CAA Application updates

Well, here we are again: another rejection. But surprisingly, I'm not upset about it. In fact, I'm kind of just… moving on. So here’s the latest update: CASAA recently opened it's academic update period. This is when applicants can submit updated grades for classes that are currently in progress or planned for the future. I had taken 12 credits in the Fall 2024 semester, earned a solid 4.0 GPA, and figured this would be the perfect time to update my application. Here’s how it works: for example, if you apply in July but have classes happening in the Fall, schools can’t see your grades for those classes until December when the academic update period rolls around. During this period, CASAA reopens your application, verifies your new grades (you’ll need to send in updated transcripts), and updates your GPA for schools to see. I decided to submit my updated application to one school—South Savannah—just to see if the new grades would be reflected. Well, not even 24 hours later, I received a rejection. Here’s where it gets interesting: The rejection came so quickly, it seems like South Savannah has some kind of automatic filtering system based on minimum GPA or GRE score requirements. I didn’t even have the chance to send them my GRE score before they rejected me. If the school had listed these minimum requirements on their website, I wouldn’t have bothered applying in the first place. But it’s okay. Lesson learned for next application cycle: South Savannah is no longer on my list. That said, I still have five schools left to hear back from, and I’m feeling optimistic. I’ve decided not to apply to the University of New Mexico anymore, mainly because they give preference to applicants from their state and the surrounding region. It’s a shame, but with how competitive things are, I don’t want to waste my time and money applying there. But honestly, I’m not discouraged. There are still five schools I’m waiting on, and there are ar least three more schools that have programs starting in Spring 2026. So if I don’t hear back with good news by March, I can still apply to those schools for the following January. If that plan doesn’t work out, I’m prepared to reapply next cycle! It’s all part of the process. On to the next!

My Experience Taking the CASPer Exam

Last night, I took the CASPer exam. I’m applying to 8 schools, and only one of them requires it. Still, I decided to take the exam because you never know what might happen, and I didn’t want to miss out on that option—especially since the school is fairly close to where I live. After working two jobs all day, I sat down to take the CASPer exam at 8 p.m. The test is online and taken from the comfort of your home, but it’s a bit different from typical exams because you’re being recorded on video throughout. For those who might not be familiar, CASPer stands for Computer-based Assessment for Sampling Personal Characteristics. It’s an open-response, situational judgment test (SJT) designed to assess personal and professional qualities—things like collaboration, problem-solving, ethics, and empathy—not scientific or medical knowledge. It’s commonly required by many health-related graduate programs. One thing to note is that CASPer scores are only valid for one year. So if I need to reapply next cycle, I’d have to take the exam again. Your scores are released to the programs within two weeks, but you won’t know your individual score for another 4 to 5 weeks—which is a bit frustrating because the schools get to see your results before you do! The exam evaluates a range of behavioral characteristics, including: Collaboration Communication Empathy Equity Ethics Motivation Problem-solving Professionalism Resilience Self-awareness Each section of the exam is graded by a different rater, chosen from a diverse pool of individuals. This helps ensure a more balanced and objective assessment of your performance. In the end, you’ll receive a quartile score (for example, 3rd-4th quartile is considered a high score). The test took me about 90 minutes to complete. There were 14 questions, each with two parts—one written response and one video recorded response. The video questions were a bit nerve-wracking, but overall, the process was manageable. Now, it’s just a waiting game until my results come in. Fingers crossed!