If I fail more often than you, I win
I have written before about the importance of becoming an epic failure and how this is a fundamental part of becoming an epic success.
I was cleaning out some of my old file cabinets today and came across my PA school application documents from 2001.
I will be sharing three of them below.
If you are experiencing setbacks on your path to becoming a Physician Assistant I want you to know that this is a normal part of the process.
Do not be discouraged: failure met with perseverance, is the key to long-term, sustainable success.
My PA School Rejection Letter #1 (Ouch!)
To help you reach your goals, it is important that you see my failures along with my successes.
Otherwise, you will be fooled into believing that success is a simple, pain-free process when in reality the path to each of my successes has been lined with the road kill of my many epic failures.
Whether it is God or otherwise, how we perceive a setback matters! (Listen 25 minutes)
This week, I won two free tickets as part of my daughter's kindergarten raffle to see James Durbin, an American Idol "outcast," play here on our shared hometown stage of Santa Cruz, California.
Although I am not that familiar with all of James' music, last night as he stood on stage, I realized just how much I respected this 25-year-old rocker.
Knowing all the public criticism he had to endure during his time on the Idol stage, the sting of being "voted off" and rejected by his peers, not to mention the many obstacles he had to overcome in a lifelong battle with Tourette's and Asperger's syndrome.
Last night, he spoke to the sold out crowd (many of whom were young, screaming teenage girls) and divulged his story of how his pediatrician told his parents to keep their expectations low. Just goes to show what you can do with a dream and a whole lot of grit.
Don't even get me started on the Olympics!
It may sound cliché to say that we learn more from our failures than from our successes, but nevertheless, this is true.
Because life is a process of trial and error, and error, and even more error until finally you succeed!
The key is to hang in there long enough, don't give up with the struggling masses, there is light at the end of the tunnel no matter how dim and distant it may seem.
PA Rejection Letter #2 (Your Killing me)
So success is simply the result of a long series of epic failures if you have done things right.
Reading the above rejection letter so many years later I am almost embarrassed to admit that I didn't have a 3.0 GPA, but there is a back-story not written on this rejection letter. This proves the point that an isolated number outside of any context is just a point along a curve that when seen alone is pretty much useless.
Don't become a point on a curve. The trend is what matters! In what direction are you trending?
And just when you thought the pain and suffering couldn't go on . . .
My Rejection Letter to the National Health Service Corps (The kick in my proverbial balls)
Yes, I was even rejected by the National Health Service Corps the first time I applied. Although not the second . . .
And yes, I received even another rejection letter from OHSU, but I must have thrown that one into the fire.
My Acceptance Letter to PA School
At first, it seemed odd to me that among this stack of failed attempts I could not find my acceptance letter into PA school.
I remember it so well, that simple single sheet of white paper with red and black ink letterhead, about four sentences long sporting an official UMDNJ seal.
I read it in the rain, on a cold Seattle evening by streetlight, heart beating, exhausted after a long day of work. The feeling of nausea rose to my chest as I held the two corners of that letter, and I said a short prayer before I tore it open.
I made a promise to God and myself that if this dream came true, I would use my training always to relieve the suffering of others and to make the world a better place.
Spoiler alert I was accepted, and I am still working hard to keep my promise.
My Message to You
If you have received a rejection letter fear not my fellow epic failures, I too have stood demoralized in your shoes.
But do not let that define you, let it guide you, let it be the road kill that you can look back upon with pride years later when you are writing a blog post hanging out your dirty underwear with pride for all the world to see.
Here are my rejection letters. I am posting them as a reminder of what should make you stronger. I saved them because they are a source of motivation, and I hope they can provide you with some peace of mind as well.
If you can learn to see adversity as a tool to help you reach your goals you can turn what seemed to be a "setback" into a "set up" for something truly wonderful.
Thank you for reading, and I wish you the best wherever you may be on your journey to PA-C.
- Stephen Pasquini PA-C
photo credit: venspired
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Hello!!!
I really need help with a few things and would appreciate if you could address my concerns. I’ve researched a lot about how the minimum amount of hours is 2000 for PA school. Would that make me an inferior candidate in the application process? I also want to better understand: So let’s say I apply to 10 schools in one year, what are the odds of me getting into at least one of them. Worse, what if I don’t get accepted into any, then what am I supposed to do? I can’t just wait to apply again the next year. So what would I do? Please help! Thank you:)
Hi Yasmeena,
If you sort by healthcare experience hours you will see there is a lot of variance between schools and what they require, that’s a good thing: https://www.thepalife.com/pa-program-picker/
But, it’s important to remember that this is all weighted against everything else you bring to the table. Somebody who is an older applicant with a lot of life experience that mirrors that which would be found from day to day in clinical practice may not need as much HCE.
Also, when you look at who gets into PA school (https://www.thepalife.com/who-gets-in/) you will often see numbers as these quoted:
– If you apply to one PA program – you have a 25% chance of getting in
– If you apply to 12 programs (or more) – you have a 49% chance of getting in
But, this is based on averages of applicants, many who have applied multiple times over many years and probably is fairly useless when it comes to determining ones odds.
The truth is you just don’t know. But the journey doesn’t have to be one of pain and suffering, especially if you find something you are passionate about and enjoy doing while you are building the experience you need to be a strong applicant.
I worked for years during college and for another two years after graduation, this is a fairly traditional route. I also volunteered and did everything I could to make myself a desirable applicant. My GPA wasn’t outstanding on paper, if I hadn’t gotten in, I would have taken some additional classes as well. And just kept plugging along, trying to be creative in my pursuit.
As Nelson Mandela once said, “It always seems impossible until it’s done.” And that was after he spent 27 years in prison. 🙂
Hang in there!
Stephen
Thanks for this. I am a 32-year-old returning to school… AGAIN. I already have an MA in theology and lots of years of wasted effort as a pre-med student under my belt. Returning to the school was the last thing I ever wanted, but after hitting dead ends and brick walls in my search for a career that would satisfy me, I realized that the medical field was still a passion of mine. I decided last month to return to school. I have about a year’s worth of prerequisites to complete and just today received an overdraft notice from my bank. My current job won’t accommodate my school schedule, so I am currently searching for a new one that will support me. Already the opposition is overwhelming….and I haven’t even gotten started yet!!!! Rejection letters?!?!! Nonetheless, this was an inspiring read. Thank you.
Thank you so much for your support. This cycle was my first after working 5 years after my bachelors degree towards being more competitive. I have had unfortunate life events that derailed my potential in undergraduate.
The “trend” is dramatic but the overall effect on my GPA stats was marginal. My GRE was considered competitive by most programs. Only 2 out of 12 programs gave me the opportunity to tell the story beyond the numbers. I assume it was because I had a strong personal statement. One was a waitlist, but I have not moved up the waitlist enough to be admitted.
I am trying to get back on the horse and give it my all for round two. Finances limit taking more classes. I took a giant pay cut in switching careers in order to have direct patient contact. Almost all of my savings and emotions were invested in being admitted this cycle.
I am hoping if I secure more PA shadowing opportunities, apply earlier, and retake the GRE that will improve the results of next cycle. Thank you for keeping the hope alive!
Good luck Anna, and hang in there.. I know it is frustrating but PA school applications are a competitive process and patience and persistence are just part of the equation. Your time will come, keep up the great work.
Stephen
I am a medical doctor foreign graduate, I want to enter into the PA school here at USA. I have the GPA 3.88 from Bangladesh and GRE is little painful 142 and 144 written 3.O. Have the clinical exposure for last 2 years. Can you give me the suggestions in what PA school will I get the chance for the approval?
Ofcourse you only want the direct answer. Don’t want to deal with researching yourself, just want a quick answer on where u can get in. I am Indian too and lemme tell u, ur grades don’t mean diddly squat. U need to do the HANDS ON hours, u need to volunteer, u need to show ur someone other than the self serving person u actually are.
A “tell me what to do” person really has no business being a healthcare provider. If you don’t go out of your way to do research to get into a program, how will I trust you as my primary care physician to do research on my illnesses and become a better provider by learning? You may want to re-evaluate the reasons you want to be a healthcare provider, friend.
Congrats on your acceptance and completion. I was just rejected 8 hours ago by University of Wisconsin Madison. I am a practicing Speech Therapist (20+ years) including graduating cum laude with BSE and a 3.89 with MS, I am a veteran of the Army, and have had cancer and a stroke so I’m familiar with both sides of the bed rail. At this point am very dejected because I’m not sure what else to do. I doubt very seriously they are waiting for the 23rd year of experience to let me in. Didn’t even get an interview. Am a little frustrated right now. I suppose there is always barber college.
Hi Dave,
As you have experienced in life (more than most) some things just aren’t fair. I am so sorry to hear that you weren’t accepted this year because you sound like an excellent and deserving PA school candidate. I felt very dejected and hopeless after my 5’th rejection letter, but if this is something you truly believe in I would encourage you not to let this stop you. From what you have told me you are very qualified and have assets and experiences that will make you an excellent PA. Can you apply to other programs or is your heart set on just this one?
Stephen
I appreciate the kind words of encouragement. After the rejection email I had come up with many words too but they weren’t as kind. I am in the process of checking the requirements for 3 other schools that are within a 1.5 hour drive. The one I had applied to had the lowest requirement burden (no GRE, 4 prerequisites I had not completed) but I should be able to complete enough for at least one other by next cycle. The frustrating part was not even receiving an interview. Very upsetting. Will take some time to decompress and reassess and then continue to drive on. Any one in particular you had go over your personal statement? I had a PA and several therapist go over mine. Should I try a different route? Appreciate the time.
Hi Dave,
Sue (who literally wrote the book on it) works with me as part of our essay collaborative. We have helped a lot of applicants, many who are on a second application cycle. We would be happy to help if you need another set of eyes. I think it is good to apply to other schools. Don’t worry that you didn’t get an interview, that means nothing when it comes to your other applications.. honestly, from what I can tell, it is their loss!
I truly wish you the best of luck and am rooting for you!
Stephen
Hello again Stephen,
I certainly wouldn’t mind an extra set of eyes on the essay. I had it reviewed by a PA prior to submitting it as well as my boss (an OT). Would love an outside perspective. Also have 4 PA’s lined up to shadow. I look forward to hearing from you.
Regards,
Dave
Hello Stephen!
After receiving rejection letters, probable due to a low science GPA, do you recommend retaking science classes that I received a C on? Or pursuing a masters in a science field so that admissions committee will see that I am capable of doing well in science courses?
Thanks,
Melanie
Hello Stephen,
I congratulate you on such a great and insightful website. I noticed many schools state they would like to see some extracurricular activities e.g. Volunteering. I think I’m a competitive candidate, but I haven’t done much volunteering.
Do you have any suggestions on how to improve in that area?
Hey Stephen, I’m going to graduate soon and is going to start applying for pa school. I want to know if I have a 2.7 gpa and science gpa of 2.9. I have a decent GRE score. I have 500+ shadow hours and healthcare experience. What are my chances of getting in? I’m scared I won’t get in and don’t have a back up plan
Hi Muhammad,
As you and I both know the PA applicant field is very competitive and schools may favor a candidate with equal qualifications who also have a strong science GPA. Does this mean they are a better candidate? Not necessarily, but it may stand in your way of getting an interview. Research school on the paschoolfinder website to find those that accept applicants with a science GPA of 2.9 or below: http://www.paschoolfinder.com/?s=&category=371&location=&a=true (that is just for 2.9) and here are a list of schools that accept a sceince GPA of 2.8 http://www.paschoolfinder.com/?s=&category=466&location=&a=true . Then you must cross reference this with the overall GPA score and see if you qualify.
As you may have seen I applied to a school with a lower than required overall GPA and was accepted… even above other applicants with 4.0 GPAs who were waitlisted. So experience, and letters of recommendation etc. etc. does matter. But there are no guarantees. And you should have a “backup plan”. I don’t think it should be to give up on your dream of becoming a PA, but if you don’t get in this time around, what could you do? There are always options… so don’t sell yourself short by giving yourself and ultimatum.
I truly do wish you the best of luck and I am rooting for you!
Stephen
In a moment of pure hopelessness, I thank God that I was able to come across your blog post. My question is after you got rejected the first three times, what did you do differently to change your destiny from continuous rejection letters to an acceptance letter?
I changed one thing – my personal statement. And in my opinion this made all the difference.
Stephen
I am a non traditional student and had a very low undergrad gpa due to health reasons (I was diagnosed with epilepsy and found it very hard to concentrate on school under the meds). I had the option to appeal those grades with a note from a dr. Problem is this happened over 10 years ago and I can’t get in contact with the physician who was treating me at the time. How do I put this info in a personal statement without sounding like I’m making excuses or like I’m not capable of succeeding in the program.
hi!
i have a dilemma. i have a GPA of 2.98 overall GPA and science of 2.65. reading your quick blog is helping me push through. I was a pre-pt student in undergrad and then worked at PT clinic for almost 5 years and noticed it wasn’t what i wanted. then i went to a post-bacc program and re-took some classes (as i thought i wanted to do DO), i applied one year and was told to re-take the MCAT. i took it and got the score they wanted considering my low low overall GPA. I am not a medical scribe, and work for a PM&R doctor alongside a couple of PA’s. I am now noticing, that god has plans for us because my route has been extra ordinary. do you think i should keep applying? it is disheartening and need some advice!
thanks!
after you reply to this, do you mind editing my last name out. thanks!
Hi Jennifer, it sounds like you have been able to accumulate a good amount of healthcare experience! It is not my place to tell you what to do, I am sure some people would have told me not to bother applying to PA school, my undergraduate guidance counselor probably would have been one of them. But there are things you “want” to do and then things you “have” to do. For me, this was something I “had” to do, so I am not sure there is much that could have stopped me. Of course like you, I also took a winding path which led to PA school, when I got there I knew it was the right path. When I received my first 4 or 5 denials I knew that I had to change my approach, that is when I opened up a can of honesty and poured that into my application and my personal statement. With a lower than average GPA you have to be excellent everywhere else, it is like being short and wanting to play professional basketball. You better have a good jump shot. 🙂 The good news is that you can work on your jump shot, ball handling and your vertical leap and prove that you can hold your own on the court. But in the end you have to ask yourself, is this a “have” to do or “want” to do? How you answer this is likely to determine your success.
Stephen
When applying again onto CASPA, is it best to start a fresh application or to copy the application data from the previous cycle?
Hi Aesha,
Be sure you highlight anything new you have done and also make sure you submit a new personal statement highlighting your new skills and accomplishments since your last application cycle. When we interviewed PA admissions faculty for our book everyone agreed that this was a must!
Best of luck!
Stephen
Stephen, reading this gave me tons of hope. I had an interesting undergrad experience and was in and out due to illness. I was not smart enough at the time to withdrawal and kept trying to push through. Which brings us to now. My GPA is in the whole and now I am older more mature and ready to go after my goals. I have enrolled in an MA program to help with my health care hours and have a plan to e try pre reqs and redo some other classes to have a solid 40-60 hours to show my true potential. So I say all that to ask this question. Do you think that this will be enough? Will my GPA haunt me forever?
Hi Nicole,
The answer is absolutely not. You have had time to mature and build career capital. What matters is now and if you can do well you will have proven that you are not only a very capable candidate but also someone who is able to overcome adversity and driven to pursue their goals.
Hang in their, make a plan then go for it!
Stephen
I just recently applied to CASPA this cycle (first year applicant). I feel as though I have a great chance at getting in, I’ve been preparing for this day for the past 3 years- however, upon my CASPA submission I noticed one error in my personal statement (I used the word “chose” instead of “choose” i.e. wrong tense). I am unsure and very scared if this will hurt my chance of gaining entrance into my program, and have contacted a few of the schools admission counselors in order to see if I could send a separate document of my corrected statement to them as CASPA does not allow editing after submission. I was wondering how you felt about this?
Hi Chelsea, I am not sure I have ever read an essay that is 100% free of errors. Even upon rereading my PA school personal statement I was able to find several errors. If your personal statement is strong they most likely will overlook small errors or not even notice them. If it is not strong, errors in spelling or grammar help the committee confirm their bias. In other words, very small, “forgivable” grammar and spelling errors will not make or break your application especially if your essay is a real winner and you were able to avoid the big grammar pitfalls.
Best of luck!
Stephen
Hello!
This cycle will mark my 3rd consecutive year applying for PA school. Each year I gain more insight into my flaws from the year previous and each year I also gain more direct patient care hours through my profession as an athletic trainer (think sports medicine not personal trainer ;)) I am still on the fence about re-applying this cycle or taking a year off and re-applying the following cycle. The reason being, at my job I have the opportunity to gain full time employment now, which I would think, would be a positive when I apply for PA school next year due to the fact that I will gain a large quantity of direct patient care hours working full time. I have be given advice to just apply this cycle because it would look poorly that I took a year off.
Any Advice would be helpful!
Alicia
Hi Alicia,
I would apply again this year. You don’t have a lot to lose. I would also cast as wide a net as possible applying to at least 12 schools which meet your prerequisite coursework and experience. I would make sure I had a brand new personal statement – you certainly don’t want to reuse one from previous years, and if you are in contact with those who wrote your recommendations, try to get some new ones and also been up the existing ones. Make sure that in your personal statement you talk about what you have done over the years that have thought you more about the professional and why it has solidified your place in it.
Consider taking a language course in your spare time such as Spanish or other classes like Anatomy of Advance Physiology if you have some spare time. Join the AAPA and local PA organization, become a healthcare advocate for something you are passionate about and make sure you go to and PA conferences in your area. Put yourself out there!!!
Warmly,
Stephen Pasquini PA-C
Stephen,
Thank you! Your words of advice, and sincere thoughtfulness is just what I needed!
Alicia
Anytime ?
Hello Stephen,
Thank you very much for providing us with all the information! I am currently working as Medical Technologist and wish to go to PA School. My GPA is 3.2 and my science GPA is only 2.7. I graduated two years ago, and some schools require classes be taken within certain period of time. I took Immunology post bacc last semester and received an A. I will be taking Anatomy and Physiology I and II this semester as I have never taken it before. I did my own calculation, even if I score an A in A&P I and II, my science GPA will only be 2.8 max. My GRE is in the 50th percentile. I worked as a Clinical Research Assistant and have about 2000 hours of patient care. Would that be count as direct patient care? I performed EKG, vitals, assisted physicians when I was a CRA. What should I do to become more competitive? I really hope to apply this year; however, most of the deadlines come before I complete my A&P I and II courses.
Thank you!
Hi, I am currently a junior Medical Laboratory Science major hoping to go to PA school but this major is destroying my GPA. They keep telling us that if we can make it through this program, we will have no problem making it through medical/ PA school. Butttt the problem is getting in… I came into the major with a 3.2 but I’m a about to end my junior year with a GPA below a 3.0!!! I’ve talked to my advisor about PA school and she told me that it has become so competitive over the past few years, that I would need at least a 3.5 to even be considered. My patient care hours are through the roof from working as an EMT, a medical assistant, and working at the health center, but my grades are holding me back. I also plan on working after I graduate, just not as an MLS. What schools would take an applicant like me in todays competitive application pool?