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You are here: Home / Pre-Physician Assistant / What are Three Things You Wish You Could Say to Your Pre-PA Self?

What are Three Things You Wish You Could Say to Your Pre-PA Self?

BY Stephen Pasquini PA-C 2 Comments

What are Three Things You Wish You Could Say to Your Pre-PA SelfLife is full of regrets because life is full of choice.

I have collected a few regrets over the years, and if I were a betting man, I would guess you have some as well?

Regrets come in all shapes and sizes. Sometimes it's insignificant like choosing the wrong entree at a restaurant. Sometimes it's more nuanced like not applying for a summer internship, opting out of a global health trip, submitting your CASPA application weeks after your proposed deadline, waiting until the last minute to write your personal statement, missed application deadlines, missed shadowing opportunities, etc. etc. etc.

Most regrets are the consequence of fear, sapping our potential that, as a result, goes unfulfilled.

As a PA student, my greatest regret was not raising my hand more out of fear of embarrassment or humiliation. In a room full of PAs and medical students, I struggled with my insecurities to stave off imposter syndrome, often deflecting my gaze and lowering my head while others were raising their hands eager to answer a question or to perform a new procedure.

Courage, in these instances, takes a certain level of grit and self-confidence that I didn't always have.

So what if you, the wise person that you are now, could go back and speak to a younger version of yourself. What would you say?

What are Three Things You Wish You Could Say to Your Pre-PA Self?

What do PAs and PA students say when asked about three things they wish they had known as Pre-PAs?

Here are a few of the answers we collected when we asked our community on Facebook and Instagram.

  1. "You WILL get there"
  2. "Worrying is pointless but human so just ride it out without paying too much attention to it"
  3. "If you’re in undergrad maintain that high GPA!" @samantha_blaye

"Be confident when talking to patients, start studying from day one, exercise" @dukepa19

"You will get in when the time is right. Stop comparing yourself. You WILL be a PA!"  @pa_kathryn

"It depends on how far back I go, but probably just to stop worrying because it will all work out even better than you could have ever thought!" @kadieladyy

"You will become a PA. Trust the process. Enjoy your free time now "@caitieschwein

  1. "Never go into the profession if you are a person who cannot handle (patient's drama, physical exertion)"
  2. "Be sure to shadow a PA before getting into it"
  3. "Relax and everything will take time and effort. Slow down and trust the process. Get as much experience as needed" @lil_bit_of_sass

"Relax! Stressing yourself out is not going to help anything" @myway_topa

"Confidence comes with time and experience. You don’t learn everything in a year on rotations, you don’t learn it your first year in practice. Also, you need to teach and show your attending what you CAN do! Use your capabilities!" @just_a_pa

  1.  "Spend time with family NOW before your program starts, and prep them about your rigorous schedule because once your program begins you will miss out on a lot of family/friends events while in school (but it is worth it in the end)."
  2. "Be kind to yourself - figure out how you best decompress prior to starting your program and ALWAYS try to get enough sleep (I know this is easier said than done while in your program)."
  3. "Once you start your program, take it one day at a time. If you think too far ahead, the sheer amount of information you have to learn becomes too overwhelming and can feel paralyzing." @Heidi Braun

"Get comfortable with being uncomfortable! Exercise and eat healthy. Build up that mental fortitude!" @Landry Tucker 

"Don't believe the hype and choose the "big name" school over a smaller, cheaper school. Every accredited program meets the same criteria (and they all have their own issues), so pick the one that will give you the education and degree for less money!" @Anna Davis 

"I would think long and hard about my decision. I have been a PA for 17 years, and have been burnt out for the past 5! Lol It has its perks, but it is tough!" @Donna Marie 

"Breathe. There’s no rush" @Trisha Marie 

"Be smarter about your grades" @Charley Erin Bonnin 

Three Things I Wish I Could Say to My Pre-PA Self

What are three things I wish I could say to my Pre-PA self?

As I reviewed the list of responses from fellow PA colleagues, I could relate to all of them. As someone who applied to PA school in 2002 I admit it was A LOT different than it is in 2020. The profession, though established, did not possess the pop star quality that it enjoys now.

Hindsight being 20/20, it's easy to tell a younger version of myself to "relax, it will all work out.” But as a cash-strapped, eternally indebted, college undergrad, this and all the other "don't worry be happy" commentaries sounded like platitudes. What if it all didn't work out? What if I couldn't get into PA school? What would become of all my student debt, my life, my dreams, all my "untapped" potential?

So I would not tell myself to stop stressing out, or to relax, or to "have faith." Although these are all reasonable goals to have, they are not realistic. A certain level of stress can propel you to do great things, like stop streaming Netflix and start making calls to find a PA to shadow.

Here are three things that I would say to my pre-PA self with the power of hindsight

  1. When writing your personal statement, don't "try" to be what you think the ADCOMS want you to be.
  2. Comparison (though a powerful tool) should be limited to goal setting. Do not use it as a playbook for success.
  3. Every day, do at least one thing that scares you (within reason 😀).

Let's look at each of these more closely.

1. When writing your personal statement don't "try" to be what you think the ADCOMS want you to be

In high school, I was asked to attend the winter formal with a group of friends. I was paired with a strikingly attractive girl who, for namesake, I will call "Gina." I believed Gina was way out of my league.

When I arrived at Gina's house, she opened the front door and out blew what I can only describe as the cold, harsh draft of disappointment. My friend's dad had connections with a limousine rental agency and had borrowed a beautiful black stretch limo for the evening. Gina's parents took a photo of us on the front porch then we jumped in the limousine with all of our friends. It was the first time any of us had been in a limo, and everybody was talking, laughing, and enjoying the moment, but I felt insecure and undeserving. Usually smiling and boisterous, I retreated into a shy and awkward version of myself. Within 15 minutes after arriving at the dance, Gina was nowhere to be found!

Why am I telling you this story? Well, believe it or not, it has a lot to do with writing a winning personal statement.

Gina, although intimidating in her lovely dress, sparkly shoes, and "cool kid" standing was still just a person with insecurities and worries just like my own. My fear of looking ridiculous produced the result I feared most. This, my friend, is what they commonly call a "self-fulfilling prophecy."

While brainstorming ideas for my personal statement, I felt trapped in an endless feedback loop of self-doubt and preconceptions of what a "good" essay should be. Having just read edition one of Andrew Rodican's timeless classic "The Ultimate Guide to Getting Into Physician Assistant School," I had a textbook version of what Andrew told me PA schools were looking for in a personal essay. And,  just like high school Gina, this "girl" seemed way out of my league.

Based on these recommendations, I sat down, opened my laptop, and started writing.

The first personal statement I wrote was a dull, tedious essay that lacked inspiration yet required lots of perspiration to write. In essence, it was a letter I would have written to Gina.

My revised essay (go ahead and read it right now) was full of inspiration yet required very little sweat equity. I was able to write the entire essay from opening to the conclusion in less than an hour. It came from a place of joy, self-confidence, and belief in who I was as a PA school applicant.

You see, words are difficult to write when forced, strained, or based on the status quo. They are forced only when we write or speak using a gatekeeper, which is that little voice in our head that censors our words with the hopes of maintaining the status quo.

2. Comparison (though a powerful tool) should be limited to goal setting. Do not use it as a playbook for success.

“Striving for excellence motivates you striving for perfection is demoralizing.” - Harriet Beraiker

It would be foolish to say, don't compare yourself to others. We do it every day. It's an evolutionary tool that has many implications. We model our parents as babies, and this is why I sing poorly in the shower, it's also why I have lots of empathy and a huge smile.

Comparison is indeed just two sides of the same coin. It can drive one to become anorexic while inspiring another to win Olympic gold, and sometimes it can do both to the same person at different times. Like many things in this world, there is a right side and a wrong side to comparing ourselves to others.

I had a lot of self-doubt as a pre-PA. When I left the pre-med track, I struggled with feelings of failure. When I received a "C" in organic chemistry after a semester of literally working my ass off, I scheduled an appointment with my academic adviser. He reaffirmed my worst fears when he questioned my academic ability to pursue a career in medicine. I felt ashamed, knowing I had let myself, and worse yet, my parents, down.

So in this sense looking back, I want to say, "Hey, young Stephen don't be so hard on yourself." But as the saying goes, "difficulty is what wakes up the genius," and without these difficulties, it's hard to believe I would be where I am today.

So use comparison as a way to set goals. If you see that the average GPA for an accepted PA student is 3.4, then strive to maintain the best GPA possible and research all the prerequisites required to get into PA school. In this sense, the comparison will help you achieve your goals. You don't have to have an overall GPA of 3.4 (I certainly didn't') or have an outstanding GRE score (I didn't even take it), but you can set goals that align with your sensibilities and use other's achievements as metrics.  Model people who you admire. It's ok to set a high bar, but if you don't reach the bar, don't berate yourself with negative self-talk. It won't help the process. Instead, find other ways to excel.

3. Every day, do at least one thing that scares you.

“Courage is doing what you’re afraid to do. There can be no courage unless you’re scared.” - Eddie Rickenbacker

I used to have a quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson as my desktop wallpaper that read, "What we fear doing most is usually what we most need to do."

Let that one sink in for a moment.

It makes sense then that items on our to-do list with overdue expiration dates are things that intimidate us or seem overwhelming.

But if you tackle something you fear every day, you will have made it a long way to having done A LOT of what you need to do on your path to PA school.

Mark Twain recommended completing that most critical, most feared item on your to-do list as the first task of the morning. He referred to this as "eating a frog" which says if the first thing you do each morning is to eat a live frog, you can go through the day with the satisfaction of knowing that that is probably the worst thing that is going to happen to you all day long.

Your "frog" is your most significant, most important task, scariest task, the one you are most likely to procrastinate on if you don't do something about it.

What is your frog?

The Pre-PA path is riddled with these "scary" to-do list items. Pick one today and do it. Then move onto the next and the next and then the next, it is incredible to see what happens.

What are Three Things You Wish You Could Say to Your Pre-PA Self?

Do you have any regrets or any words of wisdom you would give to a younger version of yourself?

Do you have any advice for Pre-PAs who are embarking upon their PA journey?

If so, we would love to hear your thoughts in the comments section.

Thanks and have a beautiful day.

- Stephen Pasquini PA-C

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About Stephen Pasquini PA-C

A PA since 2004 and creator of The PA Life and Smarty PANCE Board Review websites. A National Health Service Corps Scholar and a graduate of The University of Medicine and Dentistry of NJ (Rutgers) PA Program and the University of Washington in Seattle, WA. Stephen's goal is to provide one-of-a-kind online resources for those interested in or practicing in the PA profession, to promote better access to healthcare for all and foster universal recognition/awareness of the PA profession. Read more about Stephen.

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Comments

  1. Peter Brumlik says

    November 18, 2020 at 3:34 pm

    I’ve been a PA for 40 years (military and civilian) my license number in my state is 01.. and I have a PhD in physiology. It has been a rewarding career however PA legislative representation as well as AAPA lobbying has been disappointing. Nurse practitioners, in spite of different training, have lobbied their way into the mid-level profession. In some states, nurse practitioners answer to the nursing board rather than the medical board. PA organizations need to be pro-active; supervising physicians need to be pro-active on behalf of their PA colleagues. When I retired, I was replaced by a nurse practitioner.

    Reply
    • Stephen Pasquini PA-C says

      December 3, 2020 at 6:18 am

      I echo your sentiments 100%, Peter. I do feel the AAPA is making an effort with optimal team practice to make PAs more competitive in the marketplace. What are your thoughts on this?

      Stephen

      Reply

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I just wanted to share that I got into USC! Woohoo!!! They just called me to share the good news. I’m feeling pretty shocked since that interview did not go as well in my head. I can’t believe I got into school during my first round of applications. This would not have been possible without you, and I really appreciate all the support you gave me throughout this process. 😊

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Sue Edmonson has been a great help in ensuring my personal statement made sense and fit what information I was trying to convey. Her ability to find the pertinent parts in an essay and gain more information about me to make the essay seem relative to my pursuits was truly a Godsend. Would recommend her and your company to others. Thanks!

Christopher Ohsie, Pre-PA

Carly did a great job helping my personal statement flow from paragraph to paragraph. She truly helped me show throughout the essay why I wanted to become a PA. What I really appreciated was she explained why each change was made; comments and reasons which not only helped with this one time essay but for all my future essays as well. Definitely was worth it!

Kathleen, Pre-PA

I got into my first choice program University of Southern California (USC)!!!!  Thank you so much for your help this cycle. I’m forever grateful.

Lanisha Cole, PA-S

I just wanted to give you an update! So far I have had two interviews and been accepted to both! I have three more interviews scheduled as of right now, and still waiting to hear from a handful of schools. Thank you so much for all of your help with my essay!

Jennifer Bidwell, PA-S

Carly was helpful and gave insightful comments while helping me to create more impact within my sentences. I feel confident and at ease knowing that my supplemental application has been reviewed in a thorough manner. Thank you for all your help!

Mina, Pre-PA

Sue was amazing! She was very quick at replying to my emails and looking over my paper and application. She was so helpful and has a way with words. I know I will continue to use her services throughout my application process!

Miranda, Pre-PA

The service provided was excellent. I really appreciate Duke taking the time and reviewing my essay multiple times and at that same time, making sure I am comfortable with the wording. Thank you for all your help!

Foram Patel, Pre-PA

I just wanted to let you know that I was accepted in the UW MEDEX program at my home campus in Anchorage, AK. After the long journey I’ve had, I finally was accepted to my top choice! It still seems surreal and I couldn’t be more excited! Thank you so much for the help and insight you gave me. I truly believe it helped prepare me and not be as nervous. I will definitely recommend you to anyone I know who is applying in the future.

Melanie, PA-S

Carly was so helpful and encouraging! I truly felt like I was in good hands, and I know my personal statement is much stronger now because of her!

Chloe, Pre-PA

Duke helped me write a great personal statement. I won’t know if I’ve been accepted to the program until Christmas/New Year’s, but I feel that it was worth every penny!

Alicia C. Pre-PA

Wanted to let you know how this application season was going for me so far.

I’ve had two interviews, still have at least three more scheduled, and I received my first acceptance last week.

Thank you again for your help!

M.S, Pre-PA

I was very pleased with this service. Writing has never been my strongest area. While I had the ideas that I wanted to convey I wasn’t able to articulate them as well as I’d hoped. Carly provided comments and suggestions without altering my central thesis. Any questions that I had were answered quickly and thoroughly. Any grammatical mistakes were also addressed which put my mind at ease. I would recommend The PA Life personal statement essay revision service to anyone applying.

Keith G, Pre-PA

I worked closely with Duke and Sue for the revisions on my personal statement. They must have edited my original version half a dozen times before they felt it was good enough to send off and never made it seem like an inconvenience. They always responded to my e-mails within a 24-hour time frame but usually got back to me within a few hours. I am very pleased with how my personal statement turned out thanks to all of their time, ideas and direction. The service the PA Life provides is well worth the money spent!

Personal Statement Collaborative

Michelle Murphy, Pre-PA

This was just what my essay needed. I am confident that I have answered all the questions without sounding too “braggy”.

Kelsey, Pre-PA

Loved this service and working with Sarah. She was super helpful and easy to talk with. Will definitely recommend this service to others.

Diana, Pre-PA

Sue was awesome and ensured I received my edited version of the essay in a timely manner. The editing was above exceptional and exceeded my expectations. Thanks so much!! You guys are awesome!

HK, Pre-PA

Sue was a huge help with my essay. Her edits made my essay sound much better grammatically and she pointed out some content problems I completely missed. She prompted me to write a few more paragraphs before her edit and added the information into my essay. That made a big difference. She was very knowledgable about what PA programs were looking for. I am really happy with your service. Worth every penny, THANKS!

Megan Stephenson, Pre-PA

I loved this service!!

Madeleine Zeichner, Pre-PA

I am so pleased with the review Carly provided me. Her responses were thoughtful and edits helped me in a lot of places where I felt totally stuck. So excited to be so close to a final draft with my personal statement. Thank you! TBD on the interview (fingers crossed)

Georgia Flynn, Pre-PA

This service was very helpful. My essay was edited and returned to me within a few days of me submitting it. The feedback was thorough and detailed. I am already planning on sending my essay for a second edit!

Sabrina, Pre-PA

I got in!! I got into PA school and I can’t thank you enough for your hand in helping me with this process. I received 7 interviews out of 12 applications, I was waitlisted at Jefferson, Salus, and Chatham. And I was accepted at Drexel and Stony Brook. I will be starting PA school in June! Thank you so very much!!

Natalie, Pre-PA

It’s very clear that Deanna, my editor, put a good amount of time and thought into this. She FAR exceeded my expectations, even providing me with two different possible drafts (my original copy was 1500 characters too long). After paying for two separate editing services, I was initially disappointed to find that the first had not provided anywhere close to the level of feedback/review/editing that I had hoped for. I thought I was on my own again with my personal statement and did not have high hopes for any additional edits at the time that I’d received the review from Deanna, of thePAlife. The first service I’d used provided reviews that were neither thoughtful, in-depth, nor helpful, but Deanna’s edits were each of those! My hopes had been shot down by the first service but were immediately uplifted after I received Deanna’s edits. Her feedback was timely, thorough, thoughtful, critical, and even supportive! She provided an exceptional service, and I would highly recommend her to anyone

Cierra, Pre-PA

I just wanted to email you and let you know that 3 weeks post-interview with Gannon, I was accepted into the class of 2023! I am so excited and thrilled and I know that your help, helped me. So, thank you!

Cailin, PA-S

Duke and I worked really well together. Seeing my first draft in comparison to my final draft was like night and day. I really appreciate all the help!

Kenzi H. Pre-PA

Duke made some important modifications to my essay and offered several helpful suggestions. I appreciated his insight and a keen eye.

Ilina K. Pre-PA

Susan did a fantastic job editing my essay! She guided me and gave me suggestions for strengthening certain sections and equally took out weak parts. After I followed her recommendations, I really felt like I had an essay where every sentence mattered and reflected who I was. Thank you so much Susan for your help. I feel that I have a stronger essay because of your honest feedback and your help!

Amanda Pre-PA

My editor with The PA Life was amazing! I am so thankful for her attention to detail and wonderful editing skills. I am thrilled with how my personal statement turned out and can’t thank you enough for all of your help.

Olivia, Pre-PA

My editor did an excellent job with my essays. I struggle with writing emotionally and she took my material and really personalized it. I feel very confident sending in my essays after having her look at them. She promptly returned my essays and did a stellar job. Thank you!

Danielle, Pre-PA

Thank you for taking the time to edit my paper! The feedback was constructive and very helpful. I liked how you highlighted all the strong points in my essay. It made me feel reassured that my essay was heading in the right direction. I also liked how you told me exactly what I needed to add to make it stronger.

Juliana, Pre-PA

I wanted to update you and say I’ve been accepted into two programs (waiting for two more responses) with Jefferson University (my program of choice) being one of them. Thank you for all your help and your tips and for making this a genuinely joyful 2022!

Yejin (Future PA)

Ms. Edmondson was incredible! She provided great feedback and answered all of my follow up questions. I will keep in touch as to my interview offers.

Ashley, Pre-PA

I am amazed by what Deanna was able to do in helping me get my supplemental essays in shape. I had hit a serious roadblock and she was able, and in an incredibly quick manner, help me remove those blocks. I am very grateful!

Lily, Pre-PA

I’m emailing you to let you know that I received an acceptance call yesterday! It’s my first cycle applying so I’m still in shock. This may sound weird to say, but you have been a part of my journey since the beginning when I was trying to figure out how to write my personal statement, to practicing for the interview that led to my acceptance. I genuinely believe that I would not have been accepted into the program if it weren’t for you.

Anthony, PA-S

I am mind-blown by my editor Carly’s work. My original essay is like an ill-fitting suit. She hemmed and adjusted it in all the right places and now it looks perfect. I don’t think I’m a bad writer, but I don’t write often and I have spent the past 10 years of my life focused on health sciences. I may have never been able to do this on my own. Thank you thank you, I consider this essay service a bargain.

Rebecca, Pre-PA

This was an AMAZING edit and I am highly satisfied with the level of service. 100% made it a worthwhile investment. I also used myPAresource and, although they were helpful, I found the PA Life to be a much higher quality evaluation of my personal statement. I will highly recommend it to my peers!

Jeremy, Pre-PA

This is my second time using this editing service and I am highly satisfied with the results! Sarah Schultz worked with me on both my personal statement and a supplemental essay, both times providing excellent advice and editing on my papers. It was a pleasure working with her, and I look forward to hearing back from programs soon to see if I receive an invitation for an interview.

Sarah, Pre-PA

I am very thankful for all of the work and time invested in me.  I learned incredible amounts from Duke about writing. Though some of it didn’t make sense to me, I knew he was right and I learned to trust him. He helped me more than any of the other dozen people I had trusted with my essay. This is such a big part of my future and my dreams and I honestly appreciate all of his work to help me get in. Thank you, Duke.

Andrew N. Pre-PA

This was a very quick service and the attention to detail and response time was amazing. I thank you for having a service like this and am so happy I decided to go with the PA Life!!

Rachel, Pre-PA

I am happy to provide an update. I received 5 acceptances for this cycle and will be attending Rush University PA Program starting in May 2022. Of course, I definitely have Sarah Schultz and Deanna Matzen from The PA Life to thank for their incredible help with my personal statement, instilling confidence in my ability to interview, and providing me with a lot of advice in this very difficult cycle.

Bristi (Future PA)

This is my third time applying to PA programs. With my first two attempts, I only had close friends, family, and peers help me with my personal statement. I never even thought about going through a professional personal statement review service until after I had failed to get into PA programs my second time around. My prerequisites are expiring soon and the thought of going through the entire process of applying a fourth time terrifies me. I was hesitant to purchase the one-on-one service but after going through it, I am so glad that I did. Sarah was my editor and she is incredible. She genuinely understands how frustrating yet exciting this process is. I submitted my initial personal statement to her and within a day, she had already gotten back to me with detailed feedback. She even goes as far as telling you how many characters she wants you to add in different parts of your essay – this was extremely helpful for me because I tend to be a little wordy sometimes rather than succinct. Sarah helped me to highlight my strengths, experiences, and reasons for why I have spent so many years pursuing the PA career. This is an incredible service and I highly recommend that you take advantage of it! I am still in the process of completing my supplemental applications but I am more confident now than I have been with my first two attempts!

Christian S. Pre-PA

Working with Sarah was a wonderful experience. She was prompt, attentive, and incredibly supportive throughout the process. Sarah never deviated from the authenticity of my essay. Even after she made vast changes, the essay still felt true to what I wanted to express. Thank you, Sarah! I would recommend this service to anyone applying to PA school.

Ashley, Pre-PA

Carly edited my essay, providing a generous amount of comments on why she believes that her changes make for a stronger essay. She gave amazing advice and I know that my personal statement is much more well written than before the edits were made. Definitely worth the money!

Alexa, Pre-PA

I can’t begin to explain how thrilled I am to have stumbled on this service. Like many other PA applicants, I was unsure of whether I was on the right track with my personal narrative. Reading Stephen’s two different PA school application essays showed me how to come up with something unique and creative, but the private personal statement review really made my essay shine.

Duke was so kind and helpful in helping me understand what admissions committees look for in a strong essay. Our phone conversations were so thorough, as we read through and discussed every word in my essay. Sue’s guidance helped me cut out the fluff to reach the character limit.

Melissa T. Pre-PA

I am extremely pleased with this service. It is exactly the kind of constructive criticism I was hoping to receive. I had my essay reviewed by “myparesources” and was not very satisfied with their general comments. Sue put a lot of time and effort and gave me concrete examples of how to change my essay for the better. I WILL recommend this service over all others. Thank you so much!

Joe, Pre-PA

Sarah was absolutely wonderful. She not only helped take my personal statement to the best level, but she also made it easy to understand why certain changes were better. In the end, she went through and used a highlighting method to show how we connected things to PA and skills that were good. This made it easier to visualize everything. I’d recommend Sarah to anyone applying to PA school that needs that extra push on their personal statements.

Taylor, Pre-PA

I just wanted to send you a quick email, letting you know that I finally got accepted into PA school! I will be attending Sacred Heart University in Connecticut and will be starting this fall. I could not have made it this far without your help! This was my third time applying and during my first two cycles, I didn’t think that I needed outside help. But this time around, I decided that I needed to change my tactic and I am so freaking happy that I did. Your guidance and advice on my personal statement absolutely made a difference. I had 6 interviews and got accepted into 4! You have helped changed my life and I am forever grateful. I have several friends who will be applying this cycle so I will be referring them to you!

Christian, Pre-PA

Duke really pushed me to write from the heart and explore my true reasons for applying to PA school.  I was very pleased with the outcome.  I haven’t yet received an interview, but my fingers are crossed!

Emily P. Pre-PA

Duke helped me with my essay and he was great! He really helped me fine tune my essay so it’s ready for submission and answered all of the question I had about small details in my essay. He was also great about responding to emails in a timely manner. I definitely recommend this personal statement review service to anyone who’s applying to PA school…even if it’s just as a final read-through before submitting it on their application.

Tyler J. Pre-PA

I am very pleased with the services provided! I received an email almost immediately upon submitting my essay for review, and within 24 hours my essay review was completed. I would definitely recommend this service to any PA school applicant before they submit their essay to CASPA! Thank you for your help!

Hannah Watson, Pre-PA

The ease, frequency, and promptness of communication were some of the best aspects of this service. I found the review and revisions to be very thoughtful and explained in a way where I knew exactly how to apply them to my essay. I would 100% recommend the PA Life PS review to any applicant, and especially enjoyed working with Carly. I am hopeful my personal statement will gain the attention of PA programs I am applying to.

Charlie, Pre-PA

I absolutely love the way my essay sounds! I truly appreciate all of your help. I will definitely recommend prospective PA students your way! It’s been a pleasure.

Natalie, Pre-PA

An amazing experience. Glad to have worked with Duke. He did his best, and it was very enjoyable.

Anand T. Pre-PA

This company is THE BEST! Carly did such an awesome job of not only revising my personal statement but also explaining every step she made. It helped me understand why certain things fit better in different places and helped improve my writing. I am able to submit my applications confidently, knowing that I have a strong personal statement. I HIGHLY recommend this service!

Tiffany M, Pre-PA

I had such a great time working with Carly. She is very prompt, understanding, and reliable. She made my personal statement very easy to read and helped me convey my words the way I intended it. I’m couldn’t be happier with my final essay and I really appreciated Carly’s effort to edit and re-edit until we were pleased with the result. I’m so glad that I worked with Carly and I thank her for what she did with my PS!!!

Zulhumar, Pre-PA

I just wanted to let you know that the majority of my interviews have gone really well! So far, I’ve received six interview invites and have interviewed for five schools. Midwestern (AZ) just got back to me a bit ago, and they sent me an acceptance email! I am beyond thrilled! I just wanted to thank you so much for your help! Your mock interview gave me a lot of confidence that I was able to carry into my interviews! I appreciated having the opportunity to practice my interview skills with you. I wanted to let you know just how much you’ve helped me with my application process (with my interviews, personal statement, and just my confidence in general)! Thank you so much for all of the advice over the past few months!

Sneh, PA-S

Deanna was amazing! She really went above and beyond the single-edit that I could afford. I consider myself a pretty good writer, but she helped me focus and ground my story without sacrificing the overall creativity of the original piece. All I can say is wow! If there ever was something worth the money, this service is it!

John S. Pre-PA

I just want to thank you again so much for being so awesome and helping me perfect my statement. I promised you that I would let you know if I got into any programs, and I was offered interviews at all the five universities I applied to. And I got offered positions at my top two school choices shortly after I interviewed. I am so ecstatic to say that I will be going to my number one school choice. I know multiple factors contributed to this opportunity being offered to me and the personal statement was surely a big one. Thank you so much for all that you do. It was really a great investment to have you edit my paper. I hope you have a fantastic rest of your day!

Elisa, PA-S

Carly blew away all my expectations. She not only suggested edits to refine the content, but she also made grammatical and structural changes that fine-tuned my essay and allowed it to flow. I came into the editing process feeling hopeless about my personal statement, but with her edits, I feel confident that it will stand out. On top of all that, Carly was very timely in editing and returning my essay – I got it back within a few days! I’m very pleased with her service and recommend it to anyone out there who needs a fresh, professional set of eyes on their personal statement.

Stephanie, Pre-PA

Carly did a fantastic job helping my personal statement create fluid and concise writing to help convey my experience! I highly recommend using this service even if you think your statement is solid because they will help make it better than you could have imagined! Thank you for everything.

Kelsey, Pre-PA

Sarah is absolutely amazing and really helped transform my essay into the best version it could have possibly been!

Shannon B. Pre-PA

Well worth the money. I consider myself a decent writer but found I was stuck on a few key points of my personal statement. After a few edits on my own and with a few people I trust, I decided to submit my essay for editing through ThePALife to make sure I was really on the right track. I am supremely satisfied. The essay I wrote turned out to be a solid base, but Sarah went to work, and every change and suggestion had a logical place. She polished it up and made it shine. Thank you so much!

Conor K. Pre-PA

Oh my gosh thank you SOO much!!! I have been so busy with school so I haven’t been able to edit my personal statement, but I want to thank you soo much for making my statement look a heck of a lot better!!! I will be editing it over my spring break since that is the only free time I have, and I most likely will do a re-edit if I can (its $35 ish right?). Anyways thank you so much again!! Sorry for the late reply but I will get back to you again during my spring break if I need a second edit, thank you so much again for all your help!! I can already see how much of a difference you’ve made! Totally worth my money!

Melat Ashagre, Pre-PA

Sue did an amazing job editing my personal statement. She included all the aspects that I wanted in the statement and made it flow so much better. Thank You! Thank You!

Kendra Perkey, Pre-PA

I’ve been telling everybody that I come into contact with about the incredible value of your service and that I directly attribute your editing as a reason I got into two schools this academic cycle and received 8 invitations to interview. All the best! Read more at http://www.thepaessay.com

Jeremy Cohen Pre-PA

I used the personal statement editing service with Deanna Matzen (April/May 2021) and the mock interview service with Mary Jones (June 2021). Both were exceptional to work with and helped me to achieve my goal. I applied to three schools and received interview invites from all three (I’m a first-time applicant). I was waitlisted at one in June and later accepted in November, received early acceptance to my top choice in November (UTSW), and I chose to decline my third interview scheduled in December. Thank you for your services!

Rachelle, Pre-PA

After receiving two edits from Carly I feel extremely confident in my personal statement. She not only fixed grammatical error and syntax, but helped me better organize my thoughts into a competitive essay. To other Pre-PAs looking to submit their essays: I know it’s a bit of an investment but the peace of mind, comfortability, and confidentiality is so worth it! Thank you The PA Life!

Elizabeth, Pre-PA

Your services have eased the stress and anxiety that results from guessing whether or not your essay contains the content that many PA programs are looking for. Your services were prompt and genuine. It is clear that you have the applicant’s success at heart. Thank you!

Madison Pre-PA

Mr. Pasquini was very patient, accommodating and direct in his editing/advice. He was honest, in a way that I needed due to the importance of the letter. I even picked up a few tips to enhance my writing from our meetings. Great experience and will definitely recommend him to others!

Alana P. Pre-PA

Sue Edmondson was instrumental to my understanding of the entrance essay I was trying to write as well as very honest and positive. I loved her writing technique and her instructive points were very easy to understand. Most definitely will recommend as well as keep her in my contacts for possible future essay revision/help. Thank you.

Vladimira, Pre-PA

I am writing this because I wanted to share with you that I have been accepted to the University of Iowa PA program.  I would like to once again thank you for your insight and guidance while writing my personal statement, it came at just the right time.

Eugene V.PA-S

I read my personal statement again today and got the chills. I am so happy with it and just wanted to thank you for all your help with my PA school essay!

Mikaela, Pre-PA

My editor thoroughly went through my essay and provided exactly what I was looking for to bring my essay to the next level.

Matthew, Pre-PA

Sarah is the best! She gets me and puts all her efforts for my message to come across in a clear and concise way. Obviously, her editing skills are superb! But she also has a very sweet and pleasant way of being. I highly recommend Sarah and the PA Life Personal Statement Collaborative. I have not yet received an interview, but keeping my fingers crossed!

Raquel Poliwoda Pre-PA

I really needed help with my personal statement. I wrote many copies and finally sent my favorite to the PA life to get some assistance editing. I thought I would have a hard time with the constructive criticism because I spent so much time already on my writing, but the editors were great in suggesting edits and why as well as complimenting appropriately. I’m very proud of my end product and am excited to send it to PA schools. I haven’t finalized my application yet but will definitely let the PA life know if and when I get an interview (or hopefully 2)! 🙂

Bailey B. Pre-PA

So far, I’ve received 3 interview invites from Chapman, Drexel, and Tufts!!! I just wanted to say a big THANK YOU to Sarah for polishing my PS, supplemental essays and giving me lots of awesome tips for my upcoming interviews!!!

Audrey, Pre-PA

Thank you so much for helping me with my physician assistant program application essays and interview! I am so excited to let you know that I received multiple PA school acceptances and have decided that I will be attending Cornell University’s PA Program in New York City. The program begins in February 2019 and I cannot wait to begin!  I truly appreciate all your help and encouragement throughout my PA application process.

Christine Chen, PA-S

Testimonials

Sue was great! She edited my essay in a short time frame and the comments and feedback were very informative. She helped link all of my main ideas and gave great advice regarding appropriate information for the essay. I highly recommend this service.
Michelle, Pre-PA
This is my third time applying to PA programs. With my first two attempts, I only had close friends, family, and peers help me with my personal statement. I never even thought about going through a professional personal statement review service until after I had failed to get into PA programs my second time around. My prerequisites are expiring soon and the thought of going through the entire process of applying a fourth time terrifies me. I was hesitant to purchase the one-on-one service but after going through it, I am so glad that I did. Sarah was my editor and she is incredible. She genuinely understands how frustrating yet exciting this process is. I submitted my initial personal statement to her and within a day, she had already gotten back to me with detailed feedback. She even goes as far as telling you how many characters she wants you to add in different parts of your essay – this was extremely helpful for me because I tend to be a little wordy sometimes rather than succinct. Sarah helped me to highlight my strengths, experiences, and reasons for why I have spent so many years pursuing the PA career. This is an incredible service and I highly recommend that you take advantage of it! I am still in the process of completing my supplemental applications but I am more confident now than I have been with my first two attempts!
Christian S. Pre-PA
I can’t begin to explain how thrilled I am to have stumbled on this service. Like many other PA applicants, I was unsure of whether I was on the right track with my personal narrative. Reading Stephen’s two different PA school application essays showed me how to come up with something unique and creative, but the private personal statement review really made my essay shine. Duke was so kind and helpful in helping me understand what admissions committees look for in a strong essay. Our phone conversations were so thorough, as we read through and discussed every word in my essay. Sue’s guidance helped me cut out the fluff to reach the character limit.
Melissa T. Pre-PA
I have my first interview today and one next week. I couldn’t be more grateful for this program and how I feel much more confident and prepared now than prior to the mock interview. I received a lot of great feedback and tips throughout the process that I will be sure to use during my future interviews!
Connor H. Pre-PA
Duke helped me with my personal essay writing for PA school. He was very patient and helpful with me. I made lots of mistake on my Essay, but with Duke’s help I was able to write a sensible essay which was good enough to get Interview calls. I highly recommend his service.
Rajni M, Pre PA
My editor was incredible! She was so sweet and easy to work with. I feel like she helped to make my essay very polished and more professional and smart-sounding. My CASPA is not verified yet, but I feel confident that I will be getting interview requests soon. Thank you, The PA Life, for everything!
Emily, Pre-PA
Very detail-oriented and took the time to explain the process, so our expectations were on the same page. Excellent editing and feedback on the content. Helpful comments on how I could maximize limited character count to make the most impact on the reader. I very much would recommend this service!
Esmeralda, Pre-PA
I wanted to reach out and thank you for all of your help throughout my entire application process — your words, advice, and support made a world of a difference to me, and I’m sure everyone who has had the pleasure of working with you feels the exact same way. I thought I’d let you know that after my Stanford and Duke interviews over the past couple of weeks, I received acceptance to both programs! I’m still on cloud 9 and I don’t believe I’ll be coming down anytime soon. And as of early this week, I officially committed to Stanford University’s PA program and I begin in August!!! Thank you again for everything you’ve done to help!
Celine, PRE-PA
Working with Sarah one on one prior to my interview really helped ease my nerves and made me feel more prepared to answer any of the questions the committee would have for me. Sarah provided great feedback and amazing help on how to answer some of the more difficult questions you might encounter during an interview. I would recommend any pre-PA preparing for an interview to set up a mock interview with The PA Life Video Interview Service. I had a wonderful experience with Sarah and have received two interview offers.
Mary Gustafson, Pre-PA
This experience was great. They took my essay and gave great constructive comments that made it an even better essay. Very fast and efficient process.
Gabby, Pre-PA

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101 PA School Admission Essays

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