Elon University PA Program: Ally's Acceptance Story

By: Savanna Perry, PA-C

TL;DR

Ally applied to four programs, was invited to three interviews, and finished with two waitlists and an acceptance at Elon University. She had a 3.98 overall GPA, a 3.85 science GPA, 1,680 PCE hours as an ophthalmic technician, and 216 shadowing hours with a single urgent care PA. She found a practice willing to train her with no prior ophthalmic experience — and she names interviewing as her known weak point and prepared accordingly.

Last Updated: August 2, 2026

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Why PA?

I decided on PA because it allowed me to have autonomy while also allowing me to work as an integral part of the healthcare team. I also knew that I wanted to work in more than one speciality throughout my career and being a PA would allow me to do so.

In this post:

How many programs did you apply to?

I applied to 4 PA programs total

In Our Experience

In our experience at The PA Platform, two things stand out in Ally's application. First, she solved the patient care problem by finding a practice willing to train her from scratch as an ophthalmic technician — and specialty clinics are often much more open to this than hospitals, because they need to train to their own equipment and workflow anyway. If you're struggling to get hired without experience, look at ophthalmology, dermatology, and similar outpatient specialties. Second, she identified interviewing as her personal weakness and directed nearly all her preparation there, skipping help she didn't need on prerequisites and the application. That kind of honest self-assessment is more efficient than preparing uniformly across everything.

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

I was invited to interview with three programs. I was waitlisted by two of the programs and accepted by the third.

Every Pre-PA Should Know...

Ally logged 216 shadowing hours with one urgent care PA — one of the highest single-clinician totals in this wave. That depth is why she could speak concretely about the role, and it's the natural result of asking one person if you can keep coming back.

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Where will you be attending?

I will be attending Elon University in North Carolina

Anything you found surprising about interviews?

Each of my interviews were conducted in totally different ways, so I was mostly surprised by just how different each program goes about choosing who they want in their program. I'm happy I practiced interviewing in different styles because that helped a lot in each of my interviews.

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

I used multiple resources offered by The PA Platform to help with the interview process. I was confident in my abilities to get through prerequisites and the application on my own but knew that interviews have been my weak point in other areas of my life so needed to focus on getting more help for those. I read Savanna's book, purchased both the online interview course and a mock interview. When it came closer to the interviews I was also watch two of the webinars. I think the book and the mock interview helped me the best but it was great having so many different ways to pick up on tips to use throughout the interview process.

Any advice for other pre-PA students?

The best advice I have for other pre-PA students is to try to not compare yourself to others throughout the process. You need to be confident in your experiences and your ability to be a great PA. Everyone's background, experiences and stats are different that get accepted so you need to be confident in yourself and why who are will make you a great addition to the program's you are applying to.

Where can we find you?

You can find me on instagram @ally.mcqueen for my personal account and I just started a instagram @allythepa_ to share my experience throughout PA school & the application process

Need to Know:

Undergraduate Education: California State University San Marcos
Overall GPA: 3.98
Science GPA: 3.85
GRE: 302
PA-CAT: Did not take
Total PCE hours: I gained a total of 1,680 hours as an ophthalmic technician. I was able to find a practice that was willing to train me with no previous ophthalmic experience. The position allowed me to work patients up autonomously before they were seen by the doctor. I was able to test visual acuity, intraocular pressure and perform diagnostic test.
Total HCE hours: I was able to gain 2,156 HCE by acting as a student athletic trainer in high school as well as a pt aide and volunteer at a medical tent for a marathon. I gained over 2,000 hours while being a student athletic trainer while working directly with my high school's football and baseball team. I attend almost every practice and game to provide first aid and care if needed. Under the supervision of the athletic trainer I was able to assist athletes with their physical therapy as well as use athletic taping techniques to help reduce further injuries.
Shadowing hours: I shadowed a PA at a local urgent care for a total of 216 hours and then shadowed a NP at a private respiratory clinic for 50 hours.
Volunteer hours: I had 86 hours of volunteer work through an after-school program called LEAP at a local elementary school as well through opportunities offered by my sorority, Alpha Xi Delta.
How many times did you apply?: I applied once during the 2021-2022 cycle.
Age: 23
Gender: Female

FAQ

What GPA do you need for the Elon University PA program?

Ally was accepted with a 3.98 overall GPA and a 3.85 science GPA. [VERIFY] Confirm Elon's current minimum GPA requirements.

Does the Elon University PA program require the GRE or PA-CAT?

Ally submitted a GRE score of 302 and did not take the PA-CAT. [VERIFY] Confirm Elon's current testing requirements, as policies change between cycles.

How do you get hired for patient care with no experience?

Look for practices that train on the job. Ally found an ophthalmology practice willing to train her with no prior ophthalmic experience, and she ended up working patients up autonomously — testing visual acuity, measuring intraocular pressure, and performing diagnostics. Outpatient specialty clinics often train from scratch.

Does athletic training experience count for PA school?

Generally as healthcare experience rather than direct patient care. Ally counted over 2,000 hours as a high school student athletic trainer toward her HCE, where she provided first aid, assisted with physical therapy under supervision, and applied athletic taping.

How many patient care hours do you need for the Elon PA program?

Ally applied with 1,680 PCE hours, 2,156 HCE hours, and 266 combined shadowing hours. [VERIFY] Confirm the program's current PCE requirements.

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

Ally's application is a good model for playing to your strengths and shoring up your weaknesses deliberately. She knew her grades and application would hold up, knew interviews were historically hard for her, and put her time and money exactly there — reading the guide, taking the course, doing a mock interview, and watching webinars. Three interviews later, she's headed to Elon.

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Elon University PA Program: Ally's Acceptance Story