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How can military veterans translate their service, leadership, and clinical experience into a strong PA school application? In this episode of Admissions Straight Talk, host Dr. Valerie Wherley speaks with Brandon R. Beattie, MMSc, PA-C, assistant professor and program director, about the George Washington University (GW) PA Program, the military roots of the PA profession, and the opportunities and barriers veterans face when applying to PA school.

Brandon brings both admissions expertise and lived experience to the conversation. Before becoming a PA, he served as a U.S. Army combat medic during multiple overseas tours. He later completed his PA training at Yale and now leads one of the country’s long-standing PA programs, which was founded in 1972 and was ranked sixth (tied with Baylor College of Medicine) in U.S. News & World Report’s 2025 Best Physician Assistant Programs rankings.

The conversation focuses on how veterans can tell their stories in ways that admissions committees will understand. Brandon explains why military jargon, acronyms, and modesty can sometimes hide the depth of an applicant’s experience. He also shares practical advice for the PA application process, including proofreading, clarifying military roles for civilian readers, choosing recommendation writers strategically, and showing evidence of grit, teamwork, communication, coachability, and mission fit.

If you are a veteran considering PA school, this episode offers a clear framework for presenting military service as a strength, not a complication.

0:00 From Military Service to PA School

01:32 What Sets the GW PA Program Apart

03:25 Veterans and the Origins of the PA Profession

05:27 Strengths Veterans Bring to PA School

07:03 Barriers Veterans Face in the Application Process

15:06 Strategies for a Strong PA Application

18:12 Choosing the Right Recommenders

20:21 What GW Looks for in Competitive Applicants

Related Resources:

• Brandon R. Beattie faculty profile
• George Washington University Physician Assistant Program
• GW PA Program Admission Requirements
• GW PA Program How to Apply
• The Ultimate Guide to Becoming a Physician Assistant, a free guide
• Accepted’s Physician Assistant Application Packages

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What makes Wake Forest University’s Physician Assistant Program different from the hundreds of PA programs applicants can choose from?

In this episode of Accepted’s Admissions Straight Talk, host Dr. Valerie Wherley speaks with Sobia Hussaini, MHA, assistant professor of PA studies and director of admissions and strategic recruitment for PA studies at Wake Forest University School of Medicine, about the program’s curriculum, campuses, culture, and admissions priorities.

Sobia explains how Wake Forest’s 24-month Master of Medical Science PA Program brings together a large class with a small-group learning environment across two North Carolina campuses: Winston-Salem and Boone. She describes how the program’s inquiry-based learning model asks students to work through patient cases from the beginning of PA school, building clinical reasoning, self-directed learning, and collaborative problem-solving skills before they enter rotations.

The conversation also explores Wake Forest’s leadership focus, including its Emerging Leaders Program pathways in business and law, and the service-oriented experiences that begin during orientation. Sobia connects those experiences to the PA profession’s responsibility to understand the social drivers of health and serve patients in context.

The episode closes with practical advice for applicants. Wake Forest looks for academic readiness, meaningful hands-on patient care experience, teamwork, service, leadership, resilience, and a clear answer to one essential question: why do you want to be a PA?

00:00 Introducing Wake Forest’s PA Program

03:35 Comparing the Winston-Salem and Boone Campuses

07:38 Serving Rural and Medically Underserved Communities

09:12 How Inquiry-Based Learning Works

14:21 Leadership Development Throughout the Curriculum

18:21 The Emerging Leaders Program in Business and Law

22:08 Community Service, Orientation, and Social Drivers of Health

28:38 What Wake Forest Looks for in PA Applicants

33:26 Closing Thoughts and Next Steps

Related Resources:

• Wake Forest University School of Medicine Physician Assistant Program
• Wake Forest PA Program Emerging Leaders Programs
• Inside Wake PA, a digital publication
• The Ultimate Guide to Becoming a Physician Assistant, an Accepted guide
• Accepted’s Physician Assistant Application Packages

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support@accepted.com
+1 (310) 815-9553

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What do you do when your transcript tells a story you would rather not tell? In this episode of Accepted’s Admissions Straight Talk podcast, host Dr. Valerie Wherley is joined by Dr. Rachel Slutsky, an Accepted admissions consultant and Harvard PhD, to discuss one of the most common – and most feared – obstacles in the graduate admissions process: a problematic academic record.

Dr. Slutsky draws on her background as a university writing tutor and professor to reframe how applicants think about academic setbacks. The conversation moves through three categories of challenges she commonly sees in her work: ethical issues, emotional and psychological struggles, and maturity gaps. She also addresses the often-overlooked role of financial hardship in academic performance.

The episode is practical throughout. Dr. Slutsky and Dr. Wherley discuss where in your application to address your academic record, how much space to give it in a statement of purpose, and why self-awareness – not shame – is the quality that resonates with adcoms. They cover how to demonstrate help-seeking behaviors, professional growth, and determination when the numbers on your transcript do not tell your whole story.

The conversation closes with an invitation: If you have been avoiding applying to graduate school because of your academic record, Dr. Slutsky wants to hear from you.

00:00 Welcoming Dr. Rachel Slutsky to the Podcast

02:53 Defining a Problematic Academic Record

04:28 Three Sources of Issues: Ethical, Emotional, and Maturity

07:11 Financial Hardship and the Hidden Story Behind Transcripts

09:35 Should You Even Apply? Don’t Write Off Grad School Prematurely

10:43 Addressing Academic Issues in a Statement of Purpose

13:41 Self-Awareness Over Shame: Own It, Show Growth, Move Forward

16:05 The Holistic Review Process: Highlighting Your Strengths

19:27 Demonstrating Help-Seeking Behaviors as Evidence of Growth

Related Resources:

• Dr. Rachel Slutsky bio
• Sign up for a free consultation with Dr. Rachel Slutsky

Related Episodes:

• How to Get Selected for a Fulbright and Other Competitive Fellowships [Episode 624]
• Is There Such a Thing as Too Many Drafts? Writing a Standout Med School Personal Statement [Episode 612]

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www.accepted.com
support@accepted.com
+1 (310) 815-9553