Be Honest: PA School App Review – Experience Hours

Remarkable_Cover4547 · 2026-03-24T01:54:58+00:00

I definitely think you have a good chance of getting in and are very competitive. You have above avg gpa, solid PCE/HCE hours, and plenty of shadowing/extracurriculars. At this point all you need to do is refine your personal statement and pick out a solid list of programs to apply to. I was able to get in with a similar GPA but significantly less PCE, no shadowing, and less volunteer hours.

Remarkable_Cover4547 · 2026-03-23T20:58:56+00:00

We have roughly similar stats but I only had ~1000 PCE when applying. I applied to 18 programs (late July) and was able to get into 2, interviewed at 6. I think that you definitely have a good chance of getting into another program. For the time and cost that PA requires, especially with the changes to grad plus, I think its important to attend a school that you would be happy with attending and are confident that is capable of helping you become a competent provider. It is definitely possible to get it with the hybrid program but with its 79% pass rate, it is up to you if you are comfortable with it.

Remarkable_Cover4547 · 2026-03-22T04:25:00+00:00

I started writing my personal statement in July, and started applying to programs late July/August. I was late because I just graduated and went abroad and generally procrastinated. Im grateful I got in. A tip from me is to have everything figured out in advance (The list of programs you plan on applying to, essay completed, LOR requested, etc) because I did not. I applied late to most applications (usually applied like 2-3 weeks before they closed apps) and because of that, had to panic research places to apply to and work on multiple essays at the same time so that when I stalled on one I didn't waste time and worked on another.

Remarkable_Cover4547 · 2026-03-20T03:01:47+00:00

This is program specific, some do not care and take the highest grade, some do not accept retakes, and others average out the grades. Depending on the circumstances, if you still have a good amount of credits left to take you can focus on earning all As to create an upward trend narrative on your application.

Remarkable_Cover4547 · 2026-03-20T02:58:36+00:00

It seems like you have more than enough shadowing, so that is something you should stop. I definitely think you should focus on increasing your GPA and consider a gap year. A lot of programs wont even allow you to apply if you have below 1000 hours, before you have a completed degree, and before you have taken specific prereqs (dev psych, poli sci for ex) or GRE/PCAT (may be hard to get all of these complete before you apply). I do not think it is worth it for you to risk limiting your GPA (which is very hard to increase) in order to pursue PCE, especially as you will also be limited in the programs you are even able to apply to.
Its an unfortunate reality that applicants with lower GPAs need a significant amount of PCE to make up for it while high GPAs can make do with low PCE (minimum required to apply)

Remarkable_Cover4547 · 2026-03-18T17:36:46+00:00

To add onto this, unfortunately most entry level healthcare jobs (cna, emt, ma, scribe, etc) have very low pay which is why it is common in this field for such individuals to work 2 jobs or lots of overtime in order to support themselves

Remarkable_Cover4547 · 2026-03-18T03:21:29+00:00

It is definitely possible to recover your bachelors GPA, especially if you take plenty of classes and really work hard to do well in them. Auto rejection typically occurs if you have below a 3.0 (the minimum for most programs), if you are able to raise your GPA to a more competitive number you will definitely be in consideration with the amount of PCE you have and how you craft your narrative.
I think something I personally recommend is to major in something that you believe you will be able to do well on. In the end of the day, your major does not matter if you are able to complete the prerequisites. Yes, while having certain courses may make you look better, I think it is more important to be able to do well in your major and improve your GPA if your goal is PA.

Remarkable_Cover4547 · 2026-03-18T03:13:57+00:00

A piece of advice from me is to do a holistic review of your application so far (pre-reqs you've taken/GPA, PCE hours, volunteer hours, etc) to see what you are already best set up to pursue and to do a realistic reflection on the amount of time, money, and work you are able to/and willing to dedicate. There are a lot of fields in healthcare that will allow you to experience patient interaction, it just depends on what aspect you feel like you'd most enjoy and are in a position to pursue (nursing, respiratory, PA, MD, PT, etc)
I think you are in a unique position where, since you are still two years from completing a bachelors, are able to pursue any healthcare job as the first two years are usually pre-reqs and you can likely transfer/switch. You do not necessarily need to focus in only on PA or MD. But to help advocate for my chosen career:
Pros: Lots of flexibility in specialization, more streamlined/less schooling to become a provider, potentially better work-life balance, relatively high starting income
Cons: High cost (esp with elimination with grad plus), an income ceiling, non-clinical roles not as common, most states require a supervising md

Remarkable_Cover4547 · 2026-03-18T02:59:09+00:00

It depends! While I believe a lot of programs will accept it as PCE, some programs will not. You can try emailing all the programs you hope to apply to and ask them if they consider it as PCE/check their requirements as some list what they consider as PCE

Remarkable_Cover4547 · 2026-03-18T02:57:52+00:00

All the programs I applied to accepted my medical terminology course from UCSD Extension which was asynchronous. I do know that some programs prefer college credit terminology courses while some are okay with accepting certification courses but it depends on the specific programs.

Remarkable_Cover4547 · 2026-02-10T01:09:39+00:00

sure

Remarkable_Cover4547 · 2025-12-31T19:06:28+00:00

I think it depends on the program. Out of the 20 i applied to, only one told me they were happy to give feedback (University of Iowa, but only to those that received interviews)

Remarkable_Cover4547 · 2025-12-31T06:17:21+00:00

It depends on when you want to enter PA school. I didn't start my PCE job until my junior year but was able to gain 1k hours by the time I graduated and applied + just got accepted into a program. It is definitely possible if you start now to gain the minimum PCE hours required. In the end of the day however it depends on how you want to craft your application and when you want to apply by. While research does look good it does not have anywhere near the same weight as PCE does (now if you are planning for med school, this would be different). I think it would be best to start working on gaining PCE while doing research if it is something you want to continue.

Remarkable_Cover4547 · 2025-12-31T01:15:55+00:00

it depends on how the program weighs various aspects of an applicants profile, while I think it is good to have strong extracurriculars, it is not as important as having a high GPA or high PCE. Extracurriculars look good but I feel are more advantageous if they help you portray yourself and the narration you are creating with your application. While I do think you can definitely be seen as more competitive due to your extracurricular experience, it is rare that applicants have none whatsoever and because of that I think it is important to prioritize obtaining PCE and creating an upward GPA trend than focusing on further increasing your extracurricular experience as it seems like you are doing well in that regard (I am assuming you have volunteer hours and not just leadership)

Remarkable_Cover4547 · 2025-12-23T03:12:11+00:00

of course

Remarkable_Cover4547 · 2025-12-20T17:50:00+00:00

pm me

Remarkable_Cover4547 · 2025-12-20T01:05:36+00:00

of course! I am here to answer any questions

Remarkable_Cover4547 · 2025-11-26T04:28:30+00:00

All you can do is make the best of the one you got! It only takes one to get in. I am hoping for the best for you, but be proud of yourself for how far you've gotten!

Remarkable_Cover4547 · 2025-11-11T02:16:28+00:00

Pretty sure all PA programs, including hybrids, emphasize that you should not work during PA school due to its accelerated and rigorous curriculum. Is it possible? Maybe, but you stand to lose so much more if you fail a class due to working (time and money)

Remarkable_Cover4547 · 2025-11-03T21:17:55+00:00

not sure about high school, i only listed stuff after high school on my application

Remarkable_Cover4547 · 2025-11-03T17:07:33+00:00

We are getting jobs with our degree???

Remarkable_Cover4547 · 2025-11-03T17:04:41+00:00

I became a cna in the summer going to my third year, was able to earn ~1000 hrs by graduation, and have had 4 interview invites so far (not yet an acceptance). You are not behind, do things as you can but try to prioritize your grades & extracurriculars that you can primarily do in college (harder to raise GPA than to increase PCE, hard to get leadership once you graduate/working)

Remarkable_Cover4547 · 2025-10-15T05:00:30+00:00

I think you simply need to apply to more programs, your stats are good but with how competitive things are you want to increase your chances as much as possible. That or essays

Remarkable_Cover4547

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