Video summary
Alexa, a first-year Physician Assistant student, shares her transformative experience working with Boris from Personal Statement Pros to navigate the often confusing application process. She highlights how one-on-one coaching provided her with essential guidance and instilled a sense of confidence she lacked when attempting to manage the journey alone. A particularly significant benefit was the personal statement editing service, which helped her organize a multitude of ideas into a coherent narrative that effectively communicated her unique story. This support proved invaluable as she transitioned from having vague concepts in her mind to crafting a polished application that resonated with admissions committees.
The coaching also played a crucial role in preparing Alexa for her first interview invitation, an event she initially approached with fear and anxiety. By immediately booking a mock interview with Boris, she was able to address her nervousness and walk into the actual interview feeling fully prepared and excited rather than terrified. During the session, she practiced answering difficult questions about academic challenges, such as her struggles in freshman year chemistry caused by a lack of independence after moving from an online high school environment to the University of Pittsburgh. Through this practice, she learned to take accountability for her past performance while demonstrating how she overcame those hurdles by seeking help and improving her grades in advanced biochemistry courses.
Throughout the mock interview, Alexa refined her strategy for answering questions that might seem negative at first glance, such as admitting to academic challenges. Boris coached her to pause naturally after acknowledging a weakness before elaborating on her growth and resilience, ensuring her responses felt genuine rather than rehearsed. This technique allowed her to address issues like low grades or withdrawals without letting them define her entire application, instead framing them as opportunities for development. The session emphasized the importance of authenticity, encouraging applicants to react instinctively to questions before pausing to structure their thoughtful response.
Ultimately, Alexa's journey illustrates how targeted preparation can turn a daunting application process into a manageable and even exciting endeavor. Her experience demonstrates that having a mentor who understands the nuances of medical school admissions can make a difference between feeling overwhelmed and feeling empowered. By addressing specific weaknesses like her academic record and refining her interview skills, she not only secured an interview but also built the confidence needed to succeed. Alexa highly recommends Personal Statement Pros to any aspiring Physician Assistant student looking for personalized support to strengthen their application and prepare for interviews with clarity and assurance.
Read the full video transcript
My name's Alexa, and I'm a first-year PA
student. I did one-on-one coaching with
Boris, which really helped me understand
how to navigate the entire application
process, which I think is pretty
confusing to go through on your own. So,
it was really nice to have somebody to
turn to with any questions that I had.
It really helped me understand how to
strengthen that and also instilled
confidence in me.
I also did personal statement editing,
which was a game-changer because I had a
million different stories in my head. I
just didn't know how to put it on paper,
how to organize it, how to get my story
across effectively. So, that really
helped me.
And then when I got my first interview
invite, I was terrified. So, immediately
I booked a mock interview with Boris,
and I left that feeling so confident, so
prepared, and honestly, I was excited to
go to my interview. And let me tell you,
there was not a single question that I
did not feel prepared for. So, I would
highly recommend Personal Statement Pros
to anybody looking to get into PA
school.
>> Let's do a couple questions, see how you
do.
>> Okay.
>> If there's any feedback I see, you know,
maybe we'll course correct a little bit
and do a couple more. I feel like that's
more helpful than doing like 10. And
then,
you know, great to meet you. Thank you
for coming in. We're excited to learn
more about you.
>> Thank you.
>> All right. So, first question I have
is does your academic record contain any
challenges?
>> Okay, that is a very interesting
question. I Yes, I believe that my
academic record
does have a few challenges in it.
I did struggle with my grades for
quite a while.
The start of my freshman year was
especially challenging for me because I
did come from a high school that you
know, I was online for 1 and 1/2 years
due to COVID.
And those are very crucial times for
being in high school. And I did miss out
on that. So, when I traveled across the
country to attend the University of
Pittsburgh, um, not only did I have to
deal with that, but I also had to, um,
really learn how to be independent as
well. I grew up being very dependent on
others, and uh, when I got to college, I
didn't have that anymore, and I had to
learn how to do things on my own. So,
this includes learning how to, um,
make up my own study strategies that
worked for me, and you know, not just
being told what to do.
So, that was a very big learning curve.
And so, when I started my freshman year,
um,
I
didn't have a great foundation, and
especially I struggled in my chemistry
courses.
Um,
and
I
So, I really do take accountability
because during that time in my freshman
year, I should have been asking for help
and going to the guidance counselor,
uh, asking what study strategies really
do work for this type of class. But I
didn't do that, and I take full
accountability for that. So, when I took
chemistry, I was really just going
through the motions. I, um, I really
wasn't thinking about the end goal. And
well, quite quite frankly, I didn't know
that I wanted to be a PA at the time,
either.
So, I, you know, I really didn't know
that grades would be a huge factor in
the end, and I was just going through
the motions when
really I should have just retaken that
class and got a good grade, so that way
I have a good framework moving forward.
But later on, especially in my chemistry
courses, I ended up improving when I
took the highest level of chemistry,
which was biochemistry.
And I really made it a goal to myself at
this time to improve my grades and
really get out of my comfort zone and
ask for help. So, I did make it a goal
um to start asking for help.
>> Any challenges?
>> [laughter]
>> What's not?
Um well, yeah, actually I I think I do.
Straight on.
>> Yeah. Okay.
>> You said interesting question a few
times. Is it though? Is it that
interesting?
>> Well, okay, I
I'm trying to think of what to say.
>> Work on Can you practice doing this? Um
either repeat the question or just like
respond to the question with like your
gut level reaction.
Then you can take a pause if you want
and then go into your response.
>> Okay.
>> Does that make sense?
>> Yeah.
Yeah, just like restate the the question
basically, yeah.
>> You can restate it or you can literally
just like your gut level response. So,
like
excuse me.
Uh so, like does your academic record
contain any challenges? You immediately
think like, okay, damn that C, that
withdrawal, that whatever. Go like,
yeah, it definitely does.
>> Mhm.
>> And then it's totally natural to pause
right after that.
>> Yeah. Okay.
>> You know?
>> Yeah.
>> I would practice doing that. I think
that's much more genuine.
>> Okay, that's a great idea. Yeah.
>> Have you ever considered a career in
health care that was not physician
assistant? Actually, yes, definitely.
>> Mhm.
>> Pause is fine. Gather your thoughts.
>> Okay.
>> Right?
I think that's a strategy for you.
>> Yeah, that's great.