A: Academic Enrichment-Upperclassmen Interview
Freshman Year Interview
I interviewed an upperclassmen about their career goals and how they plan to obtain them.
Q: What year are you?
A: I am a junior at Ohio State.
Q: What major are you in?
A: Health Sciences with a minor in Biology.
Q: What is your career plan?
A: I plan to graduate from Ohio State in Spring 2018. I will then go on to graduate school to hopefully become a Physician Assistant.
Q: What schools are you looking at going to for PA school?
A: My top schools are Duke, Pitt, and Barry University, but I am applying to 10! It is very important to apply to a lot of schools, because it will give you a lot of options. Also, it definitely helps with nerves because you can apply to a few safety schools, that way you can be pretty sure that you have a few options if you do not get into your top schools. It can be pretty expensive to apply to graduate school-between the application and sending your transcript, GRE scores, etc, it is a lot of money! However, it is definitely worthwhile in the long run because it keeps you open to possibilities in case you get a lot of money from one school, or you change your mind upon visiting certain schools.
Q: How did you decide what classes to take to ensure you had all the right prerequisites?
A: As you know, there is no standard set of prerequisites for Physician Assistant school. This means that it can be really nerve-wracking to schedule, because missing a single prerequisite for a school will immediately take you out of the running for a spot in their program. What was really helpful for me was to look at all the PA schools which I was interested in, and to make a chart of what each one’s requirements were. This allowed me to have a sort of master copy of schools that I could use to find information regarding a certain school quickly and easily. I am so glad that I did this! In doing that, I was able to learn about the different options I had all around the country early, and begin planning for what classes I need to take. From there, I met with my advisor ALL the time. I’m sure that they cannot wait to get rid of me, because I am always asking them different questions. It is very important that you meet often with your advisor and plan out your class schedule, because they will ensure that you get all of your required classes completed on time.
Q: What extracurriculars are you a part of?
A: I do research in a lab, volunteer at the Wexner Medical Center, and am a part of Greek Life on campus.
Q: What is your favorite part of Ohio State?
A: My favorite part of Ohio State will always be the football games. The atmosphere, the friends, the location, the team-it couldn’t get any better. Go Buckeyes!
Q: What were your favorite classes to take?
A: I loved taking Children’s Literature for my Literature GE! It was super interesting and honestly, a really fun class to take. I also love whenever I have extra room for an elective, as I love taking a fun activity in the Kinesiology department, like skydiving, yoga, or boxing.
Q: What tips do you have for someone looking to follow a similar career path?
A: Research, research, research. You really have to look at all your different school options and make that list of requirements for each. That was definitely the best decision I made in my application process.
Q:Thanks so much for clearing time to meet with me! I really appreciate it.
A: Anytime.
Sophomore Year Interview
I interviewed my RA from freshman year about her goals.
Q: What year in undergraduate are you?
A: I am a senior, and will be graduating this weekend!
Q: What is your major?
A: Psychology
Q: Can you tell me a bit about your career plans?
A: Sure! I was initially wanting to be a doctor, but just decided this year that between the MCAT and years of schooling after undergrad that would be required, that I was no longer interested in pursuing it as a career. I decided that I want to be a Physician Assistant.
Q: That’s what I hope to do as well! Have you applied to any school’s yet?
A: Since I changed my mind so late, I do not believe that I have the stats to be competitive in this year’s application cycle. Therefore, I have decided to take classes this summer to become a CNA, and plan to apply next year!
Q: Which schools would you like to go to/are there any programs which you would recommend to me?
A: One program that I am extremely interested in is the dual PA/MPH degree at Arcadia University in Pennsylvania. I am also planning on applying to some schools in Ohio, Florida, and California.
Q: Wow, that’s all over the map! How many schools would you recommend applying to?
A: Well, the admissions rate for Physician Assistant school is fairly low (~2%-5%), so I would recommend applying to around 10 to improve your chances.
Q: Great, thank you so much for meeting with me today! I hope you have a great summer, and enjoy graduation!
A: Thank you!