MY STORY:

Hi everyone! My name is Malisha and I am SO happy you are here. If you found yourself here feeling discouraged, questioning whether your GPA is the end of your story, or wondering if PA school is still possible for you — you are in exactly the right place.

You are probably wondering why you should trust me over all the other pre-PA platforms out there, so let me tell you. And if you want to skip straight to the numbers, I get it! Jump to: MY STATS

With a 2.7 overall and a 2.8 science GPA, I applied to PA school six times. Yes, you read that right. SIX. The first five cycles I received zero interviews and was rejected from over 77 programs. I kept going anyway, mostly because I did not know how to stop.

On my sixth and final cycle I made a deal with myself — apply one more time, do everything completely differently, and if it does not work, get a big girl job and move on with my head held high. I applied to five schools. I got four interviews. I got into all four, including my dream program.

I attended Marshall B. Ketchum University in Southern California and graduated in November 2023. I now work as a board-certified orthopedic surgery PA-C—words I genuinely never thought I would say, but here I am.

And despite what my transcript suggested, here is what actually happened once I got there:

• Passed every single exam above a 90%

• Published in the California Academy of Physician Assistants (CAPA) Magazine

• Awarded the School of PA Studies Community Service Scholarship

• Awarded the School of PA Studies Recognition Scholarship

• Awarded the University's Mission and Values Award

• Passed the PANCE on my first attempt

I share all of this not to gloat, but because I needed you to see the full picture. The low GPA was one chapter. It was not the conclusion. Your GPA does not define you and you are so much more than your application.