First Semester "PA school is like running a marathon. You warm up with a jog then it quickly turns into a sprint the rest of the time." These are the words of a third year student to me two days before PA school began. Most people refer to PA school as a fire hose hitting you all at once, and I definitely understand the meaning behind that now. The first two days we were eased into the program with orientation where we reviewed policies and talked about strategies for studying and handling stress...and were constantly reminded on how hard PA school is and how much you will sacrifice. Words are just words until they actually become a reality. It is hard to grasp this until you begin to experience it. I wouldn't say I was a "stellar" student in undergrad. I had an average GPA and enjoyed my social life. In my program, we need a 75% on each test to pass and an 80% in each class to move onto the next semester. This immediately instilled a fear of failing int