11th hour of Application

Applying to Physician assistant school is exciting, but also surprisingly stressful.

Why should an intelligent and accomplished clinician, with a history of excellent grades feel stressed?
Because I'm a non-traditional applicant. I can not go back in time and finish high school instead of obtaining a GED. I can't realistically take yet another psychology class before June because the three psych classes I took are slightly too old. And I'm just starting on a statistics course. Had I planned to become a PA years ago, had I researched it years ago, I may have made choices to make myself a traditional candidate.

There should be a place for clinicians with a strong clinical background in a PA program, irregardless of minute details like psych classes being slightly too old. An appeal to sense and reason... inspiration even, is what I hope for. I've earned my stripes getting all those A's in all my classes, Getting into and thriving in a competitive Respiratory program. I clearly have the intelligence, drive, and the humanity required to thrive in a challenging and competitive PA Program as well. What better background for a Pulmonology PA than an RRT?

Mindsets which might be called "inflexible" I've grown to respect in some ways. Those who abide with exact rules and no exceptions. Beneath my improvisation-heavy approach to everything there is a traditionalist rule follower. My entire childhood is a testament to that. So though I respect those black and white points of view, I'm truly hoping to God that the PA Program admission people and U Of T are different. I hope they want strong clinicians who've dealt with serious care situations, rather than a radiology tech with good grades. Hopefully they want a nerdy RT who loves science, teaching, learning, caring for patients, is cool under pressure, and absolutely determined.

I'm a sure bet and I hope they see that.

Based on their admission criteria seeming a fair bit less stringent and more flexible, I can have some real hope in that. They must be looking at other qualities. Honestly there aren't great plan B's for me. Other than This PA school I could try 'maybe' a few others... unless I want to take 5 years taking math classes and retaking all my prerequisites. There's the "fly off to another country like Australia for med school" option, there's the "Surrender my hopes and go into management" option..