Pace University-Lenox Hill
St Johns
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Thank you so much for all your efforts with helping us! Our son is a bright boy who has done very well as an undergrad student and D-1 athlete. He was waitlisted from St. Joseph’s Un in Pa and awaits hearing from Wagner College in Staten Island, where we live. We didn’t know that Pace and SJU were on probation when he applied. We gave a deposit to Pace and are contemplating what to do about SJU.
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Thus far he has acceptances to Pace and St Johns. We live in Staten Island. He can commute to Pace but would have to live at St. John’s in Queens. He hears from Wagner in late March/ early April. Does it make sense to deposit to St John’s too and hope to get entrance to Wagner? Are we being too conservative? He graduates with his Bachelor’s in May 2024 and wants to go straight to PA school, rather than taking gap years. Sacred Heart has a PA school, but he can’t apply until May which means 2 gap years. This isn’t easy!
Would he consider SUNY Downstate or one of the CUNY PA programs? It would also mean gap years.
I don’t think you can deposit to 2 schools. But i could be wrong. You should check with the schools about their policy before double depositing.
Wagner is not on probation . That may be the best choice if he is accepted .
Many students do not go to PA school right out of college. A gap year could potentially give your son more time to get more clinical experience and strengthen his application to other schools
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Typically double depositing ia not allowed. Check both school’s policies before considering this. Good luck with Wagner.
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2025, right?
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The probation issues at both programs are serious enough that both will have a on-site program review by the accreditors at ARC-PA. Their problems cannot be resolved just by submitting more paperwork. St Johns has already petitioned for an administrative lifting of probation and the request was refused. ARC-PA will visit St. Johns campus in March '25 and a decision will be released after the board’s next meeting (which I think is in May).
Pace won’t have its site visit until Sept '25.
Outcomes can range from full accreditation restored to shutting down the program.
If you deposit, it’s non-refundable.
CASPA notifies both programs if you place a deposit at more than one school. What happens after that is up to the individual schools. Some will give you a deadliine to withdraw from one program (usually within 2-3 days) and will require an official notice that you have done so. Others will just automatically withdraw your acceptance. It’s possible that by double depositing, he could lose acceptances to both programs.
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If you son gets an acceptance to Wagner or off the waitlist to St. Joe’s, remind him that he must officially withdraw from Pace in order to accept a position at another school.
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I have a good friend who is a PA. Every program she interviewed with indicated that they did not want students directly from college. They want a year or two of medical related experience.
My child is in grad school for a different medical discipline. There was also the choice between a year shortened compressed program or the standard. Chose the longer program. My child is currently doing her residency in said profession and her placement has said they have stopped taking the compressed program students as they notice a big difference and they just aren’t up to par. My child has also said that they would not feel confident in the placement if they had chosen the shortened program. Clinics is are EXTREMELY important.
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Thank you so much! It’s not easy, that’s for sure. Our son didn’t want to take a Gap year because he wants to move on with life. He’s managed to accrue experience working as an EMT and PT aide while running D1 and working as a tutor and TA for the biology department. Hopefully we didn’t steer him wrong encouraging him to start Grad School right after graduation. My husband and I have paid for his education thus far, and we want him to study and work hard in the field he’s decided will be best for the goals he’s set for himself.
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@Annemoore089
Both my daughters went to med school. SIL2 (who was professional athlete starting at age 16) will graduate from PT school this May. D1 started med school at 24; D2 started med school at 23. SIL2 at age 29. So none of them went directly from undergrad to professional school.
All three of them have observed there were/are big difference in maturity, work ethic, groundedness, practicality/pragmatism, ability to persist in the face of adversity, and confidence in their career choice between those with gap years and those who came directly from undergrad in their programs. SIL2 (who was not the oldest student in class, btw) found the differences particularly striking.
All 3 found that having more life experience made them better medical practitioners, giving them more insight into the real world issues their patients face. It also help them be more realistic about the path their careers will take after graduation.
I can understand the desire to go to professional school, get it over with so they can get on with life, but a gap year or years has its benefits too. It’s far from the worst thing that could happen.
(No, the worst thing that could happen did happen. D2 was diagnosed with cancer at the end of MS1.)
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Wow! Health and well being is the most important thing for sure and I hope that your child is in remission. James just heard from Wagner and has an interview April 1st. We will have to see where this goes.
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Which school did your son decide to attend?
@WayOutWestMom do you know the accreditation update status in these two programs?
To me…that is more important than anything else.
The OP posted upstream that they sent a deposit to Pace. @Annemoore089 is that correct?
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Pace is on probation and will have a focused onsite program review in Sept 2025.
St. John’s status is “continued” –
Probation accreditation status is granted, at the sole discretion of the ARC-PA, when a program holding an accreditation status of Accreditation – Provisional or Accreditation – Continued does not, in the judgment of the ARC-PA, meet the Standards or when the capability of the program to provide an acceptable educational experience for its students is threatened. Once placed on probation, a program that fails to comply with accreditation requirements in a timely manner, as specified by the ARC-PA, may be scheduled for a focused site visit and is subject to having its accreditation withdrawn.
Here’s ARC-PA report on St Johns from the March 25 review:
March 2025 (following Probation review)
Accreditation-Continued; Program has demonstrated continued and sufficient compliance with most
ARC-PA Standards. The commission noted 3 areas of noncompliance with the Standards.
Next Comprehensive Evaluation: March 2033. Maximum class size: 75.
Report due May 18, 2025 (Standards, 5th edition):
• Standard B1.03e (lacked evidence that for each didactic and clinical course [including required and elective rotations], the program defines and publishes for students in syllabi or appendix to the syllabi, learning outcomes and instructional objectives, in measurable terms that can be assessed, that guide student acquisition of required competencies)
Report due October 9, 2026 (Standards, 5th edition) modified self-study report:
• Standard C1.02c.i. (lacked evidence the program implements its ongoing self-assessment process by applying the results leading to conclusions that identify program strengths)
• Standard C1.03 (lacked evidence the program prepares a self-study report as part of the application for accreditation that accurately and succinctly documents the process, application and results of ongoing program self-assessment)
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