What should a PA personal statement include?

PA personal statement: Purpose

Admissions committees want to understand where your first interest in becoming a physician assistant began, what memorable experiences you’ve had since that moment, and what steps you’ve taken towards turning that initial interest into desire and passion for the profession.

How long should a PA personal statement be?

You Have 625 Words and 2.5 Minutes to Get Into PA School: Use Them WiselyThe average person’s reading speed is about 250 words per minute. The CASPA personal statement allows a 5,000-character count (about 625 words).

How many words should a PA personal statement be?

The character limit for the CASPA application personal statement is 5,000 characters with spaces. (Some people at first think they have 5,000 words, and must make severe cuts to their overwritten drafts.

How do you end a personal statement in PA?

Strong Conclusion

This last paragraph of your personal statement should reemphasize your desire to attend physician assistant school, and, specifically, that school’s PA program. In your last paragraph, let your empathy, passion, skills, and dedication shine through.

Why be a PA instead of a doctor?

2. What are the advantages of choosing PA over MD? PAs typically spend less time and money on school and can switch specializations more easily than MDs. Most PAs begin practicing after 2 or 3 years of education and enjoy comfortable starting salaries.

How long should my personal statement be?

A general rule of thumb you might follow is to submit a 2-3 page statement, double-spaced, with 1-inch margins, in 12-pt. Times New Roman font. While there are no set rules about length or format, this is typically considered appropriate and sufficient.

Do spaces count as characters CASPA?

Personal statement guidelines and formatting

CASPA personal statements must not exceed 5000 characters. Characters can include spaces, carriage returns, symbols, numbers and punctuation. Tabs, italics, multiple spaces and other styling are not allowed in the personal statement.

How do you begin a personal statement?

Start with why you chose it, then try and summarise this in one or two sentences. Be original and refer to personal experiences as a way to draw attention. Avoid overused opening sentences, quotes and clichĂ©s like ‘when I was young…’ They want to know about you now, not your childhood or Shakespeare!

How do you explain poor grades in a personal statement?

“Due to being very busy with extracurricular activities my freshman year, studying did not happen as often as it should have. As a result, low grades occurred.” “I overcommitted myself to extracurricular activities my freshman year. I subsequently struggled with time management, and this affected my grades.”

Can you submit CASPA without letters of recommendation?

CASPA requires at least three letters, but it allows applicants to submit up to five different references. The letters are collected directly and digitally through the CASPA letter of recommendation program.

Can I edit my personal statement after submitting CASPA?

You can make limited changes after you submit your application. You can add new items to certain areas of the Academic History, Supporting Information, and Program Materials sections (e.g., test scores, experiences, optional documents, etc.), where applicable, but you cannot edit existing entries.

Can you change your personal statement on CASPA?

If you plan to only apply to one program, we still strongly recommend keeping your statement general in case you later apply to additional programs. Once you submit your application, the essay cannot be edited or changed.

How early should I submit CASPA?

We simply CANNOT stress this enough: the BEST time to submit your CASPA application is the day the cycle opens, usually at the beginning of March. Although many PA schools have rolling deadlines, most schools begin reviewing applications the same day CASPA makes the cycle available.

What rolls over in CASPA?

The parts of CASPA that will be carried over include personal information, academic history, and supporting information. Since your existing CASPA account will not carry over the text written in the “essay” section, keep your personal statement saved on your computer in a word document or on a google doc.