Why You Should Avoid PA Forums (And When It’s Actually Okay to Use Them)

Posted on March 6, 2025 By katiebean84Comments Off on Why You Should Avoid PA Forums (And When It’s Actually Okay to Use Them)

If you’re applying to PA school, you’ve probably come across PA forums—those online message boards filled with pre-PAs swapping stats, sharing updates, and stressing over every little detail of the application process. At first glance, they might seem helpful, but in reality, PA forums can be more harmful than helpful when you’re trying to get into PA school.

Today, we’re breaking down why you should avoid PA forums (seriously, just close the tab now) and the only time they’re actually useful.

3 Big Reasons to Stay Off PA Forums

1. Information Overload & Misinformation

PA forums are a breeding ground for misinformation. While the majority of users mean well, many spread outdated or incorrect advice about CASPA, interviews, and PA school requirements.

Common misleading advice on PA forums includes:

  • “You need a 3.8 GPA to get into PA school.” (Not true—many PA schools consider holistic applications! You can absolutely get accepted to PA school with a weakness or lower GPA)
  • “If you don’t hear back in X weeks, you’re rejected.” (Every school has a different timeline.)
  • “This school doesn’t accept students with XYZ.” (Unless it’s a prereq, this is subjective to that person.)

When you rely on unverified information from anonymous users, you risk making decisions that hurt your chances of acceptance. Unless someone has actually experience working at PA schools or at a specific program, they don’t have the insider information to mentor and guide applicants best.

2. Comparison Will Crush Your Confidence

PA forums are filled with applicants posting their stats and obsessing over whether they’re “good enough.” And let’s be honest—reading post after post of applicants with thousands of hours of PCE, 4.0 GPAs, and multiple interviews can make you feel like you don’t stand a chance.

Reality check: The people posting on PA forums are often a tiny, self-selecting group. Most successful applicants don’t spend their time anxiously posting every detail of their application process online.

Instead of letting PA forums shake your confidence, focus on improving your own application based on what actually matters to PA schools—strong clinical experience, a well-crafted personal statement, and a compelling application.

3. It Won’t Change Your Application Outcome

Spending hours refreshing forum pages won’t get you accepted into PA school. In fact, it might do the opposite by wasting valuable time you could be using to:

  • Strengthen your personal statement
  • Edit your CASPA experience descriptions
  • Gain more patient care hours
  • Shadow another PA
  • Improve your interview skills

Scrolling through forums doesn’t move the needle on your application. Instead of getting caught up in forum drama, focus on what you can control—your application and your preparation.

The ONLY Time It’s Okay to Use PA Forums

All that being said, there’s one time when PA forums can actually be useful: when you receive an interview invite.

At this stage, some forum threads may provide school-specific interview tips based on past applicants’ experiences interviewing at a particular program. This can give you insight into:

  • The interview format (MMI vs. traditional)
  • Common questions asked
  • Unique aspects of that program’s interview process

**BUT—take everything with a grain of salt. Just because someone says a school “always asks X question” doesn’t mean it will happen in your interview. Use the info as a general guide, not a script.

How to Stay Focused on Your Own Journey

Instead of wasting time scrolling through PA forums, put your energy into things that will actually get you into PA school.

At the end of the day, PA forums won’t get you into PA school—only you can do that. So, shut the tab, focus on your own journey, and take the next best step toward your white coat.