 Hi everybody, my name is Boris. I'm a second year physician-assistant student and this is my weekly pre-PA Q&A So when I do these weekly Q&A's what I basically do is I just read questions that people email me about applying to PA school About getting into PA school about doing well while you're in PA school and just general questions like that So today I have two questions for you one's really quick pretty easy and one is about two to three questions It's kind of a conversation thread that I had with this person And so I'm going to go over all of that with you and the reason I'm doing this is because the people that are asking the questions Are obviously getting the value of my answer and what I'm doing is I'm picking out some of the questions That I think everybody could really benefit from the answer that I gave the person and again This is just my opinion. I'm not an admissions counselor. I'm just a second year physician-assistant student But it took me a long time to get into PA school and I had to do a lot of learning and a lot of work to get there So I think I know what I'm talking about and I'm really happy to share my opinion if it helps anybody out So anyway without further ado, let's get into this first question Okay, so the person writes good afternoon boris. I hope this email finds you well doing great I watched your video about getting into PA school with a low GPA and have a couple of questions I'm in the middle of my application cycle right now, and I'm still waiting to hear back from four of the schools I applied to Are there ways I can make myself stand out in the middle of a cycle? Please advise. Thank you for your time So here's what I wrote to this person and I'm just going to comment on that as well So I said if you already submitted your application, then there isn't really anything you can do at this point If you are rejected from a school, you should call their admissions office and set up an application review as soon as possible And during that review an admissions counselor will sit down with you over the phone or over zoom or I guess pre-covid time They'd sit down with you in person And then they just go over your application You know piece by piece step by step and give you tips on improving your chances for next year But again, if you have not heard back you have not been rejected. You have not received an interview invite You really should not reach out to any programs So the reason I'm saying this is because I can't think of anything that would really benefit you By reaching out to the program before they make any kind of decision on you I don't really know what you would hope to gain from doing that Would it be so that they don't forget about you and so that maybe you have a better shot I don't really think so They get so many applications and if you keep just annoying them about random stuff that doesn't really pertain to anything They might just kind of get annoyed with you But again, I'm not on admissions board. This is just me speculating The reason I'm saying this is I really can't think of anything You're going to gain by reaching out to a program before they made any kind of decision on you The only reason I could really think of to do that is if maybe you had some outstanding classes And you were able to apply but you had to get your grades in By a certain date you have to reach out to them with your transcript and say hey I finished my classes, you know, please put this in my application Or maybe if you got like a lot more patient care hours and you want to include those in your application before it's considered Maybe something like that. I could see being beneficial But if you're just reaching out to them to try to as this person said make yourself stand out No, I think honestly, it's going to be a net loss instead of a net benefit to do that for any reason Except for those two reasons I just mentioned Okay, so moving on This person writes. Hi Boris. I recently found your youtube channel and I appreciate all the tips you have to offer Always happy to help I was wondering if you could offer any advice to me. I'm currently feeling so lost and just brace yourself This is kind of a long question. So Stay with me here I just graduated from the university of With my degree in biology my cumulative gpa is 3.33 and I believe my science gpa is about a 3.18 I do realize that these stats are fairly low and below average frowny face But my last 60 credits on the other hand are a 3.8 or higher With that being said, I'm planning to take as many years off as I need to in order to become a better applicant and gain patient care experience I keep going back and forth between the two options. First, I'm thinking of going to a community college Earning my associate's degree in nursing and working as a nurse for one to two years before applying My second idea was enrolling in a medical assistant program once finished That's like a training course to become a certified medical assistant a cma Um and begin working as a cma for several years Because of my lower grades. I thought nursing would help me be a stronger applicant However, I'm not sure what the best move would be considering my pa school pre-rex might expire by the time I'm ready to apply Um, I don't think so. I think it's 10 years Uh, they let your classes be about 10 years old pre-rex may be five years I'm not certain I'd have to look that up and I think every school might be different But it's between five and 10 years. So it wouldn't be very likely that your pre-rex would expire But anyway, so this person says Considering my pre-rex might expire by the time I'm ready to apply. What do you think? Do you have any advice on how I can become a better applicant? Thank you so much for your time and guidance Okay, so a multi-part question and like I said, this is kind of an email thread So I'm going to read you my first response. I said first off. I want to thank you for supporting my channel I'm really glad that the information is helping people. That's the whole reason I'm doing this Um, but based on what you told me your grades do meet the minimum to apply to most programs Uh, most programs that I've seen are about a 3.0 minimum Some of the very competitive programs are like a 3.2 minimum, you know for cumulative and science GPAs But most are around that 3.0 range and some are even like 2.75 So a 3.18, which is basically a 3.2 science and a 3.3 cumulative is enough to apply It might be below average for people who actually are competitive and get in But it is enough to get your foot in the door, you know, and this isn't what I wrote This is just what I'm telling you. So anyway, I'm going to get back to this I said your grades do meet the minimum to apply to most programs So as long as you have the necessary prerequisite courses and have A's and B's in most of those courses I think most schools say it has to be a C or better or a B minus or better for the actual prereqs I'm saying A's or B's are probably best So I'm saying as long as you have A's or B's in most of those courses You're not doing too bad on the GPA side of thing You said that you were deciding between an LPN program, a licensed practical nurse Or a CMA program, a certified medical assistant to get your PCE hours And I asked does that mean you don't have any hours right now? And I went further to say LPN and CMA are both excellent ways to get your PCE hours as long as your job requires more patient care than paperwork Like I said in my interview with the dean of admissions that you can see right up here We're up here What I what we basically told you was Just because your title is medical assistant It doesn't mean you're getting patient care hours You might be doing a lot of paperwork a lot of medical assistants do like billing and all kinds of paperwork And they're not actually getting hands-on with the patient So it's very important that your job involves lots of hands-on patient care So anyway, as long as your job involves hands-on patient care If you're comfortable getting more schooling I think that an accelerated BSN a bachelor of science in nursing program might be something to consider as well There are BSN programs for non nurses Meaning if you have a bachelor's degree in something other than nursing You can obtain a bachelor's of science in nursing in a program between 18 or sorry between 12 and 18 months And then you come out with a BSN making much more money than a cna or an lpn It's all undergraduate coursework also So if you really buckle down and do well you can improve your cumulative and science GPAs because in the accelerated BSN You're taking undergraduate coursework Graduate coursework is counted separately in CASPA. It doesn't boost your your undergraduate GPA But an accelerated BSN is undergraduate coursework. So it does boost your undergraduate GPA So anyway, and you also get lots of hands-on patient care experience during your nursing training Which is true. You'll get hundreds of hours during that program So it's not exactly like a stepping stone to PA school But long term you can maybe see it that way or maybe you'll fall in love with nursing Either way, it's a great option. So you get your grades up assuming you do very well You get patient care experience during that 12 to 18 months And you come out with a BSN making a lot more money getting great experience and nursing is an awesome job and there's a lot you can do so I guess maybe i'm kind of biased But I feel like I always advocate for these accelerated BSNs If you're looking to get your grades up if you're looking for kind of a backup plan things like that So anyway, it's just what I would have done. It's what I was planning on doing if I didn't get into PA school So anyway, and I said then you work as a bachelor's train nurse making good money and getting amazing experience And you can apply to PA school, but also you'll be eligible for NP programs nurse practitioner And of course This is a kind of a big caveat 12 to 18 months in college isn't cheap And I completely understand if you'd rather just do a certified medical assistant or even an lpn program Because that will be cheaper for you if you want to improve your gpa and get ours. I hope this helps So the person wrote back And they said thank you so much for the response. I really appreciated but yes, that is correct I have no patient care experience whatsoever Um, I added to whatsoever Currently I have a few hundred volunteer hours, but that's it after reading your reply The accelerated nursing program sounds great because I'd be killing two birds with one stone That is getting hours and improving my gpa at the same time But like you said the financial part of it does seem to be holding me back I'm already quite a bit in debt from undergrad. Yeah, that's it's crazy how much debt people are coming out with nowadays I went to college like 10 years ago and I graduated with 40 000 dollars in student loan debt And basically had no life while I was in the navy trying to pay that off and I paid most of it off But some people are coming out now with like a hundred close to 200 grand just from undergrad That's crazy So I could see why that would really weigh on your decision of what you would do like this person But anyway, so this person said I'd be killing two birds with one stone But I'm already in quite a bit of debt from undergrad And then this person kind of asked another question and says when you say strategically take classes to improve my gpa What do you mean by that? How many classes would you recommend that I take? Can this be done at a community college? Thank you so much. You're really helping me make some important decisions okay So this goes back to a topic again that I discussed in that interview with the dean of admissions that I did a few months ago but basically Basically what we wanted to say is that not every applicant is the same You have to really decide what's best for you And what you should really do is sit down with an admissions counselor to decide what you should do You shouldn't just do a post back. You shouldn't just do an accelerated bsn Or whatever and just blindly take classes You should really be strategic in the classes that you do take because they do cost a lot of money And it's uh, and it's a risk if you don't do well, then that's not going to get you close for tpa school so anyway What we meant was you really should be strategic about the classes you take I really can't recommend which ones you should take or how many you should take Or anything like that because it's all very very individual So what I said was I'm very glad to help You can take some courses online or at a community college, but it's best to keep it to one to two courses So this is something that I've gotten from several admissions counselor I've spoken with this is not a hard and fast rule You could probably take more classes at a community college But at least what I've heard my personal experience. They say yes Some community college or even online courses are okay, especially now in the time of covid But you do want to limit that and try to do most of your undergraduate coursework And especially your prerequisites for pa school at a you know brick and mortar four-year institution But like I said in the age of covid a lot of stuff is online So maybe it'll be okay to do it online But still a four-year college rather than a community college is best just based on the things that I've heard personally So what I said was you want to take most of your courses from an undergraduate Or you want to take most of your courses from a four-year college or university I can't speak to how many courses you should take or which ones But it would be best to speak with a good academic advisor To do the math and see how you can improve your gpa the most efficiently while getting your pre-rex So yeah, I I really can't say a one-size-fits-all for most people You really need to sit down with an admissions counselor from that school or better yet if possible From a pa school so they can tell you exactly what you would need to take And what you would need to do in order to have the best shot of getting accepted So I always advocate reach out to the programs you want to apply to Sit down with their admissions folks and work on a strategy with them And they'll help you get into pa school You'll have to put in the work and the time and the money But they'll help you as long as you do the work They'll give you the best shot that's possible So that's what I'm talking about here So I said the accelerated bsn is definitely more expensive and the program is really demanding So getting good grades will not be easy, but you're absolutely right It will kill two birds with one stone And assuming you do well and graduate I personally think the salary that you would make as a bachelor's trained nurse a bsn Compared to a cna or a cma or even an lpn would be worth it Not to mention how much higher quality your patient care experience would be As a nurse as a bachelor trained nurse than as a medical assistant or an lpn or a cna or You know a lot of the other kinds of pce that most people apply with A nurse definitely has a much much higher caliber of patient care experience So you'd have that working for you as well And like I mentioned previously you could apply to np programs too, which is also really good And so I said I guess what I'm trying to say is if you're ready to invest a whole year or two Into taking classes and working as a cma or a cna Then it might make sense to invest in your future and start a career That's more rewarding and pays much more which would be a bsn Of course, I don't know your situation And I'm just speaking based on the few things that you did tell me and my own personal experience So the choice is ultimately yours and I'm just giving you the information that I can based on what I do know And please don't take out any more loans than you feel comfortable with and only do what is best for you I can't say this enough All the advice I give is case by case basis and only based on my own personal experience And what I know about the person whose questions i'm answering It is not meant to be a blanket statement and it's not me telling you to do anything specific It's just me giving you information and my opinion and you do with it what you may Okay, this is not professional advice. This is just my opinion And just one other thing from my answer in there that I'd really like to discuss Is I said assuming that you do well in the program and graduate That will not be easy. So this is one of those things that I feel like I never have to say But it's very important. So I'm going to say it All these things that I'm telling people to do maybe do a post-bac maybe do an accelerated bsn Maybe go back and take classes All of that is only worth it and will only help you get into pa school If you do very well in your classes and I'm talking like A 4o or close to a 4o mostly a's If for instance your gpa is like a 3.0 or a 3.1 and you go back and you try to improve it and you get like a 3.2 or 3.3 That's not going to do much for you You may as well have not done that unless you really needed the pre-rex The only way that will say anything positive about you as an applicant is if you do exceedingly well Much better than you did in undergrad then you can kind of prove to the admissions committee I improved my ways. I really started taking things seriously I learned about myself as a student and how I learn now I'm ready for pa school and before that I wasn't So I really just want to get that out there and also things like this bsn. They're not easy It's not the easy way out and it's not necessarily just a stepping stone to pa school It's a career and it's a very difficult thing to do and they're very competitive as well So you really have to have interest in nursing and really see yourself as a nurse For at least a year maybe two years or maybe even the rest of your life have that possibility open So it's not a stepping stone. Just like pa school is not a stepping stone to medical school A bsn is not a stepping stone to pa school You might have dreams down the line of being an npa or pa, but if pa is your goal These accelerated bsn programs are not necessarily your best option because you really do have to want to be a nurse In order to put in the amount of time and effort that it takes to get through these programs So I know I always advocate for them, but I don't advocate for them as a stepping stone I advocate for them as a possible alternative to pa school and maybe pa down the line or np down the line But it's only if you really want to be a nurse As well So I really just wanted to get that out there and also any kind of high level medical training program like a bsn A pa an md all of them are very difficult to get through and you won't get through them If you don't actually want to practice as a bsn as a pa or an md You have to really really want to do that in order to meet the rigorous demands of those programs because they're just so difficult So anyway, I'm not going to beat a dead horse But I really did just want to get that out there because a lot of people say why do you always advocate for these bsn programs? And I advocate for them because I think they're a great idea It's what I would have personally done if pa school just wasn't an option at least not at the time But I really have to preface it with it's really difficult. They are expensive They are time consuming and you really do have to want to be a nurse in order to go into one And be motivated enough to finish it. Okay. I think that's enough So anyway, so this person's last response is you make some excellent points I do hear that it's hard to get accepted into these accelerated bachelors of science nursing programs Especially in my state and to be honest I'm afraid that if I don't do well in the bsn program It will set me back even further because my cumulative gpa is already a 3.3 So if the person got like a 2.7 a 2.5 whatever in the bsn That might take their cumulative undergraduate gpa closer to a 3.0 or even below a 3.0 Which is not somewhere you want to be so The person says I will definitely think on these things though I'm a true believer that if something is meant to be it will be I am too absolutely And I just pray that I can get my goals one day whether my path is to first be a nurse or a cma I just want to be a pa. Thank you very much for your time I wish you all the best as you continue on your own path to becoming a pa You'll be a great one. Well hopefully I still have almost a year left in my second year of pa school. I'm on my second rotation. So Baby steps And yeah, I totally agree with you if something is meant to be it will be If you really think it's your destiny to be a pa you will find a way to do it It might take you a year It might take you three years You will find a way if it's your destiny to be a nurse You'll get there and you'll find a way if it's your destiny to be a doctor or a lawyer whatever it is It's your destiny. I know you'll find a way And the funny thing about life is once you start really focusing on a goal And you know you're going to get there as long as you remain open and you work hard And by work hard I mean be ready to do 60 hours a week and be happy about it You know getting into pa school and being in pa school and being a pa is not a 35 hour a week job It's a hard thing to do So it's something you have to really want to do and be committed to but anyway This funny thing about life is I feel like if you have a big dream and you're just focused on it every day Little by little baby steps Opportunities start appearing that just like make it easier for you or things that you wouldn't have seen a year ago Or two years ago and things just kind of fall into place as long as you do Keep on that grind and keep doing things every single day to reach your dreams. So anyway, that's it for the video guys I think this is longer than 10 minutes I think this is longer than 10 minutes. So I'm sorry. I always go long Maybe I'll stick to answering one question per q&a session. I don't know. We'll see also Let me know down in the comments if you want me to do these I'm planning on just doing this every week and any other kind of video that I have time to make I think that'll just be extra because I really think these are the most useful thing I can do at this time So anyway, thanks for watching. I hope you got some value out of my content I also hope that you'll press the like button Comment share this video with anyone who's trying to get into pa school. It really helps me out with the channel I really want to reach as many people as I can with this content to try to help them out I'm boris. I'm a second year pa student and I'll see you in the next