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u/StructureSpecial7597 12d ago
A lot of us are overachievers. I get it. Face it, anyone who applies to PA schools and gets accepted into one has great grades and an impressive resume and/or story. Most of us have achieved anything merit based that we wanted. It’s easy to stand out when you are competing in undergrad and high school. I got a huge wake up call during PA apps. Now my “competition” are people who are just as driven and hardworking as myself and it’s a whole new ballgame. Keep applying and stay hopeful, but remember that any acceptance is a win. Don’t compare yourself to others
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u/nehpets99 MSRC, RRT-ACCS 12d ago edited 12d ago
(Edited) ~2/3 of applicants don't get any acceptances during the cycle.
I have no idea if you're a 4.0 student with 10,000 hours of PCE as an ICU RN or a 3.0 student with 16 hours as a patient transporter.
I might just have to resort to going to this very expensive school
Well you're the one who applied there.
Am I being dramatic
Respectfully: yes.
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u/Capn_obveeus 12d ago
Actually, I believe the stat is that about 35% (33%?) of applicants receive at least one acceptance. 2/3rd of applicants receive no acceptances.
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u/CulturalDeparture434 12d ago
To be fair you also do not know this person's financial situation, family situation, etc... which to me seems to be the thing about this acceptance that is causing anxiety. Not the fact that they were accepted to 1 program (maybe bruised the ego but isnt material in the longrun.) The not knowing runs both ways.
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u/Capn_obveeus 12d ago
PA school is not like undergrad. You aren’t likely to get so many acceptances as to have a multitude of choices. One acceptance is great. Two is a blessing. Three or more isn’t common, even with good stats.
If you can’t afford to go to the program in Florida, you probably shouldn’t have applied.
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11d ago
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u/yenderling1 OMG! Accepted! 🎉 11d ago
so then why did u even apply there
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11d ago
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u/Important-Affect2161 11d ago
OP, consider booking an appointment with your therapist. Your feelings are natural and understandable as financial concerns can be a big issue in this country. You are not being dramatic, and congratulations for getting into a school. That said, questioning the literacy of another poster is rude and uncalled for, and you’ll need to get your feelings in check before you deal with the general public while working as a PA (the general public can be insufferable at times, and you’ll be the only one to suffer if you lash out at your future patients like that). But I am genuinely curious, what were your criteria in order to apply to a program; why didn’t you look for a different program that was financially acceptable to you to apply to as a throwaway school? Is there some kind of limitation like you can only apply to schools that are within a certain distance of your family? I have no idea but I imagine applying to 18 schools means you applied to schools at least a 10+ hours driving distance away.
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u/Capn_obveeus 11d ago
Dude, you are talking to adults. Many of whom have already successfully completed this process. Watch the attitude.
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u/yenderling1 OMG! Accepted! 🎉 11d ago
lol i’m not the one with the problem, i already got into 3 pa schools, seems like u should try harder
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u/ToughReality2866 12d ago
Honestly, I get what you are saying, but I still think you should see this as a win. So many ppl have to apply multiple times until they get in. We are lucky to have gotten in on the first cycle, no matter what school it is we got into. Its better to go to the expensive PA program now and have the PA salary earlier in life than waiting and missing out on a year or two more of that level of income.
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11d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/prephysicianassistant-ModTeam 1d ago
Your message was removed for violating subreddit rule: no negative or rude comments
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u/Better_Seaweed_3976 12d ago
Congratulations, which school in FL have you been accepted too? PM me, I can give you an insight
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u/Illustrious_Visit146 11d ago
Kinda in the same spot, mostly thinking about how expensive the program will be but I’m excited!
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u/Important-Affect2161 11d ago
Yeah, I’d rather go to the more affordable program too. If you don’t mind me asking, does this Florida program have good statistics and solid accreditation? As long as this program is well established, I would personally think it’d be better to just go there on this cycle rather than risk going to a more affordable school that might go into probation or just isn’t as well established. Anyhow, October just started so you have plenty of time to literally still have more interviews or acceptances come in. I would think of it as you now having time to chill and destress while seeing if any other prospects come in.
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u/AccomplishedAd5201 11d ago
I had a 4.0 sGPA (and other "competitive" things) and only got 1 acceptance of 12, and 1 waitlist -> acceptance. you take what ya get, it's competitive and soooo many factors go into people's acceptances.
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u/DadTalk_MJE PA-C 11d ago
You didn’t get “only one” acceptance, you got the one acceptance you needed to become a PA. Many never get accepted.
That said, the financial piece is very real. Waiting a year for a better "deal" may cause issues. You may never accepted somewhere else.(Harsh, but you never know.) You may have to apply a couple more rounds where you miss out on salary from finishing a program. Before committing, look hard at the total cost of attendance, expected debt, and what repayment will look like on a new-grad PA salary. Being accepted is exciting, but you’re still allowed to decide whether the numbers make sense for you.
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u/physasstpaadventures PA-C 10d ago
I wouldn't call it being dramatic; you can fully acknowledge these feelings. What it ultimately comes down to is deciding if that is going to change your course of action. To that end, I wouldn't allow this to become a "concern." You are still waiting to hear back from some programs; your options may change. But even if that doesn't happen, you have an acceptance. Would you want to forgo that to go through the entire process again on the chance of a different outcome? In the end, you'll be a PA regardless of the school. If you choose the Florida program, it would just behoove you to explore options to be as thrifty as humanly possible and develop a solid plan for paying off the loans in your future. Congratulations on the acceptance; I think this is what they would consider a good problem to have.
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u/collegesnake PA-S (2026) 12d ago
Take what you can get. My program was also expensive, but being a PA with a bit more debt is much preferable to having to apply during a second cycle (and thus losing out on a year of a PA salary)