You’ve submitted your CASPA. You’ve submitted your supplemental application. Now you wait. After the go, go, go it took to get to this point, waiting to hear about interviews can feel painfully slow. Once those invitations start rolling in, you will have a new goal: Acing your interviews.

You have successfully conquered the hurdle that is CASPA; now what? Most schools have a supplemental or secondary application that asks for additional information. Every school wants to get to know the “real you,” and supplementals go a long way towards filling in the blanks that standardized applications cannot.

CASPA is open, which means it’s time to put the pedal to the metal and start applying. Before you do, take a breath and make sure all your ducks are in a row to avoid making some common application mistakes.

One of the items on your Future PA checklist likely involves collecting patient care experience (PCE).   

Most schools require some amount of PCE. Even for those that don’t have a requirement, having patient care experience can make your application more competitive. Getting PCE may be another box on your list, but those requirements are there for a reason. Having experience in medicine prepares you for the adventure ahead.   

Should you retake courses for better grades, or take a completely different, higher level, course? When it comes to your GPA, CASPA includes everything. Retaking a course does not replace the grade in the GPA that CASPA sends to individual schools. So, there is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question.

As we enter this new year, we have some suggestions of attainable resolutions that will further you along your path to becoming a PA and prepare you for your time in PA school.    

Over the past several months, we have discussed how you can plan a path to PA school that works for you. Once you have decided whether or not to take a gap year, and plotted out the course work needed at various schools, you should be cognizant of the fact that ultimately, admissions committees want to learn who you are.

You’re scrolling through ads and political fundraising emails when you see a letter from your top choice for PA school. Maybe you go get a glass of water and calm your nerves before checking, or perhaps you open it quickly before the anxiety can set in; either way, you find yourself staring at the dreaded rejection letter. The first thing to do is give yourself grace — nationally, only 37% of applicants are accepted to any PA school in any given cycle. A rejection letter is only a snapshot in time and does not reflect you as a person or your future success as a PA. Take some time to practice self-care.

Our applicants find their passion for the PA profession at a variety of life stages. Some know they want to be a PA or a health care professional as children. Others come to the profession after a decade in different careers. Many potential applicants learn about the profession while working on their undergraduate degrees. Last month, we discussed the possible advantages of taking a gap year after college to shore up your application. But what can you do while you’re still spending most of your time in class?

Many students worry that if they are not prepared to apply to a physician assistant program in concert with the end of their undergraduate degree, they are hurting their chances of getting into PA school at all. But did you know that only about 7% of our students in a given year come directly from college? For many, college is where the path to PA begins, but we do not believe that's where it must end.