Bachelor's Degree 
PA programs require that you receive a Bachelor's Degree from an accredited college or university. Although, you are allowed to major in whatever you like as long as you have taken the required pre-requisite courses and a handful of upper-level science courses. Some of the most common undergraduate majors of PA school applicants include Health Science, APK, Biology, Health Education and Behavior, and Nutrition. However, applicants have majored in English Literature or even Mathematics. Make sure to pick an undergraduate major that you enjoy! :)

Minimum 3.0 GPA
The minimum GPA required for almost all PA programs is a 3.0, however a more competitive GPA would begin at a 3.6. If your GPA happens to be on the lower end, don't panic. You can always retake courses and strengthen yourself as an applicant in other ways such as by obtaining more volunteer and patient care experience. Additionally, make sure to keep in mind that many PA programs will require a minimum grade letter for their pre-requisite courses, despite their GPA requirement. Usually PA programs will require that you have at least a "C" in their pre-requisite courses, however others will require at least a "B".
 
Pre-requisite Courses
Each PA program will differ in the minimum prerequisite courses they require. The most common required pre-requisites include General Biology 1 & 2 with Labs, General Chemistry 1 & 2 with Labs, Human Anatomy/Physiology with Labs, Microbiology with Lab, and Organic Chemistry. Keep in mind that most PA programs will also have an English, Math, and Social Science (i.e. psychology, sociology) pre-requisite requirement as well. Remember, taking more upper-level sciences courses than what is required of the minimum (i.e. Genetics and Biochemistry) will make you an even stronger applicant. Also, most PA programs do NOT accept AP credit and will only accept pre-requisite courses if they are less than 5-10 years old. Additionally, many programs will accept pre-requisite courses taken online (i.e. online lecture), however the labs must be completed in person.

Graduate Record Examination (GRE)
The GRE is a standardized exam required for most graduate programs besides medical and dental programs. It consists of a verbal, quantitative, and writing section. Both the verbal and quantitative sections are graded on a scale of  130-170, making a cumulative score of at most 340. The writing section is graded on a separate scale of at most 6.0. Most programs will require you to have a cumulative score of 300, which is a 150 in both sections and about the 50th percentile. Usually, a 3.0 is required for the writing section. However, make sure to not stress yourself out too much about the GRE. Yes, it is important to make sure you receive a score slightly above the minimum, however it will be much more worth your while to obtain higher grades in your pre-requisite courses and quality patient care experience. Additionally, make sure to keep in mind that many PA programs will NOT accept the MCAT in replace of the GRE. Many applicants study for the GRE using different companies such as Kaplan, Princeton Review, and Magoosh. Remember, preparation materials for the GRE can cost around $100. Each time you complete the actual GRE exam, it will cost you $200. It will then cost you $30 each to send your GRE to the PA programs of your choosing. After completing the exam, you will be given an option to send your score to up to 5 PA programs for free. Therefore, make sure to take advantage of this option In order to be cost efficient!

Patient Care Experience (PCE)
Most PA programs require that you have a minimum of 1,000-2,000 hours of patient care experience. PA programs put a HUGE emphasis on this component of the application, therefore the more experience you obtain, the stronger of an applicant you will be. In most cases, PCE will consist of you physically touching and providing personal care to a patient in a health care setting. The most common forms of PCE include becoming a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) or Patient Care Assistant (PCA), Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), Medical Assistant (MA), and/or Medical Scribe. Most forms of PCE will require that you obtain a certification. Additionally, while becoming a Medical Scribe is invaluable experience considering you are usually working alongside a Physician in the ER, it is not a position in which you are physically touching the patient, therefore some programs may not accept this form of PCE. Again, make sure to complete your research! Moreover, at the end of the day, grades come first. Therefore, it is okay to take a gap or "growth" year or two in between graduating with your Bachelor's Degree and beginning your PA education. PA programs do not look down upon taking a gap year to gain more patient care experience. In fact, many encourage it! Keep in mind that average age of those accepted into PA school is around 26.

Shadowing
Shadowing is another important component of the PA school application because it conveys to the admissions' committees that you truly understand the role of PAs in healthcare and are ready to take on the profession. Many PA programs will differ in the amount of shadowing hours they require, while other programs will not even require a minimum. However, the more PAs you shadow in different specialties, the more of a competitive applicant you will be! As far as how to obtain these shadowing opportunities, make sure to be persistent! Many of times you will obtain PCE in which you are working alongside PAs. Make sure to ask these PAs if you can shadow them! Remember, the worse they can say is no. They were in our shoes once and understand how important it is to obtain these hours. Additionally, call and/or visit doctors' offices in hopes of finding a PA to shadow. You can also look up the directory of your local hospital and "cold call" the PAs. Moreover, make sure to become a part of your university's pre-PA club as well. Many of times these organizations will have PAs present at their general body meetings of whom you can ask to shadow. Also, once you find one PA to shadow, they will most likely know of other PAs that welcome students to shadow.

Community Service, Extracurricular Activities, and Leadership
Each PA program will differ in the amount of service hours they require and others may not even have a set minimum. However, PA programs value applicants who serve their community. After all, many of times PAs act as the gap fillers in healthcare! You can volunteer at a homeless clinic, your local children's hospital, after-school programs for at-risk youth, and so much more! Search the web to see the volunteer opportunities your university is offering in your area. Additionally, make sure to become involved on your university's campus! Join a sorority, participate on an intramural sport team, and/or a mentor/mentee organization. Better yet, become an officer of an organization you are passionate about to convey to the admissions' committees that you are confident in leading a group of individuals and serving as a resource to others. Most importantly, make sure to become a member of your university's Pre-PA club or better yet, start one if there isn't one already! 


Letters of Recommendation (LOR)
Keep in mind that most PA Programs will require at least three LORs with at least one from a Physician Assistant and a supervisor who has experienced you working in a health care setting. For instance, if you work as a CNA/PCA at a hospital, it would be in your best interest to ask your Nurse Manager and the Charge Nurses you work with for an LOR. It's very important that you ask a PA who you've shadowed for a generous amount of time to write you your letter. If a PA you have shadowed for a couple of weeks writes your letter, odds are the letter will not hold as much weight to the admissions' committees. Make sure to also keep in mind that some PA programs will also require that you receive a LOR from an academic professor and/or a Physician/NP. 

Complete the CASPA & Supplemental Applications
Almost all PA programs will require that you submit your application through the Centralized Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA). Typically, the CASPA will open during late April and close in March of the following year. Generally, PA programs will open their application once the CASPA is open in April and their deadline will usually be September 1st of that same year. However, there are a few programs whose applications do not open until November and thus their deadline is of a later date. It is in your favor to submit your application earlier rather than later, considering many programs are on a rolling admissions basis. However, keep in mind that it is important you are confident in your application upon submission as well! Submitting your first CASPA application to a PA program will cost $177. Submitting each application there after will cost $50. Keep in mind the CASPA is very similar to the "Common Application" we used to obtain entry into University as undergraduates. It requires that you list your transcripts and descriptions of your extracurricular activities, report your GRE scores, and submit a personal statement explaining why it is you chose to pursue the PA profession. Additionally, many programs will have supplemental questions listed within the CASPA or they will send you a link to an entirely separate supplemental application once you submit the CASPA. Supplemental applications are usually a separate fee and will cost anywhere from $30-$100. Most importantly, make sure to keep in mind the deadlines of your PA programs of interest. Each program will have a different deadline for submitting the CASPA, GRE, and supplemental application. More information regarding the CASPA can be found here!