College Graduate Would Greatly Appreciate Your Advice! What Are My Chances?

[ibeliever]

Hello everyone!

A little about myself:

I graduated from the University of California, Irvine, this year with a BA in Sociology with a 3.04 GPA. I initially chose Sociology as my major because it was a good starting place that catered towards my interests of helping other people. Now that I have graduated, I want to pursue physical therapy because not only is it a means to help others, but it compliments my passions as well. I am a very active person who loves sports, fitness, and exercise. I think that I would be able to utilize myself much better in a more dynamic environment that physical therapy has to offer than I would at a desk job. I hope to be involved in the sports medicine field via physical therapy in the future.

I am currently taking Anatomy at a community college. This is the first biology class and lab that I have taken post high school and it caught me off guard. I had no idea what to expect and paid for it. I started off terribly but steadily improved and will most likely receive a 'C' when the semester ends. This grade, along with my 3.04 GPA that I received from UCI makes the future look bleak. But, with many more prerequisite classes left to take (it'll probably take me a couple years), I am confident in my ability to do well and raise my GPA. I am going to need to take all my perquisites in various community colleges. I am currently in the process of calling around different physical therapy institutions in my area so that I can get some volunteer hours.

So, with that said, is my current situation too grim to be pursuing physical therapy? What are your opinions on becoming a physical therapy assistant (PTA)? How competitive is it getting into the different physical therapy programs, specifically those in the Southern California area?

I would love to put forth everything I have to offer into physical therapy, but I am also a realist and would greatly appreciate your opinions!

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[Myosin]

You're off to a really bad start already.

Your cumulative gpa is low, but the worst part is that your prereq gpa will sit at 2.0 when you finish this class. As it stands now, you're just wasting your time.

You say you're willing to put everything into it, but you barely put in enough effort to pass your first prereq. How are the rest going to be any easier as the years go on and you lose motivation from the grind of classes and volunteering?

Please do not think I am being mean or picking on you. I just want you to really look at your situation for what it currently is.

 

[nomattic]

I thought I'd respond mainly because I also got a degree in Sociology and graduated with a GPA of 2.95. My initial major is what sunk my GPA, but fortunately I switched to Socio sophomore year and my grades went up drastically. In and of itself, your 3.04 cumulative is not devastating, especially since you didn't take your prereqs for PT school during that time.

With that said, and I'll echo Myosin here, getting a C in Anatomy is a terrible start. I can't knock you for the 3.04, because I'm in no place to talk, but the only way I am even getting interviews right now is because I really put my all into every one of my prereqs. Furthermore, Anatomy is one of the most important prereq classes schools will look at. You need to either seriously dig deep and pull off great grades in every other class or just save yourself the time and money right now.

 

[Nailey13]

I think Myosin's response tended toward the harsher side because future physical therapists view anatomy as their bread and butter course. Especially for those of us coming from other majors, anatomy should feel like you've died and gone to heaven - it should feel like the perfect fit. Now that said, you might have the ability to work very hard to get to where you want to be, taking all of your pre-reqs (and re-taking anatomy). But you need to determine pretty quickly what your true motivations are for pursuing physical therapy because at the end of the day, those motivations are what get you through the really difficult periods. Unfortunately, "helping people" and the fact that physical therapy is a "dynamic environment" just won't cut it (at least not without further clarification).

 

[NeophyteParkour]

You'll see people posting on the GPA acceptance thread that they got into places (sometimes more than 1) with a 3.0 GPA. However please realize those are rare exceptions and do not represent at all what is likely to happen. The average accepted GPA according to PTCAS is near a 3.5.
If you want to have any chance at all you need as close to a 4.0 prereq GPA at this point. If you do that, you might be able to get in somewhere (if you're willing to move out of state). There are also specific schools which are more likely to accept lower GPA's.

As for PTA, it will not necessarily be an easier route if PT school doesn't work out. While you may only be competing with 60 other people to get into a PTA program (as opposed to 500 or so in a PT program) what I've heard is that the PTA students who stand a chance typically have perfect 4.0's.

 

[bnwj89]

First off, I want to tell you that there is absolutely hope. 3.04 cumulative is certainly not ideal, but you can make it work IF AND ONLY IF you're willing and able to work your butt off and get an A in every single remaining Pre-req class. This has to be your goal. If you can achieve a high pre-req GPA (at least 3.7ish, and do well on the GRE, you can probably get in.

Chem, Bio, A&P, Physics,Stats...these are not easy classes, but you CAN get A's in them if you stay up to date with your readings, do all your homework, take good notes, and study hard.

"What one man can do, any other man can do"

Do some observation hours and really decide if this is what you want to do with your life. Spend a long time reflecting, because if you haven't taken any pre-reqs yet, it will probably be a couple years of classes before you can even apply.

If you do decide to pursue this career, work hard and you'll succeed.

 

[djb051]

OP, i disagree with that first response. I don't think you are in a terrible situation. Do I think you are in a great situation, no I don't, but definitely not terrible. It can be quite a transition going from a non-science major to taking your first college science class. I didn't do well in my first prerequisite class when transitioning from business to a biology major. And I have a good prerequisite GPA now so definitely don't let this C stop you. I would be sure to definitely do well in the rest of your prerequisites. Considering this is your first prerequisite class, you can still achieve a good prerequisite GPA if you do well in the remainder of the prerequisites. That will also boost your overall GPA. You can also consider applying for dpt programs that look at your GPA for your last 60 credits instead of your overall GPA if your GPA for your last 60 credits is better than the overall. Good luck.

 

[rltruong]

i wouldnt put much weight on your overall GPA. Your Pre Req GPA and overall science GPA is important. Theres a lot you can do to offset the overall GPA. show them how serious you are with your GRE score, work in a physical therapy environment. and if something happen during undergraduate time then explain it in your essay. Grades alone dont show any hardships. it can be that you worked though college, family obligation, health issues

 

[ibeliever]

thanks for the responses!

I am going to retake Anatomy and plan on going hard for the remainder of my 6 or so prerequisite classes.

I do have a question...when I do retake Anatomy, do they just take my highest grade when i apply? how does that work exactly?

 

[qtran]

thanks for the responses!

I am going to retake Anatomy and plan on going hard for the remainder of my 6 or so prerequisite classes.

I do have a question...when I do retake Anatomy, do they just take my highest grade when i apply? how does that work exactly?

I had to retake A&P I and II because I got C+ on them. The second time both were As. When applying to PTCAS, it ask for ALL grades and classes taken. And then they average the grades between the As and Cs for A&P and that was the average they submitted. But im pretty schools will see on the ptcas transcript both grades, and it will look alot better if u retake it and got an A. I was also a history major, so I can relate to you. I also took two years off so I can retake classes, because honestly life isn't always going to be perfect, Nd I believe some PT schools understand that. Good luck