Eastern Virginia Medical School PA Program: Yolanda's Acceptance Story

By: Savanna Perry, PA-C

TL;DR

Yolanda applied to a single PA program — Eastern Virginia Medical School — and was accepted. She brought 8,000 patient care hours as a physical therapist assistant, a 3.85 science GPA, and no GRE score. Her journey took four years, which she frames as a feature rather than a delay: going slowly protected her grades and let her build patient care experience she actually valued.

Last Updated: August 2, 2026

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

1 program/accepted!!

In this post:

Where will you be attending?

Eastern Virginia Medical School

In Our Experience

In our experience at The PA Platform, Yolanda's prerequisite study method is genuinely clever and underused: she read Kaplan MCAT books the semester before taking general and organic chemistry, so she already understood the concepts when the professor introduced them. Pre-reading at a higher level than the course requires is one of the most reliable ways to protect your science GPA. Her broader point about pacing is also correct — a bad grade is far more expensive to fix than it is to avoid, and 8,000 hours as a physical therapist assistant is the kind of experience you can only build by not rushing.

Any red flags on your application?

Well, I had some typos—oops, but otherwise no red flags.

Every Pre-PA Should Know...

Yolanda applied to exactly one program and was accepted. Her only stated red flag was typos in her application — a reminder to have someone proofread before you submit. [VERIFY] Confirm EVMS's current GRE policy and PCE requirements.

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Anything you found surprising about interviews?

It was actually really laid back like everyone said, so that was good. I was surprised that all the interviewers were nice—there were no tricks! During the group interview, we didn’t all get asked the same questions, so it was kind of an “on the spot” situation.

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

I used Kaplan MCAT books (affiliate link) to get through General and Organic Chemistry. I read the books the semester before basically and by the time the professor taught it, I already understood the concepts. Books: I used “How to Ace the PA interview” by Andrew Rodican and the “Physician Assistant School Interview Guide” by Savanna Perry. This book by Savanna truly gave me the confidence to ace my interview. This book was my Bible!!

Any other advice for other pre-PA students?

The journey to getting into PA school should be slow (it took me 4 years). There’s no rush and once you get bad grades it’s going to take more effort to try to raise your GPA. Start working on PCE early on, don’t make it something you just have to check off to get accepted. Practice interviewing with other Pre-PAs via skype—that’s what I did. When interviewing always try your best to be the best you.

Where can we find you? (website, instagram, etc)

Instagram: @yolandathepagem

Need to Know:

Undergraduate education: Bachelor’s in Science in Health Sciences
Overall GPA: 3.58
Science GPA: 3.85
GRE: N/A
Total HCE hours: 0 hours
Total PCE hours: 8000 hours as a physical therapist assistant
Shadowing hours: 15 hours in orthopedic surgery and 25 in dermatology
Other volunteer hours: 230 hours (30 volunteering at races and 200 as a clinical instructor)
LORs: 5 (Dermatology PA, My home health clinical instructor, PTA school instructor, academic advisor, and my former rehab manager)
How many times did you apply?: 1 time !!
Age: 27
Gender: Female
How many programs did you apply to? 1 program

FAQ

What GPA do you need for the Eastern Virginia Medical School PA program?

Yolanda was accepted with a 3.58 overall GPA and a 3.85 science GPA. [VERIFY] Confirm EVMS's current published minimum GPA requirements directly with the program.

Does the EVMS PA program require the GRE?

Yolanda listed the GRE as not applicable and was accepted without submitting a score. [VERIFY] Confirm the current testing policy before assuming the GRE is optional for your cycle.

Does physical therapist assistant work count as patient care experience?

Yes. PTA work is hands-on direct patient care and is widely accepted as PCE. Yolanda logged 8,000 hours in the role, which formed the backbone of her application.

How do you prepare for tough science prerequisites?

Yolanda read Kaplan MCAT books for general and organic chemistry the semester before she took each course, so the material was already familiar when it was taught. Pre-reading above the level of the class is an effective way to protect your science GPA.

Is it bad to take several years to apply to PA school?

Not at all. Yolanda's journey took four years and she recommends going slowly, because raising a damaged GPA is far harder than protecting it. A longer timeline also lets you build patient care experience you genuinely value rather than hours you're just checking off.

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

Yolanda took four years, applied to one school, and got in. Her advice runs against the urgency most applicants feel: slow down, protect your grades, and build patient care experience you'd want to do anyway. It's hard to argue with 8,000 hours and a single acceptance.

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Eastern Virginia Medical School PA Program: Yolanda's Acceptance Story