2019 Ultimate Pre-PA Student Gift Guide

The holiday season is just around the corner! We put together a gift guide of everything the Pre-PA Student in your life wants and needs for a successful year!

• Please note some of these links are affiliate links meaning that The PA Platform may earn a small commission if you purchase an item from this list. All opinions are my own. Thank you for your support!

Let’s get started!

1. Amazon Prime Membership

   A necessity while in undergrad and PA School, an Amazon Prime membership is the gift that keeps on giving all year long! Perks include two-day free shipping on thousands of items such as printer ink, notebooks, textbooks, lab supplies and more, access to Amazon Music and Streaming (hello study jams!) and grocery delivery for when they are stuck cramming and need something fresh to eat! Click here to sign up for Amazon Prime.

2. Yeti Rambler Tumbler

   Throughout the long hours a Pre-PA puts in at the library, on the go and working on their PA school application, it is important for them to stay hydrated! This Yeti Rambler Tumbler is perfect to keep drinks hot or cold. Plus, they will love carrying around this stylish reminder to drink more water! Click here to purchase the Yeti Rambler Tumbler.

3. The Total Package - (EVERYTHING) they need to get into PA School

   This big gift item will make a huge impact in the life of a Pre-PA. This package includes EVERYTHING you need to get into PA School and BEYOND! Not only will they have an incredible personal statement, but with the help of Savanna Perry and her team over at the PA Platform, we’ll get them ready for interview day with a mock interview! And once they do get accepted, you’ll have access to the PA School Prep course, ensuring that you start PA school on the right track by reviewing your Anatomy, Physiology and Medical Terminology. This package includes a Pre-PA Assessment, Advanced Revision Package, The Applicant’s Manual of Physician Assistant Programs (Mark Volpe, PA-C/Brittany Hogan, PA-C, The PA School Interview Guide (Savanna Perry, PA-C), Mock Interview Session with The PA Platform, PA School Prep, Sparkson’s Illustrated Guide to ECG interpretation. This is a $1,200 package for $699! Click here to reserve The Total Package.

4. Sarasa Grand Retractable Zebra Pens

   Perfect for taking notes, revising applications and more, these pens are the next level of quality. The ink is rapid drying and writes with smooth and precise ink. A great stocking stuffer for any Pre-PA! Click here to purchase these durable pens!

5. Physician Assistant School Interview Guide

   In Physician Assistant School Interview Guide, Savanna Perry, PA-C walks your Pre-PA through the steps of taking control of their interview and using their personal accomplishments to impress their interviewers. Acceptance to PA school is becoming more competitive every year, and this book will provide the tools to ensure they join the ranks. Click here to purchase Physician Assistant School Interview Guide on Amazon.

6. A New Backpack

   This study and affordable backpack will help your Pre-PA get their laptop, textbook and other necessities get where they are going and stay organized! This backpack is virtually college proof as it is water and theft resistant! Get them a backpack they will love here!

7. Amazon Gift Cards

   Amazon gift cards come in handy so your Pre-PA can rent textbooks and purchase the practical things they need to be successful in school! This super easy gift takes the pressure off the gift giver and is definitely something a Pre-PA will be grateful for! Click here to purchase Amazon Gift cards.

8. Lily Pulitzer 2020 Planner

   A Pre-PA student’s schedule is packed to the brim! A beautiful planner like this one will make sure they don’t miss a beat (or an application deadline!) We love this planner in particular because not only is it a pretty addition to any study scene but it is the perfect size to fit in all of the assignments and details they need to remember. Click here to purchase this chic planner!

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How to be a Competitive PA School Applicant

This blog post was inspired by a presentation I did for a Pre-PA Club and there is an accompanying YouTube video you can watch here.

As an undergrad, you are in a great position to be a competitive PA school applicant even if you're applying this cycle because you still have some time to work on your application, and not feel like you're playing catch up. Even if this was a decision you made later on in your schooling or something you're still trying to decide, you can be taking steps to make sure that when you do apply (if and when) you'll be in a position to make yourself appealing to the admissions committee, and hopefully competitive against other applicants.

I applied for PA School in 2011 and it has become more and more competitive evert single year and I think that is because people are learning what a great career path it is and there are a lot more qualified applicants. It was competitive when I applied too which says a lot because that was 8 years ago and it’s definitely more competitive now. That being said, I am not trying to scare you! I just want you to know what you are getting yourself into.

Finding Resources

When I was applying to PA School, I felt like there was a huge lack of resources, which is why I started The PA Platform and the amount of resources available has improved some over the years. The process is very long and not straightforward so when I graduated, I started The PA Platform as a resource for those considering the PA career path and it has evolved from just a blog to have a bunch of coaches and a variety of services that has helped hundreds get into PA school. If you are new here, we have Accepted posts every Monday, blog posts every Tuesday, a new podcast episode and newsletter every Friday plus we have a Facebook group with over 8,000 pre-PAs too. We have all kinds of content just to spread the word about being a physician assistant and to help people figure out how to reach their goals a little bit easier and trying to answer some of those questions that applicants have. We offer some services like assessment and mock interviews. We have a PA Program Map that helps you see what programs are available across the US. We have three guidebooks to help you out — PA School Personal Statement Guide, PA School Interview Guide and The Pre-PA Workbook, all available on Amazon. We also have an interview course that supplements the interview guide as well.

Apply Early

My number one tip for just increasing your chances of acceptance, apply early. The sooner the better. This doesn't mean apply before you meet all the requirements, but when it comes time time and you decided this is the cycle I'm going to submit my application, get it in earlier than later. A lot of these schools do something called rolling admissions, you may be familiar with that but basically what that means is you submit your application as soon as it's complete they're going to review it. They're not going to wait for all 2,000 applications to get in and try to go through them all. They're gonna go through the 10 or 20 or 50 that came in that week. If they like, what they see, they will invite you for an interview. If they like what they see at the interview, they will offer you a spot. This can give you an advantage, because even if you are an extremely strong candidate, if you wait to apply it could get bumped because all the spots are taken. It's really important that you plan accordingly to get all your information in.

What's early? In my opinion I would say, shoot for May or June. I typically see people applying a little later than they had initially planned because the process of getting everything into CASPA, which is the universal application software, getting all your letters in, and making sure everything's good with your transcripts can take a little bit longer than you're expecting. If you shoot for a little bit early, hopefully you'll have an it in by that June/July mark, and that should be plenty early. That's not to say that if you apply in August or September that you wouldn't get accepted but if you're looking at increasing your chances, the earlier you can get your application in the better.

GPA

GPA is the next biggest thing. Grades are very very important for PA school. Being an undergrad, you're in a good position, especially if you have a few semesters left to work on this, and really maintain those grades and work on your GPA. Majority of programs will have a minimum requirement and the ones they point out most often are the Overall and the Science GPA. These typically range from 2.75 - 3.2. Now there are programs that will say they have no minimum, but that doesn't necessarily mean that they aren't still looking for a certain number. From what I've seen, just doing mock interviews for a while, and 3.0is the magic number if you can get even slightly above a 3.0, you're much more likely to get an interview and at that point it's an even playing field. With grades, it's a lot easier to lower your GPA, then, to increase it and you actually can't necessarily increase it. You basically start with a 4.0 and then go down from there. The minimums are non-negotiable if a school has a requirement and you do not meet that requirement, they will never see your application.

If you're, let's say of a 2.98, and the requirement is a 3.0, your application is going to get weeded out before the admissions committee can even look at it. You don't really want to waste your time or your money, applying to somewhere where you don't meet their requirements. The PAEA which is the Education Association for PAs, a while back this study, and they pointed out that GPA is the best predictor of how a student will perform in PA school. That's why schools look at this so closely. It can be tempting to try to rush everything and get all your hours, experience, and shadowing all at once. Don't let your grades sacrifice for trying to do all that. It's better to take a break, take a gap year, go a little bit slower than to try to rush and have your GPA suffer because it's hard to come back from that.

Healthcare and Patient Care Experience

WhenI applied there wasn’t even a difference between the two, they just said healthcare experience. I worked as a CNA for a summer, I did not have a ton of hours. Schools now will have no requirement to 500 - 1, 000 - 2,000 hours that they require. There's a differentiation now between health care and patient care experience. Healthcare experience means that you are in a healthcare setting, a medical setting, but you are not performing a job that is directly involved with the patient or directly related to their care. These types of jobs would be, being a transporter, a receptionist, a medical assistant who only does paperwork, scribe falls in between these (some schools consider healthcare some schools consider a patient care) just something where you're not necessarily hands on involved with that patient care. Now if you're putting your hand on a patient — you're taking vitals, you're drawing blood — that's patient care. This is when you are directly involved with their care so a CNA medical soon, working in the back, working with patients, EMT, paramedic, patient care tech, a lot of these are just titles and it comes down more to the roles and responsibilities. You have to look at what you're actually doing I get a lot of emails new. “This is my job title is it healthcare experience or patient care experience” but you really have to look at the actual job description to be able to tell which one it's going to fall under.

Volunteering and Shadowing

Volunteering and shadowing — these are more hours you've got to work towards getting, and with any of these experiences and with coursework. Some schools will be okay with you have these things in progress while some require you to have them complete by this time you apply, that's another requirement. You've got to look into to make sure that you are able to check that box before you apply to the school. Now the shadowing a lot of school will say, we prefer that you shower shadow or it's recommended. In my book, recommended is required. If something is recommended, you want to try your very best to get it done.

The importance of shadowing is being able to show that you have a good understanding of the PA profession and that you have really put in the time effort to understand what the job actually looks like. My rule of thumb, and this sounds like a lot, is 100 hours across three different specialties or settings so a total of 100 hours, and try to get different experiences. Schools do like to see that you've done some in primary care, but then look at other specialties, so dermatology, orthopedics, ER, GYN — anything and then, different settings, outpatient inpatient, surgical. Really trying to get that variety so you when you are working your essay your interview and say no I feel very confident that I've seen the variety of the PA profession and it's something that I want to be involved with.

With volunteering, schools are looking to see a commitment from you, to your community, and to the underserved populations over a period of time. It's great to do events here and there so you know soup kitchen or things you do with your sorority every once in a while, but it's better if you have something that you do periodically — weekly, monthly. When I was in college I was very involved with one of our campus ministries called the Wesley Foundation and that was a weekly commitment so in one year, I worked with have a big sister program with a girl from one of the underserved communities in Athens, Georgia. I worked with all different kinds of things while I was in college, I went on mission trips but you really want to show your compassion and that you're someone who likes to help people. It's one thing to say you want to work in medicine so you can help people and it's a different thing to show that you’re really actually enjoy helping people and that's why you’re doing this. Choose something you're passionate about, it doesn't have to be medical. The things I did in college weren't medical, they were just things I was interested in, with mentoring freshmen and mentoring students in the community. Find something and stick with it.

GRE

The GRE — so should you take the GRE? That’s always the first question. In my mind, yes, it depends on the programs you're applying to. If they don't require the GRE it's not going to matter, they don't care how you did on it. By taking the GRE it opens up more opportunities, it gives you more schools that you can apply to. For example, we will use the University of Georgia and the University of Tennessee. The University of Georgia, does not require the GRE. So, they are going to have 2,000 people apply, who did not take the GRE. If the University of Tennessee does require the GRE, they're going to have let's say 1,000 people find who took the GRE. Now those same thousand, who applied and took the GRE can still apply the UGA. It's a much bigger pool of applicants with schools that have less requirements. The more specific the requirements of the school, the less competition you'll have. If a school requires the GRE and you meet their requirements or you have this even somewhat competitive score because this really isn't that important, you're just giving yourself better chances. With the GRE, some schools will say what they want you to hit as far as scores, but you really want to shoot for a minimum of 300 total score, combine score between your quantitative and qualitative section and then a greater than the 50th percentile in each section. The writing portion really doesn’t matter so that's kind of arbitrary. These tend to be the numbers that schools are looking for.

Personal Statement

After you've met all the requirements, it's time to apply. The best thing you can do to secure an interview is have an amazing personal statement. I always say your personal statement is what gets you the interview, the interviews gets you accepted. You want to plan enough time to work on this. I usually recommend starting the January before you start applying in April. Right now, if you're in undergrad or not applying for a couple years, start a note. Write it down, make a note on your phone, start brainstorming. If you're at work and something interesting happens, go ahead and just make a note for yourself things that you may want to include, you may end up not including it, but it won't help you just have some ideas. On The PA Platform, if you go to www.thepaplatform.com/downloads we have Personal Statement brainstorming worksheets that kind of work you through kind of thinking through your experiences and focusing on the subjects and the topics that, when I edit an essay I'm looking for. When it comes to actually writing, I say just start writing. People get really hung up on trying to have an amazing intro, but that can come later. You don't necessarily have to have this huge dramatic story. When I read an essay I just want to hear your story. I will really want to know why you chose PA. Everything in your essay needs to relate back to this decision and how you came to this point. Get your ideas together, get your statement, then edit it. You should not have any grammar mistakes. The flow should be really good, and then get people's opinions — people who know you and professional opinions. This is really, really important so just make sure that your personal statement is as polished and strong as it can be.

Keep in mind also that it's 5,000 characters including spaces, which is about a page and a paragraph single space. It's not very much space to spill your life story, so you may have to elaborate on something supplementals and just keep things really really concise in your statement.

The Interview

All right, then the interview, which is my favorite part, which is also the most nerve wracking part, but interviews can be kind of fun! Here are some of the big questions to prepare for.

Going into the interview, they want to know about you. So tell me about yourself. Why do you want to be a PA? You should have a solid answer for that. It should be more than I like the flexible schedule or I don't want to go to med school. You should want the job, the daily roles and responsibilities that come with being a PA, the teamwork of cooperating with a supervising position. Really kind of think about the pivotal moments that got you to this point and then some soul searching about why this is the job that you want. Why do you want to go to this school, why you want to go here? There should be specific reasons that you apply to a certain school and shouldn't be completely random. What does a PA do? You need to be able to show your understanding which is where you're shadowing and work experiences come in.

For the whole process, specifically for interviews here are my takeaways: confidence is the one thing I see people lacking the most, and it can really affect performance in an interview. If you get invited for an interview you at some point, it's because the school is very interested in, they really wants to know about you and know more about you so that should in itself give you confidence. Always be positive, there's no reason to point out negatives. You can take something negative like I know a C in ochem and talk about how you learned how to study from it and kind of turn that into a positive thing. Some people will say “I know I don't have as much experience as everyone else or I'm not as old as everyone else”, and there's no reason to do that again they're interested in you and your unique and bring something to the table. Always be honest throughout this entire process, being dishonest can really bite you and lead to really getting dismissed from a program which is bead.

Throughout everything be completely honest you have to submit all your grades talk about all your experiences, if they asked the question about a strugglers and they usually be really honest about it. Be yourself. Sometimes people will try to say what they think the admissions committee wants to hear and you can tell, it comes off as very strange so just be yourself throughout the entire process. In an interview, specifically, be prepared for anything. I heard schools and do quizzes one areas I was that we had to draw a question out of a fishbowl and stand up and answer it in front of all the other applicants and the faculty and we had a minute to do so it was really strange. It was like a Miss America Pageant. It was very very stressful. You just have to go into it prepared and then make everything a story too, the more examples you can use in your essay and your interview, the more memorable you will be to the admissions committee.

Final Thoughts

All right, and then my final advice. Instead of just trying to meet minimum, which tends to be a common mindset. Try to think about it as not giving the admissions committee, any reason not to accept you. If you're looking at your application and you are looking at the weaknesses, work on those first it can be easy to say well you know I have this C in chemistry, but I have a lot of hours and I'm just going to keep getting hours. When you call that admissions committee and say why was not accepted, they're going to point out the C in chemistry. While different parts of your application can balance out, I think it's really important that you're looking at it as someone who is being very critical and can say, you know, I want when I call them, there's nothing they can tell me to improve on. Try think about like that.

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Accepted: Jessica - Weill Cornell College of Medicine

Undergraduate education: Graduated in 2017 from Boston University. Major was Health Science and I was on the pre-medical track. Overall GPA: 3.7

Science GPA: 3.6

GRE: I took the GRE twice. I got 35% verbal and 70% math and 5 on writing the first time. The second time, I got 35% math and 70% verbal and 5 on the writing. This just proved to me that standardized testing is not a reliable measure and did not affect me at all through the application process. 

Total HCE hours: 200

Total PCE hours: 3200 (Medical Assistant at an Internal Medicine Practice) 

Shadowing hours: 100

Other volunteer hours: 300

LORs: Three letters 

How many times did you apply?:  Once

Age: 23

Gender: Female

How many programs did you apply to? 13

How many programs did you interview with and what were the outcomes? I was offered 12 interviews and attended 8 of them. I interviewed at: Northeastern, Northwestern, Johnson and Wales, Drexel, Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, Mass General and Cornell. I was waitlisted at Northeastern and Northwestern and was accepted to every other program. 

Where will you be attending? Weill Cornell College of Medicine PA Program 

Any red flags on your application? Low GRE scores and a Withdrawal on my transcript from freshman year 

Anything you found surprising about interviews? They are a lot more relaxed than I thought and they are all very similar. There are several questions that you are always asked at every interview. Overall, faculty are very nice and want to get to know you and your true self. 

Were there any helpful resources (books, websites, apps) you used to get through prerequisite courses, the application or interview process? To get through the application and interview process I highly recommend these two books: PA school interview guide by Savannah Perry and How to Ace the PA school interview by Andrew Rodican. Read both of these through and make flashcards with your own responses and practice them out loud before interviews.  

Any other advice for other pre-PA students? Only apply to programs you would actually attend. Looking back, I applied to several programs that I would have not wanted to attend but applied anyway. It is a lot of money and a waste of time completing all of the supplements so really focus on what schools are important to you. Also, start everything in advance. You can start filling out the application before it opens, and writing your personal statement ahead of time is crucial. Sending your applications earlier is much better than later in the process. 

Where can we find you? (website, instagram, etc)  My instagram is: jess_bonet 

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Barriers This First Generation PA Student Broke Down - Guest Post by Jessica Gomez

My name is Jessica Gomez and I am a PA-S1 at University of California, Davis. I thought I would share a couple of barriers that I have overcome as a first generation student! I hope that this blog post inspires you to overcome any obstacles you face in life.

As the daughter of immigrants, I have faced several unique challenges that directly shaped my life due to the cultural hardships my family has had to overcome. For example, as a child, I was my parent’s linguistic and cultural mediator. This increased level of responsibility helped me enhance my interpersonal skills and understand the feeling of fulfillment one attains from helping others.

Being a first-generation college student is an honor and a privilege that my parents did not have. Throughout this experience, I could not turn to my parents for advice on my college applications, scholarships, or ask them for help in selecting a major.

Therefore, I struggled academically during my first year of undergrad education.

However, my parents instilled in me a hardworking diligent attitude! So, through hard work and perseverance I was able to overcome my failures. I can’t tell you how many hours I spent studying in my undergrad years to improve my GPA and taking advantage of every opportunity (volunteering, shadowing, and working as a scribe) to assure that I would reach my goal to become a PA.

No matter what your obstacles are keep at it! I deeply believe that we can achieve anything we MANIFEST in this world!

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Accepted: Keyla - University of Nebraska Medical Center

Undergraduate education:  BS from University of Nebraska at Omaha.

Major: Neuroscience.

Overall GPA: 3.7

Science GPA: 3.4

GRE: 150 verbal. Quant 150. Writing 4.0

Total HCE hours: 5504

Total PCE hours: 4992 (all the schools I applied validated my Certified Medical Interpreter as PCE). 

Shadowing hours: 59

Other volunteer hours: 819

LORs: one family medicine MD, one college professor (organic chemistry), one local hospital president (Methodist Hospital).

How many times did you apply?:  1

Age: 32

Gender:  female

How many programs did you apply to? 3

How many programs did you interview with and what were the outcomes?

3 interview invites, two acceptances. I attended two interviews and declined the third interview because I was accepted into my top choice school.

Where will you be attending? UNMC (University of Nebraska Medical Center).

Any red flags on your application? A W grade in one class. I dropped because of a high risk pregnancy. I’m currently retaking it as my last pre- requisite class (Biochemistry of Metabolism).

Anything you found surprising about interviews? 

They were both very different. One interview was classic PA school interview and the other one was MMI interview style.

Were there any helpful resources (books, websites, apps) you used to get through prerequisite courses, the application or interview process? 

The Pre-PA club podcast with Savanna Perry.

My PA resource (used for my personal statement).

Followed lots of current PA students social media accounts and blogs and followed their advice/tips.

Book: “How to Ace the Physician Assistant school interview” by Andrew Rodican, PA-C.

The PA platform website.

Any other advice for other pre-PA students?

“Studying doesn’t suck as much as failing”. Believe in yourself, if you’ve made it this far, you can reach your goal!.

For mom students out there, don’t feel guilty, just spend “quality time” with your kids, away from your phone. Our kids are watching us and learning that hard work pays off!. Don’t disappoint them, be your best version!

Where can we find you? (website, instagram, etc) 

Instagram @keylasanchezm

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What to do if You are Waitlisted for PA School

Let’s talk about being waitlisted for PA school. I know that this can be an uncomfortable subject but it’s an important subject to cover incase you find yourself in this position. What is a waitlist? (also can be called an alternate list) Let’s say you apply for PA school, you interview and then there are three ways it will go from here. 1. You are accepted into the program as a future student. From here you can accept or decline the offer. 2. You are waitlisted, which means you are put on a list of people that if a spot opens, it may end up being yours and 3. You are rejected. Rejected is the one you do not want. It is much better to be waitlisted than to get a straight out rejection because at that point in the current cycle, your time with that particular school is done. There is no way to go back and dispute that in any way and you have to move on. 

The waitlist can be a little frustrating and everyone's first question is, “why am I on the waitlist?” I get emails like this constantly. First of all, being on the waitlist does not say anything about you as a person. It does not mean that you are a failure. It does not mean they hated you. There are a lot of factors here and you have to be a good fit for that program which you all know how competitive PA school  is. Sometimes there is a person who has just slightly better stats than you or interviewed a little bit better and that is why you are on the waitlist while other times there isn’t a particular rhyme or reason. Don’t try to read into it too much or use this as something that affects your identity. I know how tough it is. It stinks and it’s a huge disappointment but again it doesn’t say anything about you as a person -- I just want to make that clear before we move on. 

Some schools even have waitlists for interviews which is a little bit of a different situation but just know that this is not an uncommon practice for a school to have. Each program has a limited number of spots and they have to choose who they think is going to fill those spots appropriately and make a nice cohesive class that is going to do well over the next two years. 

Once you receive notice that you are on the waitlist, it is ok to take a couple of days to let it sink in and it’s ok if you don’t feel excited about it. Just brush it off, move on and get to work and prepare for the next time. If you are in The Pre-PA Club on Facebook, there are tons and tons of people who are on the waitlist and tons of people who have gotten off the waitlist too. I was on there the other day and one person said they got pulled off the waitlist a week before school started. Now that’s a little nerve-wracking. It’s a very fluid process. Just know that every school has a different process as to how they do waitlists.

Some of them will have a group of applicants on a waitlist and if a spot opens up, they go back to the list and reevaluate everyone and choose a candidate to offer an acceptance to. This is an unranked list. 

There are schools that write their list as they come and sometimes these rates are set in place so they will tell you your number. You could be number two and be number two no matter what. These can be fluid lists as well though. If they have another interview group come in and they may put someone else down as number two and then you get bumped down to number three. Schools do not always disclose where you are at on the list. If they are going to tell you, they will go ahead and tell you. It’s not going to be a secret but if they don’t disclose you probably can’t convince them to tell you. It doesn’t hurt to ask but most likely they are going to share because that is not how their waitlist works. 

Everyone wants to know what their chances of getting off the waitlist are. You can call and ask but they probably aren’t going to tell you because even they don’t know what the chances look like. I would say most schools have a waitlist around 40 (from what I have seen). They essentially keep they waitlist the same size as the class just in case something happens. They can pull 30% of the class from the waitlist one year and just 1 or 2 people from the waitlist the following year.

What you should know about being on a waitlist and what your chances are, it's hard to say because of all these different processes. If you think about it, people are getting accepted to different schools every single day. Their first choice may not be your first choice. If you're on a waitlist at your first choice program, and then someone else who has been accepted that program gets into their first choice, that opens up a spot. That's why I say this process is so fluid and always changing. Just know that there's a chance and please don't give up. I feel like I've gotten so many sad emails lately -- it makes me feel so sad. Just really, really try to hang in there and know that you can come off the waitlist. When can this happen? I mentioned earlier, but it can happen up until the program starts. The thing is PA programs want to have a full class, they want to fill every single seat. Of course, things happen -- people have emergencies, illnesses, family issues, and sometimes they have to give up their seat last minute. These schools want to have someone in that seat. That's why you could get a call even a few days before school starts. It's it can be crazy. 

Another thing that complicates this is if you're on the waitlist, but you've been accepted to another school and you're on, let's say, the waitlist for your first choice. That's tough -- what do you do? It's my opinion that you have to think really long and hard before you give up an acceptance, just because that may not come again. You don't know what the next class of applicants is going to look like, or the school will change their requirements. If you have been accepted, really think about giving that up. If you just want to be happy at the school and don't feel like you could do it, that might be a good reason to give it up. Otherwise, I would try to stick it out. You may lose some deposit money if you come off the waitlist, but in the grand scheme of things that is not the end of the world. 

One thing I know some people do when they have an acceptance to their second school and they are waitlisted for their first is to call the school and let them know what is going on and see how they respond. I have seen it go both ways. Sometimes, it lights the fire and they accept you because they want you and other times they will see that you already have an acceptance somewhere and let you go. So there is definitely a risk there but again, I have seen it pay off. I think there is no shame in letting the school know that they are your number one choice. I did that in my interviews, and I think it paid off. If you're being genuine about it, they'll be able to see that. 

So In the meantime, you get this call, you're on the waitlist, you take a couple days you take a bath, get a massage, eat ice cream, self care, people! Now you go okay, well, what can I do. If you're on a waitlist, go ahead and start preparing, as if you need to reapply. Take a very objective, look at your application, find out where your weaknesses are. I found that most people want to focus on their strengths and keep making those stronger instead of making their weaknesses better. That's something I've seen in The Pre-PA Club on Facebook, too. People will say- I'm not going to take more classes, I'm not going to do more hours, I'm not going to volunteer more and that's not really the best attitude to have. If you really want to get into PA school, you've got to think about making your application as strong as possible and giving the admissions committee no reason not to accept you. You want them to look at your application and go, they've done everything they can and I don't have a reason not to accept them. That comes down to volunteering hours, shadowing hours ,healthcare experience, patient care experience -- hours gain a variety of experience, a variety of shadowing, showing commitment to the underserved and your community. 

Look at your grades, this is everyone's least favorite but looking at your grades, looking at your GPA… are all of your prerequisites correct? Are they matching up the way they should with the programs you're applying to? Maybe even retake classes and get those higher score. Really look at every single part of your application and go into this as if you're going to have to reapply. If you do something that's significant, i.e.,  if you get a lot more hours, if you take some classes, tell the program you are waitlisted at that. Shoot them an email and just say, “Hey, I wanted to let you know that I have 400 more hours of working as an EMT, I've been volunteering an extra hundred hours and I just finished my repeat of general chemistry and I got an A.” Give them an update because this does a couple of things, 1. It shows that you are still working towards this goal and you're not just sitting at home waiting to see what happens and that you are still available and interested. I would much rather you send an update to a program then just constantly be asking, Am I still on the waitlist? What rank am I? You certainly don't want to annoy them before you are even student. Being able to update them on what you're doing to be a good student is a little bit more of a smooth way to do that to get your name in there to remember you and then hopefully, hopefully, hopefully get off that waitlist. Fingers crossed.

If you're on a waitlist, please let us know in the comments below and we will send all the good vibes and prayers your way and support you through that. 

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Accepted: Wei - UC Davis

Undergraduate education: Rutgers University , Newark, NJ.

Overall GPA: 3.3

Science GPA:3.5

GRE: Didn’t take it

Total HCE hours: more than 16,000 hours as an ER tech for 4 years and Respiratory Therapist for 4 years

Total PCE hours: same as above

Shadowing hours: 90 hours

Other volunteer hours: 200 hours

LORs: 1 PA, 1 MD, 2 professors, 1 supervisor from work

How many times did you apply?:  2

Age: 30

Gender:  Male

Why did you choose PA? because I want to learn to treat the whole human body instead of specializing in the lungs. I often feel limited with my capabilities on taking care of my patients as a respiratory therapist 

How many programs did you apply to? 19

How many programs did you interview with and what were the outcomes? 19 applied. 6 interviewed. 4 waitlisted and only 1 admitted. 14 rejections

Where will you be attending? I will be attending UC-Davis PA program

Any red flags on your application? GPA of 3.3 is on the low side. And there were multiple C’s on my transcript including General Chemistry 1 and 2.

Anything you found surprising about interviews?  I found that everyone is so nice, both the interviewers and the interviewees. And I saw a couple of same people in different interviews. That was surprising. 

Were there any helpful resources (books, websites, apps) you used to get through prerequisite courses, the application or interview process?  I used 2 books for the interviews. 1st one and also my favorite and most helpful is the Physician Assistant School Interview Guide by Savanna Perry, and How to “Ace” The Physician Assistant Interview” by Andrew Rodican. I also did the mock interview with the PAplatform website and listen to the podcasts. I also watch PA-S you tubers who shared their journey into PA school.

Any other advice for other pre-PA students? Take this seriously. It’s harder than you think. I learned it the hard way. Use the services from thePAplatfom.com. They are extremely helpful. Watch the YouTube videos by James Kim.  I also had help to edit my essay. Don’t get discouraged easily, don’t give up. If you really want it, you can do it. Always be openminded and use all the opportunities that are available. People always say to be yourself for the interview. I completely disagree with this. I say be the best version of yourself. Don’t compare yourself to others because you are the pilot of your own life. The author of your own life novel. Not them.

Where can we find you? (website, instagram, etc)

You can find me on Instagram @wahwahwei. I usually post my dog’s photos and my cookings, but I am about to post my journey into PA school too.

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Accepted: Aurthi - University of Toronto

Undergraduate education: 

BSc. Honours Specialization in Kinesiology & Minor in Medical Sciences

Overall GPA: cGPA 3.61

Total HCE hours: ~1500 hours

Total PCE hours: ~1200 hours

Shadowing hours: 40 hours (Shadowing PA)

Other volunteer hours: 1500 hours (Habitat for Humanity Mission Trips, USC – Ethnocultural Support Services, Air Cadets, Burlington Green, etc.)

LORs: 3 (Professor, Varsity Tennis Coach, Physiotherapist I worked with as a Kinesiologist)

How many times did you apply?:  1

Age: 23

Gender: Female 

How many programs did you apply to? 

2 in Ontario: University of Toronto and McMaster University

1 in Manitoba: University of Manitoba (Total 3 in Canada)

7 in USA: Augsburg College, Hofstra University, Rutgers University, Northeastern University, Pace University, Le Moyne College, Pacific University of Oregon

How many programs did you interview with and what were the outcomes? 

3 interviews and 3 offers

Where will you be attending?

Currently a first year PA Student at the University of Toronto (Canada)

Any red flags on your application? 

My biochemistry mark was below what is considered “competitive” for prerequisites to apply to University of Manitoba

Did not have a competitive number of healthcare hours to apply to the States (some universities required at least 2000 hours to be considered “competitive”)

Anything you found surprising about interviews? 

It is possible to over-prepare for interviews and come across “scripted”—after my first interview, I had to step back a bit to find the perfect balance between preparing adequately but also going with the flow during the interview, so it’s more natural.

Were there any helpful resources (books, websites, apps) you used to get through prerequisite courses, the application or interview process? 

Doing Right

MMI for the Mind

Kira Talent (for McMaster Supplemental App)

Practicing interview questions with friends/family (over skype/in-person) and asking for feedback. 

Any other advice for other pre-PA students? 

Make sure you do your research thoroughly for any school you want to apply to and for the PA profession (especially considering it’s a growing profession in Canada)

Take time to reflect on your healthcare experiences and try to come up with the skills/lessons you learned from each experience so that you can utilize them to write your personal statement, answer essay questions or apply it to a scenario during interviews. To do this, I used an excel spreadsheet with the following columns: experience, hours, reference, skills learning, examples.

If you can, try to shadow a PA in order to observe what they do in a clinical setting (and in different specialties if possible), to confirm it is the right career for you

Where can we find you? (website, instagram, etc) 

• Instagram: @aurthi.pa

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Accepted: Rida - Sullivan University

Undergraduate education: University of Houston with a degree in Management Information Systems-Business

Overall GPA: 3.5

Science GPA: 3.7

Total PCE hours: 

2000+ hours 

(ER Scribe, Internal Medicine Medical Assistant, ENT Scribe)

Shadowing hours: 

300+ hours 

(PAs from different specialties such as orthopedics, family practice, urgent care, allergies, VA, etc)

Other volunteer hours: 

300+ hours

LORs: 

1 from Professor

2 from Doctors 

1 from PA 

1 from Corporate America ex-manager

How many times did you apply?:  

1st time applicant

Age: 

25 years old

Gender: 

Female

How many programs did you apply to? 

17 programs 

How many programs did you interview with and what were the outcomes?

8 programs 

(Accepted to 2 programs, waitlisted at 3 programs, no response yet from 1 interview, cancelled 1 interview as I was accepted, and denied at 1 program)

Where will you be attending?

Sullivan University 

Any red flags on your application? 

I had 2-3 Ws on my transcript from undergrad and I had to explain this EVERY time when asked about it, so be careful with withdrawals! 

Also, my GRE score was VERY average compared to some of my candidates 

Anything you found surprising about interviews? 

One interview that I was at had us do a white coat fitting the second we walked in! I thought this was quite interesting as no other school did this

I was also surprised at how comfortable the interviews were and how BASIC some of the questions they asked were. It was so important to remain calm and collected because you prepare so much for something that turns out to be so quick and casual!

Were there any helpful resources (books, websites, apps) you used to get through prerequisite courses, the application or interview process? 

I highly highly highly recommend Savannah's book- PA School Interview Guide! This is an awesome first book to purchase to get started with understanding how one should approach interviews. It breaks down SO much, and i would re-read it on my kindle through my phone the day of interview.

Any other advice for other pre-PA students? 

Don't give up! If someone like myself can get this far, so can you. My stats are pretty average but my story wasn't and I mastered on conveying this message to interviewers! Be authentic and be honest! Try to be as competitive as possible by doing MORE than the minimum requirements for school and schools WILL notice that. And for those of you that are career changers, there is light at the end of the tunnel and it is SO worth it :)

Where can we find you?

Instagram: @pa.RIDS 

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Accepted: Serena - Touro University California

Undergraduate education: BS in biology, minor in chemistry

Overall GPA: 3.45Science GPA: 3.14

GRE: Did not take the GRE

Total HCE hours: 1888

Total PCE hours: 11000+

Shadowing hours: 409

Other volunteer hours: 336 as a mentor for Big Brothers Big Sisters, 1068 as a hospice caregiver

LORs: 4; Two from physicians, one from PA, one from volunteer manager

How many times did you apply?:  3

Age: 28

Gender: Female

How many programs did you apply to? 17

How many programs did you interview with and what were the outcomes? 4 interviews, 1 acceptance, 1 waitlist, 1 rejection, 1 have not heard back.

Where will you be attending?

Touro University California-Joint MSPAS/MPH Program

Any red flags on your application? I did not do well my sophomore year (had all upper division courses) and it really hurt my science GPA. I had to explain why on a couple applications and interviews. 

Anything you found surprising about interviews? One of the schools I interviewed with replaced the writing portion of the interview process with a video segment. This through me for a loop! I am not the type of person who likes to record myself talking so the jitters got the best of me.

The rest of the interviews were as expected: MMI’s, writing, group activity. 

Were there any helpful resources (books, websites, apps) you used to get through prerequisite courses, the application or interview process? 

I googled for different blogs to help me with the interview process. The blogs provided me with tips on how to prepare for the interview such as what questions I should definitely prepare for, what the interviewers are looking for in your answers, and what you should and should not say during an interview.  

Any other advice for other pre-PA students?

DO NOT GIVE UP!! I know it is easier said than done, but it is true! I applied three times before finally being accepted. My second round of applying I was interviewed five times and waitlisted twice before ultimately not being pulled off the waitlist (talk about a bummer!) If you are a reapplicant, you definitely want to show the schools that you have improved since the last cycle. For me, I enrolled in more classes. It does not have to be science courses necessarily, schools want to see that you are constantly trying to improve yourself. I continued to shadow the PAs in my community. If a school’s mission is to provide primary care, you should shadow a primary care PA because the school will ask if you have done any shadowing in this specialty.

If you are invited for an interview, first off, congrats! That is a huge accomplishment considering schools look over thousands of applications and they chose YOU! How to prepare for the interview? Be able to answer why you want to become a PA and why you chose that particular school (research research research). Practice interviewing with your friends, coworkers, etc. but do not over practice. You do not want to sound rehearsed. Try to converse as if you were on a coffee date (relax). Lastly, be you. Schools do not want to hear the cookie cutter answer, what separates YOU from the everyone else?

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Accepted: Nicole - Rutgers University

Undergraduate education: Austin College (Richland College for post-bacc)

Overall GPA: 3.35

Science GPA: 3.11

GRE: 155V 153Q 4.0A

Total HCE hours: 360

Total PCE hours: 1860

Shadowing hours: 153 (2 MDs and 1 PA)

Other volunteer hours: 146

LORs: 1 from my Bio/Genetics post-bacc professor, 1 from my A&P II/Microbio post-bacc professor, and one from a PA I shadowed

How many times did you apply?: 1

Age: 23 at the time that I applied

Gender: Female

Why PA? So, so, so many reasons. I love everything about the PA profession, from the history based on diminishing the healthcare disparity, to the faster schooling with no required residency, the lateral mobility between specialties which reduces burnout, the projected growth, the generally-better work/life balance, the lower cost of attendance (compared to medical school), the team-based approach towards medicine, and I could go on and on. I’ve always wanted to practice medicine in underserved communities, and it was never about the title for me—just the work. The PA profession completely cuts out every apprehension I had toward medical school and I honestly couldn’t see myself doing anything else.

How many programs did you apply to? 14

How many programs did you interview with and what were the outcomes? I interviewed with 3 programs. My first interview was a bit of a nightmare because I definitely over-rehearsed and I wasn’t surprised at all to be rejected. Lol. But it was a great practice run for the remaining 2 schools that were my top choices. I got accepted into both! (I also applied to a dual PA/MPH program that rejected me from their PA program, but accepted me at their MPH program, which I thought was nice and a great possible option in case things didn’t work out)

Where will you be attending?  I’m currently finishing up my first year at Rutgers!

Any red flags on your application? Definitely yes. My lower-end GPA.

Anything you found surprising about interviews? My first interview was honestly a bit of a toxic environment. The other applicants were pretty cold and seemed to only talk with each other because we were being watched. The 3 interviewers were also pretty cold/rude and I left the interview somewhat thankful for the eye-opening experience. I already had it set in my mind that I would not attend if I had any other choice in the matter and I chalked up the bad experience to a teachable moment.

My next two interviews, I was totally myself and unrehearsed. The second school had an MMI format and I was surprised by how much fun it was and how I thrived in that format. The faculty were so kind and welcoming and I felt so much more confident afterward. A few days later, I had another interview at my third school and it was also an incredible experience. The questions were all specific to my application, which led to a more authentic interaction. It totally surprised me to see the stark contrast between these 2 interviews and my first interview. All schools are definitely not created equal.

Were there any helpful resources (books, websites, apps) you used to get through prerequisite courses, the application or interview process? I totally lived on the Physician Assistant Forum website and also found the Physician Assistant Life website and the Trust Me, I’m a PA blog to be extremely helpful.

Any other advice for other pre-PA students? DEFINITELY. It is so, so, so important to build up your application around your weak spots as much as possible and to be a polished, but authentic version of yourself at the interview. My GPA was pretty low, so I made it my goal to make everything else as perfect as possible. I did great in my 9 post-bacc classes while balancing 3 jobs; I was super involved on campus in various leadership, volunteering, and teaching roles; I worked on my personal statement for 6 months and got it professionally revised; I had phenomenal LOR writers; and I really tried to own up to my mistakes and demonstrate my maturity and motivation in my PS and supplementals. I also applied very early (at the end of May). After getting interview invites, I took note of mistakes to be modified on and focused on just being myself. I prepared for my remaining 2 interviews by re-reading my PS (to remind myself of who I was) and by reading every page of the PA programs’ websites to have a very good idea of the programs and know what questions I wanted to ask that weren’t already on the websites. I didn’t rehearse answers the second and third times—I just kept myself grounded in knowledge about the schools and self-awareness. So basically, as cliche as it sounds, be prepared but BE YOURSELF. Seriously. There’s a reason why people say it—it’s actually true.

Where can we find you? (website, instagram, etc) Instagram: nomadicniko_pa

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Accepted: An - University of Texas

Undergraduate education: Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.

Overall GPA: 3.81

Science GPA: 3.85

GRE: 306 (Verbal - 152, Quantitative - 154) and 4.0 Analytical Writing.

Total HCE hours: 1,600 hours as an Emergency Department Scribe (my program also considers this PCE).

Total PCE hours: 250 hours as a Certified Nursing Aide.

Shadowing hours: 260 hours total - 70 with a Hospitalist, 100 with an ED PA-C, and 90 with a Family Medicine PA-C.

Other volunteer hours: 110 hours - 35 at St. Louis Children's Hospital and 75 in the Biology and Pre-PA club at SIUE.

LORs: 4 letters - ED M.D, anatomy professor/research mentor, NSCS regional manager, and the director of the Biology program I was a mentor for.

How many times did you apply?: Once.

Age: 23

Gender: Female.

How many programs did you apply to? Nine.

How many programs did you interview with and what were the outcomes?: I was offered five interviews, accepted four, but in the end only attended two. I was denied from one program and accepted to the other!

Where will you be attending?: Come July, 2019, I will be attending the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas!

Any red flags on your application? I did not have much volunteer experience and I only worked as a CNA for a very brief period of time.

Anything you found surprising about interviews?: Oddly enough, the nerves go away as you (firmly) shake hands with the person you're interviewing with. You realize that they aren't there to intimidate you but to truly get to know you as best they can in the allotted time. I was surprised when the questions asked became conversations that flowed easily rather than cut and dry responses.

Were there any helpful resources (books, websites, apps) you used to get through prerequisite courses, the application or interview process?: In terms of getting through prerequisite courses, I leaned on my friends and loyal study group to be successful. Having a strong support system is key! If your university has a Pre-PA group, I highly recommend becoming a member. It's an added support system and a great source of information. Other students are able to impart their knowledge/experiences about the application process and other need-to-know things about PA school and the profession.

Any other advice for other pre-PA students? There's no doubt that the entire process is daunting, but stay positive and remember your purpose and why you wanted to pursue this great career in the first place! Step one: Submitting your application. Be confident in your applicant profile and don't compare yourself to others. I know that's easier said than done because I guilty of it myself, but you are unique and programs will see that through your personal statement. Start writing your statement early and then revise revise revise! Have friends, family, and others you trust critique it and give you pointers. Next step: Interviews. Continue being confident in yourself. Prepare for your interviews but don't sound too rehearsed! It is important that you familiarize yourself with the faculty beforehand and have reasons why you find the program attractive and why they should pick you, followed by questions you have for them. Arrive on campus with a smile on your face because your interview begins the second you step out of the car! All in all, embrace the process, stay true to yourself, and remember that this is your journey and it's on no ones timeline but your own!

Where can we find you? (website, instagram, etc): annguyen001

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Accepted: Omotola - Augusta University

Undergraduate education: University of Georgia, B.S. in Nutritional Sciences

Overall GPA: 3.74

Science GPA: 3.61

GRE: 305 (Verbal- 153, Quantitative- 152, Writing- 4.5)

Total HCE hours: 275 at the time of application (Medical Scribe at a gastroenterology clinic)-- Aware that my hours were on the low end, I made sure to give the programs that I applied to monthly updates on any new hours gained as this was an ongoing HCE.

Total PCE hours: 40 (Medlife Mobile Clinic in Ecuador)

Shadowing hours: 434 (324- Orthopedic Surgeon, 100- Hospitalist PA, 10- Orthopedic PA)  

Other volunteer hours: 80 (Volunteering at a local free clinic)

LORs: 3 (1 PA, 1 MD, 1 Professor)

How many times did you apply?: 1

Age: 22 (at the time of application)

Gender: Female

How many programs did you apply to? 5

How many programs did you interview with and what were the outcomes? 4 interview invites. Declined 1 invite. Attended 3, accepted to all 3.

Where will you be attending? Augusta University PA Program

Any red flags on your application? Both my HCE and PCE were quite low, so applying strategically was key for me! I did however have a fair amount of shadowing as well as a solid GPA which I believe balanced things out.

Anything you found surprising about interviews? My overall interview experience was quite relaxing and welcoming. It was comforting to know that I was not just a number, but that these programs truly desired to know me. During my interviews, I was asked the standard traditional questions as expected (“Tell me about yourself. Why do you want to be a PA? Why our program?”). Remember that these programs already know you on paper, all they now want to see is that you’re personable and that application “you” actually matches up with the in-person “you”. Lastly, ask questions! Although you’re the interviewee, remember that you are also interviewing these programs as well to ensure that their program is a truly a great fit for you.

Were there any helpful resources (books, websites, apps) you used to get through prerequisite courses, the application or interview process? For the GRE, I used Magoosh and the ‘5 lb GRE’ book, and would highly recommend both. For the interview process, I used the “Physician Assistant School Interview Guide” which was extremely helpful and one of my favorite tools to date. I also connected with other Pre-PAs, PA-S, and PA-C’s through social media!

Any other advice for other pre-PA students? Do not compare yourself to other applicants! Self-discouragement will disqualify you from the journey before you even have a chance to get started. It’s very understandable to research the statistics of the typical applicant, but know that there are other components that allow you to shine and stand out (i.e. your personal statement). This is where you get to tell your story, one that cannot be duplicated by any other applicant. Hundreds of other applicants may have the same GPA as you, the same PCE/HCE as you, or hey, even the same name as you. But one thing that will always be original and unique about you is your story, so do not be afraid to tell your “why?”. Do not underestimate the weight of that personal statement!

Where can we find you? Instagram: @tolaknowsbest

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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 

Accepted: Megan - The University of Florida

Undergraduate education: Florida State University & The University of Tampa

Overall GPA: 3.48

Science GPA: 3.58

GRE: 305 (151 Verbal, 154 Quantitative, 4.0 Writing)

Total HCE hours: ~200

Total PCE hours: ~1,900 (Medical Scribe/Assistant)

Shadowing hours: ~180 (Orthopedic and Reconstructive Plastic Surgeon)

Volunteer: ~180 (Hospice, Hospital, MEDlife)

Research: ~500 (Senior thesis and Research Associate at the hospital)

Teaching: ~1250 (TA for A&P, Organic Chemistry and Ecological Physiology)

Extracurricular: Scuba diving, sorority member

LORs: 5 (2 PA, Research coordinator, 2 Professors)

How many times did you apply?:  1

Age: 24

Gender: Female

How many programs did you apply to? 19. I was uncertain about where I stood as an applicant, so I applied to as many programs as possible. Looking back, I would not recommend this due to the cost of applications. 

How many programs did you interview with and what were the outcomes? I was invited to interview at 12 programs. Of the 12 invites, I attended 3 interviews and was accepted to all 3 programs. 

Where will you be attending? The University of Florida

Any red flags on your application?  I started college off well with a 4.0 GPA my freshman year, but my grades declined through my sophomore and junior year. In this time, my transcripts were filled 5 C’s, 3 D’s and 3 withdrawals in core classes. I ended up transferring schools after being kicked out of my major twice, however, I continued to study and finished my 4th and 5th year of undergraduate with all A’s. Instead of retaking my core classes I decided to take more challenging upper level courses to prove that I could handle the material. When I interviewed at each school I actually spoke about my low grades being one of my strengths. I explained to the interviewers why I had received those grades and how I learned and matured since then, which they all appreciated. 

Anything you found surprising about interviews? While the interviews were very professional, I was shocked at how informal they actually were. Each program I interviewed with wanted to get to know me as a person, rather than just hear my stats. I had one interviewer tell me, “the board is going to sit down in 2 weeks and decide who we accept. Tell me something that will make you stand out so when your face comes up on the slides I will remember you and want to accept you”. I decided to tell a story about me scuba diving and how I overcame one of my greatest fears. Then I related my story to their PA program and why they should accept me. This must have made me stand out because 2 weeks later I was accepted.   

My advice to anyone going on interviews is, go in with a smile and showcase your personality. Every school that interviews you already knows your stats and believes that you would do well in their program. Use the time to talk about your passions, both inside and outside of health care. That is what I did, and one interviewer even thanked me for being so bright and optimistic in a setting filled with so much anxiety. 

Were there any helpful resources (books, websites, apps) you used to get through prerequisite courses, the application or interview process? When I was getting ready to apply, I started following PA-S/PA-C on instagram. I watched their stories and YouTube videos, and I reached out to ask them any questions I had. Another resource I used was the Applicant’s Manual of Physician Assistant Programs 2018. I made an excel file of all the programs I wanted to apply to with their requirements. Throughout the application process I updated it in order to keep track of which schools received my GRE scores and supplemental applications, as well as tracked my overall application status at each program. When I was getting ready to interview I used a combination of the Physician Assistant School Interview Guide book  and The Pre-PA club podcasts. Both helped me to formulate my thoughts, and allowed me to practice what I would say in the interviews.   

Any other advice for other pre-PA students? This is going to be cliché, but never give up on your dreams. When my grades were slipping my sophomore year, I had a meeting with an academic advisor who sat me down and told me that I was never going to work in the healthcare field, and that I needed to re-evaluate my life goals. I was crushed, but I didn’t listen to him and here I am 3 years later with an acceptance to the PA program of my dreams. If anyone out there is struggling with a lower GPA or GRE scores, make up for it somewhere else on your application. I became involved in research and used that to help me stand out. There are so many other ways to do this. If a program requires 2,000 PCE and 100 volunteer hours, try to double or triple it. Lastly make sure that you are involved in extracurricular activities (not just clubs, but hobbies) and include all of them on your application!

Where can we find you? (website, instagram, etc) Instagram: _mgreener. Please feel free to reach out with any questions! I’d love to help anyone going through this stressful process in anyway that I can. 

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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 

Accepted: Emily - Touro College

Undergraduate education: St. Joseph’s College Long Island—Biology Major, Chemistry and Psychology minors

Overall GPA: 3.7

Science GPA: 3.6

GRE: none of the schools I applied to required it!

Total HCE hours: ~1,000

Total PCE hours: ~500

Shadowing hours: ~100

Other volunteer hours: ~500

LORs: 3 letters of recommendation—one from my thesis advisor and professor, another from a professor I took several classes with and TA’d for, the third was from a professor and PA at my college that I shadowed

How many times did you apply?:  Just once!

Age: 20 at the time of my application, 21 when I got accepted

Gender: Female

Why PA? I like that the PA field allows me to work collaboratively as both a leader and a team member, something that fits my personality very well. I believe PA’s play a vital role in the health care field in being able to provide more personalized attention to patients and get to know them for more than just their illness—something that I find very important in gaining trust and a positive repour with someone undergoing a medical challenge. I also like the ability to change fields and practice in various different settings throughout my career.

How many programs did you apply to? I applied to 4 programs

How many programs did you interview with and what were the outcomes? I received and went on 3 interviews. I was accepted to all 3 schools I interviewed at. The 4th school I was waitlisted for an interview.

Where will you be attending? I will be attending my first choice school, Touro College School of Health Sciences on Long Island

Any red flags on your application? I was nervous because I started a lot of my health care experience and shadowing only a few months before I applied so I thought it might not be enough time for the interviewers to know I was confident that this was the field I wanted to be in.

Anything you found surprising about interviews? How different each interview was! I’m a complete people person and have no nerves speaking to important people. However, I feel like everyone practices and rehearses for their interviews, but you really can’t practice because you don’t know what you’re walking into! My first interview was with four faculty members at the same time, my second was three mini interviews in groups with other applicants, and my third was one interview with one faculty member. Just be yourself and be confident in your application and you’ll be prepared for any situation!

Were there any helpful resources (books, websites, apps) you used to get through prerequisite courses, the application or interview process? I used this website/ blog a lot to find helpful tips from other PA applicants! However, I would say the best way to get information and advice is to ask classmates or students who have gone through the process a few years before you. I relied on upperclassmen and alumni from my school for help in prerequisite classes and with CASPA.

Any other advice for other pre-PA students? Don’t compare yourself to others! Every applicant is different—has different experiences, different set-backs, and different strengths. It’s so easy to get caught up in the process of applying to comparing your GPA, PCE, or shadowing hours to everyone else’s. While yes it is important to be realistic about your chances, a lot of the time we wind up crushing our confidence by not feeling as good as other applicants. It’s important to remember that you have worked hard to get to where you are now and that you CAN do this!

Where can we find you? (website, instagram, etc) You can find me on my personal Instagram @emilyfontinha. You can also follow my PA school page with my two best friends from my college that are also in the same PA program as me @threepasinapod. If anyone has any questions or needs advice feel free to message me there!

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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 

Accepted: Naia - University of Southern California

Undergraduate education: University of South Florida -dual degree: bachelor of science in cellular & molecular biology and Bachelor of Arts in psychology 

Overall GPA: 3.53

Science GPA: 3.35

GRE: 299 overall  - 149 quantitative 150 qualitative 4.0 writing

Total HCE hours: 4000+

Total PCE hours: 2600 to date (800 at time of application) 

Shadowing hours: 100 (PA in sarcoma oncology, PA in thoracic oncology; cardiologist MD; internal medicine MD; ARNP dermatology)

Other volunteer hours: 260

LORs: 4 (1 PA, 1 ARNP, 1 supervisor and 1 science professor) 

How many times did you apply?:  2

Age: 25

Gender: female 

Why did you choose PA?

I have always been interested in medicine since a tumor was found in my mom’s ovaries when I was 13. I wasn’t sure what a PA was until I attended my first medical mission trip to Honduras as an undergrad. The PA who accompanied us inspired me to pursue this career. I love the flexibility in practicing in different fields/specialties as I am someone who loves to learn. I also love that not only could I see patients autonomously but will also be working in a team of other medical professionals. At the end of the day, I think being a PA fits my personality compared to MD or ARNP

How many programs did you apply to? 12

How many programs did you interview with and what were the outcomes?

6 and 3 I deferred since I was accepted so it would have been a total of 9From the 6 I was rejected by 2, waitlisted in 3 and accepted to 1.

Where will you be attending?

University of Southern California

Any red flags on your application? 

Definitely my GPA and GRE scores. I did not want admissions thinking I am a poor student academically speaking. My GPA was lower due to illnesses I endured during my sophomore year of undergraduate (which I reiterated in my interviewed if the topic came up). I proved myself by taking a rigorous upper level course work and picking up a second major. As for my GRE I lacked studying incentive the first time and improved my score by 10 points the second time.

Anything you found surprising about interviews? 

It was non-intimidating (for the most part). The schools I interviewed with genuinely wanted to know more about me and my application.

Any other advice for other pre-PA students?

DO NOT GIVE UP. I had several mental breakdowns and self doubts towards the end of this 2nd cycle as I was considering applying for a third cycle. If you really want to be a PA then persistent is key. It doesn’t matter that others are getting there before you, your time will come. Always find ways to improve whether it is taking another class to increase the GPA, finding another job to increase PCE or retaking the GRE.

Where can we find you? (website, instagram, etc) 

Instagram: naiaalessandra **I will be changing my username to The_PA_Mission come fall when I start to share my journey and because medical mission trips hold a special place in my heart. I am hoping to do more trips as a professional upon certification**

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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 

Accepted: Julia - Wayne State University

Overall GPA: 3.96

Science GPA: 3.98

GRE: 302, 4.5 writing

Total PCE hours: 1,700 when I submitted my application

Shadowing hours: 40- with Family Practice PA and ER PA

Other volunteer hours: 750

LORs: 4: one from a professor, one from my nurse manager, one from my volunteer supervisor, and one from the PA that I work with on my unit.

How many times did you apply?: 1

How many programs did you apply to? 10

How many programs did you interview with and what were the outcomes? So far two, I have been accepted to both! Still waiting on responses from 5 other schools..however I have already committed to a PA school.

Where will you be attending? Wayne State University

Anything you found surprising about interviews? The interviews were so different from each other. The important part is to be yourself, be confident, and try not to be intimated by the interviewers or other interviewees. It is also very important to show that you are prepared by doing mock interviews so you have an idea on what you can say to the basic questions. However, expect there to be some curve balls and questions asked that you have not thought about before..just try to answer your best!

Were there any helpful resources (books, websites, apps) you used to get through prerequisite courses, the application or interview process? Definitely the Physician Assistant School Interview Guide by Savanna Perry, PA-C! This book helped me to feel very prepared for my interviews and answered all the questions from appropriate dress code, to answers to ethical questions, to sending thank you letters.

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Accepted: Yolanda - Eastern Virginia Medical School PA Program

Undergraduate education: Bachelor’s in Science in Health Sciences

Overall GPA: 3.58 

Science GPA: 3.85

GRE: N/A

Total HCE hours: 0 hours

Total PCE hours: 8000 hours as a physical therapist assistant

Shadowing hours: 15 hours in orthopedic surgery and 25 in dermatology 😊 

Other volunteer hours: 230 hours (30 volunteering at races and 200 as a clinical instructor)

LORs: 5 (Dermatology PA, My home health clinical instructor, PTA school instructor, academic advisor, and my former rehab manager) 

How many times did you apply?:  1 time !!

Age: 27

Gender: Female

How many programs did you apply to? 1 program 

How many programs did you interview with and what were the outcomes? 1 program/accepted!!

Where will you be attending? Eastern Virginia Medical School

Any red flags on your application? Well, I had some typos—oops, but otherwise no red flags.

Anything you found surprising about interviews? It was actually really laid back like everyone said, so that was good. I was surprised that all the interviewers were nice—there were no tricks! During the group interview, we didn’t all get asked the same questions, so it was kind of an “on the spot” situation.

Were there any helpful resources (books, websites, apps) you used to get through prerequisite courses, the application or interview process? I used Kaplan MCAT books (affiliate link) to get through General and Organic Chemistry. I read the books the semester before basically and by the time the professor taught it, I already understood the concepts. Books: I used “How to Ace the PA interview” by Andrew Rodican and the “Physician Assistant School Interview Guide” by Savanna Perry. This book by Savanna truly gave me the confidence to ace my interview. This book was my Bible!!

Any other advice for other pre-PA students? The journey to getting into PA school should be slow (it took me 4 years). There’s no rush and once you get bad grades it’s going to take more effort to try to raise your GPA. Start working on PCE early on, don’t make it something you just have to check off to get accepted. Practice interviewing with other Pre-PAs via skype—that’s what I did. When interviewing always try your best to be the best you. 

Where can we find you? (website, instagram, etc) Instagram: @yolandathepagem 

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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 

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Accepted: Maddy - Northeastern University Future PA

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!

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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 

Accepted: Bethany - University of Mount Union Future PA

Undergraduate education: BS in Public Health at Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania

Overall GPA: 3.89

Science GPA: 3.46

GRE: Verbal 149, Quantitative 143, Analytical Writing 3.0

Total HCE hours: 2,955 (Medical Scribe, Oncology Volunteer)

Total PCE hours: 0

Shadowing hours: 91 (Emergency Department, Dermatology, Surgical Oncology, ENT)

Other volunteer hours: 342 (volunteering with people with disabilities at a horse barn, pet therapy at a nursing home facility, Exceptional Adventures volunteer)

LORs: Physician I work as a medical scribe for, Volunteer Coordinator for Volunteer Program I participated in for 3 years, Anatomy and Physiology professor.

How many times did you apply? 2

Age: 24

Gender: Female

How many programs did you apply to? 9

How many programs did you interview with and what were the outcomes?

I was invited for 4 interviews but only interviewed at 1. It was my number 1 choice and the first one I received an interview invitation for. I will be attending the University of Mount Union starting in May!!

Any red flags on your application?

No patient care experience, low GRE scores, re-took A&P II because I had received a C.

Anything you found surprising about interviews?

My interview experience was phenomenal. It was very laid back and I felt like I was able to connect with several people. Rather than it feeling like the other interviewees and I were competitors, it felt like we were trying to make friends. In addition, one of my interviews was with the director of the PA program. Most of our conversation was her answering my questions about the program and PA profession. I loved this part because it felt like I was given the chance to interview them a little about their program.

Were there any helpful resources (books, websites, apps) you used to get through prerequisite courses, the application or interview process?

Helpful books: Applicant’s Manual of Physician Assistant Programs (2018)  (affiliate link) and The Ultimate Guide to Getting into Physician Assistant School by Andrew J. Rodican (affiliate link).

For personal statement review and interview prep I used the PA Platform and it was the best decision I ever made. If I could recommend one thing to an applicant that would be it. It was so helpful working through my personal statement with a PA and receiving their feedback. After reading the same thing so many times it can be difficult to see where changes need to be made, but they know exactly what to look for.

For the mock interview, I was able to work with a PA who has been an instagram role model to me, s/o @thepa_life. She completely calmed my nerves and made me feel confident going into my first interview.

Any other advice for other pre-PA students?

If you are a re-applicant this is for you! I felt very discouraged when I knew I did not get into PA school the first time I applied. However, I knew that I had two choices: I could go a different route and pursue a different career, or do absolutely everything I could to make sure I was chosen the next time. I worked very hard through out college to make this dream my reality, but I never worked harder than I did the 6-8 months between applying the first time and applying the second time. If you’re going through the same thing, I encourage you to work hard to gain experience, improve your grades or GRE scores, make connections with people and job shadow, and continue to learn about the PA profession. Not only will this enhance your application, but it will also allow you to grow as a future PA. Believe in yourself. You can do this!

Where can we find you?  Instagram: @bethany_mart1n (Feel free to DM me with any questions!)

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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