There is a lot that goes into applying for PA School and perhaps the most important is realizing that you are not ready to start the application process. I needed to stop and take a good objective look at myself on paper. You may be surprised to find you don’t look as good on paper as you thought. Keep in mind PA Schools are filtering out thousands of applicants, there is simply just not enough time to review every applicant in detail. I like to say that you have to pass the “First Glance” test. The “First Glance” test is a numerical representation of YOU on paper. This number for most schools is your Science GPA. The higher you’re GPA is the more likely it is you will pass the test and beat out the other candidates. Keep in mind this is just the first round of applicant filtering for PA School, but this is the place EVERYONE starts.
Your first job is to find out what classes you need to take or in some cases re take. Look at the courses that the vast majority of PA Schools have in common. It’s all about increasing your chances of getting into PA School and this takes planning! For most of us we will be taking the following courses…
>Anatomy and Physiology 1 and 2 : For some schools this is broken down into 4 separate courses: Anatomy 1&2 and Physiology 1&2
>Biology 1 and 2
>General Chemistry 1 and 2
>Organic Chemistry 1 and in some cases 2
>Biochemistry
>Microbiology
Your goal will be to get a B+ or 3.3 numerical grade or higher at a MINIMUM, the vast majority of your courses should be A’s or 4.0 numerical grades.
Before considering taking any additional courses outside of the core required pre requisites make sure there are no courses that you shouldn’t retake. Anything less than a 3.3/B you should consider retaking. Once your total Science GPA is in the range of a 3.7 you are ready to start the application process. Many applicants will start taking a “Med Masters” or other additional classes before addressing the core prereqs. PA schools aren’t going to ignore subpar core pre req grades even if you did well in your Medical Masters Program. The reason isn’t because schools don’t care about your post graduate success, but the initial filtering process for applicants doesn’t factor in post graduate degrees in the vast majority of cases. Essentially your application will get thrown out about before anyone has a chance to go through it in any detail.
Take the application process on step at a time. Have a realistic outlook for your timeline in the application process. Trust me I know how frustrating it is that you can’t just start applying immediately. Your road to PA School begins with taking a good objective look at yourself as an applicant. Start now and we will help guide you through the rest of the process. In the future I will discuss community college courses vs university programs, direct patient contact hours, volunteer work and much much more!