Low GPA to PA School: Annalisse's UTMB Galveston Acceptance Story

By: Savanna Perry, PA-C

TL;DR

Annalisse applied five times. Five. She finished with a 3.35 overall GPA, a 3.15 science GPA, a master's degree, 3,166 PCE hours, and 288 shadowing hours, and on that fifth cycle she got three interview invitations and an acceptance at UT Medical Branch in Galveston. She calls herself a low-GPA miracle, retook nearly all of her undergraduate prerequisites, and worked with an application consultant the year it finally worked.

Last Updated: August 2, 2026

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Why PA?

Flexibility of the job, able to give more attention to patients

In this post:

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

Received 3 interviews so far. Interviewed at 2, declined 1

In Our Experience

In our experience at The PA Platform, the detail in Annalisse's story that deserves the most attention is her warning about retakes. CASPA averages your attempts rather than replacing the old grade, so retaking a course improves your GPA far less than most applicants assume. She retook almost all of her undergraduate prerequisites and explicitly says she doesn't recommend it. The things that actually moved her forward were the master's degree in medical science, which gave committees recent graduate-level evidence she could handle the coursework, and 3,166 patient care hours. Five cycles is a long time, and the honest read is that a graduate degree plus a professionally reviewed application is what finally changed the outcome.

Where will you be attending?

UT Medical Branch, Galveston

Every Pre-PA Should Know...

Annalisse got her first shadowing opportunity by cold-calling and emailing every physician's office in Lubbock, sometimes more than once, until someone said yes. Five years later she is still in touch with that PA. Persistence in finding shadowing isn't just about the hours — it's how you build the relationships that produce your letters.

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Anything you found surprising about interviews?

How personal they were. My questions focused mainly on assessing my personality, my outlook on life, my goals, and how I respond to my environment. One of the faculty of the first school I interviewed with asked me "what wakes you up in the morning". From my experience thus far, I have noticed that schools want your application to reflect your "why PA" side with all of your experience, while they use the interview to gauge your bedside manner, whether you are a reactor or a responder, how you manage stress, if you are able to accept criticism and how you handle change.

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

This year, I actually ended up working with a former pre-PA adviser-turned application consultant that reviewed and polished my whole application (big props to Karen Hudson, she is incredible!). In my graduate program, part of our curriculum was pre-health interview preparation, so we were able to gain experience in MMI and one-on-one interview styles and having that practice was a HUGE help. Also shout-outs to Khan Academy (the G.O.A.T.), PA Forum, The PA Life, PA Platform, Medgeeks, Complete Anatomy App, and so many other apps and blogs that got me through undergrad and graduate school.

Any other advice for other pre-PA students?

Keep working, volunteering, studying, striving, shadowing, TRYING. Do not give up. I am a low-GPA miracle and I worked so hard to get here. I retook almost all of my undergraduate prerequisite classes (I don't recommend this, get it right the first time because CASPA is super unforgiving in this GPA aspect). Reach out to your pre-PA community and your peers. Make friends with your professors and the PAs and physicians you work with. My first PA shadowing experience only started because I called and emailed every physician's office in Lubbock (sometimes multiple times) until I got someone to tell me they had a PA that I could shadow, and it turned out to be one of the greatest experiences of my life. I am still in contact with that PA to this day, even 5 years later. This journey is not going to be easy, and it probably won't be fun most of the time, but I promise you, it is so incredibly worth it to finally get that "YES".

Where can we find you?

Instagram and Twitter: @ann_amazingg

Need to Know:

Undergraduate education: B.S. in biology from Texas Tech University; I also received my Master of Science in Medical Science from UNT Health Science Center
Overall GPA: 3.35
Science GPA: 3.15
GRE: 311
Total PCE hours: 3,166
Shadowing hours: 288
Other volunteer hours: 413
LORs: 5 — dean of my graduate program, two of my graduate professors, a physician I used to work with, and a PA that I shadowed
How many times did you apply?: 5
Age: 26
Gender: Female

FAQ

What GPA do you need for the UTMB Galveston PA program?

Annalisse was accepted with a 3.35 overall GPA and a 3.15 science GPA, supported by a Master of Science in Medical Science and over 3,100 patient care hours. [VERIFY] Confirm UTMB's current minimum GPA requirements.

How many times can you apply to PA school?

There's no limit. Annalisse applied five times before being accepted to UTMB Galveston. Reapplying is common, and each cycle is an opportunity to add hours, coursework, or a graduate degree to your file.

Does retaking classes improve your CASPA GPA?

Only partially. CASPA includes all attempts in your calculated GPA rather than replacing the original grade, which is why Annalisse describes it as "super unforgiving" and says she wouldn't recommend the volume of retakes she did. [VERIFY] Confirm current CASPA grade calculation policy.

Does UTMB Galveston require the GRE for its PA program?

Annalisse submitted a GRE score of 311. [VERIFY] Confirm whether UTMB currently requires the GRE.

Should you hire an application consultant for PA school?

It's optional, not required. Annalisse worked with a former pre-PA adviser who reviewed and polished her entire application in the cycle she was accepted. Free alternatives include your school's pre-health advising office, current PA students, and peer review from the pre-PA community.

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

Five cycles is a long road, and Annalisse doesn't romanticize it — she says the journey probably won't be fun most of the time. What she'd want you to take from it is that a low GPA is a headwind, not a wall, and that the fixes worth investing in are the ones that add new evidence to your file: a graduate degree, thousands of real patient care hours, deep shadowing relationships, and a genuinely polished application. If you've been rejected before, her story is the one to reread.

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Low GPA to PA School: Annalisse's UTMB Galveston Acceptance Story