Prepping for PA School Applications as a Freshman in College

Preparing for PA School as a College Freshman (Real Timeline)

Guest Post by Ashley Koch (@akoch_coke) · intro by Savanna Perry, PA-C

TL;DR

You can start preparing for PA school as a freshman, or even in high school. One student's playbook: hospital teen-volunteer programs for early exposure, choosing a university that houses a PA program, joining the pre-PA club in week one, building a requirements spreadsheet over winter break, and scheduling shadowing plus EMT certification for sophomore year.

Last Updated: June 12, 2026

Your Pre-PA Bestie Blog - everything you need to know to become a PA in one place.

Can You Really Start Preparing in High School?

Yes, through exposure rather than hours. Hospital teen-volunteer programs (like "Volunteen" programs at many health systems) let high schoolers experience a clinical environment and figure out whether medicine actually fits them, summer after summer.

That early exposure also solves the discovery problem. A lot of students choose between "nurse or doctor" simply because they've never met a PA. If you're drawn to a blend of both roles, research the PA profession early, because finding the right target changes every decision that follows.

In this post:

Should Your College Choice Factor in PA School?

It can be a smart filter. Choosing a university that also houses a PA master's program means built-in proximity: a pre-PA club with real pipeline knowledge, faculty connections, sometimes shadowing access, and visibility into what the program actually wants.

It's definitely not required, and plenty of PAs did undergrad nowhere near their eventual program. But if you're deciding between similar schools, the one with a PA program attached gives your goal a home-field advantage.

In Our Experience

This post comes from Ashley Koch, who wrote it as a second-semester college freshman already years into her preparation: high school summers volunteering at Northside Hospital, a university chosen partly for its PA program, the pre-PA club joined in her first weeks, and a Christmas break spent building her requirements spreadsheet. Her line that sticks with me: view the years before applying as years of preparing, not years of waiting.

What Should You Do in Your First Semester?

Join the pre-PA club immediately, like week one. It's the fastest education you'll find in what the application actually requires: PCE definitions, prerequisite quirks, timeline realities, and upperclassmen who've already made the mistakes you're about to make.

Then use your first break productively and build a spreadsheet of candidate PA programs with their specific course and healthcare-experience requirements. That sheet becomes your personal definition of "ready to apply," and it turns vague ambition into a checklist you can actually schedule.

Every Pre-PA Should Know...

Many hospital systems run teen volunteer programs that accept students as young as 14-15. It's the earliest legitimate clinical exposure out there, and it makes a great story in interviews years later.

How Do You Turn the Next Three Years Into a Plan?

Work backwards from application requirements:

- Sophomore year: begin shadowing, continue volunteering, and consider an early certification. EMT programs offered through universities are a popular route to real PCE jobs.

- Ongoing: protect your GPA, hit prerequisites on schedule, and log every hour with supervisor details as you go.

- The mindset shift that matters most: those years before applying aren't years of WAITING, they're years of PREPARING. When you look at it that way, every semester moves you measurably closer, and you arrive at the cycle with an application that took four relaxed years instead of one frantic one.

Free Application Timeline

Need to Know:

High school hospital volunteering = early exposure and confirmation the field fits.

A university with its own PA program gives pre-PAs home-field advantages.

Join the pre-PA club in your first weeks of college.

Build a program-requirements spreadsheet early; plan years backwards from it.

Sophomore year: shadowing + consider EMT/CNA certification.

FAQ

Is freshman year too early to prepare for PA school?

Not at all! GPA, exposure, and relationships all start building immediately, and early preparation is the single biggest stress-reducer at application time.

Can high school students get healthcare experience?

Yes. Hospital teen volunteer programs offer clinical exposure, though paid PCE hours generally come later with certifications like EMT or CNA.

Should I pick a college with a PA program?

It's a useful tiebreaker since you get built-in pre-PA clubs, connections, and visibility into a real program. But it's not required for acceptance.

What should a freshman pre-PA do first?

Join the pre-PA club, meet with an advisor about prerequisites, and start a spreadsheet of target programs' requirements.

CASPA Application Review

CLOSING

If you're reading this as a freshman (or even a high schooler), you're right on time. Start the spreadsheet, join the club, and let four unhurried years build what others cram into one. The Pre-PA Club Facebook group is full of people at every stage of exactly this path!