you apply?: 1
Age: 23
Gender: Female
How many programs did you apply to? 12
How many programs did you interview with and what were the outcomes? I interviewed at 4 schools (6 invites, declined 2) and I was accepted at 2 and waitlisted at 2.
Where will you be attending? (if you're comfortable sharing) My top choice, Northeastern University!!!
Any red flags on your application? My quantitative score on the GRE was low (51st percentile) and I had a B- on my transcript. Otherwise, I don't think there were any red flags.
Anything you found surprising about interviews? An interview at a "top school" may disappoint you and an interview at a smaller, lesser known school might really impress you! So, keep an open mind!
Were there any helpful resources (books, websites, apps) you used to get through prerequisite courses, the application or interview process? I used How to Ace the Physician Assistant Interview by Andrew Rodican. I used Magoosh for the GRE and followed blogs like The PA Platform and other blogging resources.
Any other advice for other pre-PA students? Keep an open mind and say yes to any opportunity that presents itself. You never know what lessons you could learn or people you could meet from different experiences. Also, be kind to yourself. This is a hard path but it is worth it. Keep working!!
Where can we find you? (website, instagram, etc): My instagram is the.pa.diaries!
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
