PA school is getting more and more competitive each year, and much more difficult to get accepted. If you have not received an interview invite or acceptance by late November/early December, although there is still a chance you will hear back from your program this cycle, it is wise to act as though you are going to have to reapply and you should constantly be trying to improve your application until you receive an official acceptance. The physician assistant profession is becoming more well-known, and is frequently ranked as one of the top jobs in the US. While it is great that more students are learning about PAs, many people have to apply to PA school more than once before they are accepted.  It’s almost becoming the norm, although students are still accepted on first attempts as well.  As a reapplicant, your goal with your application is to show the admissions committee how you have improved and the steps you’ve taken towards your goal of becoming a PA since the first time you applied.  And if you are given an interview, those things will be your focus as well.

Is being a reapplicant “bad?”

This is one of the most common questions I get, and the answer is definitely not. Discouraging? Yes, but it doesn’t mean the door is shut. Just that you need to keep walking, building your “pre-PA muscles” and trying more doors. Some schools will even prioritize reapplicants in their cycles because it shows dedication to both the PA profession and the program to try again.

If you are waitlisted or denied admission, don’t give up!  Look at your application and reflect on your interview to see what you could improve on. Many programs are willing to tell you why you were not a strong enough candidate and what improvements they recommend to make you a more competitive applicant for their program.  I always recommend reaching out to any programs you don’t receive an acceptance from and at least asking for guidance. While you’re likely to receive some generic responses, any feedback you receive will be very valuable. Also, evaluate your application compared to each program’s requirements to ensure you check all of the boxes. Since each PA school has various requirements, it can be easy to overlook something that may have gotten your application thrown out.

Some options of areas to improve you may want to consider include: 

• More patient care or healthcare experience. If you’ve been working in the same field or at the same job for a long time, consider switching to a different job to expand your experience. A good rule of thumb is if you have maxed out the skills/knowledge you can obtain in any given position, it may be time to move on. Look for a different setting or specialty that will give you new insights and make you stand out compared to other applicants. Consider getting a certification if you’ve been putting that off to move into roles that give you more responsibility with patients.

• Personal statement. You don’t have to rewrite the entire essay, but consider updating it to reflect on what you have accomplished this year and how these accomplishments have helped you realize that a career in the PA profession is still one you want to achieve. Your main reasons for wanting to be a PA won’t change, but your insights and maturity have likely grown and you should showcase that. Feeling stuck? I wrote an entire book to help you craft the perfect personal statement. Don’t forget, we offer professional editing here at The PA Platform. The same goes for supplementals, which carry weight as they are specific to each school.

• Look at your transcript. If you have any questionable grades, you may want to repeat these classes to show you are able to do better and also to raise your GPA. I recommend retaking any prerequisite courses with lower than a B. Also, check the programs you are interested in, and if there are any additional classes they recommend taking, you could take these to improve your application and again, raise your GPA. Consider when your courses were taken also to make sure they have not expired for certain programs.

• Standardized tests. Yes, everyone hates them, but they can be a specific and helpful tool. Check the averages of accepted students at the programs you’re applying to and make sure you measure up. By choosing to take and apply to programs that require the GRE or PA-CAT, you’re shrinking the pool of qualified applicants, thus increasing your chances of acceptances. The more specific a school’s requirements that you can fill, the better.

• Shadow. Find some PAs to shadow so you can gain more experience in the field and have more knowledge to talk about in your application and interviews. Try to shadow in different fields and settings.

• Volunteer. Find something you’re passionate about and volunteer for the cause. If it’s medical that’s fine, but even if it’s not, giving your time looks good on your application, and will probably make you feel pretty good too. Look at each program’s mission and you’ll find many have a focus on serving the community and underserved populations. Showing your heart for the same things will help you stand out.

• Go on a medical mission trip. International medical trips are great opportunities to get a lot of healthcare experience hours in a short time period.

Make sure to check out my Youtube video PA School Reapplicant FAQ – What You Need to Know to Reapply to PA School where I answer even more questions about reapplying.

If you are offered an interview as a re-applicant, take some time to reflect on what you have learned over the past year and how it will make you a better classmate and future PA. PA programs are looking for maturity and growth in applicants. Some schools will even prioritize reapplicants in their cycles because it shows dedication to both the PA profession and the program to try again.

At what point should I give up on PA school?

This is tough because if your dream is really to become a PA, it will be hard for me to tell you to stop pursuing it. Be honest with yourself when you look at your application and the schools you’ve applied to when considering if you’ve really given it your all and worked on every part of your application. One of my best friends took 3 attempts to get into PA school and finally was accepted off of a waitlist somewhat last minute with a month before school started. She was instructed to improve her GRE and once she did, it was the magic ticket. I hear stories like this all the time, but you do need to be realistic and decide what you’re willing to sacrifice – time, location, a job, comfort, etc. It’s hard! There’s no way around that. If you are feeling that you’re at the end of your journey to becoming a PA, consider other options like nursing or NP, which may give you more avenues to consider and be worth at least researching further.