Episode #34: Nawal Arshi, Calgary PA-S1 | A 1st-Gen PA Applicant’s Journey
What It Actually Takes to Get Into PA School in Canada
In this episode, I talk with Nawal, a first-year PA student at the University of Calgary, about what it looked like to go from graduating undergrad to starting PA school - without a perfect GPA, without a science-heavy background, and without knowing what a PA was until after finishing her degree.
She walks us through her full application story, how she built strong healthcare experience from scratch, and what helped her manage the process while working full-time. We also get into what life is like in Calgary as a new PA student, how she settled into new province, and what she’s learned about balancing PA school, friendships, and staying grounded through a rigorous medical curriculum.
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Why PA:
PA Admissions
05:16 Gaining Health Care Experiences from scratch
09:52 Securing Strong references with Limited Connections
12:00 Leveraging Extracurriculars in your PA Application
14:47 Pre-PA Snapshot: My Application Stats
18:10 Choosing the Right Program: Why I Picked Calgary MPAS
27:19 A Walkthrough of the PA Admissions Timeline
28:48 Casper Test Prep: What Worked for Me
36:22 Preparing for MMI Interviews: Strategies and Insights
40:44 Developing Professional Communication Skills: Learning Early and Fast
Life as a Calgary MPAS Student
43:50 Relocating and Starting PA School in Calgary
54:07 Study Tools That Help Me Stay Organized and Focused
57:00 How I Study: Adapting to the Demands of PA School
01:01:18 Making Group Study Effective in PA School
01:05:59 What to Expect from 2nd Year Clinical Placements (PA-S2)
Final Notes
“A key tip: keep a journal. After each shift, I’d write down the date, the patients I worked with, what I learned, and how it might connect to the PA role.
That reflection helped when it came time to write applications and prepare for interviews”
NAWAL, PA-S1, Calgary MPAS
4 Key Takeaways from Nawal:
1. A slow academic start doesn’t mean a closed door. Nawal’s early undergrad GPA wasn’t ideal, but she found her footing later and finished strong. Her story is a reminder that growth counts, especially in your final years.
2. You don’t need the perfect resume, but you do need momentum. She didn’t discover the PA profession until after graduating. What made the difference was taking initiative, including volunteering, reaching out to clinics, and keeping a daily journal to reflect on what she was learning.
3. The PA application process is heavy, but manageable with systems. Naval shares how she broke it down across calendar blocks, used checklists to track each school’s requirements, and carved out time to write and revise slowly instead of all at once.
4. Moving across the country for school is hard and worth it. She talks honestly about the transition to Calgary, how she built new connections, and what a typical week looks like in her first year of PA school.
Resources
Visit the Official University of Calgary MPAS Program Website
Follow Calgary MPAS Student Association on IG @calgarympas
Nawal used Doing Right: A Practical Guide to Ethics [Book] to prepare for the MMI
She also used BeMo Practice Questions for CASPer test prep
Connect with Nawal
Want to connect with Nawal? You can reach her on Instagram @nawal_arshi or by email at nawal.arshi@ucalgary.ca.
