Northeastern University PA Program: Rebecca's Acceptance Story

By: Savanna Perry, PA-C

TL;DR

Rebecca applied to five PA programs in her first cycle, interviewed at one, and was accepted at her top choice, Northeastern University. She had a 3.81 GPA and roughly 1,500 combined HCE/PCE hours from CNA and EMT work — below the 2,000 her program recommended — plus zero shadowing hours and a degree from a small college she says almost nobody has heard of. Her GRE scores are what put an interviewer's doubts about her school to rest.

Last Updated: August 2, 2026

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

Interviewed with and accepted by one – my top choice!

In this post:

Where will you be attending? (if you’re comfortable sharing)

Northeastern University

In Our Experience

In our experience at The PA Platform, Rebecca's point about the GRE as a credibility equalizer for students from small colleges is genuinely useful and rarely discussed. An admissions committee that doesn't know your institution has no context for your 3.81, and a strong standardized score gives them one. If you attend a small or regional school and you test well, submitting the GRE can work in your favor even where it's optional. Her second insight — taking extra non-required science courses because she enjoyed them — paid off twice: it strengthened her science record and gave her genuine enthusiasm to talk about in interviews.

Any red flags on your application?

I had zero hours of shadowing experience, 1500 PCE hours (for a school that recommended 2000), and my undergraduate degree was done at a small college that (almost) no one has ever heard of.

Every Pre-PA Should Know...

Rebecca was accepted with zero shadowing hours and 1,500 patient care hours at a program recommending 2,000. Recommended is not the same as required. [VERIFY] Confirm Northeastern's current shadowing and PCE requirements.

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Anything you found surprising about interviews?

Northeastern organized their interviews in a two day process. The first was time spent with professors and current students to familiarize yourself with the program even more. The second day was a set of 3 interviews for each candidate. I pleasantly surprised by the camaraderie between candidates and current students, which I believed would be a much more competitive atmosphere. This only made me more excited to join the class of 2021!

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

The websites for schools’ PA programs were invaluable. Making sure that all of the pre-reqs were covered regardless of where I was applying was a must. Then, during the application process, making sure that I looked at what mattered most to each school and including my take on those opinions helped formulate my responses to additional essay questions, and even guided my personal statement on a certain level.

Any other advice for other pre-PA students?

If you are a decent test taker and come from a smaller undergraduate program, take the GRE! I had an interviewer ask me my response to his dilemma of comparing an A student at a small school (like myself) to a B student at an ivy league. As soon as he saw my GRE scores, that put his mind to rest.

Definitely an advantage to helping yourself stand out academically.

Find out what makes you stand out as a health care provider. I was able to connect with another interviewer over my belief that true empathy is a core trait to strive for in medicine and that we can easily get away from caring for the patient themselves if this is not done. Based on stories I told of patients that I had taken care of in the past, this interviewer was able to pinpoint this characteristic pretty quickly. It was also something that I elaborated on in my personal statement as well. Find a way to make yourself stand out!

Do what you love!! This applies to both academics and PCE hours. I loved taking extra science classes that were not pre-reqs such as nutrition, immunology, biomedical technology, science and literature, and botany. This was in addition to the classes that were pre-reqs for some schools but not others including biochemistry and microbiology. I loved them all and they were easy to talk about with any of the interviewers. Same with my work as a CNA. Not everyone has the fortune of finding a hospital/clinic/ambulance company/nursing home that they fall in love with, but I have greatly enjoyed my time on the cardiopulmonary ventilator floor that I currently work on and was able to talk about that throughout the application and interview process as well.

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

IG: @rebecca.the.pa

Need to Know:

Undergraduate education: Gordon College Class of 2018 Biology Major with a Concentration in Pre-Physician Assistant Studies
Overall GPA: 3.81
Science GPA: 3.77
GRE Verbal: 157/170 – 76th percentile
GRE Quantitative: 157/170 – 65th percentile
GRE Analytical Writing: 5.0/6.0 – 92nd percentile
Total HCE/PCE hours: Approx. 1500 at the time that I applied
700 as a CNA at 2 different SNF nursing homes
500 as a CNA at a LTAC hospital on a cardiopulmonary/ventilator floor (still active)
200 as an EMT doing both transfers and 911 (still active)
LORs: 1 Professor/advisor/teacher that I was a teaching assistant for
1 Nurse with decades of experience in hospital medicine that commonly works as charge nurse for my floor
1 Doctor that knew me on both a professional and personal level
How many times did you apply?: This was my first year applying!
Age: 22
Gender: Female
How many programs did you apply to? 5

FAQ

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

Rebecca was accepted with a 3.81 overall GPA and a 3.77 science GPA. [VERIFY] Confirm Northeastern's current published minimum GPA requirements directly with the program.

Can you get into PA school with zero shadowing hours?

Sometimes. Rebecca had no shadowing hours and was accepted at her top choice. Many programs require or strongly prefer documented shadowing, so verify each school's policy — and recognize that shadowing also helps you answer why you want the profession.

Should you take the GRE if you attend a small college?

Rebecca strongly recommends it if you test well. She was asked directly how an A student from a small school compares to a B student at an Ivy League, and her GRE scores resolved the interviewer's doubt. A standardized score gives committees context for a GPA from an institution they don't know.

Does it matter where you did your undergraduate degree for PA school?

Not much, but it can create questions. Rebecca's college was largely unknown to her interviewers, which prompted a direct conversation about academic rigor. Strong test scores, challenging coursework, and specific examples of your work address that concern.

Should you take science classes that aren't PA school prerequisites?

Rebecca found it valuable. She took nutrition, immunology, biomedical technology, science and literature, and botany beyond her requirements, which strengthened her science record and gave her genuine material to discuss in 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

Rebecca applied to five programs, interviewed at one, and got into her top choice with no shadowing hours and fewer patient care hours than the program recommended. What she had was an excellent academic record, strong test scores that gave it context, and real enthusiasm for the work she was already doing.

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Northeastern University PA Program: Rebecca's Acceptance Story