I got my undergraduate degree in Art in 2011 at the tail end of the recession. As you can imagine, there were not many uses for an art degree at the time. I was working as a waitress, and I said if I’m going to have any chance of paying off these student loans, I’m going to have to get a real job.
I went to community college in Kentucky, and after two years, I got an associate’s degree in surgical technology and then made the decision I wanted to go to physician assistant school. But I had zero science classes under my belt, and I knew I needed to go back to school for a postbaccalaureate degree first.
The reason I ended up applying to Elms College was because it was smaller. It looked like it had a very dedicated group of faculty, it had a great matriculation rate, and it was affordable. That was a huge part of it – Elms College was affordable.
It’s also huge that the faculty get to know you. Because Dr. Janet Williams can get to know you on an individual level, she’s able to write letters of recommendation tailored for you. And that really stands out in the application process because PA school admission is very competitive.
My undergraduate experience was not very personable, and my degree felt like I was buying a piece of paper. I like Elms College. I speak of it highly, and I recommend it to people. I think this school is a great balance between affordability and providing what you need to know to get you to where you want to be.
Elms helped me get to where I am now.
Postbaccalaureate degree, Pre-Physician Assistant Program
Employed at Berkshire Medical Center as vascular surgery physician’s assistant
