r/prephysicianassistant

Hi! I’m a 23F trying to figure out my career and would really appreciate some honest advice!

I’ve now been working as an ophthalmic technician for about a year. I’ve been considering going back to school for PA, but I’m not sure if it’s the right fit.

Here are some traits I learned about myself after starting my tech job:

- I enjoy interacting with patients and helping them
- I like problem solving and learning about the diseases
- I like explaining stuff to patients
- I take rude/unhappy patients or too personally sometimes
- I get frustrated when patients don’t follow their treatment plans
- Crappy doctors (crappy toward staff) really bothers me
- Patients with bad hygiene freak me out internally (I’d be screaming in my head and wash my hands 5x after they leave)

Would I be a good fit based on these traits?

Are those issues something that most people in healthcare learn to manage over time, or do you think I’d be happier in another field?

I like the medical field because of the fulfillment, and also bc it’s a rather stable career with good salary. My biggest concern with the PA route is the salary cap and limited upward mobility. In addition, it’s difficult to transition into healthcare administration, biotech, or other non-clinical roles if I eventually want a career change.

Based on what I’ve shared, would you recommend PA as a career for me?

I always tell people that their time will come and not to obsess over forums and other people’s success but i’ve really been struggling to take my own advice lately. this is my second cycle, i applied mid-may and still haven’t heard back from the schools i applied to which are all rolling admissions. i feel confident in my stats but i can’t help but compare myself to others and it genuinely makes me feel horrible. my anxiety is so much worse this cycle and i can’t help but feel so defeated when other MAs at my job have already gotten multiple interviews and some have even gotten accepted. i know it’s still early in the cycle but im 25, working at the same job for 3 years and just getting so sick of waiting. my gpa is above average, i had my PS reviewed by several people, 5 strong LOR, and 5k PCE, etc. what more do these schools want? :(

I really wish PA schools were what they used to be. Sorry undergraduate students, but you haven’t put in the time to be getting into PA school yet. I’m not sure why PA schools have decided to follow the medical school route with just accepting high GPA with low PCE. People who have put in years into medicine with average-low GPA’s deserve it more than low PCE high GPA applicants. PCE should be the main indicator of who is ready for the next step, as they are familiar with the stress and oddities that medicine can bring. If you have a high GPA, great, you’re smart. However, if you have less than 1000 PCE hours, then you have no idea what a career in medicine looks like. I just wish that PA schools would go back to how they originally valued these things.

Hey everyone, need some reassurance/advice.

I’m planning to submit my CASPA application mid-July and I'm stressing that it's too late, especially since it feels like people are already getting interviews.

Also, a PA agreed to write me a letter but won't have it done until the end of July. I already have 3 letters in (1 MD, 2 professors), so I'm good to hit submit. If I submit mid-July, will schools still get his PA letter when he uploads it later? Or does everything lock?

Thanks in advance!

To be clear, the school itself was hit was probation, not their PA program.

Should I be worried at all?

Hi everyone, I just wanted to vent about my circumstances and anecdotal experience thus far. I still like the idea of being a PA and I do not want to be so doom and gloom about it or dissuade others, but everything about this process has been miserable (from my experience just to reiterate). I've had a professor trying to dissuade me on multiple occasions from going to PA school when I was back in college. I've shadowed one PA in particular to which he said if could choose his career again, he would not have gone PA route (which of course has no real bearing on me but rather signifies his discontent for the profession, to which I'm sure there will always be someone like that in any profession). I had to write letter of recommendations for TWO PA, to which neither of them have read, and one of them was doing my evaluation for CASPA "as a favor" even though that same PA promised me to help me with this process and to do mock interviews (never did either because she was always too busy). Overall just have no PA to look up to.

The real turning point for me was when I decided to shadow other healthcare professions after not being accepted for a couple years to possibly pursue other options. I decided to shadow rad tech because I do enjoy the diagnostic imaging side of things and I felt it was a night and day difference by comparison with PAs. When I was shadowing rad tech, they actually tried to talk to me, made me feel welcomed, ask where I'm applying, etc, and they all seem like friends rather than coworkers. In contrast to my time shadowing PAs where I felt more out of place, not able to really connect with the people, not really talking to each other (to which I understand since they are working after all), and overall feel more isolating. Maybe its a stupid decision to place such an emphasis on this social experience alone, especially since I'm sure this is so hospital dependent, but I actually felt that I would enjoy the culture and being a rad tech more so than being a PA. So now I feel like I've wasted a couple of years (I'm 25 now) of little/no progress to only start at square one again. As of now, I'm going to try and continue to shadow other healthcare professions like nuc med, rad tech, respiratory therapy, etc, so I'd be interested in hearing anything if you guys have any experience with that.

Though, one thing I keep asking myself is if it's wrong to place such an emphasis on the social and work culture of a rad tech that I've experience shadowing (which again I'm sure its hospital dependent) so much that I'd rather pursue that instead so I'd appreciate what you guys have to think about that

Otherwise, that about sums it up. I'd be interesting in hearing similar stories, something comforting, and/or if I'm being too dramatic. Appreciate it if you read all of it.

Hi! I’m a first time applicant and have been invited to an interview, yay! Still waiting to hear from other schools but I want to prepare for this interview as best as I can, so if there are any accepted applicants/current PA students or PAs that are willing to do a very quick mock interview with me (as in just one or two MMI questions), I’d be super appreciative and grateful!!

Best of luck to everyone applying this cycle 🫶🏻

I am in a transitory stage of life where I am debating among 3 career interests, with 1 being the PA route after a post bacc and another being career positions within the field I have been working

I also am debating between doing the post bacc for remaining pre requisites asap now, before some of my courses reach that expiry mark, or taking my time with exploring and doing a post bacc, including retaking courses, when I am sure of the path and also ready to take on the courseload (including prioritizing studying over working , such that I can afford to not be full time if I transfer from another career where I have saved enough).

I am wondering if there are post bacc people at all who have retaken courses-maybe some validation I am not wasting time

Okay so I sent all my preliminary applications in mid-May, and they were all verified by CASPA soon after. The last school I was applying to opened on July 1st, so I figured I would add a new experience with some updates from the past few weeks. I didn't realize it would be saved and locked. So I went to edit it today and realized it was locked while I was still editing it - I literally saved it while I was mid-sentence. Is there any way to fix this??? I haven't submitted to this program yet. Will my other programs see this in my application, or will they only receive my original verified one?

I'm freaking out and so upset that this dumb mistake might affect my application. I can't even call CASPA because it's a holiday weekend. Please help!!!

1st time applicant just got my first acceptance. Applied to a bunch of schools, only got one interview so far but that turned into an acceptance today.

Stats:
Gpa: 3.7
sGpa: 3.75
PCE: 1800 as an MA in primary care
Volunteer: 250
Shadow: 40
Leadership: 0

Hi future and current PAs. Im getting ready to submit but coming to this realization that perhaps the admissions will be overwhelmed or question my ability to committ. This concern is stemming from my experience list having 15 different experiences, all which are genuine and have helped me better understand myself.

For background I am a nontrad applicant, with that said my work history is a little bit more vast. Here's what my experience lis is looking like

PCE: 4463 across 4 different companies

HCE: 1022 across 2 different companies

Volunteer: 300 across 5 different orgs

Extra curr: 300 across 2

Leadership: 300 across 3

Non Healthcare employment: 5000 across 2 companies

Basically I'm thinking do I include all of this or will adm think im spread across so much and see all these activities as things I was just trying to check off? Because it wasn't,my journey just hasn't been linear and I've always wanted to help my community even before knowing I was going to pursue this career

Just want your perspectives

I just got the interview link it’s virtual. I lowkey don’t have a laptop and i planned to buy a macbook air to serve me throughout PA school and for the interview. But my mom bought me a chromebook, im wondering if i should use that for the interview or just buy the macbook air before the interview date. It’s better anyway to last for a long time right ? My interviewer is a male doctor, I don’t know what to expect it’s a traditional and I’m practicing. wish me luck 🫢

Disclaimers: I was a non-traditional applicant with about 7k PCE hours, military service, and bilingual. I also had a gap between undegrad degrees, one with an abysmal GPA, but I later finished a bachelor's with a 3.8 cGPA for the last 60-70 credits. My prerequisites GPA was around 3.4 and my sGPA ended up at 3.5.

Here are the top 3 things that I believe got me into PA school from a strategy standpoint:

1. Don't apply to programs in desirable locations, find desirable programs in locations you could at least tolerate living for 2-3 years.
   • Most applicants have a "number one choice" program they would prefer to attend and maximize efforts to get into that school. Programs don't care that they are your number one option.
   • As much as your circumstances allow, be willing to relocate for school.
2. So, what is a desirable program?
   • Location does matter, you don't want to move somewhere that will only make you depressed to be there. But, instead of finding schools in places you would want to live, find schools that you are a good candidate for and then consider if you could put up with living there. If it's a desirable location, then it's a win-win.
   • A desirable program is a program with preferred but not required items that you already have or can easily achieve. This will make your application stand out. Whether that is the GRE/PA-CAT, a certain PCE threshold, military service, certain science courses, undergradaute degree from the university/college, etc. Look beyond the requirements, and then rank your schools from there.
3. Apply to as many schools as possible
   • This is like drinking water, you can always drink more. You can always apply to more schools. Find programs that you are a good fit for + are in locations you could live in for school, and apply, apply, apply (as much as your finances permit).
   • Applying is expensive, but so is reapplying. Many applicants go for 6-8 schools their first cycle only to find themselves applying to way more schools as re-applicants.

Hello everyone! A new month, a new WAMC megathread!

Individual posts will be automatically removed. Before commenting on this thread, please take a chance to read the WAMC Guide. Also, keep in mind that no one truly knows your chances, especially without knowing the schools you're applying to. Therefore, please include as much of the following background information when asking for an evaluation:

CASPA cumulative GPA (how to calculate):

CASPA science GPA (what counts as science):

Total credit hours (specify semester/quarter/trimester):

Total science hours (specify semester/quarter/trimester):

Upward trend (if applicable, include GPA of most recent 1-2 years of credits):

GRE score (include breakdown w/ percentiles):

Total PCE hours (include breakdown):

Total HCE hours (include breakdown):

Total volunteer hours (include breakdown):

Shadowing hours:

Research hours:

Other notable extracurriculars and/or leadership:

Specific programs (specify rolling or not):

As a blanket statement, if your GPA is 3.9 or higher and you have at least 2,000 hours of PCE, the best estimate is that your chances are great unless you completely bombed the GRE and/or your PS is unintelligible.

Hello! I am applying this cycle (first time) and I still haven’t submitted applications, mainly due to waiting to start shadowing with providers. I feel discouraged everyday about the fact that I may be running out of time. I’m getting especially nervous seeing people already getting accepted. If anyone has any advice or also hasn’t applied yet let me know! I wish good luck to all of you!

About me:
I am an FSU undergraduate students who just finished sophomore year (graduating spring 2027)
Science gpa: 3.57
Cumulative gpa: 3.77
Shadowing hours so far: 16 and counting
GRE: taking tomorrow
Volunteered at local hospital 3 semester in a row: 156 hours
Working as a MRI medical assistant since November 2025
First generation college student
Will have around 1,500 work hours by the time I graduate FSU.

Hi guys, I’m in a huge dilemma and could really use some advice. i was unexpectedly accepted into a PA program in Florida for Fall 2026. The confusing part is that I interviewed with this same program last year for the Fall 2026 cohort and was rejected. I was never placed on the waitlist. Today, I received an email saying that although they rejected me last year, they are now offering me a seat in the program.
Now I have less than three months to pack up my life and move. The tuition is around $130,000, and I’m honestly seeing more cons than pros right now. It’s a brand-new program that was only recently accredited, and because this acceptance came out of nowhere, I didn’t have time to apply for the HRSA scholarship or other funding opportunities.
I only have until July 8 to decide whether to accept the offer, and I’m feeling really overwhelmed. I’m grateful for the opportunity, but I’m struggling with whether this is the right decision.

*Shower Thoughts*.

Before I knew I would be fortunate enough to secure a seat this cycle there were multiple PAs old and young (some that just graduated 2 yrs ago) telling me that the PA schools have gotten way more competitive when I asked them about it. I’ve also noticed trends that are taking place more in application cycles younger students/ average higher gpa. Just look at pa program websites (including the old and new ones) their accepted averages are rising each year. PCE hours mattering but only if your gpa is just as high. I’m not saying applicants outside of this don’t get in but it’s way harder.
My question is why is the pre-pa identity changing? Or why do you think it’s not? Is there a shift happening in the average applicant where the original multi-year PCE older adult with experience but low gpa has now been shifted out by young pre-med gpa, low PCE (less than 1k)applicants?

I myself have 7k hrs/ 3.79gpa so I’m not sure which one really held the most weight. I see applicants on here getting in with high GPA and 500-1000 hrs PCE though.

Edit*- to clarify like I said I have been accepted. Nothings wrong with my social skills lol.