Physician Assistant Program - UPitt vs Wagner

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Pittsburgh
21

I’m not sure, just noticed that on their website about the residency requirement. You can ask them about details.

Do you have any more affordable options in your state? Did you apply to Seton Hall? Did they offer you a scholarship?

While it is sometimes inevitable to borrow some loans at least for the PA professional program, you should aim to have no loans or minimal loans for the undergrad part of the program.

With your sibling also going to school that is even more important.

Wagner for five years at $46,000 is going to be $230,000, offset by $45,000 (3×$15,000) scholarship. So $185,000

That is just TUITION ! You also have to pay for housing and food.

If you are in the school of Health and Rehabilitation Science for the whole PA program at Pitt, it would be at least $140,000 for Pitt undergrad and $127,000 for PA professional program. So $267,000

Again that is just for TUITION!

PA is a good profession, but these numbers are medical school debt numbers in magnitude and your salary as a new PA will not sustain a $2,000 plus a month student loan payment.

More importantly, who is going to pay for this? In undergrad all you can bortow on your own are the direct loan limits $5,500 freshman, $6,500 sophomore, $7,500 junior, senior.

So your parents would have to come up with over $100,000 just for you for undergrad.

22

http://physician-assistant-ed.com/pa-school-search/find-the-right-pa-school-northeast-region/

this link shows 7 PA programs in MA, are any of these more affordable?

23

https://www.uml.edu/Sciences/biology/Pre-Health/Physician-Assistant.aspx

How about UMass Lowell?

24

Yes I applied to MCPHS, Northeastern, and Lowell. But I applied into Nursing for Northeastern and Lowell as majors.

The colleges I applied to are:
-UPitt (PA)
-Wagner (PA)
-University of the Sciences (PA)
-Northeastern (Nursing)
-UMass Amherst (Pre-Med)
-UMass Lowell (Nursing)
-UWash in St. Louis (Nursing?)
-Boston College (Nursing)
-RIT (PA)
-Drexel (PA)
-MCPHS (PA)
-Duquesne (PA)
-Emory (Nursing)
-Quinnipiac (PA)
-Hofstra (PA)

I’ve been accepted to Pitt, Wagner, and USciences for PA. Quinnipiac, Hofstra, and Duquesne rejected me for their PA Program. I’m waiting to hear back from the rest around April.

Pitt does not send their scholarship notifications until March 1.

When I used a financial aid calculator on the Pitt website, it gave a predicted cost of $29,729 per year. The cheapest school on my list is Lowell followed UMass Amherst but Amherst does not offer a PA Program. Would it be better to go to a PA school separately from the undergrad college or go to one that has it?

Thank you so much for the numbers.

25

If you were thinking about nursing you could do that too and become a Nurse Practioner. I was under the understanding that NP and PA are similar careers.

If you are not sure what you want to do, you could attend an affordable school for undergrad and then do med school or PA school later.

26

After doing additional research and talking to NPs, it’s not something I’d want to do. Although it is similar, NPs are not allowed to switch specialties like PAs and it’s more restrictive as a profession. However I am considering Pre-Med but that’s tougher to commit to. Luckily the affinity between that and PA make it very easy to switch in the beginning of college. But I’m really not sure which one I want to do because I don’t know what it’s like to take on those levels of rigor. I want to be a leader and hold responsibility as a doctor but being a PA allows me to have a life outside of practice and a growing salary in a shorter time. Plus the growth rate of PAs is enormous with more and more hospitals hiring PAs over doctors so it’ll be easier to get a job.

I can’t really see myself doing med school after becoming a PA because there wouldn’t be much to complain about at that point and having another 4 years plus residency on top of the 2 years it took to be a PA would make it harder to convince myself to pursue medical school. But of course, anything can happen.

Wagner certainty is attractive being that I am a part of their 5-year PA Program. It’s a guarantee to be in their graduate program which is a huge plus. Also they’re close to NYC which is full of great opportunities.

On the other hand, Pitt is known to be prestigious in training healthcare professionals. They’re higher ranked in every way compared to Wagner, including their PA program. They have a wide array of resources in Pittsburgh, including the opportunity to work at UPMC which is Pitt’s hospital and the 13th best hospital in America. But the PA program requires me to take the GRE and it’s not guaranteed, plus it takes an extra year. This is why I am leaning more towards Pre-Med if I do go to Pitt.

27

Hi i’m currently a senior in high school. I will be starting college in the summer of 2017. I have received acceptance into several direct entry/accelerated PA programs (where you have your graduate seat in the program is reserved for you after completing undergraduate). Right now i’m stuck between Duquesne Universtiy’s program, and Wagner College’s program. Duquesne’s program has a better reputation and ranking than Wagner’s, however Wagner’s program would be more convenient for me, in the sense that it is close to home so I will be able to do my clinical rotations and build connections with hospitals where I may want to work at someday. Do you think it is better to go to a University whose program has a better reputation or one that will give you the opportunity to do rotations in the hospitals/clinics you want to work at?

Thank you.

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