PAPCA Presents…
“CASPA 3.0”
The Application Cycle The application cycle is the time span in which CASPA is open and you are able to create and access your CASPA account. The current cycle runs from around April to October. Once the application cycle closes, you will NOT be able to create or access your CASPA account.
Before creating an application... The following steps are highly recommended BEFORE applying 1. Read through all of CASPA’s policies, instructions, and Frequently Asked Questions at our site, https://portal.caspaonline.org/.
2. Contact your schools to determine what types of references they require and line up references and their contact information.
3. Request official copies of transcripts to be sent to you to aid you in filling out the coursework portion of the CASPA application (these can NOT be the same ones later sent to CASPA).
Before creating an application... 4. Compose your narrative in a word processor. Please note CASPA has a character limit of 5,000 characters, including spaces, line breaks, etc. Please note that we have found that Notepad’s character count to be more reflective of CASPA’s than the system employed by Microsoft Word. 5. Research your school’s deadlines and what is required for each deadline – a submitted, completed, or verified application – as this can greatly affect your timeline for submitting documents and completing your application. 6. Determine PA programs’ requirements regarding standardized tests, supplemental applications, foreign evaluations, etc.
Participating Programs: Deadlines List of all PA programs participating in CASPA for the current application cycle and their DEADLINES. Test requirements, supplemental applications, links to program websites
Blue Deadline: E-SUBMITTED APPLICATION REQUIRED “Applicants must e-submit their CASPA application by 11:59pm EST on the deadline date. Documents are not required to be received by the deadline date.” Each program may have additional unique requirements (receipt of test scores, supplemental applications…) IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO RESEARCH THESE
Deadlines Applicants must have a “complete date� on or before the deadline date. A complete date is given when an application is e-submitted and all transcripts, payments, and at least two letters of reference have been received by CASPA Documents should be sent several weeks prior to this date to ensure items arrive on time.
Deadlines Have your application verified (GPA calculated) by the deadline date. Applications must be completed (esubmitted, payment received, transcripts received, and two letters received) at least four weeks in advance of the deadline to ensure the application is verified on time.
Deadlines
CASPA allows applicants to apply to “developing� PA programs (Program has applied for accreditation but has not yet received it) If you choose to apply to a developing program, you understand the program may be denied accreditation after the review process is completed and that there are no refunds should the program fail to gain accreditation.
Pre Application Timeline At Least 3 Months Prior to Deadline “Applicant has researched PA programs’ deadlines, reference requirements, prerequisites, and other regulations and is ready to begin the application. The applicant has informed their references of the process and they have agreed to participate.”
We are recommending that you do this now, so that you have a general idea of what schools you would like to go to, GPA required, classes required, etc.
Pre Application Timeline At Least 10-12 Weeks Prior to Deadline The application has been created and the “institutions attended” and “references” sections have been completed. Applicant has requested that transcripts be sent to CASPA directly from their schools and have confirmed with their references that they have received the online reference request via e-mail. Additional copies of transcripts have been requested to be sent to the applicant directly to aid them in filling out the “coursework” section.
This “deadline” is a general reminder that you should have your references picked and writing your letters and to have requested your transcripts to your schools.
Pre Application Timeline At Least 6-8 Weeks Prior to Deadline Applicant is filling out application, including coursework and narrative. Applicant is monitoring application for receipt of transcripts and letters of reference.
We would recommend to have your narrative drafted before the application process begins. Go through many rounds of revision up until around 4 weeks before deadline.
Pre Application Timeline At Least 4-6 Weeks Prior to Deadline CASPA application has been submitted and all transcripts, payments, and at least two letters of reference have posted to the CASPA application. The application has received a complete date and is in line for verification. Applicant is monitoring application status regularly and following up on any incomplete or undelivered statuses until application is “verified.�
Keep monitoring statuses of applications to be verified! Also, you might want to contact each school before the final submission date to confirm that you have all of the required materials for applying to that specific graduate program.
Q: How early should I start the application process?
APPLY EARLY!! ● To ensure your application is verified on time, ALL MATERIALS should arrive at CASPA to complete your application at least four weeks prior to your earliest deadline ● Once your application is considered complete, it can take up to FOUR WEEKS for it to be processed.
What about transcripts??? Transcripts should not be reported to CASPA! They should be sent directly to the schools you are applying to. However, the CASPA does include a section on coursework...
Coursework on the CASPA
Subject Classifications Biochemistry ● ie: Biochemistry, Biological Chemistry, Metabolism, Physiological Chemistry... Biology/Zoology ● ie: Anatomy, Biology, BME, Cellular Biology, Ecology, Genetics, Neurobiology... English ● ie: Basic Composition, Creative Writing, Poetry, Medical Terminology, ESL Inorganic Chemistry ● ie: General Chemistry, Physical Chemistry, Inorganic Chemistry
Subject Classifications Math ● ie: Algebra, Calculus, Computer Science, Computational Biology Organic Chemistry ● ie: Organic Chemistry, Bio-organic Chemistry Other Science: ● ie: Animal Science, Dietetics, EMT, Health Science, Physical Science, Public Health Other Non-Science ● ie: Anything else offered at UConn... Physics ● ie: Physics, Thermodynamics, Electricity & Light, Magnetism Behavioral Science ● ie: Anthropology, Cognitive Science, Drugs & Behavior, Family Studies,
Type of Class 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11.
12.
Advanced Placement (AP credit from HS) Audit (courses that you attended but didn’t receive a grade for while others enrolled in the course did receive credit) Certificate (courses that count toward a certificate) CLEP Deferred (courses spanning multiple terms but a grade is not awarded until the final term is completed) Exempted (required course that you are exempt from taking) Honors International Bacc. (credits from an international high school) Online Courses Pass/Fail (people that have received a Fail for P/F classes denote a Non-Pass in CASPA) Repeat (SHOULD BE LABELED REPEAT FOR BOTH TIMES TAKEN) Note: courses taken at different schools, withdrawn courses, and courses taken multiple times for credit are not repeated Study Abroad
How should we record different undergraduate experiences?
Patient Care Experience Detailed by CASPA: Experiences in which you are directly responsible for a patient’s care; for example: prescribing medications, performing procedures, directing a course of treatment, working on patients as an active EMT, etc. Real world examples: ● EMT ● Paramedic ● CNA ● ER Tech ● Clinical Assistant ● Medical Assistant ● and more
Patient Care Experience
Other Health Care Experience Detailed by CASPA: You are working in the health or healthcare-related field but are not directly responsible for patient’s care
Real world examples: ● Pharmacy Technician ● Hospital volunteer ● Clerical work in hospital ● Meals on wheels ● Volunteer at blood drives
Other Health Care Experience
Health Care Shadowing Detailed by CASPA: Time spent officially following and observing a health care professional at work Real world examples: ● Shadowing a nurse in a hospital ● Shadowing a doctor in a private practice ● Shadowing a PA in a hospital
Health Care Shadowing
Research Detailed by CASPA: Research projects done in addition to classroom work; research should NOT appear as credit on a school transcript. Real world examples: ● Undergraduate research assistant in Psych, PNB, MCB, etc. (no credit) ● Summer research internships (paid or unpaid)
Research
Community Service Detailed by CASPA: Volunteering work done outside of the healthcare field Real world examples: ● Tutoring children ● Participating in/ working for a fundraiser walk or blood drive ● Working at a soup kitchen/ food pantry ● Volunteering at a nursing home ● Habitat for Humanity ● Mission trips
Community Service
Other Work Experience Detailed by CASPA: Paid work done outside of the healthcare field; for example: a retail or restaurant job
Why is this important? Your ability to hold a job, your commitment and your work ethic are all things that an admission committee takes into account. your application is viewed holistically, and so all of your work experience is important
Real world examples: ● Lifeguard ● Waitress ● Cashier ● Secretary (note: a secretary/bookkeeper in a hospital setting belongs in the “other healthcare experience” entry ● and more
Other Work Experience
if you list “still current� as a yes, your program will assume that you are still gaining hours/experience
Awards, Honors, Professional Memberships & Leadership Any specific academic, service, or activity awards that you have received. Do not include any High School achievements. Enter each item by selecting “add new entry”, experiences will be automatically sorted from oldest to most recent. Real world examples: ● Merit-Based Scholarships ● Dean’s List/Honor Roll ● Service and Activity ● Leadership positions for clubs/Fraternities/Sororities ● Pre-Health Societies ● Diversity!
Awards, etc...
Requesting Letters of Rec. Always looks better to waive your right to access reference; shows you trust the people who are writing your recommendation! Avoid getting letters of recommendation from people who know you outside of the work place (ex. family friends) Give recommender at least 4 weeks notice and send in recommendations for verification at least 4 weeks before deadline- 8 out total
Reporting test scores (GRE) Not all PA school require GRE scores, so check with the schools you are applying to! Every school has different requirements regarding self reporting your scores. Official scores are submitted to CASPA using a PA program-specific code. Once GRE scores are attached to the application, THEY CAN NOT BE REMOVED!!
Q: How do I list Lab Courses? A: If your lab was included within the course (ie: General Biology with Lab) then you should NOT list the lab as another course. However, if the two classes show up on your transcript as two separate classes (ie: Physiological Psychology and Physiological Psychology Lab) then you should put them under different classes.
Q: My school has two summer sessions, how do I mark this on the coursework? A: You would mark this as the general summer session in CASPA.
Q: I received academic forgiveness for repeating classes. How do I show this? A: You can not show that your university showed academic forgiveness for classes. You may mark retaken courses as “Repeat” under “Course Type” but both grades still factor into your GPA.
How does your GPA get calculated in CASPA?
Year Level GPA The CASPA first breaks down your GPA depending on academic year; splitting your classes into science and non-science GPAs.
Course Subject GPA Secondly, the CASPA breaks down your GPA by course subject donated by each class in the “Coursework” section.
Non-Graded Credit The third chart records earned credit for which you didn’t receive a letter grade, and will not affect your GPA.
CASPA GPA Scale
Science vs Non-Science? Science GPA: ● Taken from Biology/Zoology, Inorganic Chemistry, Biochemistry, Organic Chemistry, Physics and Other Science Non-Science GPA: ● Taken from English, Math, Social/Behavioral Science, and Other Non-Science BCP (Biology, Chemistry, Physics) GPA ● Taken from Biology, Inorganic Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Biochemistry or Physics
Q: What are the courses not included in my GPA? Professional and foreign coursework will not be included in the GPAs. In addition, any course in which a grade of withdrawal, pass/no-pass audit, incomplete, exempted or not yet enrolled is indicated will not be included in the GPAs. Examples: Professional: EMT classes (outside of UConn’s class) where a grade is earned Foreign: any class taken outside of US where credits are not transferrable to equivalent UConn credit
Q: Why does CASPA include repeated courses in my GPA? In order to standardize applicant information throughout the country, CASPA includes all grades for courses, and doesn’t allow “forgiveness” because each college treats repeated courses differently, such as averaging the two grades, taking the higher one, taking the second one, etc. Therefore, CASPA must factor in all grades for repeated coursework in the CASPA GPA.
Q: How do I calculate my GPA on my own? A: GPAs are calculated by taking the credit hours for each course and multiplying them by the CASPA numeric value of your grade to determine your quality points. The total quality points are then divided by the total number of credits to determine GPA.
Q: What is the average number of schools that people apply to?
We did a little more research: the average number of schools people applied to was around 8. The only reason some had around 1 or 2 was because they had an insane amount of PCE (20+ years) and were confident they would get in.
What is the Personal Statement? The Personal Statement section of the CASPA is where you can show your passion for the field! CASPA Requirements: ● only create one personal statement (do NOT tailor per school) ● maximum 5,000 characters (including punctuation and spaces) ● DO NOT PLAGIARIZE! ● Narrative Topic: ○ In the space provided write a brief statement expressing your motivation or desire to become a physician assistant.
Do’s and Don’ts of the Personal Statement Suggestions 1. 2. 3. 4.
5. 6. 7.
Follow instructions! Avoid using first-person I too much Target your audience! a. The people that are reading your essays are PAs too! Check...and check...and check SPELLING AND GRAMMAR! a. If your best work has spelling and grammar errors, that’s just more reason for the program not to accept you. Avoid contractions Avoid abbreviations Focus on one selection and development a. Your motivation for a career as a physician assistant b. The influences of your family and early experiences on your life c. The influences of extracurricular or work and volunteer activities on your life d. Long term goals e. Personal philosophy
Do’s and Don’ts of the Personal Statement Essay Pitfalls 1.
2. 3. 4.
5.
Cliches (sound amateur and predictable) a. Am I using a cliche? Ask yourself, “If I only wrote part of this, could the reader finish it?” Ex. Out of the frying pan and------? Lack of Specificity a. Be descriptive of people, experiences, emotions! Weak Conclusion a. What emotion do you want to leave the reader with? No Theme a. Pick one and emphasize it throughout the text, weave in references to strengthen it. Ex. “Because I wished I could do more” shows how you want to play a bigger, more important role in patient care. Boring Introduction a. Perhaps the most important aspect, how are you going to really entice someone to continue reading your statement with the first couple of sentences?
What Makes You Stand Out:
Heart
Honesty Passion
Grit
It’s not just about showing your strengths and proving that you have the background to be a health care provider, but the true drive and determination you have to become a Physician Assistant. What in your life has pushed you toward this career? Why do you know you will excel? Why do you stand out?
Guides for Applying Below are some other resources that may go more in depth on the “do’s and don’ts” on applying: ● CASPA Website! ● pafocus.org ● physicianassistantforum.com ● “The Ultimate Guide to Getting into Physician Assistant School” by Andrew Rodican, PA-C ○ Mr. Rodican has written and published many excellent books for PA school admissions! ● http://doseofpa.blogspot.com/ “Trust me, I’m a PA Student” ● Call individual schools for recommendations!
Questions? If you have any questions on the materials on the slides for this Powerpoint, please contact us at uconnpapca@gmail.com!