The first rejection letter...

I rushed to get my CASPA application completed as quickly as possible, in fact I wanted to be the first one done!... well it turns out thats not always the best situation to have. 

I had 2 pre-reqs that were considered as "in progress" on my CASPA because the actual grades didn't post until May, and CASPA opened the end of April. I would have had to wait until May, sent in my transcripts, and then when they were received by CASPA, submit my application... this would have put me like a month later than when I wanted to apply. So I figured it would be best to get my application IN than to have to wait for the 2 pre-reqs labeled as 'in-progress' to be changed to complete.

My first rejection letter I received from A.T. Still University (Arizona School of Health Sciences). The letter informed me (like most schools do) they were VERY competitive this year. They had a LOT of applicants... I think only 7% got interviews, which is not unusual for PA schools. The other reasoning for not being considered was because I had 2 per-requisite courses as 'in-progress' on my application. I think they leaned towards applicants who had everything completed, and they could because there were so many applicants. 

So my suggestion is to get all of your courses as 'completed' on your CASPA, even if it sets you back a few weeks, your more likely to get a better response from the schools you apply to. 

Just a quick note, even though CASPA opens the end of April, they didn't actually send any applications to the schools until the middle of June... even though I had everything completed at the beginning of May.