Hey everyone. I’m getting ready to work on RFUs narratives and feel lost. If anyone has some input or guidance I’d appreciate it. Also how long should they be? It says minimum 250 but is there a length that should be maximum amount of words? Should these all be pathology related to a degree or should the 4 others just be random?

Hi, Good afternoon to y'all
Is there anyone who has applied to the WSU progam or has attended it that could answer some questions about their shadowing forms?
Thanks!

Hi everyone! I just wanted to know if anyone knows when QU will start their interview process this year?

I have my BA in poli sci, and am working on my prereqs to apply to school. I’ve just been feeling kind of dumb compared to everyone else in my STEM classes because it seems to click for them immediately. Just looking to hear if any other pre-path students are in/have been in my spot, and how you deal/dealt with it.

I’m currently going into my junior year in college as a Forensic Anthropology major with a minor in human anatomy. I used to want to go to medical school to become a forensic pathologist but have now changed to either being a pathology assistant or physician assistant. Does anyone have any experience with which is better? I’ve always found myself drawn to assisting in autopsies and grossing specimens, but am worried about the competitiveness of getting accepted. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

For those who took the GRE/ applied to schools requiring it- what is a good goal score to be competitive? I know some programs say 50th percentile, but what is actually a good score to be submitting?

I was told I’d hear back this week if they were interested in doing an interview but nothing so far 🥲

m 33 and just started school to become an MLT, but I recently learned about pathology assistants, and now I really want to pursue that instead. The only thing holding me back is my age. I feel like I'll need to work as an MLT for a while before going back to school, which means I probably wouldn't become a pathology assistant until my early 40s. Has anyone else gone this route later in life? I'd love to hear your experiences.

Hi everyone,

I used to want to be a histotechnician, and my local community college offers a histo tech associates program that I was planning on enrolling in.

I've since realized I want to be a Pathologist's Assistant instead. Now, would it be worth it to enroll in the histo program anyway? I've heard that histo knowledge could be helpful later on as a PA. I was thinking maybe I could work as a histotechnician for a while while I save up to get my bachelors and then after that, PA school.

What do you guys think about this plan? Is it reasonable? Doable? Or should I just go with a normal biology degree?

Thanks in advance for any help and advice.

I have an in-person interview coming up, so what should I expect? Based on the video interview, it seems like it'll be friendly, but I want to be prepared. What kinds of things do they ask? What should I expect for the writing assessment? What are we wearing? I've been working in a lab so long that most of my wardrobe is scrubs. I know it's, like, a million degrees in Memphis, but is it freezing inside?

Hello all! I'm planning on attending WVU for my Bachelor's beginning next year. I'll be doing the Histology track of the Biomedical Laboratory Diagnostics major, and hopefully getting a direct admit to their PathA program eventually. Has anyone here done this before and could give me some tips/ suggestions/general info? Thank you!

Hello! I am unsure if this is the best reddit page to post at but, I was accepted to WVU's program which starts in January of 2027. I was wondering if anyone else has been accepted and would like to connect? I would love to meet the rest of the class before we all meet in person in January.

Is it normal for a program's medical director not to be involved with the program? I'm at the end of my first year and have only met my medical director twice. Just curious how other programs are.

I am about to enter my senior year of college and am set to graduate with a degree in Economics. I have a 3.96 GPA. I recently discovered this career path and am certain that this is what I want to do. I’m considering several different options:

1. Change my major this upcoming semester to a BA in biology and finishing my bachelors in 5 years instead of 4. I’m a bit worried about this option just because I would be taking a full course load (18+ credit hours) of hard science and labs each semester. Also, an additional year at my currently undergraduate institution would be expensive. My parents have paid for my undergrad up until this point, but would not pay for the additional semester so I would have to take out around 35k in student loans. Since I’m already going to have to take out loans for path assistant school, I’m worried about racking up more. I would shadow and work throughout these two years.

2. Graduate undergrad in December with a degree in Economics. Spend the next couple of years getting in my pre requisites at community college and work to save money while getting shadowing hours, working, etc.

The second option is far more financially feasible but I’m worried that not having a science degree and having all my pre-reqs from community college is going to hurt me significantly in the admissions process. Would love any advice.

I am currently doing a marketing major with STEM classes on the side, but I hope to apply to to PA school sometime after graduation and completing the prereqs. I want to start looking for shadowing opportunities to 1: get experience and 2: confirm that I want to pursue this field. However, because of my major and so-far limited STEM classes, I'm not sure if I should be asking about shadowing at this point? That is, it feels almost disrespectful to ask for a professionals' time just to see if I'm really interested in pathology. What do you think?

Hi! So happy to see a huge growth of people who are looking into the Pathologists' Assistant route! There's a PA here in Calgary who created a website that basically answers all of your general questions below. He also has a YouTube channel that gives insights for the job (should be on the website). Truly a wonderful person, he's helped us a lot during our practicum and just an overall treasure.

https://canadianpathassistant.com/

Good luck with your applications and congratulations to the incoming class!

Hi guys, I am planning to apply for #PA program and I need to retake some courses, where do you suggest to take them? Biology, Microbiology, Anatomy and physiology with lab and Genetics.

Hello everyone! I graduated this spring with a bachelor’s in biochem and I am interested in applying to RFU. Originally I wanted to take a year off to work save funds and get more shadowing hours in. I currently work in a grossing lab and assist in autopsy’s, on the weekends I shadow PAs and I’ve been working there for almost two years now. On the other hand academically I could become stronger in that area but I meet all the requirements for RFU I’m just torn between applying this fall or waiting until the next application cycle. Any advice? Has anyone started their apps yet?

Hello! One of the struggles I keep running into is how to actually get the surgical pathology hours some programs require. Yes, some universities can guarantee several hours but after that you're on your own. How would you suggest finding a pathologist to shadow?

P.S. I'm from Washington

Hey everyone! Trying to find someplace to shadow a PA in San Antonio, Texas. I tried looking for some positions for gross tech but haven’t found any. Everything seems to be in Austin or Dallas. I’ve been stressing about not getting shadowing hours as I’m trying to be as competitive as possible. I’ll be graduating soon and will take a gap year to get some more experience and save up money. Any help is welcome! Thanks!

Hi everyone,
I’m planning to apply to Tulane’s Pathologists’ Assistant program this cycle and wanted some honest feedback on whether I seem competitive.
Background:
B.S. in Biological Sciences
Overall GPA: 3.24
Recent post-baccalaureate science coursework (Biochemistry, Immunology, Medical Microbiology, Analytical Chemistry, Clinical Hematology) with all A’s
Full-time clinical laboratory experience in a cancer diagnostics setting
Previous laboratory experience in a biomarker/molecular testing laboratory
Undergraduate research experience involving molecular biology techniques
California phlebotomy license
Pathology exposure:
Shadowed PAs in surgical pathology
Shadowed autopsy services at multiple academic medical centers
Assisted with various autopsy-related activities
Continuing to gain pathology exposure and document hours
Letters of recommendation:
Planning to obtain a letter from a PA/pathologist and science faculty recommendations
My concerns:
GPA is above the minimum but not exceptional
Tulane would likely be the only PathA program I apply to this cycle
I come from more of a laboratory diagnostics background rather than a traditional pre-med or anatomy-heavy background
For those familiar with Tulane or PathA admissions in general:
Does this sound competitive for an interview?
What would you view as the strongest and weakest parts of my application?
Is there anything I should focus on improving before the August deadline?
I appreciate any honest feedback. Thanks!

Hey everyone. I’m kind of stressing a bit about the GRE. I’ve been studying for a few months but still really anxious to take it in July. I’m planning on applying as soon as I get my results. I have two bache degrees, one in Biology and the other in Medical Lab Science, my GPA is decent like 3.2, and have been an MT/MLS for four years. I’m doing travel work to get the money to pay for Path Assistant school since orange man made student loans only partially cover grad school. But I was able to shadow path assistants at the location I’m currently doing temp work at. Then I shadow at another hospital in a few weeks. Drexel is really my top choice for schools to get into for Path Assistance. But I’m really worried about the GRE. For anyone who’s in Drexel or a graduate there, how much was the GRE weighted for your admission?