Source
r/prephysicianassistant•
MangoSlutt

Low GPA; Don't know what to do...

Hi everyone! This is my first time posting here so I apologize for any mistakes. So I graduated from my university in May with a overall GPA of 2.83. I feel terrible about this especially since my last semester was just awful (I;m am talking about two Ds and Bs). I changed to being pre PA the first semester of Senior year so basically last year and I screwed my GPA with my last semester. I need to retake a few classes such as gen chem 1 and 2, Biochem, and AandP 2. I'm looking into applying to Rosalind Franklin PA program however I really want to make myself a competitive applicant.

I finally got a Medical Assistant job so I am working on my PCE and I have previous volunteering hours from a hospital that was near campus. I think I have around 150+ volunteering hours from that hospital. I am thinking of giving myself 2 years off and work on my goal of getting into PA school (maybe even more but I honestly don't know if I can undo the damage that is my gpa aka my last semester gpa).

Idk should I start retaking those courses at my local CC and take some upper level courses to fix my science GPA or should I do a Post-bacc? A post-bacc would be a problem because I plan to work full time at my MA job and they don't allow part-time workers so doing a post-bacc would kind of be difficult.

Also, should I retake AandP 2 at a CC or at a university? Does it even matter?

Last question is idk is this worth it? Am I just working for something that I will not reach? I am feeling pretty low about my chances. There are way more qualified applicants out there so why would I get in... I'm behind on my PCE, I should work on my HCE, and my GPA sucks. Money is tight but I really want to become a PA.

Posted Aug 21, 2019, 11:11 PM UTC

712
imathens•

After I graduated college, I had a 2.9 (CASPA 2.8) GPA. I became an EMT and took a bunch of classes at a CC, including anatomy, physiology, nutrition, developmental psych, etc. Got a 3.9 overall in all 30 ish units. I started this journey mid 2016 and even though I went slow, I ended up with 5k hours now, 200 hours shadowing, 3.04 cGPA and sGPA. I HAVE MY FOURTH INTERVIEW NEXT MONTH SO YOU CAN DO IT. You can do it, and even do it faster than I did because I was part time for a year or so and only took a few courses a semester and even skipped semesters! But yes, I would go back and take classes that show you can get good grades in science. I would also work as much as possible so that you are still getting good grades. EMTs have varying schedules where you can do hw on down time if you're in a private service (harder for high volume 911 counties -_-). It will be work, but it's possible.

21
Couchpotatoee•

This is very encouraging to read. Thank you for your comment.

2
blorange36•

To start, your GPA is fixable. It’s very rare but some people have gotten into school with what your GPA is at now.

Go back to school ASAP I would say. Work part time to build up for PCE while maintaining a full time schedule. You will need at least 2 full time semesters to get to a 3.0 GPA (this is the minimum requirement for a lot of CASPA apps). I myself come from fixing a 2.2 GPA. I called a lot of programs asking what they would like to see, and I was almost always told to get As in all your prerequisite courses and to take upper level science courses (300-400).

Do not limit yourself to just wanting to go to Rosalind franklin. You should have at least the average of 7 schools in mind to apply to, but with low hours and a low GPA, I would personally double that. Google PA schools that look at last 60 credits and make sure you meet the requirements for all of them. There’s another thread somewhere on this subreddit that has them listed.

Hope this helps.

11
MangoSluttOP•

This helps a lot, thank you. My problem is that my current MA job does not allow for part-time positions and I don’t have an MA certification to get another job for part time. I was planning on maybe taking two classes this fall semester (a and p 2 retake and a developmental psych class which is a recommended course at Rosalind) while still working full time at my current job. Once I get 6 months experience I was thinking of looking for an MA job that takes 6 months health care experience if you don’t have a MA cert and work part time for that and be a full time student at my CC and start retaking course/taking upper level courses. Idk if this is the right way to do this but it’s all I got rn. Again, thank you for your comment! It really puts my position into perspective and I will try and see what I can do about work and becoming a full time student.

1
blorange36•

Happy to help, been in a similar situation the past two years. Check indeed once a week to see if you can find a different MA job that allows for part time work without a cert. That's currently what I'm doing to try and get more hours in case I do not get in this round.

Also, this the thread I was talking about in regards to last 60 credits https://www.reddit.com/r/prephysicianassistant/comments/7yfv4o/programs_that_look_into_the_last_4560_credit_hours/

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You can also find a list of schools that do not have a GPA requirement on PAschoolfinder, but just be ready to explain your poor grades senior year.

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Good luck!

1
whiskeykiloPre-PA•

I graduated with a 2.67 cGPA and a BA in Psychology five years ago.

I just started taking classes at my local CC this January, and after spring and summer semesters of all science courses and straight As, my cGPA is up to 2.99! I just started fall semester full time, and I'm on track to have around a 3.07-3.10 cGPA by the time I'm done with prerequisites in December (plus OChem 1 next spring, but that's solo).

Is a 3.07-3.10 cGPA the most competitive? Absolutely not. Does it meet the minimums? Absolutely. Does it look good that I brought my cGPA up a whole 0.5 average? Absolutely. You can definitely get to where I am, or even higher, since you're starting higher!

Don't fret. Come up with a game plan - what courses do you need, what courses should you retake, and what does the rest of your application look like. Find your weak points, focus on them, and maintain the rest, while highlighting your strengths.

It will not be an easy process, or a quick one; but it will be absolutely worth it!

8
sherbysherbz•

I, unfortunately, don't have any advice but I am in a very similar boat as you with a sGPA of 2.98 and a cGPA of 3.01. I've had two rejections so far and I've just decided I'm going to retake most of my freshman year science classes. My transcript is all over the place with an F in gen chem I (which I retook) but A's in organic chemistry I & II. I wish I could just start with a clean slate :(

6
MangoSluttOP•

Man I totally feel you on the starting a clean slate :’(( past me is a big dummy for choosing a major I had not interest in. idk we have no idea what the future holds for us but let’s still work our asses off and see where that gets us! It sucks but hopefully it’ll be worth it....

4
sherbysherbz•

I really do think it will be worth it! Keep trucking along, we can do it!!

1
ea_rubes•

Post bacc isn't necessary. Taking the classes at cc is totally fine. If it's also cheaper to retake A&P at cc do it. It is also smart to take.upper level classes at your university to show your ability to handle difficult classes.

As for your last question, that's entirely for you to decide. I know what I say won't hold much water as I'm not even in PA-school, but I know this is something I really want to do and regardless of the cards stacked against me. I'd rather try and fail then to take myself out the running before attempting it first.

5
MangoSluttOP•

I graduated from my university so would it be okay if I take upper level courses at my local CC? It’s a cheaper option and I live pretty close to it which helps a lot, however looking at their upper level science courses, it seems that they don’t have many.

Thank you for you reply. You’re right, I definitely would rather try and fail instead of not trying at all. I tend to just shy away from trying and I need to stop doing that since I really would love to be a PA. It just sticks that it will be a bit costly to get there 😅 but I at least want to try.

3
intreble776•

I’m in a very similar boat! My plan is to retake some pre-reqs at my cc while I work and save money. Then I plan to complete a post bacc the next year (Fall 2020) to show an upward trend and that I can also handle upper-level sciences.

Hopefully I do well. Then apply to PA schools after!

I’ve seen lots of success stories and I’m not losing hope anytime soon :)

1
xxcapricornxx•

I graduated with a 2.9 (2.85 on CASPA) and a little over 2,000 PCE hours with scribing. After talking with my school's pre-healh advisor, it was obvious my GPA was the weakest part of my application (Most schools on the west coast require a minimum 3.0). I started a post-bac program last fall and I'm finishing this semester and hoping to apply next year. My GPA will be slightly above a 3.0 and I'll have 3,000+ hours of scribing plus at least 1,000 in phlebotomy that I started 4 months ago. I really recommend a post-bacc if you can afford it. They're expensive (especially in California) but they are very supportive and have great professors who want you to succeed. But definitely go back to school to work on that GPA. I'd also look into schools that accept "academic enhancer" students, ex: schools that put more weight on your last 60 units, that accept repeated courses (Western University does), or put more weight on GPA in prerequisite courses.

1
MangoSluttOP•

Yeah I think I’m going to retake some classes this fall and spring semester and then plan on doing a post bacc for next year. Hopefully I’ll find a part time job by then so I can work on school and PCE.

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