Full tuition. Covered.

The Simon Scholar program at Chapman University pays for PA school, and I don't think nearly enough people know it exists. So I brought on Raina Walker and Courtney, two students actually in it, to explain how it works.

The criteria are specific. They're looking for first-generation college students from underserved backgrounds who've been through real adversity and who plan to serve communities in Orange or San Diego County after graduation. If that's you, this is worth your attention.

You can apply alongside your PA school application or after you've been accepted, and the window they described runs May 1 through September 15. Check with Chapman directly for current dates and requirements before you build a plan around this, since these things change year to year.

And the scholarship isn't only money. Raina and Courtney both talk about the support and mentorship that comes with it, which honestly might matter as much as the tuition.

What we cover:

• What the Simon Scholar program covers and who it's built for
• The eligibility criteria and what "underserved background" means here
• Applying with your PA application versus after acceptance
• The application window and how to prepare for it
• The service commitment in Orange and San Diego County
• What being a Simon Scholar has actually been like for both of them

Resources:

Free PA School Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Pre-PA Essay Review: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-essay-review

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Mentioned in this episode:

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What would it mean for you as a PA to have no debt or at least not pay for tuition?

What would that mean for your career, your goals, your family?

We're going to talk about that.

We're talking about Chapman University's Simon Scholar PA program, which is a full tuition scholarship to PA School.

And you're going to hear from two students who are in the program about their experience.

Experience and why you should look into applying.

Welcome to the Prepa Club podcast.

If you want to learn how to become a physician assistant, you're in the right place.

I'm your host, Savannah Perry.

Let's get to it.

Hello there and welcome to this episode of the Prepa Club Podcast podcast.

I'm Savannah, founder of the PA Platform and thank you for joining me.

We are going to hear from two different students today and their stories about their experience in the Simon Scholar program at Chapman University.

When you read about this program, it's really one of those things that I feel like you go, it's too good to be true.

This can't really exist.

But it does.

And last year, fall, I was able to kind of help get the word out about the program.

We did a podcast with the director, Dr. Glavez, and so I'll link to that in the description so you guys can find it as well as information about the program.

So Raina and Courtney are going to.

Give us all the insights about how it was for them finding out about the PA profession, applying to PA school, how they chose Chapman.

They've kind of different experiences, which is cool.

They both were very impressive applicants, which you will hear and then about their experience in deciding to apply for the Simon Scholar program.

So this is the only scholarship of its kind that I've ever been able to find or heard of, but it is a full tuition scholarship for the duration of the PA program at Chapman University.

And so you can find all their information on the website and I'll put it in the description as well for the links.

But some of the selection criteria of what they are looking for include some characteristics like a first generation college student from an underserved background.

This is the big one.

Primary residents in Orange or San Diego County.

So all my California people, this one's for you.

A history of personal or economic adversity, demonstration of leadership, a history of academic excellence and achievement, which if you are applying to PA school, you have a lot of this ongoing community service and then plans to apply to the Chapman University PA program.

What you'll hear from their stories is you can apply at the Same time as you apply at Chapman, or wait until you're accepted and apply afterwards and they talk about the application process and then a willingness to commit to clinical practice as a PA in Orange or San Diego county after graduating.

So there is an application you'll fill out.

It opens May 1 and closes September 15.

So you have time to really get started on your CASPA application.

Get all that going.

Once you get it in, go ahead and apply for this scholarship.

My advice would be, I get questions about scholarships all the time.

Just go for it.

Even if you're like, I don't know if I'm qualified.

I don't know if I'm what they're looking for, you're not going to know until you submit.

So all it's going to take from you is a little bit of time.

So I think it's worth, if you are interested in Chapman, interested in this program, I think it's worth applying and just seeing what happens.

This is an amazing opportunity that still just blows my mind.

All right, well, let's hear from Raina first, and then we'll jump into our interview with Courtney, and I hope you enjoy hearing their stories.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me and I can put you in touch with the Chapman program and the people who are kind of in charge of the Simon Scholar program.

And all of the contact information and FAQs is on this site as well.

They are awesome and so helpful.

So highly recommend, you know, if you have any questions, reach out, get your questions answered so that you can apply.

All right.

My name is Raina Walker.

I'm a PA student at Chapman.

I went to San Diego State University for my undergrad.

My clinical or not clinical hours, but my hours for, like, PA school I did were like, I was a cna and I mostly worked at a hospital in San Diego for two years.

I worked on a medical oncology unit.

So that's pretty much how I got, like, all my experience.

So you're a science major.

Did you go into college wanting to do medicine?

What kind of brought you to that profession?

And then from there, how'd you find PA specifically?

Yeah, so, like, definitely going into college, I wanted to do medicine.

That was like, 100% my goal.

As far as, like, the route.

I wasn't, like, exactly sure, like, if I wanted to go to medical school or PA school, like, those were kind of my only two options that I was looking at at the time.

Since I was little, my older brother has had like a severe skin condition.

So like, I've always really been interested in medicine.

It wasn't until, like started like seeing PAs for myself that I was like, this is amazing.

And I looked into the profession more and it definitely just like moved me more toward, towards the PA profession.

Like when I saw PAs, they were just so sincere and they just spent so much time with me and everything that it just like made me want to go to that path so much more.

You're so close now.

That's awesome.

So in your undergrad experience then we'll get into talking about PA school some what.

And this is something even now.

So that was a few years ago that you were in undergrad, but did you feel well supported in your pre PA journey?

Was that a struggle?

Does your school have resources?

What did that kind of.

Once you decided, okay, yes, PA is what I want to do.

What did that process look like for you to getting to your application season?

Right.

I definitely felt well supported.

San Diego State had a lot of things for people who wanted to go into medicine.

We had a pass up program which was super cool for future PAs who wanted to go into PA school.

But I think just the location of San Diego made it really easy to get into a lot of medicine.

Like for example, when I decided I wanted to go to PA school, there was opportunities for me to like volunteer at ucsd, which was the school right next to us.

We had this program called the Flying Samaritans, where we would go to Mexico and we would provide like medical care for some of the residents who lived there.

And it was all free for them, doctors and PAs and everyone would come and volunteer and we would provide like all the care for them, give them medicine for like a whole month until we came back the next month and everything.

So stuff like that was all provided there at my school.

And so it made it super easy for me to want to get into medicine.

I also did an internship at Palomar Medical center for a year and I got to rotate on different floors and see what I was interested in and all that.

So San Diego just has a lot of opportunities, especially to see where you want to go in medicine and everything like that.

So yeah.

Oh, that's nice.

Yeah, that sounds very helpful.

Yes.

Get to try some different stuff out.

All right, so you decided pa, you've done some great patient care experience, some great volunteering.

What were your steps when you started researching programs?

What were you looking for or not looking for?

What kind of went into that decision making process?

Yeah, so I was mostly like, I'm from California.

And the reality, most of the schools I wanted to apply to were in California.

But I like, have like, different areas that I was always interested in.

Like, I mostly was locating.

Like, I was like, Washington, Oregon, and like, just like places that I was, would want to like, live eventually.

So, like, it was like Washington, Oregon, like California, where, like the main places that I was looking at and I told myself that I was going to apply to programs.

And I was like, I'm just going to apply to eight programs.

That's kind of what I can afford at this point in time.

And like, that's what I'm going to do.

And so every program I looked at, I did all the research, like, well beforehand, because it's hard.

Every program has different prereqs that they want you to do and stuff.

So I think that, like, when I did my research, I made sure to like, write down all the prereqs they were expecting for me.

Do I have to take the GRE for this school?

Like, all those different things.

And so at the end of it, I list of like, what I still needed to do.

Like, certain schools required a year Spanish, and I only had like one semester Spanish.

So that was something I had to take.

I had to take like, medical terminology, which was like, all things I had to do like after I graduated.

And I also had to take anatomy because for my major, anatomy wasn't required for us.

So that was something that like, I had to take outside of school.

But, like, I made sure to plan my timing where I'm like, what?

I have to take all these classes and then still be able to take the GRE and then apply to schools.

Like, I made sure I had my timing out pretty well, which was kind of hard, honestly.

But it ended up working out well.

So, yeah, there's a lot that goes into it.

Yeah, as you mentioned.

So what made you interested in Chapman, since that's kind of where you ended up and I guess.

So you picked eight to apply to.

What were your.

How do I say this?

You picked eight.

What were your application statuses?

Like, where'd you get interviews?

How did the application process go?

So I got interviews at.

My first interview actually was at Chapman.

Chapman has an earlier start date than every other school I applied to.

So they interview you and they tell you you got accepted, like, pretty quickly.

But I also got interviews at Duke.

I got interview.

I got an interview at Oregon, usc.

I'm trying to remember oh, Toro and.

Oh, and a school in Arizona that I now, I actually only did interviews at Duke and Chapman because by the time I got all those other interviews, I had already got into Chapman.

Like, Chapman's was so quick.

And so I decided to also apply to Duke and I got into Duke as well.

And so I was kind of just choosing between Duke and Chapman, but Chapman really just pulled me their way just because, like, when I interviewed there, I felt very, very, like, comfortable.

They were just.

It was more of like a conversation and they just wanted to get know me.

And at that time, I also had already applied to the Simon Scholar, and I just applied like, oh, you know, let's just see if I get it, like, because it just seems so crazy.

But I ended up getting the Simon Scholar Scholarship.

And that kind of just was like the last, like, push I needed to like, say, like, I'm going to Chapman over any other school.

Because, like, when you think about it, like, you.

It is so rare to get a full tuition scholarship somewhere for PA school.

So, like, it's just.

You can't turn that down.

I feel like.

So I loved Chapman and I got the scholarship and it just like worked really well that I was able to go to Chapman because I'm.

I'm from Orange county too, so.

Made sense.

Yeah.

That's like a meant to be kind of sign right there, right?

Exactly.

Well, I mean, from the.

The schools you just rattled off and interviews, I mean, clearly your application was very impressive.

Tell me, can you tell me the process of.

So you said you interviewed a Chapman.

You found out you got in fairly quickly.

How does applying to the Simon Scholar program work?

Is that something that happens automatically or after you're accepted?

They tell you to do that or do you do it before you're accepted?

Like, what does that look like?

So, honestly, applying to the Simon Scholar foundation is like, exactly the same as applying to a PA school.

Like, it's literally like applying to another PA School.

It seemed like.

So they said that you can apply either before or after you got in, but I decided to apply after I got in just because I was just like, I just wasn't sure about it.

Like, I was like, there's no way I'm going to get it.

But I just was like, now that I got it.

And I was just like, you know what?

I'm just going to apply and like, just see what happens.

And it is like, exactly like applying to a PA school.

You have to get three letters of recommendation.

You have to write another personal statement.

You have to do like all the normal, like, questions and stuff, like background questions about yourself.

And then after you do all of the, like, applying for everything, you get asked to do an interview, like, if you qualify for that portion.

So I was so nervous.

But yeah, it's.

It's really.

The process is long, but it's.

It's worth it, obviously.

Oh, my gosh.

Yeah, that.

That's a lot.

But again, worth it.

So when you saw, you know, okay, there's a Simon Scholar program, maybe I should apply.

Tell us what it is or maybe what you thought it was and what it actually is now that you're like, okay, I got this.

Yeah.

So I.

The one part I knew was like, it was the full tuition scholarship, but I didn't know.

Like, they called it a program.

And so I was just like, what does that really mean?

That it's a program?

And like, what I found out that means it's like we are kind of like a family.

And they help you through PA school.

Like, they set up a whole bunch of workshops for us.

Like, they set up workshops like, oh, how to take care of your financials after PA school.

How to be successful in PA school.

They bring in all these different professionals for us to talk to, like, how to.

The best ways to study, like, all that type of stuff.

And like, a lot of that was kind of unexpected.

Like, we didn't know exactly what all that meant for us.

So when we learned that we got to do all these different workshops and everything, like, that was super helpful.

We also, one other.

One other thing is they meet with us once a trimester and they just bring us lunch and they're like, how are you doing?

How can we help you in any way?

They really try to make sure that we are being successful and living up to our potential, which is super nice to get checked up on and making sure we're doing well because PA school is difficult.

And yeah, lastly is like, they.

We didn't know that they were going to provide for us.

Like, when we had to get our certifications for, like, ACLs, BLS, PALS, like, they paid for us to get our certifications for that.

They paid for the program.

They paid for our white coats.

They.

All the stuff that we needed to do before clinicals, like when we had to do drug tests, we had to do hipaa, osha, all that stuff we had to pay for.

They ended up paying for it.

It for us.

So, like, all that kind of stuff was like, we didn't expect outside of the scholarship.

And they like, provided for Us.

So that was, like, amazing.

Like, just expenses that we didn't have to worry about pretty much.

So they cover full tuition.

So the tuition for the entire time you're in the program.

Yes.

But then also sounds like some fees and.

Yes.

Extras.

What.

So what do you end up having to cover or get loans for during the program?

So, for me, personal.

Personally, I got lucky in that I'm living at home because that would be, like, the main fee that, like, you would have to pay for outside of the scholarship.

So I was like, I don't want to take out more loans because I already had to take out loans for undergrad.

So I've been living at home for the past a little over a year now, which has been, like, amazing.

And the money that I made working before here is, like, what I used to pay for.

Like, food or, like, anything, like, separate.

But, like, all school stuff is pretty much, like, has been paid for for me.

So, like, I'm really lucky in that area.

Wow.

So I lived at home, too, girls.

And, like, it was nice.

I highly recommend.

It was, like, went away, was gone for a little bit, came back, lived at home.

So will you graduate from PA School debt free, essentially, except for undergrad loans?

Yeah.

That's very exciting.

Yes.

I know.

Like, makes me feel for you.

And it's just such a huge weight.

I mean, PA school is 100% worth it and worth the cost of it, but to have that opportunity is.

That's crazy.

And like, you said, you're lucky, but you worked clearly very hard for this.

Thank you.

Okay, so you've told us a lot about the program and a lot about kind of what your experience has been.

How is Chapman in general?

Like, how has PA School been for you?

I honestly love Chapman.

PA School itself has been very hard, but, like, Chapman has been super supportive.

And one thing I realized during my.

After my first year is that they really prepared us for clinicals.

Like, you don't feel prepared when you go into clinicals because you're just like, oh, my gosh, like, did I even learn anything?

But, like, you really do.

Like, I felt like Chapman really, like, pushed us to, like, be prepared for clinicals.

Like, I came in and I knew way more than I expected.

And our preceptors are always like, you guys are so prepared when you go to clinicals and everything.

So I feel like that's what's amazing about Chapman.

The staff is honestly so supportive and everything.

So I feel like I picked, like, a great program.

That's awesome.

And is there anything Unique about the program, I feel like, well, obviously, having the Simon Scholar option is unique, but I think they're the only program ever who does that.

You know, I feel like all the PA school websites start to run together when you're researching, and you can't really tell what each school has that might be special or unique.

Is there anything that you feel like is unique about your program that somebody who's considering applying may need to know?

Yeah.

So one thing I liked about Chapman is that the program is relatively new.

We just got, like, the accreditation status last year.

But I think that because of that, they are really open to what we have to say.

And if we're like, hey, we had a hard time during this area, or we think we need more lab time or something like that, they're always willing to hear us out and be like, okay, totally, we can fix that.

We can do that.

And I think that that's really rare.

Like, most programs, I would think, like, they wouldn't, like, always want to hear out what, like, the students have to say about, like, certain things or, like, certain changes that, like, we think that they should, like, take into consideration and everything.

And they are really supportive.

Like, if we're having a hard time, they will, like, hear us out.

We're like, we'll be like, we have had three exams this week, and, like, we have three exams next week.

Like, is it possible for us to move an exam?

And they'll be like, okay, like, let's see what we can do.

Let's see if we have any free time then, like, the week after.

And we'll see, like, if we can make this, like, a bit easier for you guys.

Because I know that this is difficult.

Like, that's honestly amazing because, like, sometimes we just get so overwhelmed, and they're always just, like, willing to hear us out when we have, like, certain problems or we're struggling sometimes.

That's so nice.

And I agree.

I think that is a benefit of, like, newer programs.

For the Simon Scholar program, I just think, like, if I was looking at it as somebody who's applying to PA school, I would think, like, there's no way I'm going to get this.

It's probably not worth me applying or there's some catch to it that I don't know about.

Like, if we talk about a lot of scholarships, there's catches.

Like, you have to work for a certain amount of time or do certain things.

Were there any obstacles that you felt in that process?

Or what would you tell someone who's kind of Looking at it and thinking they won't pick me or I'm not qualified.

Like, what would your advice be to those people in this upcoming cycle?

Oh, my gosh, just do it.

Like, just apply to the program.

Because, like, you never know in, like, the only bad thing is, like, oh, they will say no.

And you ended up having to take out loans, which you expected to do anyway.

So it's just like, why not apply at the end of the day?

Like, they want to give this, like, free money to people.

So, like, I think that I told, like, all my, like, everyone who's applying, I'm like, just apply to the scholarship.

Because you just.

You never know.

Like, I didn't think that I was going to get it, and I got the scholarship, and it was just like, the best decision I think I've ever made.

So, like, I think that is such a wonderful opportunity.

And, like, you're right.

Like, so many scholarships, they're always like, there's a catch.

Like, what.

What's the kind of, like, what's going on here?

And, like, the only thing they are expecting from us is they're like, for three years, we have to either work in Orange county or San Diego County.

And I'm like, that's.

That's it.

Like, you just want me to work in these beautiful areas for, like, three years?

Like, I can definitely do that.

So there's not really, like, a catch to the scholarship or anything.

It's just, like, honestly, just an amazing opportunity.

So that's crazy.

Well, what.

At this point, I know you're still in rotations, but what do you see as just kind of your future and how you're.

Once you're done, like, your impact as a pa like, what do you see that being in the next few years?

I think that, like, when I was applying, I was thinking, like, before I knew I was going to get this scholarship, I was, like, going to have so many loans.

And I realized that when you have so many loans, like, when you're applying to jobs, you have to take those loans into consideration.

Like, I need to pay this off.

Like, how can I pay this off the fastest way possible?

And I'm like, I feel like I'm really lucky that I don't have that.

Like, I don't have to pick a future job that's like, that is like, I have to pay these loans off.

Like, I can do something that I'm really interested in.

In.

Like, that is more like, what I want to do.

Like, I really want to work in, like, an underserved population.

And, like, I feel like I can easily do that now because I don't have, like, loans over my head on, like, how much I'm going to get paid or, like, what that means for me kind of.

So, like, I just feel like, really lucky that they gave me this opportunity where, like, now, like, the world is kind of my ocean for, like, after PA school.

I think y' all have a really cool opportunity, like you said.

I mean, you just get a lot more options of what you want to do and that's very unique.

So awesome.

Well, thank you so much for sharing with us.

Thank you for having me.

All right, so now we're going to hear from Courtney.

And this is one of my favorite things to do, to share two perspectives from students at the same program.

And you'll get to hear about similar experiences that she had and different ones and her experience in the Chapman University Simon Scholar program.

And remember, all the links are in the details in the description if you want to check them out and get more information.

My name is Courtney.

I am a second year PA student at Chapman right now.

I did my undergrad at ucla.

I majored in human biology and society and I had double minors in food studies and public health.

I took a year and a half gap year and worked as a medical assistant in primary care as my patient care hours before applying.

Um, yeah, that's kind of everything about me in terms of me as a PA student.

Um, what brought you to being interested in medicine and the PA profession specifically?

Yeah, absolutely.

So it's kind of a longish story.

I try to make it as short as possible.

So I feel like I've always been interested in the health and medicine field ever since I was little.

Just, you know, growing up with an immigrant family and seeing kind of the health struggles there and then.

But then I got to undergrad and I sort of knew from the get go that I didn't want to follow the pre med route.

I didn't think that medical school was right for me.

And I also think that growing up, a lot of people kind of had this assumption that, like, oh, yeah, like, Courtney's going to be a doctor when she's older.

And I sort of hate doing things just because it's what's expected of me.

And so I was very opposed to that.

I was like, no, I'm going to do my own thing.

I'm going to do what I want.

And so when I got to undergrad, I knew I didn't want to do medicine, I didn't want to do the MD route, But I still wanted to work in something health related.

So that's when I thought that maybe getting my master's in public health would be the route for me.

So that's why I minored in public health.

And then by the end of my junior year, when I sort of took most of the public health classes already, that's when I sort of realized I don't think this is actually the career path I want for myself.

I had some volunteer opportunities in the public health realm and I saw the clinical side of things and sort of found myself longing to do that instead.

But I felt lost at this time in my life because I didn't know what other options there were for me.

I was like, it's either doctor or nursing, and that's it.

And it was actually my older sister, who's also in PA school right now too, who was like, have you ever heard of pa and considered that?

And I was like, no, I don't even know what that is.

And so I looked into it and I was like, this is everything that I'm looking for in a career.

So it kind of just fell into place from there.

That's so cool.

What a great built in support system to be able to call up your sister.

Hey, can you help me out?

Can we share books?

That's awesome.

But can you go into a little more detail about kind of the health struggles you saw your family facing and how that translated into.

Because we all say, I want to be a pa, I want to help, but I think those personal experiences we have in medicine are the ones that really make us feel that way.

So what for you was it that you kind of saw what issues and struggles did you see that you were like, I want to be the one to fix that.

Yeah, definitely.

And so I guess on one side it's just seeing the health struggles, like the conditions themselves, you know, having family members with diabetes, experiencing strokes and high cholesterol, heart disease, things like that.

But I guess on a more structural level, just having a hard time navigating the health care system.

So a lot of my extended family, they don't speak English.

And that can make navigating the health care system really difficult.

You know, just not having the English language down.

But also just navigating the health care system is like a whole new language.

You know, it's just.

It's like you don't know English and you don't really understand all the medical jargon.

And so I saw that that made it really difficult too, and kind of Just compounds the issues that you experience.

And so me, as a future pa, really wanting to help those underserved communities.

And I think a goal of mine, too, has always been to relearn Cantonese.

It was actually my first language, but once I got to grade school, I kind of lost it.

But I definitely think that having those languages is a great way to kind of help bridge the gap in care.

Okay, so once you started, you, you know, felt confident in PA school, decided that was the path you were going to take.

What did you start looking for as far as programs, and what did your application process look like?

Yeah, I knew that I only wanted to apply to, like, 10 programs, max, just because of the cost, but I kind of had a very broad range of programs that I was interested in because I've grown up in Southern California my whole life.

I've been to grade school, undergrad, all of that here.

And so part of me really, really wanted to go to the east coast or somewhere far from home.

So I had a few programs on the east coast that I was interested in.

But then also, California has some really great schools as well, so I was also considering staying here.

And obviously, I did end up staying here.

Yeah, I was looking at a lot of different things.

Location was huge, length of the program, cost of the program, definitely.

And the facilities, I think, were also a really major deciding factor for me.

And it's one of the reasons that I love Chapman so much, is that they have really great facilities for the students.

Oh, cool.

I definitely want to hear more about that.

So you decided kind of these programs you're going to apply to, out of the ones you applied to, how many did you end up interviewing with, and what was your process in deciding?

Yeah, so I was in the midst of a pandemic and working 60 hours as a medical assistant while working on my applications.

And I ended up applying to Chapman earlier than the other programs I had on my list because it.

It's rolling and it has a January start date.

So I knew I wanted to get my application in sooner rather than later.

And so I ended up applying to Chapman and then George Washington University.

Those were the two applications I submitted.

And then in the meantime, I was working on some other applications, but I ended up hearing back from Chapman really, really soon after.

And after I got accepted to Chapman, I decided to stop applying just because, one, Chapman was at the top of my list to begin with, so I didn't feel like I was settling.

And at that point, just working 60 hours in the middle of a pandemic with the applications, I was really burnt out, and so I decided that it was the right decision.

Decision for me to stop applying, but.

So I officially only applied to two programs, but I think I had submitted a few primaries without getting my secondaries in.

But I don't really remember what the programs are since I never actually followed through with them.

Totally fine.

Was there anything in the interview process?

Because I feel like all the programs look kind of the same when you're applying.

You can tell a little bit of difference, but they all look very similar.

Was there anything during the interview process that made you feel like, yes, if I get accepted here, I want to go here, and I can withdraw my application, because I feel like sometimes that goes the other way and people are like, maybe that school's not for me.

So what was your experience there?

Yeah, definitely.

So since I don't have anything to compare to, it's hard to say, But I've heard a lot from my classmates who interviewed at multiple programs.

And what I really loved about the interview at Chapman was that it was very much.

I got the sense that they were just trying to get to know me as a person.

They weren't interrogating me or intimidating me.

It was really just them asking questions to get to know me, some, you know, basic interview questions.

And I really liked that because it made me feel very comfortable and it allowed me to be myself.

And I think that's why I was able to do better in the interview, because I do tend to get nerves and all that stuff.

But also, I did read your book to prepare.

That was, like, the only PEP I did, and it was amazing.

So thank you for that.

I also.

But yeah, so I really love that aspect of the interview, and it just made me feel like, wow, this is a great program that, you know, they're really trying to get to know applicants on a deeper level, not just getting to know them.

It's like, oh, like, what's your patient care like?

All that stuff.

And so I really loved that aspect of it.

I've heard people have, like, bad experiences at other programs where they're just really mean to them and intimidating.

So I like that part a lot.

Nice.

Okay, so you got into Chapman.

You're going to be a pa all that's awesome.

How did you find out about the Simon Scholar program?

Was that something you knew about before you applied to Chapman, or did you not even know about that until after you're accepted?

What was that like?

Yeah, that was.

That's a fun story, too.

It just, in hindsight it feels like fate.

So I was on Facebook at the time because as a prepaid, Facebook is really helpful with all the groups and stuff.

And so there's a SoCal Prepa page that I was a part of, and somebody posted in it one day and was saying, hey, there's this really great scholarship opportunity at Chapman University's full tuition scholarship, and you just have to be like, an Orange county or San Diego resident.

And I had just moved back to San Diego at the time, and so it kind of felt like, wow, this is perfect.

Like, it's calling me.

And so from then on, I did my research on the program and made sure I had all of the necessary requirements and went through with that.

I decided not to submit my application to the scholarship until I knew I had gotten into Chapman.

But I know that you can do it either way.

You can apply to the scholarship, and then as long as you get into the program, you can be accepted still.

Oh, nice.

Okay.

So what was that application process like, and what did you think your chances of getting it were?

Because it sounds too good to be true is the thing.

I know I had that thought, too.

I was like, this sounds way too.

Good to be true.

The application process is definitely lengthy, which makes sense given you know what the scholarship is offering.

But there's a lot of, like, tax information you have to provide and information about your activities.

And there's another separate personal statement, as well as letters of recommendation.

So it's sort of like an extension of caspa.

It's a lot of duplicate, but a lot of new stuff as well.

And it was great because I had a lot of questions about the application process, just given how thorough it was.

And the program director, Ksenia, I think you spoke with her.

She was really, really helpful every step of the way.

Like, she answered all my questions, and I was really grateful for that.

But I think that I was confident in my chances of the scholarship.

But at the same time, I didn't really want to get my hopes up.

And the reason I felt confident, which is because when I was looking at the eligibility requirements, I felt like I did meet all of the requirements, like, even down to, like, living in Orange county and San Diego, because I know that that is something that a lot of people just can't control.

But, yeah, it's just one of those things where the stakes felt very high, where I was like, I want this so badly, but also trying to remind myself, like, Even if I don't get it, it's fine.

Like, the most important thing is just getting into PA school.

And this scholarship is sort of just the cherry on top if I do happen to get it.

Yes.

And that's awesome.

So what exactly does the scholarship it like, include?

What does it cover?

Because we say full tuition.

So that's full tuition the entire time you're in PA school, correct?

Yes.

Okay.

And then anything like, what does that mean?

What does that mean for you?

And what, you've had to like, take out loans or any of that stuff?

Yeah, yeah.

So it's full tuition, not full ride.

So I know that full ride scholarship, like tuition, housing, flight, food, room, board, all of that.

Don't think that exists for PA school.

Yeah, not that I know of.

But for the full tuition ride, it does just cover your tuition costs.

So it doesn't cover housing and anything like that.

We have been lucky that in the program they have been able to cover like a few costs for us, like study resources and such.

But the scholarship itself just covers tuition.

So for me, I have to take out loans for housing.

But I know that a lot of my classmates who are Simon Scholars, they are able to live at home because they're from Orange County.

So I don't think they're taking out any loans or very few loans, which is pretty awesome.

Like, huge, huge savings.

That is crazy.

So what has your experience at Chapman been like?

So you're in your clinical year now, looking at the websites, the programs all look the same.

What are some things that people may not know about Chapman from just looking at the website, that you're kind of like, this was a cool thing and, like, makes my experience better?

Yeah, that's a great question.

I mean, I love Chapman and I would choose it over and over again if I had to redo it.

But what I really like about it is, I mean, one, it started early and it's a 24 month program, so you get done a lot faster than you would at any other program.

So my sister who's in PA school, she applied the year before me, but we're graduating within a month of each other because of how fast and accelerated Chapman is.

Yeah.

Which is pretty fun.

So we get to go through this whole thing together.

But there's that.

And for me, that's huge because the sooner you finish, the sooner you can start working and having income and all of that.

And like I said earlier, the facilities are really awesome.

So the classrooms have, like, microphones built in so that, you know, there's 50 of us in a cohort.

So, you know, sometimes when people raise their hand and talk, you can't hear them.

So, like, we use microphones, and we have what's called SIMS Labs.

So it's where we do, like, all of our OSCE's.

They're set up well for that.

And then we also have them set up for, like, simulation codes.

So there was a class we got to do.

It's called Interprofessional Education.

So we worked with some of the pharmacy students because there's a pharmacy school at Chapman as well, and we got to, like, run simulation codes, which is really cool.

So definitely, like, going into the ER rotations that we have, like, we kind of feel a little bit more prepared just having that experience.

And I think another great thing that Chapman does is they select just really awesome applicants.

Like, I've made some of the best friends I could have asked for through my cohort, and I think that's been huge for my experience too, because PA school is really challenging, and I can't imagine having to go through this myself.

And so I feel really lucky that I found such a great support system within the cohort.

We're like the best of friends and we always hang out stuff.

So that is the unique thing about PA school is that not everyone will understand exactly what the experience is, except for the people who went through it with you.

So if somebody was interested in Chapman and then they're like, oh, what is the scholarship program?

Maybe I should apply, but there's no way I'll get it, so I'm not going to apply.

What would your advice to be to somebody who's kind of on the fence or not sure about it?

I feel like you should apply anyway, even if you don't check all the boxes, because like I said earlier, they sometimes waive some of them.

So people who aren't even from Orange County, San Diego, have been accepted.

I know that.

I think some students who aren't first generation have also been accepted.

So even if you don't feel like you'll get the scholarship, I think you just still apply because you just never know.

And the cost benefit ratio.

Ratio, whatever.

Like, you know, the time it takes to apply, like, the outcome could be really amazing.

So even if you don't get it, then you don't lose anything.

Just a little bit of time and energy put into the application.

But if you do get it, then you get your tuition paid for.

That's a great way to put it.

And that's it.

This is the Only thing I found like this that exists, like there's, you can get a little scholarship here, there, but even for any grad school there's not that many options available and so it's really, really cool.

So what are your goals?

Like where do you see yourself in the future as a pa?

How will not having to take out those extra loans for tuition change those goals in any way?

Yeah, definitely.

So I guess specialty wise I'm still trying to figure that out.

I've always loved primary care.

I was a medical assistant in primary care, so I've seen it, I know it and I know that I'll like it and, and I know that there's huge demand for it too.

So I think primary care would be amazing.

But I did just have my cardiology rotation, fell in love with it, so that was awesome.

So still trying to figure that out, but I think that primary care might be the way to go.

Who knows, I'll see in a year.

Yeah, I definitely just want to make an impact on the community.

Help underserved communities is the whole reason I'm in medicine and got this scholarship.

And the part of the requirements for the scholarship is you have to stay as a practicing pa, neither San Diego or Orange County.

So I'll be living here for a while, which is also amazing.

It's my home, so I love it here.

Another major goal of mine is to give back in the sense that like I wouldn't have made it through undergrad or PA school without scholarships and grants.

And so I would love one day to be able to have my own scholarship.

I don't know how that works.

I haven't thought about the logistics since further down the line, but I think that would be an amazing thing that I could do and just continue to bring more underserved providers to the community to provide care for underserved communities and just, you know, some personal goals like giving back to my mom and how much she's supported me throughout my journey and stuff.

So yeah, lots of goals.

And I think that this scholarship has really impacted me and that it's just making it easier for me to achieve those goals with less stress and because I think that the financial impact can really, really be burdensome and have an impact on your mental health.

And so that is just.

I don't think I will even see the full impact of the scholarship until I graduate and kind of, you know, I'm working and see how much easier it is for me to pay back my loans.

But yeah, I think that it's, I can't even put into words how much impact the scholarship has had on me.

It's so awesome.

Well, yeah, it's.

It's.

I think you have some really great things to share, which everyone will really appreciate hearing, so thank you so much.

You're welcome.

All right, guys, there you have it.

So there's all the info you need about Chapman University and the Simon Scholar program, and all the links and other info will be in the description.

Highly recommend checking it out.

There's not really anything else like this.

Like Courtney and Raina said, your chances are great, so go ahead and apply.

You never know what's going to happen.

And let me know if you become a Simon Scholar.

I would love to hear about your experience as well.