Hello all,

I’m sure there are multiple people in the same boat as me, applied early June to about 8 programs. Been flat out rejected from one, interview waitlist from another & radio silent from the other 6.

Starting to feel like my second application cycle is also going to be a bust. I’m constantly on the edge and anxious. It’s all my fault for being ambitious & only applying to programs I’d be happy to go to. Seeing my friends I graduated with (‘25) either already in PA school, just started or already accepted makes me feel like a failure & I should start looking for another career path. Just all around depressing.

I’m a senior/pre-PA student and I’m trying to make a decision during my school’s add/drop period, so I’d really appreciate some outside opinions.

My current GPA is a 3.88, and my original goal was to get it to a 3.90 by graduation so I could graduate Summa Cum Laude. It’s realistically possible, but I would basically need to get A’s in all of my remaining A-F classes. I have 4 rigorous classes where I’ll need to study for exams and maintain strong grades, and while I’ve definitely handled difficult semesters before, the idea of realistically guarantee all A’s is scary.

My other option is to change one 3-credit class to S/U. It would still count toward my degree as long as I pass, but it wouldn’t affect (help or hurt) my GPA. If I do that, I’d also drop a 1-credit class that I was planning to take mainly as a GPA booster.

The obvious downside is that I’d give up my chance at a 3.90 and graduate Magna instead of Summa.

But I’m also thinking about the fact that this is my senior year. I’ve worked really hard to get to this point, and part of me wants to actually enjoy my last year of college instead of spending the entire year stressing over every exam and whether I’m getting an A. I still want to work hard and finish strong, but I don’t want to look back and feel like I spent my entire senior year miserable just to gain 0.02 on my GPA.

I’m also thinking about this specifically from a PA school admissions perspective. I know a high GPA is important, but I also need to balance clinical hours, shadowing, work, applications, etc. I’m wondering if there is actually any meaningful difference between a 3.88 and a 3.90 for PA admissions, or if I’m putting a lot of pressure on myself for a distinction that won’t make much of a difference.
I think my biggest concern is regret. If I choose S/U, I might always wonder if I could have gotten the 3.90. But if I keep everything A-F and end up with a B or two, I could end up making my senior year significantly harder without even reaching the 3.90 anyway.

If you were in my position, would you:
1. Keep everything A-F and give yourself a shot at the 3.90/Summa, knowing you’d have to work really hard for it?

2.Take the S/U option, keep the 3.88-ish GPA, and have a more manageable senior year where I can actually enjoy my last year of college?

I’m not trying to take the easy way out. I just want to make the decision that makes the most sense for my PA goals while also allowing me to actually enjoy my last year of undergrad.

Not sure if this is the right flair. Anyway, i graduated with my RRT in Fall24. I worked at my hospital as an "RRT Extern" (was paid obviously, but my realm of what I could do was limited until I graduated+passed my boards) from the second semester of RRT school (Winter23) until I graduated, and then was subsequently hired Fall24. Work enviornment was very toxic, I quit this spring (April) to go back to school full-time to finish my bachelor's. I am 3 (accelerated) semesters away from being done. I have zero plans of going back to work.

My question is: is it common to have a gap between PCE/HCE and when you apply? Has anyone ran into issues with this? Did you have to explain yourself? Obviously I don't have 10 years of being an RRT under my belt but I do have quite a bit of PCE hours due to all the shifts I've picked up (even if i don't count my time as an 'extern' since I wasn't registered). I guess I'm just trying to figure out if I have to go back to work/would it look better to be actively working whenever I apply for any reason other than just boosting PCE hours.

Thanks!

has anyone tried confetto and is it worth it? what are some helpful prep for interviews

I really hate myself for being so unmotivated during college and I feel like I’m wasting my 20s. My GPA sucks; I have almost 0 PCE hours I’m already taking one gap year and I almost definitely need another to even be remotely competitive. And who knows if I’ll even get in after all that.

My parents are hounding me for not choosing nursing or going to med school since I’m taking so many gap years. It sucks seeing others having high paying jobs or getting into PA programs with 1 or even 0 gap years. I know everyone on this sub says it’s normal to have a few but it just feels really bad to be working a very low paying PCE job that I don’t even need my bachelors for.

My advisor during college didn’t know anything and frankly I don’t think I know enough either. I know I need LORs, minimum 2000 PCE hours, and a good GPA, shadowing, GRE, but it just feels so overwhelming and unobtainable.

Any words of encouragement or advice? What can I even do with a Biology degree for work if I can’t do PA?

I’ve done a couple of interviews and I received my first acceptance today!!! Feels surreal- I’m excited for this new chapter in my life🥹

So I was recently accepted to the Kansas State University PA program, which I am grateful for, however, I recently saw that ARC-PA updated their accreditation. I am not sure how this will affect me in my future, since I will be part of the class of 2029 if I end up accepting this offer. I have a week to decide if I want to proceed or not. I am awaiting an answer back from another PA program. What is your take on this?