3 answers
Alex
Student
Mansfield, Ohio
1
Question
Asked
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What lesser-known experiences and extracurriculars during undergrad helped you stand out when applying to PA or medical school Out of these hobbies, what was your most rewarding experience? #Spring25?
I love getting involved in as much as possible, whether it is medical-related or just things I enjoy. Sometimes I get worried that I can't balance my hobbies with the rigor of my classes and I hope to get some ideas from others on what they found not only most helpful when applying to PA school but also what they enjoyed the most! #Spring25
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3 answers
Hwal Lee
DMSc
244
Answers
Albany, New York
Updated
Hwal’s Answer
Alex,
Although I'm not absolutely certain whether this helped me stand out when I applied to PA schools, I would say with confidence that my research experience was one of the most enjoyable and rewarding experiences. I did get accepted to PA school in my first application, so I like to think the experience may have helped. Regardless, I worked with endocrinology and metabolism investigators for about two years and learned an incredible lot. Most importantly though, it was through this experience that I learned how much I enjoyed the process of inquiry, and this really set the foundation for my research activities in the years since.
Let me know if you have any specific questions.
Hwal
Although I'm not absolutely certain whether this helped me stand out when I applied to PA schools, I would say with confidence that my research experience was one of the most enjoyable and rewarding experiences. I did get accepted to PA school in my first application, so I like to think the experience may have helped. Regardless, I worked with endocrinology and metabolism investigators for about two years and learned an incredible lot. Most importantly though, it was through this experience that I learned how much I enjoyed the process of inquiry, and this really set the foundation for my research activities in the years since.
Let me know if you have any specific questions.
Hwal
Julia Pulgini
Medical Assistant
20
Answers
Wilmington, Delaware
Updated
Julia’s Answer
I am currently applying this cycle to PA school and my biggest tip is focusing on PCE hours. It is great to be apart of clubs, but most schools look more into how many hours you have with direct patient care. I joined a PA club in college, volunteered, and shadowed. Beyond that, I just focused on gaining as many hours as I could. Hope this helps relieve some stress!
Caleb Lindsey
Nursing Assistant
18
Answers
Bloomfield, Indiana
Updated
Caleb’s Answer
Hi Alex,
Thank you for your question. I am currently applying to PA school as well and I wanted to say I. agree with Ms. Pulgini in that PCE hours are a HUGE factor in getting into PA school. In my conversations with various PA admissions folks, the average PA school applicant has around 2000 hours of patient care experience when they apply. Having said, I know PAs who got into school with 200 hours of PCE experience because the other huge factors involved in PA school admissions are GPA and performance in interviews.
To answer your question, I took an acting and a singing class in my last semester at IU and I can confidently say it was one of the best decisions I made. I had been used to pushing myself hard in science courses and fell into a routine of taking notes in lecture, studying hard, going to office hours, and getting good grades. But in acting and singing and other performing arts there are no lectures, no quizzes, and no exams, so it was a great challenge for me. And I really struggled to adjust to the new curriculum, but through the struggle I gained insight into myself and experienced a great boost in confidence that will serve me well in PA school.
For acting especially, I found that actors have to have huge amounts of empathy, as you are literally putting yourself into a different persons' shoes to feel what they would be feeling. We would do exercises where we would ask ourselves, "What is my goal in this scene?, What am I feeling?, What tactics am I going to use to achieve my goal?' and those kinds of questions have really helped me in my interactions with patients. I find that I am better able to empathize with them and thus, better able to help them. For example, when patient's are upset with me because they are in pain and the medicine they are getting is not helping, I think, "Their goal is make their pain stop because they are hurting and scared. They're trying to bully others to get more pain medicine to stop their pain. Let me ask their nurse when their next dose is and I can also get them a hot pack to help with their pain."
With singing, I had no prior experience but learned to challenge myself and came to appreciate my own uniqueness, which is a thought process I have carried over to the care of my patients. I try to be more self aware that my patients are unique humans with their own goals , flaws, and struggles. And being able to recognize that allows me to connect with them better.
I highly recommend you pursue interests and new things outside of medicine. For me, dipping my toes into the performing arts was a great experience that gave me a different perspective on life, which will serve me well in PA school. But you could try outdoor activities, book and poetry clubs, and many other types of extracurriculars. I hope you can find one that you're interested in!
I hope this helps! If you have any other questions, I'd be happy to answer them!
Thank you for your question. I am currently applying to PA school as well and I wanted to say I. agree with Ms. Pulgini in that PCE hours are a HUGE factor in getting into PA school. In my conversations with various PA admissions folks, the average PA school applicant has around 2000 hours of patient care experience when they apply. Having said, I know PAs who got into school with 200 hours of PCE experience because the other huge factors involved in PA school admissions are GPA and performance in interviews.
To answer your question, I took an acting and a singing class in my last semester at IU and I can confidently say it was one of the best decisions I made. I had been used to pushing myself hard in science courses and fell into a routine of taking notes in lecture, studying hard, going to office hours, and getting good grades. But in acting and singing and other performing arts there are no lectures, no quizzes, and no exams, so it was a great challenge for me. And I really struggled to adjust to the new curriculum, but through the struggle I gained insight into myself and experienced a great boost in confidence that will serve me well in PA school.
For acting especially, I found that actors have to have huge amounts of empathy, as you are literally putting yourself into a different persons' shoes to feel what they would be feeling. We would do exercises where we would ask ourselves, "What is my goal in this scene?, What am I feeling?, What tactics am I going to use to achieve my goal?' and those kinds of questions have really helped me in my interactions with patients. I find that I am better able to empathize with them and thus, better able to help them. For example, when patient's are upset with me because they are in pain and the medicine they are getting is not helping, I think, "Their goal is make their pain stop because they are hurting and scared. They're trying to bully others to get more pain medicine to stop their pain. Let me ask their nurse when their next dose is and I can also get them a hot pack to help with their pain."
With singing, I had no prior experience but learned to challenge myself and came to appreciate my own uniqueness, which is a thought process I have carried over to the care of my patients. I try to be more self aware that my patients are unique humans with their own goals , flaws, and struggles. And being able to recognize that allows me to connect with them better.
I highly recommend you pursue interests and new things outside of medicine. For me, dipping my toes into the performing arts was a great experience that gave me a different perspective on life, which will serve me well in PA school. But you could try outdoor activities, book and poetry clubs, and many other types of extracurriculars. I hope you can find one that you're interested in!
I hope this helps! If you have any other questions, I'd be happy to answer them!