PA school

Hello! I believe this is the correct forum to place this in.

I recently received my Associates Degree in Life Sciences with a 3.33 GPA at a community college. I’ve transferred to a University to work on my Bachelors and I’m quite nervous. This is my first semester at a University and I didn’t do so well on a exam for one of my classes. The highest possible GPA I can have at this point for this semester is a 3.49 and that’s if I don’t make any mistakes and make 100’s on the rest of my assignments for all of my classes. My goal was to get a 4.0 GPA for my Bachelors Degree so that way my GPA averages out to about 3.6 when I start applying for PA school. This semester should have been an easy 4.0 for me as the classes are not that difficult and now I’m nervous since I’ve yet to begin the difficult courses. I’m thinking a realistic GPA for this semester is a 3.2(?). As much as I want to aim for the 3.49, I’m not sure of my chances at making that happen. I know I’ll have to work a lot harder from this point on to raise my GPA but I also know that I can no longer get a 4.0 GPA for my Bachelors like I was hoping.

I don’t have any sort of HCE at the moment, I currently have a job that has no correlation to the medical field as I needed a job to pay for school. I’ve looked into getting HCE but all I’ve seen are about becoming an EMT, Nurse, or something else that requires certification/degrees for experience. I don’t have the funds to get another degree so I have no idea what to do for HCE but I understand it is important to have it since my GPA isn’t very competitive.

What are my chances? It has been a dream of mine to become a Physician Assistant once I learned about the career and I’m wondering what my chances are and what I need to do to make sure I have a chance?

I use to do a lot of volunteering in high school and I have a handful of people I can get references from, some including professors and prior alumni to the University I am currently at as well as a PA. I don’t know if that helps at all. Also, I plan on making a website where every purchase goes to planting a tree but it is still in the works. I don’t know if that would make me stand out at all but I thought I’d mention it as it’s something I’m very passionate about. I also plan on finding a willing PA to shadow but I don’t know if that would count towards my HCE but I’d like to do it either way to get a general idea of what it is like to be a PA.

Thank you for any help! It is greatly appreciated!

  • Tea

For PA school you need A LOT of experience. Get EMT certified and start getting those hours.
As for the GPA : 4.0 at a 4-year university is almost unheard of. Even 3.8 places you at the tippy top of your class.
Go to office hours every week with questions you jot down during the lecture or reading the materials, in every class.
Get every paper through the writing center.
Get a tutor whenever you get a B+.
Regardless of what others around you do, do not party during the week and dedicate hours to your preparation for each class.