Alderson Broaddus PA Program: Kayla's Acceptance Story

By: Savanna Perry, PA-C

TL;DR

Kayla has been working in healthcare since she was 17 — first as a CNA, then as a respiratory therapist — and applied with 9,240 PCE hours from RT work plus another 4,088 as a CNA. She sent out nine applications, received six interview invitations, attended three, and was accepted to her top choice, Alderson Broaddus in Philippi, West Virginia. She's candid that MMI interviews did not suit her, and her advice on the personal statement is the most specific in this batch.

Last Updated: August 2, 2026

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Why PA?

I've worked in health care since I was 17, first as a CNA and then as a respiratory therapist. Through these experiences, I learned first-hand what a PA is and what they do while working together closely with them. Several patient experiences led me to taking that leap to pursue my dream of becoming a PA. I feel limited in my practices as a respiratory therapist and found myself often wishing and knowing I could do more for my patients with the proper training. I want to help improve access to patient care in medically underserved states/areas such as WV, which is where I was born and raised and still live now. I have a profound love for patient care and I can't wait to further my education and have the knowledge to help more people in more ways than I am able to do now.

In this post:

How many programs did you apply to?

In Our Experience

In our experience at The PA Platform, Kayla's honesty about the MMI is more useful than most interview advice. Format genuinely matters — some applicants think best in rapid, scenario-based stations, and others do their best work in an unhurried conversation. Knowing which you are lets you prepare deliberately and, where you have a choice, weight your list. It's also worth noting she describes her GRE as not competitive and it didn't stop her, because over 13,000 hours of direct patient care as a respiratory therapist and CNA is an enormous amount of evidence. Her point about the personal statement timeline is the one we'd underline: four to six months is realistic, and reading many real examples before drafting is free.

How many programs did you interview with and what were the outcomes?

Interviewed with 3. 1 rejection, 1 acceptance, 1 haven't heard back yet. Received 6 total interviews so far and turned down the other 3 after acceptance to my top choice!

Every Pre-PA Should Know...

Kayla read large numbers of real personal statement examples and drafts without paying for an editing service, then had a practicing PA and a current PA student review hers. If cost is a barrier, that's the substitute — peer and mentor review from people who've been through the process recently.

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Where will you be attending?

Alderson Broaddus University in Philippi, WV

Anything you found surprising about interviews?

MMI was hard for me and I found out quickly it was not the type of interview I excel in. Traditional (get to know you) interviews are more relaxed and more my style. They truly just want to get to know you and they will know and sense if you are not being true to yourself. I know you've heard it a million times but just BE YOURSELF, no matter who you may be.

Were there any helpful resources (books, websites, apps) you used to get through prerequisite courses, the application or interview process?

Savanna Perry's Pre-PA Club Podcast, Physician Assistant Interview Guide Book, and The PA School Interview Course as well as the PA Platform's Mock Interview Service. My mock interview was 2 days before my first interview with Jourdyn Koebe, PA-C and it was the best and most helpful thing I could've done. She's amazing and I've heard awesome things about all the other mock interviewers as well!

I also stumbled upon thepalife.com which has a personal statement service and tons of real examples of personal statements from real pre-PAs. I did not use any personal statement service from anywhere but I read tons of examples/drafts from this site to help me write my PS. I also listened to every PS podcast from The Pre-PA Club and had a PA-C and current PA-S, that I know, read over my draft.

Any other advice for other pre-PA students?

Your personal statement is the most time consuming and most important aspect of your application. Begin working on it at least 4-6 months before you plan on applying. If you can't afford a personal statement service, have other PAs and PA students read over it for you (this is what I did!).

When you get discouraged, remember why you want to be a PA and repeat it out loud to yourself. It will help you get through those rough days of waiting/rejections/waitlists.

Where can we find you?

If you need any help at all during your pre-PA journey, catch me at @kayla_pas.

Need to Know:

Undergraduate education: 1 year Certificate Laboratory Assistant (Phlebotomy) ; AAS Respiratory Care ; BS Allied Health Administration
Overall GPA: 3.68
Science GPA: 3.75
GRE: 146 Verbal, 150 Quant, 3.0 Writing (not competitive)
Total HCE hours: 2,080 as a Sales Rep for a home oxygen DME company
Total PCE hours: 9,240 as Respiratory Therapist; 4,088 as CNA
Shadowing hours: 40 with a PA and her collaborating MD in Cardiology
Other volunteer hours: 247 in various sorority activities; 5 in volunteering at a preschool (just started/ongoing)
LORs: 1 from PA I shadowed, 2 from recent professors, 1 from current respiratory therapist supervisor
How many times did you apply?: 1
Age: 28
Gender: Female

FAQ

What GPA do you need for the Alderson Broaddus PA program?

Kayla was accepted with a 3.68 overall GPA and a 3.75 science GPA. [VERIFY] Confirm Alderson Broaddus's current minimum GPA requirements.

Does respiratory therapy count as patient care experience for PA school?

Yes. Kayla logged 9,240 PCE hours as a respiratory therapist plus 4,088 as a CNA. Licensed clinical roles like RT are broadly accepted as direct patient care experience.

Can you get into PA school with a low GRE score?

Yes. Kayla describes her scores — 146 verbal, 150 quantitative, 3.0 writing — as not competitive, and she was accepted to her top choice on her first application cycle. Extensive clinical experience and solid grades outweighed the test.

How long should you spend writing your PA school personal statement?

Kayla recommends starting four to six months before you plan to apply, calling it the most time-consuming and most important part of the application. Multiple drafts and outside review are what make the difference.

What if you're bad at MMI interviews?

Practice the format specifically, since it tests different skills than a traditional interview — rapid reasoning through ethical and situational scenarios rather than narrative answers about yourself. Kayla found MMI didn't suit her and did much better in conversational interviews, and she was still accepted to her top choice.

How can I be featured in an Accepted! post?

Email [email protected] or use the contact form at The PA Platform to share your acceptance story.

CLOSING

Kayla brought eleven years of healthcare work and over 13,000 patient care hours to her first application cycle, and she's clear-eyed about what carried her: the experience, a well-prepared personal statement she started months in advance, and interviews in a format that let her be recognizably herself. Her goal of improving access to care in rural West Virginia runs through the whole application, which is exactly the kind of coherence committees respond to.

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Alderson Broaddus PA Program: Kayla's Acceptance Story