Successful Applicants - Physician Associate

Q: What extracurriculars did you participate in?
A: I was the treasurer for AMSA at Hunter College. Additionally, I volunteered at various clinical sites and hospitals.

Q: How many hours on average did you spend studying for your courses per week?
A: My study time varied. I always worked full time while I was a student at Hunter. That did compromise the time I wanted to dedicate toward studying. However, I managed to allocate at least 2 hours per day to complete assignments and to review the material for the upcoming lectures. On the weekends, I was able to put more time in to consolidate the materials covered during the week.

Q: Did you use a test prep course?
A: No

Q: Did you take a GAP year? If so, why?
A: Yes. I did take time off after graduation not only to work and establish myself financially but to really decide on the profession I wanted to pursue. After realizing that I wanted to be a physician assistant, I had to complete 4 pre-requisite courses for the PA programs that I was interested in. in addition, I had to attain the required direct patient care hours.

Q: What do you consider to be your strengths in your application?
A: I volunteered at Mary Manning Walsh and Riverside Rehabilitation Nursing Home, Lenox Hill Hospital, Mount Sinai Medical Center, and Ahava Medical Center. I think this demonstrated (to the review committee) my drive to learn and grow in the medical community. I was always punctual, professional and tried diligently to fulfill and even surpass the roles expected of me while volunteering. Consequently, I received great recommendation letters from my supervisors and doctors at the above-mentioned facilities, which greatly helped my application.

Q: Did you apply nationally?
A: No. I only applied to three schools in NYC.

Q: How did the Pre-Health Advising Office help you achieve your goals?
A: Mr Robert Hieger provided an amazing mock interview. His questions and mannerisms were point on, and correlated to the actual interview from the school. Additionally, his advice made me really think about the PA profession from different angles and perspectives, which allowed to me to confidently answer all the questions asked. Ms Kemile Jackson also helped me tremendously in my PA pursuit. She provided invaluable information throughout my time at Hunter, and helped with uploading of letters of recommendations. She was a solid foundation that provided me with support, especially when I was in doubt or when I was faced with difficult challenges.

Q: What advice do you have for others?
A: The PA profession is very rewarding and fulfilling. We all know this. However, it requires the time and effort to get there. My advice is to be aware of what is required and be realistic. If you easily break under pressure, and struggle to meet deadlines for assignments, or have a hard time studying, then there are many other fulfilling professions out there that are not as demanding. I know this sounds a bit harsh, but its important to completely understand what you’re getting into. It makes no sense to spend time and money, only to quit later on. The journey is difficult, but if you know you’re willing to bear the time and sacrifice, and you’re willing to stay focused no matter what happens in your life, then my advice is to keep trying and don’t stop.

Make sure to keep your grades up. That’s always a plus. However, for those that fall short of the ‘ideal’ GPA, I think you compensate in other ways. Show the admissions committee your perseverance and dedication to the field. Volunteer at various places to build your portfolio; get experience at health clinics and hospitals but also at non-clinical sites. This contributes to an ‘well rounded’ candidate and is actually required by some institutions. Put in the time and effort to write a first rate personal statement. The personal statement is what will introduce you to the committee, beyond your name and qualifications. It’s showing them your interpersonal skills, which are invaluable in this profession. Your behavior, work ethic, desire to learn, ability to avoid confrontation or mediate and de-escalate a potentially bad situation; also your ability to accept healthy criticism are being judged at all times, when your are in a professional setting. Your supervisors will attest to those skills in their evaluations of you, and this can be an incredible plus for your application if you put in a genuine effort at your volunteering sites.

You are going to study the course work regardless! So make life easy for yourself and do it before lecture. This way you can not only actively participate in class discussions but you can ask questions that show the professor that you’re actually thinking and interested in the material being presented. Do not be that person that asks all the questions they already know the answer to just to be a ‘show off’. Realistically, the professors know who genuinely wants to learn. You demonstration of your commitment to learning the material will make them more willing to write a great letter of recommendation for you. Keep in mind, the secondary application sometimes requires the professors to upload the letters to both CASPA as well as the specific PA school so it helps if they like you and are willing to accommodate these additional requests. By the way, if you’re the quiet type, you can still go the professor after class is over to ask a question, or go to office hours. If you’re very shy, you have to get out of that bubble somehow, so this will definitely help you be more outgoing, in addition to letting the professor know who you are.

Sometimes, things seem overwhelming. Hunter has a way of making certain classes much more challenging than they need to be. We all know of the classes I’m referring to, where it feel like we have to give up part of our souls just to get a decent grade. Also, life happens, and that complicates our goals and dreams. I personally was a victim of adverse life events. Financial burdens made me take a total of 4 gap years. Of course, I also used that time to strengthen my profile and to take the pre-requisites needed. The point is, don’t give up, regardless of how long it takes or what is required. If you know you’re a hard worker, and are unafraid of doing what’s necessary, then keep going forward even when you fall down. Get back up, and keep trying. Don’t live with any regrets, because we have only one life to live, and if your desire is to be a PA, then go for it with all that you’ve got. Be true to yourself, and you’ll realize that your goal is within your grasp. All you have to do is reach out and take it.

Q: What extracurriculars did you participate in?
A:

1. I joined the Pre-Health Mentoring Initiative (PHMI) as a mentee during my freshman year and then became a PHMI mentor in my sophomore year. During my junior year, I joined the PHMI Advisory Board as the Social Media Director. In my senior year, I became the PHMI Program Director.
2. I completed 158 hours volunteering at New York Presbyterian Hospital's L&D department.
3. During the COVID pandemic, I started virtual shadowing through two different organizations. Together, I completed approximately 140 virtual shadowing hours.
4. In the beginning of my sophomore year, I started working as a MA at a medical office, completing approximately 800 hours.
5. I completed the majority of my patient care experience as a scribe and medical assistant in urgent care, accumulating approximately 2,600 hours at the time of submitting my CASPA application.
6. I spent 96 hours as a Physical Therapy office intern.
7. I accumulated 192 hours as a volunteer research assistant for the Microbe Directory run by Weill Cornell Medicine.
8. I spent 810 hours shadowing a PA in the Emergency Department.

Q: How many hours on average did you spend studying for your courses per week?
A: This varied heavily based on each course and whether or not I had exams coming up. I would say I spent around 15 hours a week, with the majority of my time spent on biology and chemistry classes.

Q: Did you use a test prep course?
A: I did not take the GRE as most PA programs do not require it

Q: Did you take a GAP year? If so, why?
A: No, I did not. However, I did graduate one semester early in the fall, which gave me the spring semester off before starting PA school.

Q: What do you consider to be your strengths in your application?
A: I believe my patient care experiences were the strongest point of my application. My personal statement and interview focused heavily on my clinical experiences and how they influenced the person that I am today. I learned so much from my clinical experiences and also met many PA's who served as mentors to me and eventually ended up writing me a letter of recommendation.

Q: Did you apply nationally?
A: I only applied to programs in New York with the exception of one program in Philadelphia.

Q: How did the Pre-Health Advising Office help you achieve your goals?
A: I was fortunate enough to work closely with Nina Ledis through the Pre-Health Mentoring Initiative. She has helped further edit my personal statement and offered advice for interviews and supplemental applications. I was also grateful to have Nina Ledis write me a strong letter of recommendation to support my application.

Q: What advice do you have for others?
A: Start early! If you are not sure which field you want to go in, I highly advise shadowing different health professions to see which best aligns with your future goals. Once you are set on your decision to go to PA school, start your clinical experiences early. The more hours of experience that you have, the stronger applicant you become. Your clinical experiences will not only be an opportunity to learn but they will also become points of discussion for interviews and supplemental applications A: You should aim for high overall stats, but also keep in mind that schools look at your applications holistically. For example, a strong personal statement can compensate for a weaker GPA, and vice versa. Do not rush the application process and only apply when you feel ready. The application process is time consuming and expensive, depending on how many schools you choose to apply to. Don't be afraid to take a gap year to make yourself a more competitive applicant. Good luck!

Q: What extracurriculars did you participate in?
A:

Healthcare Experience

• Medical scribe at a private internal medicine practice for 2 years.
• Shadowed a PA in an urgent care center for 256 hours.
• Volunteered at two NYP Hospitals (Weill Cornell ED, Brooklyn Methodist Hemodialysis Unit).

Research

• I was an undergraduate research assistant at The Rockefeller University for 2 years. I presented my research at numerous conferences including the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students (ABRCMS) where I received an award.
• I participated in the Summer Travelers Research Fellowship at Weill Cornell in 2021.
• I participated in the Clinical Genetics and Bioinformatics Online Program, Keck Graduate Institute in 2020.
• I was a member of Advancing Arab American Health Network and Allies Research Group (AAHNA) where my research was published in the Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities—“A National Survey Assessing COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy Among Arab Americans.”
• In my gap year, I worked as a Visiting Scholar at The Feinstein Institutes of Northwell Health on a kidney disease clinical trial.

Volunteering

• I volunteered for Muslims Understanding & Helping Special Education (MUHSEN).
• I volunteered for the Muslim American Society (MAS) Youth Center.
• I was a Health Educator with Peer Health Exchange for 1 semester.

On-Campus Involvement

• E-Board member for Palestine Solidarity Alliance Club.
• E-Board member for Southwest Asian North African Women Association Club.
• Executive Committee Member/Student Peer Leader for the Yalow Scholar Honors Program.

Healthcare Experience

• John P. McNulty Scholar (Women in STEM)
• Yalow Scholar Honors Program

Q: How many hours on average did you spend studying for your courses per week?
A: The number of hours varied depending on the course load, but I would say between 10-25 hours per week.

Q: Did you use a test prep course?
A: No. The GRE is optional for most PA programs.

Q: Did you take a GAP year? If so, why?
A: I took a gap year because I did not finish my pre-requisites until the end of my senior year.

Q: What do you consider to be your strengths in your application?
A: My story as an aspiring PA, and my commitment to support the Arab-American patient community by acknowledging their cultural background and values while also addressing their medical needs. In my interviews, I would connect my experiences to how I want to deepen my commitment to Arab-American health by increasing their representation in published literature so that all clinicians can readily access data pertaining to our medical needs. While research is not required, I had strong research experience. This distinguished me as an applicant, and my research is a topic I was asked about during interviews.

Q: Did you apply nationally?
A: No.

Q: How did the Pre-Health Advising Office help you achieve your goals?
A: They helped me prepare for my PA school interviews.

Q: What advice do you have for others?
A: If you are applying through CASPA, apply EARLY, since many PA Programs are rolling admissions even if they do not say so on their website. Also, do not compare yourself to others while applying, and avoid all online forums. Each person has their own application journey. It only takes only acceptance from a PA program to start your journey as a PA so do not give up!