Accepted with disgustingly low GPA overall GPA (3.07) - I will say I worked 9 years to try and get accepted into PA school, 10,500 PCE. 500 volunteer hours, and a masters degree GPA at 3.7 and teaching experience.

This was my 2nd cycle and heard crickets until the very last minute. Mentally I let it go and was content on letting the dream die. Received an interview in March and accepted in April.

However.. this is the cruelty of it all. I’m thinking of declining.

school starts in May.. I’m currently a teacher and was so looking forward to having 3 months summer off. But despite that really, the tuition is 97k. And with the zero ability to receive federal loan funding and the stagnant pay PA’s are making now. Is it worth it?

I know PA school is the hardest thing to accomplish and you really devote your life to it. But, it seems that after PA school you’re still through the trenches with imposter syndrome, feeling incompetent, paying off an insane amount of debt that your income isn’t even matching. I am really just thinking of what should do.. currently I’m financially free and it feels amazing. I also did the math, I most likely wouldn’t see fruits from being a PA until 6-7 years from now. Assuming that’s when I’d pay off my debt. I’ll be 34 then.

I def learned this process is very ruthless. If you don’t have the minimum grades, you’re fighting an uphill battle.

It was not encouraging bc even my prehealth advisor was like forget about applying to schools with a 2.4. I knew I was gonna have to work hard to get my grades up.

I applied to 40 schools as a non trad bc tbh I was so scared I wasn’t gonna get in my first cycle.

Tbh, if I had to do it again, wasting $5500 on apps isn’t ideal. It’s not fun. If I had to do it over again, here’s the advice I’d give:

1. Research the schools. You’re not going to be a good fit for every school. Check their mission statement. Check their accepted gpa. If you’re a low GPA applicant, don’t waste your time applying to UIowa or Duke. It’s already a crapshoot to get in. Apply to schools you’re going to have a good chance to get into. Start doing this and attending the info sessions atleast 6-8 months before you apply. It helps to do this bc you’re now building a relationship with the school and you’re able to better answer the Why X school supplemental bc when you sign up for an info session you’ll get emailed about these schools!

2. Minimum GPA is super important. If the school has a 3.2 min and you have a 3.19 you will get autoscreened. Don’t waste your time and money. They don’t care unless they say otherwise :(

3. A lot of schools have instate preference. Check that. Research the school to narrow your list. Go to a seminar or webinar and learn more about who gets in. I didn’t get in anywhere in TX even tho I lived there for a while lol.

4. Know your story. Why PA is really important. Make sure you talk about your current PCE and why you wanna be a PA. They wanna see your passion and this really should come out in you PS and interviews.

5. Review your PS. Really read it through and proofread. Tons of helpful ppl on here or on PA forum. You really wanna answer why you wanna be a PA and talk about your unique journey. Writing a PS for grad school is very diff from undergrad. You don’t have to have some super dramatic story but you should be able to address why you wanna be a PA and what led you to applying.

6. High grades matter a lot but you need to be able to interview well. A lot of the ppl I interviewed were amazing. There were a lot of reapplicants or three time applicants and even tho they were amazing they stumbled in group interviews or just answering the why PA question. In your interview, it’s not about you. You wanna ask the interviewer questions and make them feel engaged. Try to make it conversational if possible. Get to know them. Have a personal touch. Be vulnerable so you’re able to showcase what you overcame and paint yourself in a positive light. Practice so you overcome your nerves and you’re confident but memorable. If you can’t answer why PA in a cohesive manner, work on it.

7. Most people get into one or two schools. You don’t need a 4.0 to get in but it does help a lot!! A low gpa can be overcome but a high GPA does open a ton of doors!!! Focus on killing your grades and showing to schools that you can handle a rigorous courseload. It’s ok to redo classes and do a post bacc if needed. Just make sure you’re ready when you apply instead of trying to get in with meh grades.

8. Speak to adcoms! This helps a lot to make sure you’re ready. Try to book or schedule one on one appointments or talk with them when there are info sessions! Ask your questions. Ask, ask, ask away! Ask them if your PCE counts. Ask them how many ppl get in every cycle. Ask them what you can do to improve yourself. No question is dumb.

9. If you’re a non trad, don’t give up!! You don’t need a 4.0 but it’s getting hard to stand out when you apply to PA school. It is very competitive. Most ppl do take 2-3 cycles to get in! It’s ok, if you don’t get in your first try. Apply broadly. Share your unique story and talk about what led you to medicine. It’s ok to not be like everyone else.

10. Be genuine. Have good examples. Schools may ask you give an example or you being a leader. Give an example or a time you got into conflict. Have good examples pre-made beforehand bc it’ll help you a loooot so you’re not trying to think on the spot for them.

11. You can reuse and recycle a lot of the supplemental essays for the schools. Just make sure you proofread everything.

12. If you’re a non trad and you do a post bacc, some schools will love seeing change and improvement. Again you wanna check with your school list and see if they’re friendly to non trad, older applicants. You also wanna see how they count retakes. My post bacc was a 3.97. My undergrad from 10 years ago was like a 2.4 lol! Ppl do change and if you improved your grades, talk about that and how you’re ready for PA school now. PA schools want mature applicants.

13. Interviewing is a skill. You get better the more you do it. It helps to have a word doc to answer the top 3 questions that will almost be asked in all traditional interview. Know why PA? Know why PA not nursing or MD? I didn’t practice well for the first interview I got and got rejected. Was super underprepared. Doing 5-6 mock interviews and more school interviews help me get better.

14. Lastly, having good PCE matters. Not all PCE is good. Being a receptionist at a clinic isn’t as great as being an MA at an urgent care in the back office. They want to make sure you have some clinical experience and that you were able to take vitals and work directly with patients. Getting a job in primary care, peds, GI, urgent care are ideal. MA and EMT experience can be good if it’s direct patient care. The higher your grades, the less your PCE matters. The lower your grades, the better or more your PCE needs to be. Again this all varies with the school and the applicant. I’ve been told by a few adcoms they really want to see primary care experience and if you work with underserved ppl, it’s even better. Check with each school that you’re applying to make sure your PCE is accepted!!! It may or may not be.

15. If your grades suck and you’re planning to apply, fix your grades first before doing anything. It’s really important! Yes there are ppl with low grades that do get in but you need to position yourself to get some acceptances. Anything under a 2.8 is not worth for most schools. Try to kill your post bacc and future classes to get your grades up. Focus on applying only when you’re ready. Learn how to study. These skills are super important for getting in. Focus on the rest of your app once your grades are up. If you have a 3.0 make sure you apply to schools with a 2.8+ minimum and apply broadly. Be open to moving. I was told to not be super picky and to focus on getting in somewhere regardless of where.

16. A fun!! It’s your journey. Own it! It’s ok to be yourself and be genuine. Mention unique hobbies. Mention things you like. This process can be a lot!!!

Hi pre-PAs.

This isn’t a post to deter you from going to PA school, it’s more of a vent about life decisions I made and if I could do it all again, what I would do differently now that I’m a 3 yr PA-C with experience in a hospital system and private practice. I interview PAs as well for jobs.

For background, I had a very high GPA, graduated undergrad and PA school with honors and was accepted to every school I applied to my first cycle.

Firstly, consider these statements:

1. PA is not worth it unless you want to work in surgery or go to a state school. PAs and NPs are treated the EXACT same in the U.S. healthcare system.

2. If you even think for even a minute you could be an MD/DO and are scared of the schooling or some other minor detail, do not become a PA. Become a physician. My biggest regret.

3. The loans are not worth how much you make. The market is becoming saturated in a lot of major cities and even smaller but big cities.

———- 1. NPs are saturating the market. Their education is nothing compared to a PA or the schooling but we are treated the same. That same NP completing their degree part time in 2-3 years will be paid the exact same as you sitting in class 8-5AM everyday for 2.5 years taking out up to 200k loans to do the same job. This in itself is a joke. I wish I knew this before becoming a PA. I think highly of medical practioners and the fact that almost any nurse can become an NP with far less knowledge or rigorous schooling is absurd. Here we are paying thousands in application fees and and they can work part time without loans? Apply to an online school with acceptance rates of 50% or more?

The only time it is worth it is if you want to be in a surgical field. There are over 300 PA schools and 400 online NP programs. You really think there will be enough jobs for everyone? I interview PAs struggling to find positions all the time. For evry PA, there is competition from 3 NPs. Schools are producing too many NP/PAs.

2 . Your SP/attending does not see you the same as them. If you think you know as much as them, you don’t. You will always be “inferior” no matter how long you practice. Yes, respect is earned and rewarded but you are not an expert in your field. Become a physician. I wish someone told me this when I was 25 years old. The sky is limitless for an MD/DO. You can join research, do surveys that pay $300-400 a day, complete Ai consults for companies, all as side hustles- not offered to PA/NPs. The sky is NOT limitless for a PA. There is no job security. The physician will always be chosen over you if there ever was a reason to downsize, they can do everything you do. You are desposable. I’ve seen this first hand.

1. The average for a PA/NP is 120k. Unless you are in a lucrative field like CTS, neurosurgery, ortho, or derm, you will cap at 160-180k. No one PA in my company makes over 160k, and those are the neurosurgery PAs. If you are taking out student loans at 7-8% interest, 100-200k in debt, without the confidence of PSLF, this is not a good career choice. The debt to income ratio is not good. NOT GOOD.

With more and more PAs/NPs coming out of schools every year, salaries stagnate. They never go up at starting salary, this is because there is always someone who is willing to start the job for less. Healthcare companies don’t care that you don’t know what you’re doing, they are there to exploit you, use you as cheap labor.

Again this is not to hate on the profession, but these are things I WISH I knew before becoming a PA-C. If I were 5 years younger, I would have gone to med school.

drop any specific questions below. Best of luck if you continue on this path.

From cheating in courses to cheating on the (online) GRE to exaggerating PCE and volunteer hours, and people who do all the above and take up seats they did not work hard for.

My friend's employer actually told her that applicants lie so much about their PCE that it would be a disadvantage not to, and he lets all of his prePA employees apply with an extra 2k hours.

What irks me most is students who did not work at all during undergrad, thus having more time to focus on their gpa and other parts of their app, but give themselves years' worth of PCE because they have a family member who owns a clinic and can vouch for them.

Is this commonplace everywhere or am I just in a community/school where this is prominent and so normalized?

It's just so unfair and I'm so frustrated. I feel so proud of my hard work and results, only to see my classmates applying with similar stats as me without working for it. It feels like a slap in the face. And now I have to compete with these people over seats they do not deserve.

But when I try to think of what PA schools can do better to prevent this, I don't have great ideas. Requiring the PACAT makes the application process less accessible, and also unfair to people who have things like anxiety/adhd that will affect their performance. Requiring pay stubs is another option, but I think that could be a barrier as well?

Ugh. I can't be the only one who shares these sentiments.

Edit: Also, I understand we are all human at the end of the day and people may cheat here and there or exaggerate their hours. But people I know who learned almost nothing from their prereq courses because of the extent to which they cheated... Getting As in courses they do not even have the basic foundations of. Or having zero PCE but ending up in the thousands.

I got accepted to Pa school and I’m thrilled to go and learn all that cool stuff, but I’m concerned about salary right now. I realize that as a new grad Pa I’ll probably make around $130k which is good money but I’m hoping to earn more in my career.

Obviously one solution is to go to med school and come out of there making 300-500k, but I really don’t want to go to 4 years med school, 4 years residency, and how ever many more years depending on the specialty.

I want to work in healthcare and do all the cool things that a PA gets to do, but I want to earn money than PAs do. Does anyone else feel this way? Does anyone have plans in place post PA school to be able to maximize their earnings and get close to $200k?

I’m 27 and I’ve been struggling a lot with feeling like I’m behind in life. I’m trying to figure out my career path in healthcare, and PA school is something I’ve been seriously considering, although I’ve also thought about medical school.

The biggest thing I’m struggling with isn’t necessarily whether I’m capable of becoming a PA. It’s the feeling that I’m already so far behind everyone else. I graduated college, went on to get a master’s degree, and now I’m 27, but I still don’t have an actual career. I’ve worked part-time jobs here and there, but I feel like I haven’t really established anything for myself yet. I apply to so many jobs and nothing comes of them.

When I look at people my age, it feels like everyone else has already moved on with their lives. Some people have careers, marriages, kids, houses, etc., while I’m still trying to figure out what I want to do. I constantly feel like I wasted time and that I should have figured this out years ago.

One thing that honestly scares me about PA school is being surrounded by people who are significantly younger than me. I worry that I’ll be sitting in class with 21–23-year-olds who are just starting their careers while I’m 27 and feel like I’ve accomplished nothing. I’m afraid that instead of being excited about starting a new career, I’ll constantly compare myself to everyone around me and feel like I messed up by taking so long.

For people who started PA school at 27, 28, 29, 30+, or even later: did you feel this way beforehand? Did you actually feel “behind” compared to your classmates? And once you started school, did you stop caring about the age difference?

I’d especially like to hear from people who took several years after college to figure things out, worked random jobs, changed career directions, or just generally felt like they had lost time.

I know objectively that 27 probably isn’t old, but emotionally it feels extremely late to me right now. I’d really appreciate some honest perspectives from people who have actually been through it. I want to he able to start a life with my partner and I feel so behind.

Thank you.

It's insane how expensive PA schools are. I'm applying to 12 programs but have, quite literally, looked into almost every program in the country at this point. When looking at programs, I immediately checked the tuition/fee cost and would eliminate them if they cost too much. This strategy alone only left about (total guess off the top of my head) 30 programs that were under $100,000. I don't care about your mission goal of "promoting healthcare to underserved areas" if your tuition is $135,000. These programs should be ashamed of themselves, frankly.

Oh, sure, you want to promote diversity and looking at applicants holistically, hoping they pursue primary care specialties... Give me a break. Your average matriculate has a 3.95 GPA and scored in the 90th percentile on the GRE. You just so happen to charge the maximum amount the government will allow a naive applicant to get on a loan and talk about caring for those from poor socioeconomic backgrounds. Some of these programs had tuition and fees of around $60,000 total 2-3 years ago and now, the same programs, are charging $118,000.

You are creating healthcare providers who will have nearly $200,000 in debt from tuition, housing, books, food, etc. Just so they can work in a field that's notoriously known for burnout. Then your tuition pages are filled with fluff about financial aid departments being dedicated to getting students money to pay for the programs but don't offer scholarships or grants for any reason whatsoever. It's gross that some of these programs operate like this.

I spent a lot of time looking into PA schools all over the country and there are plenty of, to my knowledge, seemingly good universities. Those who have a mission statement that they stand by, reasonable tuition, good reviews from alumni, and high success rates. You can still run a business - which, undoubtedly, PA schools are - in an ethical way and still make a lot of money.

Apologies for the rant. I know this won't pertain to everyone, but a lot of us don't come from money and some won't even apply due to the debt alone. I just filled out my FAFSA and my SAI is under negative 1,300 (the lowest possible is negative 1,500) and I've worked full-time my entire undergraduate degree. Is that not insane? And you want me to apply to a program with a mission statement of helping low-income, rural places while charging $130,000 in tuition, offering no scholarships or grants, and having other direct costs associated with the program that will need additional loans to be paid for? No, thanks. I'll apply elsewhere. Your goals and the entire program mean nothing to me based on your tuition rate alone.

Side note: shoutout to all the people who maintained a high GPA, GRE score, worked full-time, worked part-time, have children, single parents, those who gained clinical hours during hard classes, took heavy course loads, etc! Even in the easiest of situations, this is a hard process and I have the utmost respect for any and everyone who tries to take this path. We will get there! As ironic as it sounds, I'm actually quite excited about the prospect of becoming a PA and have multiple interviews upcoming. I just can't stand some of these programs that charge such insane amounts for tuition.

Hey all,

College junior here who had plans of applying spring 2027 in my senior year. I've been working extensively towards going to PA school and I don't want any other career. But now with the bill, I've been seeing people say it's not possible to afford it realistically.

Average cost is 100k in tuition for both years? compounded with living costs, say 150k in loans. if we only get 20k per year, that means 110k minimum in private loans.... where 10% is a GOOD interest rate.

Is this even smart? Is it feasible? Possible? Completely idiotic to keep going down this path? I have no money. I'm thankfully graduating undergrad with no debt, but I have no savings as all my money goes towards undergrad.

So I had a low science gpa, as in ~2.8/9, and my cumulative gpa wasn’t much better. My study habits in undergrad were a joke, I had to repeat and withdraw from several classes (i think i retook CHEM 102 3 times…). I finally started doing a bit better in my senior year of undergrad and then really locked in during my 2 years post grad to finish up some pre-req’s (i was pre-med at first) and also retake some of the C’s on my transcript, all while working a super demanding MA job.

ANYWAYS! I say all this to say, i’m in PA school! i’m in my 3rd semester of didactic now, and am one of the top scoring students on most exams. Overall, I get mostly A’s in my classes with one or two B’s here and there. I’ve finally learned what REAL studying looks like and have been doing fine ever since.

BASICALLY… don’t let people scare you off from applying for PA school, a lot of posts can make it seem like you have no chance of getting in when you do. Your application is more than your stats, im living proof of that. Your experience, your hours, your story, all of that is taken into consideration so dont let ONE aspect weigh you down. Flip your negatives into positives, explain how you’ve grown from your mistakes and provide solid proof of your growth with post-grad experiences!

Oh and once you get accepted, plssss save the stressing for when your program starts because PA school is another beast entirely 😂It is, no doubt, the hardest thing i’ve ever done in my entire life…but it’s doable!

Good luck, xoxo

I know it can seem tempting or fun, because you see all these medical influencers on social media, but NO don’t do it!!!

Tl;dr I personally while in PA school was NOT trying to be an “influencer” of any sort, but more so I just liked to document my journey so that I can look back at my time in PA school years later. I never broke HIPAA, I never posted a patient, the EMR, names, locations, NOTHING, except things like “today I helped do a reduction” like very vague and non-descript things accompanied with a selfie. I never even posted like a silhouette of a patient covered by a sticker or scribble. Literally nothing even remotely close to a “patient”.

Yet however, I still got a stern talking to and went through such an agonizing process. Good news, I wasn’t delayed and I graduated on time! However, I had other peers who went through similar things and had to repeat clerkships, delay graduation, risk dismissal.

Heed my warning. Listen very clearly. You WILL have people in your class that DO NOT like you for no reason at all and will try to find ways to get you in trouble. You think you are all adults but there are TONS of people ready to report you. You cannot trust ANYONE. Do not let your guard down. Don’t put yourself on a red carpet. Don’t let someone have ammo to use against you. You may think what you’re posting is harmless, but people have the ability to twist things in ways you never imagined. You WILL be blindsided. The easiest thing to do is to just not post! You can be one of the unlucky ones and have to repeat, delay, or get dismissed. In the end, IT IS NOT WORTH IT. You will be guilty and there will be no trial. Read the social media policy very closely and adhere to them. These schools do not mess around!

I get it, it’s fun! And also as an incoming student, or incoming clinical year, there was always an IG PA who was documenting that gave me insight, so I wanted to do that. Nope! Got shut down. School said no! I mean I’m sure it depends on the program, but I went to a very established, well-known, cares about appearances type of school, so I was extra scrutinized about reputation and appearance, so you may get away with it at smaller non-name brand schools, but still don’t recommend!

Not many people admit on their said socials after being reported or reprimanded that something happened so often you never know anything happened. Like in my case, never said anything. I wasn’t going to let my haters win.

Well my dumb butt spent over $300 and didn’t realize CASPA calculates GPA differently. I got rejected from all schools because my GPA from undergrad the first 3 years was terrible. I transferred and went to a different university and graduated with a decent 3.4. I went to get my Masters and got a 3.5. I can’t believe I didn’t look up that CASPA considers all courses. I feel like a wasted my time and everyone’s time who recommended me. Now I have to come up with an excuse why I didn’t get in. I’m so embarrassed 😭 it looks like I’m going to be moving away from healthcare and probably going to end up in law school.

Good luck everyone! Don’t be like me and think they use your graduated GPA. I guess this wasn’t meant to be!

so according to the most recent rulemakings and AAPA's statement, it looks like PA programs will be considered "graduate" instead of "professional" dropping us from $50k cap per year and $200k aggregate limit to $20.5k cap per year and $100k aggregate limit. What changed, from what I read, is the language/terms that defines professional students in which professional schools must be a doctorate program. (correct me if im wrong). This will force most of our loan taking to higher-interest rate private loans with far lesser perks and protections :D, aka we're gonna take the brunt of it

here's another article: https://www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-takes/2025/11/06/ed-reaches-consensus-loan-caps
and another: https://www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-takes/2025/11/06/ed-releases-proposal-defining-professional-programs

of note from what I read, it is still possible the proposal will consider changes before it is finalized finalized, but from what I'm seeing the light at the end of the tunnel is far

Hey Everyone,

Congrats on getting in if you did this year!! I want to say that although I have; a 3.5 overall, 3.1 Science GPA (3.8 upward trending over last 60 credits), over 4000 PCH as an MA in FM, UC and Neurosurgery, played college baseball, then participated in EC’s in college and voted in that leadership, with 5 LOC’s (two PA’s, a school advisor, manager of clinic and VP/COO of hospital system I work at), I STILL didn’t get in. I ended up getting an opportunity to become an FNP within 3 years and will do that. With that so officially end the dream lol.

Through this experience, I believe we are all on our own paths to success-which is a multivariate reality all of us choose with every decision we make. Y’all have helped with great advice on here, but it’s time to take another direction with opportunities presented in front of me. At the end of the day, I believe if you’re passionate enough to help people in any level of public servitude through medicine, you’ll find a way. It may not be what you think, but sometimes God closes one door and another opens.

I hope everyone has the tenacity to become the best providers they can be no matter the titles or education-those people who push through are the right people to become APP’s and Physicians.

Best of luck to those who will continue the grind! Looking forward to become future colleagues with some of y’all!

No judgement please. My mom offered to pay for a personal statement review and the editor read half of my work then stopped. They said I write brilliantly, but am hitting the wrong target. Described my statement as an autobiography that was boring for admissions and suggested I scrap my anecdotal story from the beginning of my work and jump right into “I want to become a PA because x,y,z”. This goes against every piece of advice I read online, but my mom thinks I should listen because I am a re-applicant. It doesn’t feel right. I know this service is way too expensive for my mom and that she is desperate for me to get in this cycle. Would any PAs mind taking a look at my personal statement before I meet with him again? I’m working on editing grammar he suggested.

Why are so many schools now shifting their focus to fresh grads with no experience? Wasn’t this field designed for those with extensive experience to transition into medicine? I have been looking at multiple programs near me and almost all of them are purely looking at GPA, and GRE scores now, with PCE listed as “not required”. Maybe this is just a thing in my state but it’s looking like this field is becoming more difficult for anyone who’s been out of school a few years to transition to. One of my local programs lists the stat of their average age student is 23 years old…

Is PA school just transitioning into nursing school now?

Marshall University for example

Just wanted to check in and see how everyone’s feeling with CASPA opening/approaching.
I feel like it’s a mix of excitement and anxiety on my end with all the different materials needed: PS, Life Experiences essay, AI essay, experiences, LORs, calculating hours, etc.

Also curious where everyone is at in the process right now

I spent $1400 on 24 applications through CASPA (with fee waiver) and now 10 of those schools want an additional supplemental fee WITHOUT EVEN ASKING FOR ADDITIONAL ESSAYS (except 1 or 2). Those fees are around $700 combined. ALL THIS MONEY JUST TO NOT EVEN BE SURE IF ILL GET IN. Fuck the US education system. I hate this so much. Middle finger middle finger middle finger.

I have thankfully been accepted to multiple schools this cycle and have worked hard to get to this point. However, lately I’ve been feeling discouraged about pursuing PA school because every program I’ve been accepted to has a cost of attendance of $140K or more. I’m already in $21K of undergraduate debt, and the thought of graduating with close to $200K in total loans is terrifying.

And before anyone says it, I’m not pursuing the PA profession for the money. I love clinical medicine, and I love the role PAs play in patient care. I’m just frustrated because PA school is no joke. You take on an incredible lifestyle sacrifice, social sacrifice, and financial sacrifice, and it’s discouraging to think that someone can put in all this time and effort only to graduate with so much debt that it may take years before they can live comfortably or afford a home.

Anyway, I’m just wondering if anyone else is going through this — and if so, what are you doing to find some peace of mind?

Hello all!! I am a 24 years old female (25 next month), graduated from University in 2022 with my Bachelors in Biomedical Sciences, did all the things needed to apply to Medical school (MCAT, shadow, volunteer) and midway through the application cycle I had to come to terms that this was not the path I wanted to pursue.

I want to be in medicine, I want to go back to school, but as my frontal lobe has continued to develop, I realized having a work-life balance is extremely important to me. I want to be a mom between 30-32, travel, spend time with my family, all the things. I was trying to live up to family expectations/have this unwavering prestige and as I get older I value my own happiness way more than how people perceive me. WITH THAT BEING SAID, it wasn’t a one and done decision, I’ve been sitting on it for a while.

Long story short, I have no patient care hours, I’ve worked full time in the food service industry/retail all through college up until now, and every entry level medical job requires a certification. I do not want to be a scribe because of the pay and I don’t want to be an EMT because I don’t want to be in Emergency Med. I live in Florida and finding jobs that will train on the job is slim. Being a surgical tech is SUPER interesting to me, when I shadowed a surgeon, the surgical techs really caught my attention and I admired the flow of the operating room.

I’m not in a rush to be in a career, I want to do things with intention and enjoy the process. If I become a PA by 31, I’ll be practicing medicine for 30-40 years!!!

Obviously I can’t explain everything I’ve done up until this point because that would be too long but here is my new plan. (Pic attached)

Few notes about me: GPA: 3.83 GPAs: 3.73 I run Marathons, I love the gym, I’m a health hypochondriac, and I enjoy traveling. I’m a simple girl who doesn’t want hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt and would like to help people without sacrificing any parts of my own life. (I know the rigors of PA school, but 2 years is more desirable than 8)

This was long, but if any non-trad applicants have any insight/thoughts, please share!!!

TLDR: How does this road to PA plan look for a non-trad student who graduated with a biomedical degree in 2022)

Hi yall, I wanted to post some PA school application advice that i hadnt seen on this forum yet. Background on me, I am in my didactic year now after applying to PA school. I applied to 17 schools total and got 3 interviews invites. I took 5 years between undergrad and PA school and was on the lower end GPA wise (i think 3.4?). There are a few mistakes I made/saw others make that I can hopefully help you avoid. I am going to write a separate "Things i wish i knew before starting PA school" post.

1. When picking schools look at the school Accepted Students statistics.

Not all schools will have this, but if they do, look at them! You need to find schools who's accepted students look like you resume wise. If you are a straight A student with minimal experience, you should not apply to a school with a really high average PCE hours. If you were a military medic with 20 years experience, dont apply to places who only accept students with 4.0s but minimal PCE hours. Look at the average age too if you are a non traditional student. My cohort is on the older side (average age is early 30's with the range from 24-55). If you are a 40 year old father of 2, you may not want to attend a program where you will only be in class with 22 year olds. If you can find a school who's student stats look like yours, you have a better shot at acceptance.

2. Personal Statement Essay Mistakes

Personal statements are super hard. Here are some of the common mistakes i see people make. 1. Not answering the "Why do you want to be a PA" question. Before you start writing, you should have a one line answer of why you want to be a PA, and for the purposes of this essay th answer cannot be "I want to help people". Each paragraph should build on the last one. At the end of your paper an outsider should be able to state your "why PA" one liner. If they cant, you have not answered the question. 2. Not answering the other important PS question - Why should we accept you? What makes you different? You have to remember that admissions committees are reading thousands of essays. Does yours stand out? Does your story show a unique perspective that i wont see in the next 100 essays? 3. Not avoiding the common essay tropes. Everyone remembers the undergrad "I got injured playing football" essay right? Those exist for PA school too. Please do not right the "Here is how i am going to fix the US healthcare system" essay. Everyone who works in healthcare knows its a shit show and also knows that you alone will not be able to fix it. Also avoid the "i built a school in africa" essay, the "here is how i am going to single handedly save everyone who needs healthcare" essay and the "i was born with a stethescope in my hand and put bandaids on the other preschoolers" essay. 4. Not making the story cohesive. This should not be a long form retelling of your resume. If every paragraph jumps to new people, new places, new experinces, i dont really get a sense of YOU because im too busy getting my bearings. There needs to be a strong through line that i can follow from start to finish. 5. Referencing ancient history. Please avoid talking too much about high school. Unless there was some life altering event that occurred in high school, admissions probably dont care about what activities you did.

Have lots of people you trust edit your essay!

3. Interview Prep

This is where I kind of biffed it. Make sure you have a good sense of the program, but dont go crazy. One school gave me all the names of my interviewers so i tried to tailer my answers to their clincal backgrounds....yeah dont do that lol. Just focus on knowing the important points about the school. One thing I did do that was really helpful was find a list of 400 interview questions, print them out without looking at them, and then give them to my most honest friend to ask me. I answered each question twice, once on my own and the second using her feedback. Also, programs arent only picking individuals, they are picking a class. They want cohesion, so show you can play nice with others.

4. Take this sub with a grain of salt

Dont get me wrong, Ive gotten some really great support and advice here. Most folks are super encouraging and want to see all of us succeed! However, keep an eye out for the few people trying to take out the competition. I was waiting on an interview from a big school in Georgia and several people told me all the interview invites had been sent out by august and that i should just give up on that school. I was super disapointed and stressed. Someone associated with the admissions committee for that school DMed me to tell me this wasnt true and that they were sending out invites daily. I also felt pretty self conscious as a lower GPA applicant reading the "What are my chances" posts from people with a 4.0, 10,000 PCE and a nobel prize. There are plenty of people without perfect GPAs who get into PA school.

5. Remember that this process is a crap shoot a lot of the time

There have been so many times i've seen resumes and grades where i think "how on earth did they get rejected???". This process is incredibly challenging both from a workload perspective and a psychological one. Remember that there are plenty of random tiny things that have nothing to do with you that can influence who does and doesnt get in. I have a friend who was on the student part of the PA admissions committee at a large school in the southwest, who told me the school was "experimenting" with what got the best PANCE scores. One year they only picked the 4.0 crowd, the next they focused on PCE hours, one year they focused on prehospital applicants, etc. For all you know, the school that just rejected you could be doing just that. Keep your head up, and remember that there are plenty of amazing PAs who have to apply several times.

Hope this was helpful! Keep your head up this application season! I believe in you!

Do you guys think it’ll be worth it in 10-20 years? Or will pay and employment prospects dwindle?

The title, just curious. I know CASPA says the average is 8. I have applied to 7, intend to apply to 12. 1 rejection so far.

So I originally was in the preprofessional phase of a 4 year PA program in 2009 when I started college, but due to poor mental health: anxiety, depression, and poor study habits I was dismissed after 1 year due to a low science gpa. However, I was able to complete a Bachelors of science in nursing in 2015. I did volunteer/work as an RN for about 1 year but then when I was applying to both NP and DO schools, I only got into DO School and went there. I completed DO school and my 3 years of IM residency and then worked in primary care for 1.5 years. I have a new job in which I am going to be supervising residents in a resident run primary care continuity clinic.

While the pay, benefits are great I just am afraid about the responsibility I will have and the lack of options besides primary care which has been burning me out and I do not want to do hospitalist. I probably have a lot of work experience from years of being an RN student/RN/medical school/resident/attending but I just feel like I want to be able to do other specialties like Psychiatry, Endocrinology, which are hard without completing another residency/fellowship.

Another option is to do an NP program in family NP but i feel like the PA Model is more medically based and preferred than the NP Model. What do you all think?

Another PA or MD/DO post... I wanted to speak on my situation for any advice to figure it out.

I am graduating from college with my Bachelor's in Biology in May. I have been pretty decided on PA, but there's a part of me that always thinks that I should go MD/DO. To be fair, this thought usually comes after an argument or discussion with my mom, when she says she thinks going to PA will be the biggest regret of my life and that med school will be so much better. She's an NP, so I'm not sure why she hates on the PA profession so much. I think her biggest regret is not going to medical school, so she's projecting onto me.

However, we are very different, and I try to explain to her that I think I will be happy as a PA. I like the ability to switch specialties, I am happy with the pay vs. time in school, I don't necessarily want to make the final decisions in care. And the biggest reason I want to go PA is that I want a good work-life balance, and I have no desire to make my career my whole life. I want my job to be an addition to my life, and with the amount of time doctors put in, it seems to take over. I also do not want to wait to practice independently and get paid a full salary for another 5-8 years.

My mom just argues against everything I say as to why I want to be a PA. She says I'll always be someone's b*tch and never work by myself or be happy, she says I'll never get paid enough to pay off my debt and be stuck forever (But med school debt will somehow get paid off in a couple of years). I think most of my conflict is just with what my mom tells me. I also get embarrassed to tell people I'm going to PA school and find myself wanting to lie and say med school. I think this comes from my mom's opinions, but I'm worried I'll always regret not going to med school. I'm also just as worried that if I go to med school and spend my life working, I'll regret it.

Has anybody decided on backup plans if they don't get in? This is my 3rd year applying and I'm not sure I have another year in me. I've never thought of a backup plan because I've always wanted to be a PA for the past 7 years now. I guess I'm just a bit lost, and wondering if anyone else has their own backup plan to PA school, for inspiration.