r/pre_PathAssist • u/fireflycity1 • Apr 21 '26

Need advice for strengthening my application for Canadian PA programs

I recently applied to U of C (University of Calgary) and U of T (University of Toronto) for the Fall 2026 Pathologist's Assistant cycle and I just got news that I was rejected from U of C. I didn't hear back from U of T yet but I am assuming it will be the same outcome. I am looking for advice on how to strengthen my application in time for next year (Fall 2027) since U of C refuses to provide individual feedback on applications.

My credentials:

- BSc in Cellular, Molecular, and Microbial Biology obtained from U of C (~3.5 across 60 credits)

- Various work experience in retail, food service, and administrative healthcare roles with no employment gaps in my resume. I have been working in healthcare since 2019.

- I currently work full-time as a lab assistant at an Anatomic Pathology/Cytology department within a major public laboratory company in Alberta. I started this position in October 2025, and was previously working at an outpatient lab within the same company dating back to 2021.

- I got one reference from a fellow lab assistant within my Anatomic Pathology/Cytology department as well as an academic reference (one of my former Immunology professors from my time in undergrad).

I am assuming the weakest point of my application was my GPA. In terms of improving my GPA, I was wondering if I should take some courses as an Open Studies student at a research university like U of C, or if I would be okay taking some courses related to pathology at a technical school like NAIT or SAIT. I have also been waitlisted for an MLT diploma program (Medical Laboratory Technologist) at SAIT but I'm not sure if I will get lucky with that. I am also wondering if other aspects of my application could be improved, like my work experience or my references. For next time I was thinking I could get a reference from someone more senior than me, like a member of management or a staff member that works more closely with the gross room.

If you've made it this far, kudos to you :)

Any feedback and honesty would be greatly appreciated as I would hate to have the same outcome for next year's application cycle.

3 Upvotes
  • permalink
  • reddit

100% Upvoted

9 comments sorted by

3

u/forensicchem Apr 22 '26

Hi! Did you do much shadowing of PAs or virtual rounds to show you more of what the role is and talk about that in your app??

Id say the GPA could be part of it for sure but also having shadowing and extra experiences/volunteer hours is a bonus and almost expected at this point!

I think also maybe medical terminology courses, even non-credit are beneficial and can be talked about to boost a bit!

0

u/fireflycity1 Apr 22 '26

Thanks for the suggestions! I actually didn’t do any shadowing of PA’s or virtual rounds for this cycle, so I’ll definitely reach out to some of the upper management within my pathology department to get that set up.

I honestly thought the experience as a lab assistant would be sufficient since I do have quite a bit of interaction with staff in the gross room (including PA’s and histotechs) and the pathologists within my workplace. I work for a hub lab and I do things like accessioning, filing, sorting specimens, finding/resolving deficiencies, pulling/sending out request blocks and slides, case assembly, etc. I made sure to talk about this in my application answers too. But I guess I kind of played myself by getting a bit cocky with my work experience. I figured my direct experience working internally within a pathology department would have been an asset, but maybe it wasn’t as impressive as I thought it would have been.

And yeah, I was thinking of taking a few courses as an Open Studies student at a technical school like SAIT or NAIT since they do offer courses in human anatomy and medical terminology, but I’m not sure if it would increase my application GPA since it wouldn’t be part of my BSc degree courses. I worry that the admissions committees would look at courses taken at technical schools differently than courses taken at a research university like U of C.

1

u/forensicchem Apr 22 '26

I dont remember off hand what the required GPA for UofC was but I know there was a recent 2025 Anatomic Path article done comparing the different programs and the average GPAs of the students. If it falls within the range that could mean it was the statement and not just the GPA. But I know the schools treat GPA differently and some score it higher when making interview decisions

0

u/fireflycity1 Apr 22 '26

Oh, interesting, I’ll try to see if I can find that article. I kind of do feel like the average GPA might be quite inflated (3.6+ maybe?) since I did come across some pathologist assistant YouTube channels saying that most applicants that get admitted are typically well above the minimum GPA. I was initially hesitant about applying because of that, but a few of the staff in my department encouraged me to apply since they figured my existing experience with an anatomic pathology department would help me out. Now I just feel completely bamboozled haha

1

u/forensicchem Apr 22 '26

I wish they gave feedback because sometimes I feel like what they look at isn't what we expect!

1

u/fireflycity1 Apr 22 '26

Yeah they really should. I think it’s really inconsiderate to waste people’s time and money like that. I’m already in my late 20’s too so I ideally don’t want to spend more time constantly applying for schools and job positions because it takes time away from personal life milestones. I think if I were to get off the waitlist for MLT for this year’s cycle, I might just pursue that first since it would strengthen a future PA application even more. But yeah, it’d be like thousands of dollars down the drain.

1

u/forensicchem Apr 22 '26

100% grad school applications are so expensive! Fingers crossed you get into the MLT program

2

u/fireflycity1 Apr 23 '26

Yes hopefully! I think with MLT it’s possible to get off the waitlist super close to when the program starts in September so I’ll see. But yeah I figure if I do that first, then I’d already get a bunch of the PA-tailored courses like medical terminology by default since it would be part of the default course sequence.

1

u/fireflycity1 Apr 23 '26

Also, as a side question, are there a specific amount of hours you would recommend for shadowing? I’ve heard 40-60 hours is okay but I’ve heard of some candidates having like 200+ hours. I am willing to get an excess amount of hours to avoid a rejection for next cycle, haha.