Top 5 reasons applicants get rejected from PA schools
1. Not meeting requirements
This is a major factor. If you don’t meet requirements, your application won’t be spared a second thought. Seems obvious, but oftentimes people do not even realize they aren’t meeting requirements. The most efficient way to check over if you meet your prospective programs requirements is through myPAbox
You should do this not only initially, but again before you submit. You can further verify through the programs website, and can also contact the program itself if you need any aspect clarified.
2. Personal statement deficiencies
This can unfold in a variety of ways. The most common being simple errors or typos, or that your statement simply does not tell enough about you. You have to remember that admissions are reading quite literally thousands of statements.
Yours needs to be error-free and read unique to all of the rest. Individualize your statement to you and your personal experiences as much as possible.
3. Lack of thoroughness and intentionality
In your application, you should be thorough, meaning to not leave anything out. There should be no inconsistencies or typos in any aspect of CASPA or supplemental applications in the same way as your personal statement.
Make sure you “edit” these additional questions and descriptions as well. Even descriptions should be quality written and you should have an intentional cohesive picture of what you are describing.
Check out our article CASPA tips and tricks for more insight.
4. Not being near the average accepted stats
Sometimes even though the applicant meets the minimum requirements, they can be far off from the average accepted stats of the program. For example, if the minimum GPA is 3.0, but the average accepted GPA is 3.5, ideally you want to be at least near that average. This goes with all of the stats offered (GRE score, patient care hours, etc.).
If you are below average on one stat, that is okay, but try to balance it out and be slightly above average on a different stat. If the applicant is far below on all counts, although anything is possible, this is a common reason for being rejected. You can also find these “average accepted” program numbers on MyPAbox.
5. Unconfident interview
Points of applicant rejection happen in two waves –the first being due to the application stage, and the second being during the interview stage. Your application is the ticket to the interview, and your interview is your ticket to your acceptance.
An unconfident interview is another common point of rejection. You want to show that you deserve a seat in their program, that you have reasons to back that up, and that you can be a natural communicator –meaning not overly rehearsed. Above all, not knowing an answer is unimportant compared to how you deliver an answer.
You want to show you are able to communicate in a confident, sociable, and professional manner whether or not you know the exact answer.
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