MCPHS Boston PA Program: Sarah's Acceptance Story

By: Savanna Perry, PA-C

TL;DR

Sarah applied to 10 PA programs on her first attempt, received seven interview invitations, and interviewed at five — turning down two after committing to MCPHS in Boston, her longtime dream program. She had a 3.88 overall GPA, more than 2,000 HCE hours, 1,600 PCE hours, and over 2,000 volunteer hours. Her weakest area was the GRE, which she took twice. Her first interview was an MMI that completely threw her.

Last Updated: August 2, 2026

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

I received 7 interview invites and ended up interviewing at 5 programs. I turned down the other 2 interviews, as I had already committed to a program. I was accepted at 2 programs, and wait listed at the remaining 3 programs

In this post:

Where will you be attending?

I am thrilled to be committed to MCPHS in Boston. For as long as I wanted to be a PA, my dream was to attend this program. I am so excited to begin in the Fall of 2019!!

In Our Experience

In our experience at The PA Platform, an MMI as your first-ever PA school interview is a rough introduction, and Sarah's response is the right one — she treated it as calibration rather than failure and prepared harder for the next four. If you have multiple interviews scheduled, consider the order. A program you're less attached to early in the sequence gives you a low-stakes rehearsal. Her advice to draft the personal statement before CASPA opens in April is also underrated: the applicants who scramble in June are the ones who submit late, and late submissions cost interview slots at rolling-admission programs.

Any red flags on your application?

My GRE scores were not as strong as I had hoped. I struggled with the GREs, and ended up taking them twice to improve my scores. It was not my strong suit, but I knew I had other areas of my application to be proud of.

Every Pre-PA Should Know...

Sarah turned down two interview invitations because she had already committed to MCPHS — seven invites from ten applications on a first cycle. She took the GRE twice. [VERIFY] Confirm MCPHS Boston's current GRE policy and prerequisites.

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Anything you found surprising about interviews?

As nerve-wracking as they were, I loved my interviews! For the most part, I loved getting to know the program, faculty, and students. However, my first interview was an MMI style, and I was completely thrown off as it was SUPER challenging. I definitely learned a lot from that first interview and am ultimately grateful that it challenged me to prepare even harder for the next interview.

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

I utilized your book (PA School Interview Guide), along with the book “How to Ace the Physician Assistant School Interview” by Andrew Rodican (affiliate link). I seriously think that both of these books were the key to my successes, along with practicing out loud in front of a mirror and to my family and friends. I was lucky to also have contacts through Instagram and PAs I shadowed to help me during my application and interview process.

Any other advice for other pre-PA students?

My best advice would be to start preparing to apply early. Allow enough time to shadow, study for the GREs, gain patient care hours, and strengthen your application through volunteer work. Prepare your personal statement before the application opens in April as well. I found that this really allowed me to have adequate time to make sure my application was as strong as it could be, and left enough time to prepare for interviews. I also would say to take interviews as seriously as possible, preparing for them intently and thoroughly. I believe that because I was prepared for my interviews, I felt confident and could be myself without letting nerves take over. I hope this helps!!

Where can we find you?

On instagram! @sarahconnors_7

Message me with any questions or concerns.

Need to Know:

Undergraduate education: University of Connecticut, my degree was in Allied Health Science
Overall GPA: 3.88
Science GPA: 3.89
GRE: Verbal-155 Quantitative-152 Analytical Writing-4.5
Total HCE hours: over 2000
Total PCE hours: 1600
Shadowing hours: 24
Other volunteer hours: 2000+
LORs: 4
How many times did you apply?: one time! my first time!
Age: 24
Gender: Female
How many programs did you apply to? 10

FAQ

What GPA do you need for the MCPHS Boston PA program?

Sarah was accepted with a 3.88 overall GPA and a 3.89 science GPA. [VERIFY] Confirm MCPHS's current published minimum GPA requirements directly with the program, since minimums are typically lower than accepted-student averages.

Does MCPHS Boston's PA program require the GRE?

Sarah submitted GRE scores of 155 verbal, 152 quantitative, and 4.5 analytical writing after taking the exam twice. [VERIFY] Confirm the current testing policy before registering.

Should you retake the GRE for PA school?

Sometimes. Sarah took it twice to improve her scores and still considered it the weakest part of her application. Retaking makes sense if you underprepared initially or fell below a program's hard cutoff, but a modest increase rarely changes an outcome when your GPA and experience are strong.

What is an MMI interview like for PA school?

An MMI moves you through a series of short timed stations, often with ethical scenarios or role-play rather than traditional questions. Sarah found her first MMI extremely challenging and was thrown off by the format. Practice thinking out loud under time pressure if you have one scheduled.

When should you start your PA school application?

Earlier than most people do. Sarah recommends drafting your personal statement before CASPA opens in April and allowing time for shadowing, GRE study, patient care hours, and volunteering. Front-loading that work leaves room to prepare properly for interviews.

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

Sarah got seven interview invitations on her first cycle because her application was finished early and thoroughly. Her first interview went badly and she used it. If you can, schedule a lower-stakes program first — there is no substitute for having already been in the room once.

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MCPHS Boston PA Program: Sarah's Acceptance Story