Undergraduate education: I majored in Kinesiology with a concentration in Health Science/Public health
Overall GPA: 3.46
Science GPA: 3.21
GRE: 303
Total HCE hours: 0
Total PCE hours: 3,000
Shadowing hours: 60
Other volunteer hours: 100
LORs: 4: one from a PA, one from an MD, one from a professor, and one from my office manager at the clinic where I got my PCE
How many times did you apply?: 1
Age: 23
Gender: F
How many programs did you apply to? 8
How many programs did you interview with and what were the outcomes? Interviewed and accepted at 1
Any red flags on your application? I think the biggest red flag was that my science GPA was on the lower end. I got a C in physics and I didn't realize at the time that it would really count for anything because it wasn't a prereq. It definitely counted! But what I lacked in science GPA I made up for with a ton of PCE.
Anything you found surprising about interviews? I actually really enjoyed the interview process and it wasn't as scary and intimidating as I thought it would be. My school really emphasized that they wanted to look at each applicant as a whole and they wanted us to feel comfortable during the process. There was even a light breakfast and lunch provided.
Were there any helpful resources (books, websites, apps) you used to get through prerequisite courses, the application or interview process? I heavily utilized the PA Platform Blog and instagram! I also got advice from PA students and practicing PAs on instagram as well. Lastly, I used the book “How to Ace the Physician Assistant Interview” (Affiliate Link) by Andrew J. Rodican.
Any other advice for other pre-PA students? My advice to Pre-PA students is to get involved in as many things as possible during undergrad. I know there is a lot of time being devoted to getting good grades and a good GRE score but PA schools want to see that you have other things that you’re passionate about. Aside from my volunteering and PCE, I designed and conducted my own research experiment. I didn't have the best GPA or GRE score but got accepted because I was really involved in a lot of different things.
Where can we find you? (website, instagram, etc) You can find me at @the.posh.pa on instagram and theposhpa@wordpress.com
If you've been accepted to PA school and would like to share your story in an Accepted! post, send an email to savanna@thePAplatform.com or use this link to contact us at The PA Platform now.
