How Preston Got Into Oklahoma State PA School

By: Savanna Perry, PA-C

TL;DR

In this podcast interview, accepted applicant Preston shares how he stayed financially smart on the road to PA school, lived at home during undergrad to save money, and will join the inaugural class at Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences. He talks scholarships, paying for PA school, and what he did after acceptance to prepare.

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Who is Preston and where is he headed?

Preston reached out to share his story on The Pre-PA Club podcast, and we loved having him on. He is a soon-to-be PA student who will be part of the inaugural class at Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences, which is exciting because being in a brand new program comes with its own set of considerations.

What stood out about Preston's path is how intentional he was about money. He lived at home during undergrad to keep costs down, which freed him up to focus on the things that matter for an application without piling on debt before PA school even starts. We hear from a lot of applicants who feel pressure to do everything the expensive way, so it is refreshing to hear from someone who made financially conscious choices and still landed an acceptance.

In this post:

How did Preston prepare and afford PA school?

A big chunk of the conversation is about the money side of becoming a PA, which does not get talked about enough. Preston walks through his process leading up to applying and how he approached finding scholarships and other options for affording PA school.

We also dug into what he has been doing since getting accepted to prepare for starting. That gap between acceptance and orientation is a great window to get your finances in order, line up housing, and mentally prepare. If you are worried about the cost of PA school or wondering whether you can do this without taking on a mountain of debt, Preston's approach is worth hearing. He is proof that you can be smart with money and still chase this career.

In Our Experience

I always love when applicants like Preston reach out to share their stories, because hearing a real path is so much more reassuring than a list of stats. In our experience coaching applicants, the ones who think about cost early, like living at home or chasing scholarships, give themselves a lot more freedom later.

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Every Pre-PA Should Know...

Living at home during undergrad can save you thousands, money you can redirect toward application costs or PA school itself.

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CTA: Free Interview Worksheet -> https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-pa-school-interview-worksheet-download/ [QA: convert to lead-magnet button]

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Need to Know:

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Listen to the full episode

We talked through this on The Pre-PA Club podcast. Press play for the full episode.

Episode show notes & key takeaways

"My story isn't interesting enough." I hear that constantly, and it's almost never true.

Preston is headed to Oklahoma State, and on paper he looks like the traditional applicant everyone assumes has it easy. Undergrad, prereqs, PCE, apply. But once he starts talking about the actual path, it's full of detours and decisions that made him a much stronger candidate than the summary suggests.

That's the point of this one. Everyone's application has texture in it. Most people just don't know how to see it in their own life, so they flatten themselves into a resume and wonder why nothing stands out.

Preston walks through his cycle honestly, including the parts that stressed him out.

What we cover

Preston's path to Oklahoma State and why he chose it
What a "traditional" applicant is actually dealing with behind the scenes
The experiences that ended up shaping his application most
How he handled the waiting and the uncertainty of the cycle
What he'd do differently if he were starting again
Advice for applicants who think their story is too plain

Resources

Episode: Soon-to-Be Oklahoma State PA Student Preston Interview · Follow The Pre-PA Club on Apple Podcasts or Spotify · Browse all episodes