When I was 7, I wanted to be a dolphin trainer.

When I was 9, I wanted to be an Olympic gold-medalist.

When I was 15, I wanted to be a astronaut.

When I was 18, I wanted to be a physical therapist.

We’ve all probably had a long list of “dream jobs” in our lifetime. Some people actually become the dolphin trainer they wanted to be as a kid, but most of us change and our dreams change too. And that’s completely ok.

You’ve probably thought about medical school, nurse practitioner school, PT school or something similar. 

Eventually though, you decided on PA school…which is why you’ve made it to this site. You’re trying to do everything you can to make your dream career come true. 

And we want to help!

As PA professors, we can usually look at your application and have an idea about what your dreams used to be.

If you’ve taken the MCAT…you’ve thought about medical school…

Have a degree in nursing…we bet you considered NP school…

Patient care hours as a PTA…physical therapist was likely on your list…etc. etc.

Again, it’s completely okay if your path to PA isn’t a straight line! But in your PA school personal statement, you need to be ready to explain WHY you choose PA school!

It seems like such a silly question to ask, but it’s also such an important one.

You must connect the dots of your journey to wanting to become a PA for the PA schools you are applying to in your personal statement!

You must actually and specifically answer the essay question…what is your (deeper) WHY you want to be a PA?

If your journey has been more of a curvy, zig-zag road instead of a straight line, you can explain that in your personal statement. Why PA school and not med school? Why do you have a music degree but are now applying to PA programs? When did your dreams change and who/what/where/when/why it happened?

A lot of candidates expect this question but the sad part is….most of them don’t have great answers. Or they don’t actually answer the essay question why they want to be a PA. They have “pat” answers they read in a book somewhere…the same answers 1,000 other students have. 

These “pre-made” answers aren’t specific to you and don’t make you stand out from the crowd. Be honest with yourself and explore why the PA career is right for you, then answer honestly, authentically, and sincerely in your PA school personal statement.

We’ve read all the books people have written about PA school interviews too… but we want YOUR answer, not THEIR answer!

So take a deep-dive into your “deeper” why you want to be a PA. Look back at your journey so far and tell us how you came to decide on the physician assistant profession and why.

Keep up the great work, pre-PA!

If you aren’t sure if your PA school personal statement connects the dots, highlights yourself, answers your “deeper” why, shows your passion and personality, then definitely look into signing up for our personal statement editing! This is one of the most important components of your CASPA application and it must stand out. Make sure yours is outstanding!