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I'm a junior in high school who currently has an unweighted GPA of 98 and a weighted GPA of 101. Additionally, I'd like to say I'm fairly involved with the school. I am a part of National Honor Society alongside 7 other clubs. 2 of which I have leadership positions in, and 3 of which are service based organizations, totaling my community service hours to 200+.
I have always wanted to be a PA (Physicians Assistant) when I get older and I'm just now starting to realize how close some of these deadlines are...causing me to write things like this :) Basically, I'm a little lost and in need of some advice.
The biggest and probably most important toss up that I'm having right now is what my path should be after high school. Specifically, whether I should apply to a direct entry PA program or not. A direct entry program initially sounds nice because most of them are straight through with the same school, and don't require re-application. But this also bring up many concerns for me. 1) The faster pace- I'm aware that not all programs are shorter than the time you'd spend doing this process separately, but I've heard that even the ones that aren't, still are taught in a faster, more detail oriented way. 2) The competitiveness- I never really planned on going to some top tier school so the strong competition that a direct entry PA program entails is a bit worrisome. 3) College credit I already have- I'm not sure if my AP, or duel enrollment credit will be applicable. 4) My overall knowledge of these programs- As much as I try to understand all the differences between each program and what they bring to the table, I still can't grasp it. I'm not sure if it's because I'm so stressed...or what, but feeling that way makes me worried and naturally causes me to want to shy away from this option.
If you have any useful advice/information on direct entry PA programs, or maybe even which ones might be the best, I'd appreciate it. Best meaning price, difficulty, employment rate after, etc to me
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I live in New Jersey by the way, and would prefer to stay in state, however an equally cheap tuition that's up to 3/4 hours drive away is okay too!!
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Alright, so my other option- Community college for 2 years with FREE tuition--> Transfer to another school to finish my bachelors if I transfer in-state, there is a good chance my final 2 years of undergrad will also be FREE (depending on my GPA)--> Apply to PA school. - Because I haven't done super extensive research into all of this, I'm not sure if there'd be a consequence to my credibility for doing community college first, but if there's not then this plan doesn't sound too shabby. I know that I'd have to go through the stress of transferring credits and applying to PA school, but it certainly brings some benefits. 1) It almost definitely will be cheaper. 2) I'd buy myself an extra four years of time before having to apply to PA school. 3) I'd have some extra time before having to suddenly become an adult and move away haha. 4) My AP and duel enrollment credit will be applicable. 5) I'd be older, wiser, less worried, and have access to better counselors when the time comes to apply to a school after community college
The biggest downside to this option other than maybe being less credible is that whatever school I decide to transfer to after community college, will probably only pay attention to my community college transcript. If for some reason I did poorly than I'd be screwed because they're not going to look at my high school transcript much.
This would also of course require me to choose a major, which is something for another day.... stuck between exercise science, general bio, human bio, general chem, and psychology.
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Looking back at everything I just typed, I realized that I basically just rambled so hard that it made my whole purpose for this post extremely confusing. Pretty much, those are my two main options for after high school to pursue my passion for the PA position. My goal with this post was to obtain ANY extra information/advice/tips from people who understand my concerns with each option. Even info on which direct entry PA programs around me are better/more credible than others is something that'd ease my stress.
Thanks to anyone still reading 😂
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2 answers
If you are referring to PA as in a Physical Assistant, then I would recommend waiting to apply to PA graduate programs. Though direct entry programs have many benefits, you never know how much your passions and dreams will change during your undergraduate education. Applying to a PA program with a break will put less pressure on you to figure everything out, all while not drastically reducing your chances of admission. Check out this CollegeVine article for more tips on the steps to take to become a PA. Hope this helps!
Greetings Chrisc04,
Here's what you're saying:
-You're an overachiever (a good thing!)
-You want to go into a performing arts program, but lack some knowledge
-You don't know whether to go directly or after undergrad
-You don't know what you want to major in
Here's my input:
I do not know anything about PA programs, but I can help you with everything else, which may solve the PA program dilemma.
First, don't be afraid of competitive programs. The best way to get into those is to develop a "spike," meaning you are really passionate about one thing and have many achievements in that area. Seven clubs plus NHS is no easy feat, but it appears well-rounded.
Ask PA program students about the programs/PA options. That's your best bet to receive more info.
What would be best is being in the theatre club, writing plays, or helping stage a successful play in your local city. But you're a Junior now, so there isn't enough time.
Because you are also unsure of your career path- although it seems to be in the science field- community college is a great option, especially if tuition will be free.
This way, you will have an extra two years to develop your "spike" in whatever career path you decide to pursue. Try to find your passion before the end of high school. To do this, ask yourself these questions:
1. If I had a free day, what would I want to do most?
2. What naturally interests me the most?
3. Which career has the most direct impact on society?
4. Which careers pay less than $60-$65K (unless that's starting)? Eliminate those.
Moreover, you will complete core classes on the cheap, which is an excellent decision (the first two years in Harvard and any community college are not very different because you're still only doing core classes). This will allow you to save money if you want to attend a private university or simply have more money in the bank.
There is no shame whatsoever in going to community college. I can't find a link, but Dave Ramsey interviewed a panel of people who all went to college debt-free, and one was a PhD student who went to community college. She said she found it more beneficial because of the closer relationships and received a recommendation for her PhD program from one of her c.c. teachers.
Regards,
Eric B.
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