1. Attack the day - everyone has 24 hours
Let’s
talk about pre-requisites real quick. Nothing about applying to graduate
programs is black and white, so why should we expect our required pre-reqs to
be?! One major mistake that many college students make is getting tunnel
vision. In other words, it is very easy to get bogged down by the specific
classes you must take to achieve your major requirements within your
undergraduate program. But, we are aiming for success, remember? So it is
important to get out of this survival mode and look ahead! Almost every program
will slightly vary from the next, so it is important to figure out all the
classes you will be required to take in order to meet ALL of the requirements
for ALL of the programs you will be applying to. If you’re lucky, your
university’s degree of study will perfectly match up with every single
pre-requisite you will need for grad school. But, more often than not, you are
going to be required to take a specific class that your major didn’t require,
or you are going to need ‘General Microbiology’ for one school and ‘Medical
Microbiology’ for another. By planning ahead, you can be proactive in
successfully meeting all PA school admissions requirements, rather than having
to be reactive. The “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy does NOT allow for a
successful pursuit. Don’t be afraid to ask for help, clarity, or advice!
I know the “next step” feels light-years away and currently out of
reach, but it’ll be here before you know it. Utilize your time wisely. You’re
going to need shadow hours, clinical experience, and volunteer hours. You can’t
get to where you want to go without them. So either you can start obtaining
them now, or you can graduate, aka “survive”, and have to take obtain them
during a “post bach period”. Everyone is given an equal opportunity and an
equal amount of time during their undergraduate years. Don’t waste yours.
"If you only have 24 hours in a day, your success is dependent on how you use the 24. I don't care how much money you make, you only get 24 hours in a day. And the difference between Oprah and the person that is broke is Oprah uses her 24 hours wisely. You get 24.”1
2. It’s not about what you know, it’s about who
you know. Except for us, it is about both.
It’s
about who we know - We’ve all heard the saying, it’s not about what you know, it’s
about who you know; except for students that are pursuing advanced degrees
in allied health, it is about BOTH. I think for most students and
majors, this saying is very true in the sense that once most college students
graduate, their future employers are much less interested in their GPA and more
concerned with their real world experience. But, for people in our profession,
I don’t think it comes as any surprise that the ‘grades we make’ are actually
very, very important. So, I am not going to waste time trying to drive that
point home. Survival would be focusing solely on the grades you make; success
is also focusing on the hands you shake. Almost ALL graduate programs will
require some type of clinical experience aspect to the admissions requirements.
In terms of PA school specifically, you are required to have direct patient
experience, meaning that shadow or volunteer hours will not suffice. Some
schools do not have a specific minimum requirement, while some range from 500-5,000
required hours. Likewise, almost all applications require at least two of your
three letters of recommendations to come from physicians or PAs that you have
directly worked or shadowed under.
So,
if you want to just survive as an undergraduate student, go through the
motions, make the grades, and graduate before ever looking into to your PA
school admissions requirements. But, if you want to succeed, look it up
right now. Start preparing right now. Sure, your waitressing or
bartending jobs give you some extra spending money, but locking down a job in
the medical field that is going to help you during your next stage is what is
going to TRULY pay off in the long run! If you don’t know where to even begin,
do some research. Google ‘PA admission requirements (insert school name)’
and see what the specifics are. You can also click on the ‘contact us’ link on
any of these sites and call admissions directly to ask how you should be
preparing and what their specific preferences are.
It’s
about what we know: First, let’s talk GPA. I’d be willing to bet those 3 letters have
kept some of you up at night, or caused literal tears to fall from your eyes.
For those of you who can relate to either of those aforementioned scenarios, I
have good news for you! Yes, your GPA is important, and I would highly
recommend researching what the specific GPA requirements are for each
institution you will be applying to. But if there is anyone out there who’s GPA
isn’t looking so hot, I am about to introduce you to an additional 3 letters
that just might become your best friend: G-R-E.
For
those of you who have never even heard of the GRE, or have heard of it, but
don’t know what it is, let me enlighten you! The GRE, or Graduate Record
Examination, is a test taken by prospective graduate students. The scores are
used by “admissions
or fellowship panels to supplement your undergraduate records, recommendation
letters and other qualifications for graduate-level study.”2 You
can also look up the GRE requirements for each institution or program you are
planning to apply to just as you would for your GPA. For
students who have less competitive GPAs, the GRE gives you the opportunity to demonstrate your capability
and potential. Take a second to check out an updated list of the
institutions who accept and utilize the GRE to see if taking this exam is
applicable to your situation or career path! If you do in fact have to take the
GRE, but you have no clue what it is or what you need to do, don’t freak out; I
have you covered. Refer to my
GRE Guide to Success, which includes a GRE checklist, quick tips, and a breakdown of
each section!
The
overall theme for this blog has been “don’t aim for survival, aim for optimal
performance and success.” Rome wasn’t built in a day, success doesn’t happen
overnight, and you aren’t going to get to where you want to go in the same
amount of time that many of your friends and family members do. Some of you may
be thinking, “okay well, thanks for stating the obvious,” but, really let that
sink in. People in our generation are constantly being rushed to get to where
we want to go. If you graduate in 4 years, great. If it have to take a victory
lap to get there, great. If you get accepted into PA school before you
graduate, great. If you have to take an extra year after you graduate before
you are ready to apply, well that’s great too. What I am getting at is this:
don’t be in too big of a hurry to reach the finish line that you settle for a
shorter, or easier path, and don’t settle for just finishing the race, aim to
win!
2 About GRE General
Test. (n.d.). Retrieved March 20, 2017, from http://www.ets.org/gre/reivsed
