Undergraduate education: B.S. in Nutritional Sciences from the University of Georgia
Overall GPA: 3.87
Science GPA: 3.64
GRE: 314 (Verbal – 160 Quantitative – 154 Writing – 5.0)
Total HCE hours: 52 (Medical Spanish Study Abroad Trip)
Total PCE hours: 420 (Worked at camp for kids with Type 1 diabetes)
Shadowing hours: 100 (Cardiothoracic Surgery PA)
Other volunteer hours: 450
LORs: 4 – 1 PA, 1 Professor, 1 Clinical Director of a volunteer organization, 1 Club advisor
How many times did you apply?: 1
Age: 21
Gender: Female
How many programs did you apply to? 3
How many programs did you interview with and what were the outcomes?
I interviewed at all 3. I was accepted to 2. Then I was waitlisted and denied to 1.
Where will you be attending? Baylor College of Medicine
Any red flags on your application? I didn’t have a lot of patient care hours, which limited the schools that I could apply to. However, I had a wide range and depth of volunteer experience that made my application stand out.
Anything you found surprising about interviews? Two of the three interviews that I went to were nothing like the cookie cutter interview questions I had prepared for. They were very personable. A lot of the questions they asked were about my application and my specific experiences.
Were there any helpful resources (books, websites, apps) you used to get through prerequisite courses, the application or interview process? 1. The best advice I received for the interview process was know 3 reasons why you want to go to that school, 3 reasons that school should pick you, and have 3 questions about the program. 2. If you are still in undergrad, try to take your Anatomy I&II classes your senior year. It has been really helpful in PA school so far that I remember so much from that time. 3. Use Magoosh (affiliate link) and the Official GRE books to study for the GRE. It helped me a lot! 4. If you have a pre-PA organization at your school, get involved! If you don’t, start one!
Any other advice for other pre-PA students? Take all the advice you are receiving with a grain of salt. I was told that I wouldn’t get accepted straight out of undergrad, that I would burn out, and that I didn’t have enough patient care hours. I was even told that I wouldn’t be accepted because I wore a dress to my interview. And I got in!
Where can we find you? No social media. Email: esimonejohnson@gmail.com
If you’ve recently been accepted to PA school and would like to be featured in an “Accepted!” post to share your story and advice with other PA hopefuls, send an email to savanna@thepaplatform.com
