If you’re applying to PA school, you may have wondered: just how important is my PA school essay?  

At the point you wonder this, it’s likely that your coursework is complete.  You have probably taken the GRE, requested your letters of reference, and accrued some — or maybe many — hours of healthcare experience.  To most people at this point, the application essay feels like kind of an afterthought.  MISTAKE!

it turns out that PA school essays are surprisingly important, and understanding why can be crucial to your chances of getting in.

Why PA School Essays Are CLUTCH

There are several reasons that the essay is so important to your CASPA or non-CASPA PA school application

The Essay is the single biggest factor you can control at the time of application.

If you’ve read any of our other articles, you know that your grades don’t change after you graduate, right?  If not, here’s a refresher: no matter how many classes you take after you get your bachelor’s degree, your undergraduate GPA will not change (ever).  That’s because PA schools (at least 95% of them) don’t average your college grades together with the grades you get after college.  Instead, they will get a separate GPA for your undergraduate coursework, your post-baccalaureate coursework, any master’s level graduate work, and any doctorate coursework.  In fact, PA schools get a page of different GPAs.  So once you graduate, you undergrad GPA is fixed.  and obviously, you don’t have much control over what your letters of reference say, and your GRE is done and recorded.

But the essay is an open mic, waiting for you to give a speech.  It’s your last and best chance to put a good face on your application.

I hear you thinking: “They can’t really put much weight on something you could write at the last minute, can they?  You could write it the night before you submit your application!  You could probably even have someone else write it!”  (Don’t do that, by the way — it’s just wrong).  But these are good points, but still, surprisingly, it turns out PA schools rely heavily on essays to guide them on who to interview.

The Essay is Different from the Rest of Your Application

Most of your PA school application is a collection of data points and facts about you – Your science and non-science GPAs, your major, your number of hours with patients, blah blah blah.  Those facts are not so sexy to read.  And admissions committees must read all of them — hundreds, sometimes even thousands of applications.  Readers are human and prone to boredom.  Not much of an application is open to interpretation.  But the essay different; it’s the dash of personality, art, or color on a landscape of black and white.

The Essay Can Be the Difference that Makes a Difference

A strong essay can:

• 

  Show them your verbal brilliance (a surprisingly important skill for physician assistants)
• Share your internal motivations
• Help them see you as a flesh-and-blood person, not just a computer file
• Make them curious to meet you
• Be a powerful equalizer if you have lower grades, test scores, or not much patient care experience.

When I was a PA student I was very curious about my classmates.  I wanted to know what types of people had made it into our class, so I asked them (tactfully) about their grades, test scores, and experiences.  As you might expect, many of my classmates were very strong students, or had years of healthcare experience.  But not all of them were, and — more importantly — none of them said that their essay was “just okay.” 

“Mediocre” or “Just Okay” Essays Don’t Get Interviews

Sure, some strong students will gain admission with an essay that is kind of — standard — for lack of a better word.  But after years of coaching PA school hopefuls, I’ve been called for help after some stellar students who used a forgettable essay and were shocked not to get in.  In fact, I’ve seen the opposite many times: students who weren’t terribly impressive academically who made a distinct impression with their essay, were interviewed, and accepted.

When you have read many, many essays, the distinction between a so-so, solid, and truly impressive essay is easy to notice.  Readers pray for a good one to rescue them from this boredom.  They wait patiently for a good one, and often are still disappointed.  Then, when a well-written essay shows up, it’s obvious, and it’s a relief.  I’ve been waiting for you! they think to themselves.  And if you’re a so-so candidate, that’s your golden opportunity.

If the essay speaks to them, they will want to meet you

Would you want to admit 50 people to your club who didn’t excite you?  Of course not!  You would be searching for the great find in a sea of average ones.  When a great essay comes their way, many admissions committee members will say, “Who is this?  I want to meet her!”  And sometimes, the rest is history…