Accepted! Advice #6 - Katherine M.

Happy Finals Season PPASO! Take a break from studying (or keep procrastinating) by reading another wonderful blogpost from an accepted PPASO alum. -AS

Hi everyone, my name is Katharine and I graduated from the class of 2016! I was lucky enough to be involved in PPASO as a board member for 2 years. I’ve found that even though I served as a board member and tried my best to research and stay prepared for the application cycle for myself and for the members in PPASO, there were still a lot of things that confused and surprised me. I hope that my blog post and tips can help some people!! Feel free to contact me with any questions via Facebook or e-mail at kmishida21@gmail.com

Tips

1. Make an excel sheet and self calculate your own GPA.

2. Continue being involved in some sort of volunteer work post graduation/while you’re working. I had a school ask me “What sort of community service have you been involved in this past year?”. I went on a medical mission trip to Mexico with the MD that I was working under as a medical assistant, so that really helped me show that I was still involved in community service after graduating college.

3. Research programs and their requirements over a year in advance. Some schools have unique requirements, so it’s best to individually ask these schools regarding the requirements. I was in ERC, so I took the MMW series which some schools accepted as a “English composition” prerequisite, but other schools (like UC Davis) do not. Some schools also accept AP credits from high school.

4. Once you submit your CASPA application, your application will become “locked”, and you will be unable to change it. Some schools have secondaries, and it depends on the school how they offer one to you. Some schools have the secondary already in the CASPA portal, while others will send you a separate secondary portal after submitted the CASPA, and others will only send secondaries to select students. Most secondaries cost from $60-$100, so be prepared to pay the additional cost.

5. CASPA offers you the option of having up to 5 letters of recommendations, so I wanted to take advantage of this and asked 5 people for letters. However, quantity does NOT mean quality, and its much more valuable to have 3 strong letters rather than 5 letters from people who do not personally know you. For me, I had different experiences and aspects of my application where I had the opportunity to closely work with and create strong relationships with people who were willing and happy to help me with my application. I asked an MD and a PA that I worked with as a medical assistant, an anatomy professor, a DC (Doctor of Chiropractic) that I worked with as a physical therapy aide, and a senior nurse anesthetist that I went on a volunteer medical mission with overseas. I really think that your letters of recommendation are what can set you apart from other applicants.

6. Take the GRE seriously. Taking the GRE is optional, but I think taking the GRE and scoring well will definitely help you stand out. It’ll also let you apply to more programs, especially those that are highly ranked. I listened to GRE vocabulary podcasts during my commute to work.

7. Apply when you think your application is at its BEST. I really wanted to make sure I got into PA school my first time applying. I made sure I finished all prerequisites (no outstanding prereqs), had the best GPA I could attain, had max number of PCE (~5275 hours), and strong letters of recommendations. If you think part of your application is not as strong, then the admissions committees of schools will definitely notice it as well. It’s okay to take an extra year to work on making your application stronger!

8. Ask for advice/try looking for a mentor/be active in PPASO! PPASO and the people in it have truly been so resourceful and helpful. The best way to learn about something and the application process, is really to just ask someone who has already done it.

9. Finally, don’t give up!! It’s a long process, and it can be hard not to compare yourself to others. Remember the moments that inspired you into wanting to become a PA, work hard, surround yourself with people who support you, and you will be able to make it!!!

Applicant Profile:

UCSD Major: Physiology and Neuroscience

• cGPA: 3.56

• sGPA: 3.48

• nsGPA: 3.65

• last 60 semester unit GPA: 4.0

• GRE: 321; q 162, v 159, w 4.0

• Patient Care Hours: Physical Therapy Aide, (~2650 hours) Medical Assistant (~2625 hours)

• Volunteering: USNS Mercy hospital ship physical therapy aide with US Navy (~350 hours), medical mission to Mexicali, Mexico (~30 hours), UCSD Student Health Advocate, Sexual Health Lead Coordinator, PPASO board member, Academic Integrity Peer Educator.

• Research: Biomedical Research Intern at City of Hope (~400 hours), Undergraduate Research Assistant at UCSD School of Medicine (~380 hours).

• Shadowing: ~104 hours Urgent Care PA, ~80 hours Dermatology PA

Letter of Recommendation: 1 MD, 1 PA, 1 anatomy professor, 1 Doctor of Chiropractic, 1 Senior Nurse Anesthetist.