had super low gpa for first bachelors...going for second to get in pt?

[epicpt89]

Ok, so in my case when i went to school originally I pretty much took the whole experience for granted academic wise. I graduated with a GPA that was super low (under a 2.5) and I ended up paying the price because of the degree I got which was Health and Wellness and the little opportunity out there for jobs in that field as is.

So I spoke to an advisor at the University at Buffalo about what I could possibly do for a change, and in this case get into a Physical Therapy program. She said I could opt to get a second bachelors and go that route. I already started that process and got a A-(lecture) and B+(lab) in A and P 1 over the Summer. I am taking some pre reqs as of now to get into the UB exercise science program and in turn have that allow me get into a Physical Therapy program.

Does anyone here think this would work out for me? I know I shouldnt have bombed school in the first place, but you live and you learn.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[starrsgirl]

Believe me when I say I was/am in your boat. I also graduated with just at a 2.5. My thoughts are I wouldn't go for a second bachelors....why?.....because you don't need that many credits (ie a whole bachelors degree) to bring your GPA up. I would start by calculating how many credit hours you need to raise your cum GPA up to a 3.0. Get that number, know that number. When I did my calculations, I did my calculations based on receiving an A in every class. I can def help if you don't know what I mean. I would consider just doing a year or 2 of post-bac classes. It will be much faster than a second bachelors. Most universities don't require that you be enrolled in a certain program to do this, you can just be non degree seeking. You could also explore the possibility of getting a masters degree. That's what I ended up doing and I also re took all of my pre req classes.

Another perspective is IF you do decide you want another bachelors, I would consider a degree that has better career prospects on its own. Say you don't end up pursuing PT, get a degree you can use. Exercise science will not open up too many more options for you than you have now.

Also, don't discount working for a few years too. I felt like my work experience really helped me in the essay and interview sections.

 

[epicpt89]

well the thing is the advisor i spoke to literally told me all I would need to do is have a solid enough GPA and I should be good enough for consideration, granted that is if everything else is good (work experience, GRE's, etc)

It is actually the fact that I have been working as a PT Aide for about 8 months that has made me really want to do this more than ever now.

 

[OneWarrior]

Ok, so in my case when i went to school originally I pretty much took the whole experience for granted academic wise. I graduated with a GPA that was super low (under a 2.5) and I ended up paying the price because of the degree I got which was Health and Wellness and the little opportunity out there for jobs in that field as is.

So I spoke to an advisor at the University at Buffalo about what I could possibly do for a change, and in this case get into a Physical Therapy program. She said I could opt to get a second bachelors and go that route. I already started that process and got a A-(lecture) and B+(lab) in A and P 1 over the Summer. I am taking some pre reqs as of now to get into the UB exercise science program and in turn have that allow me get into a Physical Therapy program.

Does anyone here think this would work out for me? I know I shouldnt have bombed school in the first place, but you live and you learn.

Hello and welcome! In order to answer your question, one would need to know just how low your GPA was from your first degree. I know you stated under 2.5, but to provide you with the most realistic answer, it is important to know if we are talking about a 2.3 or a 1.6 because that will make a huge difference in my response.

At this juncture, I would suggest that you try your best to make at least an A- on all your courses for this second bachelor's degree. For example, if you have a 2.49 GPA on let's say 125 credits for your first degree that comes to 311.25 grade points. If you make an A- average (3.67) on 120 credits that will equal 440.4 grade points. Combining 311.25 + 440.4 = 751.65/(125+120) = 3.0679 GPA.

Many programs require a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 to be considered for their programs. Often they will use a filtering system and if you do not meet that cutoff you will simply have your application discarded. However, there are programs out there that will look at the last 60 credit hours taken or the last four full time semesters to determine a cumulative GPA. You will have to do your due diligence and find those programs. There are many applicants on this board that have low cGPA, but they have been smart about where they have applied and as a result been accepted.

The UB DPT program is a three-year, graduate professional program that follows three years of undergraduate coursework. This is a unique situation because most of the DPT programs require a four-year bachelor degree before starting the three-year DPT program. However, if you are planning on only applying to the UB Exercise Science/DPT program it seems based on a quick overview of their website that you are going to be locked in to that program only. If this is your route and you do not plan on applying to any other PT schools, then I would suggest you do your best in completing their prerequisites with the highest GPA possible and I think it will work out for you. However, if you plan on applying to other PT schools then I would consider what I have stated above. Best of luck to you!

 

[Simplestone]

What was your GPA? As the poster above stated, the best course for you depends on how far below 2.5 you are.

 

[epicpt89]

My overall is a 2.44 now but thats not including that 4.5 credit a and p class

 

[starrsgirl]

Ok....so doing the quick math, I'm getting a very different picture than OneWarrior. For the same example (taking the same guesstimate that you are at 2.49), if you work your butt off and get A's in every class, you only need 63 credits to pull yourself up to a 3.0. Yes, I'm also saying you are going to get a 4.0 from here out. 63 credits is easily 2 years of work....less if you take full summer loads and other interim semesters. I don't know what your timeline is, but I would hate to see you spend 3-4 years doing what you can do in under 2 years. And you are making a huge statement to schools that you can carry a high load and do phenomenal work....having been in your situation, I think that's key....erase any doubt about academic ability.

I also propose that it's a bit risky to only set yourself up for one school. Again, lesson learned on my part....I did that....and was rejected to my one school last year. Your stats are always going to be low GPA wise. It's the concept of diminishing returns....the more classes you take, the less it will improve your GPA.....so plan on applying with lower than average stats. That doesn't take you out of the game, but it will always put you in the "risky" zone for rejections. If you set yourself up to apply to multiple schools, all the more chances you have.

 

[starrsgirl]

So 70 credits to get you to a 3.0....still less than required for a full second bachelors (based on your 2.44 GPA and assuming you get A's from here on out).

 

[epicpt89]

Thanks i appreciate all the help everyone! Well i was planning on taking the exercise science courseload with all the pre reqs that requires...so thatd be like think 85 plus credits..then apply to pt schools from there. I was also planning on taking some classes over as well to boost up that gpa a bit

 

[epicpt89]

I wasnt just setting my sights on one school either...but i know the exercise science route was one i was going to take regardless...i just wanted to assess if pt was realistic at this point

 

[OneWarrior]

Ok....so doing the quick math, I'm getting a very different picture than OneWarrior. For the same example (taking the same guesstimate that you are at 2.49), if you work your butt off and get A's in every class, you only need 63 credits to pull yourself up to a 3.0. Yes, I'm also saying you are going to get a 4.0 from here out. 63 credits is easily 2 years of work....less if you take full summer loads and other interim semesters. I don't know what your timeline is, but I would hate to see you spend 3-4 years doing what you can do in under 2 years. And you are making a huge statement to schools that you can carry a high load and do phenomenal work....having been in your situation, I think that's key....erase any doubt about academic ability.

I also propose that it's a bit risky to only set yourself up for one school. Again, lesson learned on my part....I did that....and was rejected to my one school last year. Your stats are always going to be low GPA wise. It's the concept of diminishing returns....the more classes you take, the less it will improve your GPA.....so plan on applying with lower than average stats. That doesn't take you out of the game, but it will always put you in the "risky" zone for rejections. If you set yourself up to apply to multiple schools, all the more chances you have.

My calculations were based on a A minus average (3.67), which fall in line with the OP's last two classes, which were an A- (lecture) and B+ (lab) in A&P 1. I agree that the perfect scenario would be the one you have laid out with all A's on 63 credits to get to the 3.0 cGPA.

 

[TTU14]

It is possible, as others here are evidence of that, but there is risk. 2+ years of classes is a big investment, and you need to do really well in those classes to bring your GPA up. You have to ask yourself can you really get a 4.0 from here on out? Then you also need to do well on the GRE. And a 3.0 is just the minimum and won't even get yout an inerview at a lot of places, and the average for most places is at least a 3.5-3.6ish.

PT school is competative. Some schools have 1000+ applicants for 30 to 40 spots.You could spend a lot of time and money to not even get into PT school. I don't say that to be discouraging, but to have a plan and I would second maybe getting a degree in something other than exercise science in case your don't get in to PT school.

 

[epicpt89]

TTU14 i understand totally. For me its the fact that the past few years have been a nightmare in terms of my personal life but thats a different story for a different day...

so im fully motivated to doing the best I possibly can do. This was a plan I set out once I back in the swing of things in terms of school, I know I am capable of getting a 4.0 its just a matter of discilpline and its a risk I am willing to take from here on out.

 

[hmmmatt]

I was in very much the same boat as you, but my GPA was around a 2.8 or 2.9 the first time I applied, but I had taken way more credit hours than was needed for just a bachelor's... because I switched majors. I was dumb, I was and am still paying for it, but it has all been worth it. I went back after getting rejected from 10+ schools and got a second bachelor's degree because a school close to where I live offers a Health Sciences - Pre-PT Track bachelors. I had many of the prerequisites already done, just had to do what was specific to that school, which ended up being 3 semesters (summer, fall, and spring). My post-bac GPA is a 4.0 and it has raised my GPA a bit, I'm around a 3.2 now. I've now been accepted to 2 PT programs, interviews at others that I declined, and am still waiting on decisions from a couple.

If PT is what you want to do, you can do it, it will just take time. You NEED to get A's in everything, especially the pre-requisites. Also, when you do apply, apply VERY EARLY!!! Especially to programs with rolling admissions. I'm pretty sure applying super early is the reason I've been accepted where I have.

I'm not sure if you have many of the pre-requisites done yet or what your other interests are... but if you want to do a major where you'll get a job right out of a bachelor's degree look at something in the tech field like computer science or some kind of engineering. Have either of those degrees will not hurt, and if you're able to do the PT pre-requisites while pursuing one of those degrees, which would be hard but not impossible, you would be in a good spot.

 

[epicpt89]

Thanks for the info hmmmatt

Yeah thats the great part about my position now. I have almost no pre reqs done besides that A- and B+ with the A and P class I mentioned above. So in terms of pre reqs im pretty much in full control and getting A's with everything will def be tough, but itll be worth it in the long run..anyone have any tips on getting straight A's?

 

[okramango]

Congratulations on your decision to work towards this! If you get fantastic grades over the next two years (whether or not you do another bachelor's), I highly suggest looking for programs that look at your last 60 credits GPA instead of total GPA. That would make you really competitive. Also, most schools that I've seen don't replace grades when you retake a course - they just average both into the GPA (with a few exceptions). So it might not be worth it to retake a lot of courses, unless they are prerequisites. Good luck!

 

[7NJ3213]

@hmmmatt
Which post Bach program did you do? And how much did it cost you?

 

[7NJ3213]

@hmmmatt

Which post Bach program did you do and how much did it cost ?

 

[twsurfsnow]

Ok, so in my case when i went to school originally I pretty much took the whole experience for granted academic wise. I graduated with a GPA that was super low (under a 2.5) and I ended up paying the price because of the degree I got which was Health and Wellness and the little opportunity out there for jobs in that field as is.

So I spoke to an advisor at the University at Buffalo about what I could possibly do for a change, and in this case get into a Physical Therapy program. She said I could opt to get a second bachelors and go that route. I already started that process and got a A-(lecture) and B+(lab) in A and P 1 over the Summer. I am taking some pre reqs as of now to get into the UB exercise science program and in turn have that allow me get into a Physical Therapy program.

Does anyone here think this would work out for me? I know I shouldnt have bombed school in the first place, but you live and you learn.

It will take time to fix that damage, but I am in a similar situation just further along. When I graduated undergrad(2011) with a BA Bio I had a horrible science GPA ~2.72, non-science was around 3.2. however, I took a lot of upper level science classes and even lower level ones post bac and raised it to a 3.0, then I took the GRE and applied to grad school, I will have my MPH this summer with a 4.0, Next month will be my first time applying DPT, but I am hopeful that the 4.0 Masters will show I learned from my mistakes. It just takes time to fix the damage.

 

[captainterrific]

You don't need to get a 2nd bachelors. It is sufficient to do your pre-req classes without getting a degree. When I returned to school to do my pre-reqs, I had degrees in music and applied math, so I just did the coursework to apply to schools without getting a 3rd bachelors. Many of the people in my class did their pre-req's at a community college, after being out of undergrad for years. Regardless of where you do the pre-reqs, you definitely do not need to get a 2nd bachelors.

 

[caime57]

Hello everyone, I hope you'll don't mind that I bumped this thread. My situation is similar the poster of this thread. Im graduating this semester with 3.0 gpa and science gpa is very low (c- chem, A&P (b-), (A&P (c), bio 1 (b-), bio 2 (b-)). Plus I have gaps and lots of W all over my transcript. I messed up because I didn't know how to have control in my life (I was the primary caregiver My father had stage 4 bladder for 3 years and patient care for my aunt(schizophrenia and dementia for 2 years patient). On top of that I was a poor reader, writer and test taker. I corrected my mistakes and my life situation is much better now.

What do you'll think is the best option to get into PT school.
I was thinking about getting a second bachelor degree, retake prereqs classes, do at least 1000 hours as physical therapy aide or retake just the prereqs and do at least 1000 hours as physical therapy aide. If you have a smarter idea, I'm open to listening. Please and thank you.

 

[starrsgirl]

Hello everyone, I hope you'll don't mind that I bumped this thread. My situation is similar the poster of this thread. Im graduating this semester with 3.0 gpa and science gpa is very low (c- chem, A&P (b-), (A&P (c), bio 1 (b-), bio 2 (b-)). Plus I have gaps and lots of W all over my transcript. I messed up because I didn't know how to have control in my life (I was the primary caregiver My father had stage 4 bladder for 3 years and patient care for my aunt(schizophrenia and dementia for 2 years patient). On top of that I was a poor reader, writer and test taker. I corrected my mistakes and my life situation is much better now.

What do you'll think is the best option to get into PT school.
I was thinking about getting a second bachelor degree, retake prereqs classes, do at least 1000 hours as physical therapy aide or retake just the prereqs and do at least 1000 hours as physical therapy aide. If you have a smarter idea, I'm open to listening. Please and thank you.

You don't need a 2nd bachelors. You do need to redo all the pre reqs and I recommend you retake at least a few semesters as a FULL TIME student. I was in a similar situation grade wise. I initially retook prereqs one at a time. But my first time applying, schools were concerned with my ability to handle a full time load (because no transcript supported that I could get good grades with a lot of classes). So I did a single full time semester with a crazy class load and it made all the difference. In retrospect, I should have just committed to going back to school full time for a year (it took me a few years to take pre reqs slowly). I also think you can generally work some hours even if you are a full time student....helps decrease the debt load and again, show you can handle uber pressure of school + work.

 

[caime57]

You don't need a 2nd bachelors. You do need to redo all the pre reqs and I recommend you retake at least a few semesters as a FULL TIME student. I was in a similar situation grade wise. I initially retook prereqs one at a time. But my first time applying, schools were concerned with my ability to handle a full time load (because no transcript supported that I could get good grades with a lot of classes). So I did a single full time semester with a crazy class load and it made all the difference. In retrospect, I should have just committed to going back to school full time for a year (it took me a few years to take pre reqs slowly). I also think you can generally work some hours even if you are a full time student....helps decrease the debt load and again, show you can handle uber pressure of school + work.

Thank you for replying and I will take your advice.

Should I take all science prereqs at once within a year?
For example, spring semester I take Bio, anp,chem,and physic and Fall second part of bio,anp,chem, and physics. If not, how would you go about it? Thank you once again!

 

[zuc]

do what you can handle, of course. if it takes you 2 years to guarantee your As, then do that instead of getting Bs in 1 year.

 

[caime57]

do what you can handle, of course. if it takes you 2 years to guarantee your As, then do that instead of getting Bs in 1 year.

Okay thank you

 

[ClassOf17Whoop]

Thank you for replying and I will take your advice.

Should I take all science prereqs at once within a year?
For example, spring semester I take Bio, anp,chem,and physic and Fall second part of bio,anp,chem, and physics. If not, how would you go about it? Thank you once again!

I really wouldn't suggest you do that if you want to get good grades in all of them. They all come with labs, so that's going to end up being 16 hours each semester (4 credits each) of tough classes. I feel like you'd only be able to pull an A in a couple if you tried it that way!

 

[caime57]

I really wouldn't suggest you do that if you want to get good grades in all of them. They all come with labs, so that's going to end up being 16 hours each semester (4 credits each) of tough classes. I feel like you'd only be able to pull an A in a couple if you tried it that way!

Okay I see, maybe I should do 2 prerequisites at a time in 2 years instead.

So
Fall
Bio
Phy
Elective
Elective

Spring
Bio
Phy
Elective
Elective

Fall
Anp
Chem
Elective
Elective

Spring
Anp
Chem
Elective
Elective

Electives could be psychology, medical terminology, public health, intoduction physical therapy, medical ethics in physical therapy (they offer it at the cc because they have a pta program there)

Btw, do you think it's a bad idea to do chem and physics together? Currently, I'm working and doing an internship and self studying chem and physics from textbook and watching YouTube lectures.

Thanks

 

[kellerac]

Btw, do you think it's a bad idea to do chem and physics together?

Personally it would've been really tough for me to handle these two classes together. Not necessarily because they were difficult, but because they were time consuming. Each one has a lab, and each class (for me) was 4 or 5 credit hours. But I'm not saying it can't be done!

 

[epicpt89]

woah, I totally forgot about this thread! I'm finally going to apply this summer for the 2017-2018 cycle. i can shed some light into what i did and this can probably be seen as advice for a few of you. oh btw i did not get a second bachelors, after thinking about it, it just did not seem the most ideal path.

Im nearly done with my prereqs (finally) and we'll see what happens but heres what I would have done differently from when i first started this.

1)I would not take two science classes in the same semester unless if those were the only classes I was taking. I took both bio 1 and 2 and chem 1 and 2 (including labs) together along with two other classes in back to back semesters. I also work full time so this pretty much killed my social life. The labs make it feel like I am taking 18 credits as opposed to just 14 since they are classes in themselves. I would def try to space them out if you are not in a rush.

2)Like others have said in this thread, I probably would have went back to school full time and just concentrated on that in retrospect. You really have to commit yourself to this especially since you are behind the curve. Either devote yourself to school, or devote yourself to working. If you are going to do both, prioritize one over the other

3)not psyching myself out and checking this site every single day. this was one of the worst things i did in hindsight. I already have a low GPA so seeing all these acceptances with high GPA's gave me a sense of self doubt. We all go through this, but I would probably steer clear of acceptances since Im not really competing with a widespread of those people.

That would pretty much be it. In terms of all the extra curricular like observational hours and all of that, I already have all of those done. Obviously ill update my situation as time goes on.

 

[caime57]

woah, I totally forgot about this thread! I'm finally going to apply this summer for the 2017-2018 cycle. i can shed some light into what i did and this can probably be seen as advice for a few of you. oh btw i did not get a second bachelors, after thinking about it, it just did not seem the most ideal path.

Im nearly done with my prereqs (finally) and we'll see what happens but heres what I would have done differently from when i first started this.

1)I would not take two science classes in the same semester unless if those were the only classes I was taking. I took both bio 1 and 2 and chem 1 and 2 (including labs) together along with two other classes in back to back semesters. I also work full time so this pretty much killed my social life. The labs make it feel like I am taking 18 credits as opposed to just 14 since they are classes in themselves. I would def try to space them out if you are not in a rush.

2)Like others have said in this thread, I probably would have went back to school full time and just concentrated on that in retrospect. You really have to commit yourself to this especially since you are behind the curve. Either devote yourself to school, or devote yourself to working. If you are going to do both, prioritize one over the other

3)not psyching myself out and checking this site every single day. this was one of the worst things i did in hindsight. I already have a low GPA so seeing all these acceptances with high GPA's gave me a sense of self doubt. We all go through this, but I would probably steer clear of acceptances since Im not really competing with a widespread of those people.

That would pretty much be it. In terms of all the extra curricular like observational hours and all of that, I already have all of those done. Obviously ill update my situation as time goes on.

Great to hear. I would love to hear the outcome for you. I hope everything goes well!

 

[One Punch Man]

You don't need a 2nd bachelors. You do need to redo all the pre reqs and I recommend you retake at least a few semesters as a FULL TIME student. I was in a similar situation grade wise. I initially retook prereqs one at a time. But my first time applying, schools were concerned with my ability to handle a full time load (because no transcript supported that I could get good grades with a lot of classes). So I did a single full time semester with a crazy class load and it made all the difference. In retrospect, I should have just committed to going back to school full time for a year (it took me a few years to take pre reqs slowly). I also think you can generally work some hours even if you are a full time student....helps decrease the debt load and again, show you can handle uber pressure of school + work.

Are you financially independent? I find it difficult to balance a full-time course load when I'm working full-time to support myself. My college has the prereqs at 4 credits each. Would you recommend that I take 3 of those classes to be at full-time? I can do 3. 4 classes is pushing it.

 

[One Punch Man]

Congratulations on your decision to work towards this! If you get fantastic grades over the next two years (whether or not you do another bachelor's), I highly suggest looking for programs that look at your last 60 credits GPA instead of total GPA. That would make you really competitive. Also, most schools that I've seen don't replace grades when you retake a course - they just average both into the GPA (with a few exceptions). So it might not be worth it to retake a lot of courses, unless they are prerequisites. Good luck!

For a lot of us, those schools that accept retaken courses are our best bet!

 

[starrsgirl]

Are you financially independent? I find it difficult to balance a full-time course load when I'm working full-time to support myself. My college has the prereqs at 4 credits each. Would you recommend that I take 3 of those classes to be at full-time? I can do 3. 4 classes is pushing it.

Here's what I did....I did most of my easy retakes (english, statistics) and extra classes (to boost my gpa) while working full time. I did 2 online courses at a time and 1-2 weekend courses for a total of 3-4 classes at a time while working full time. For the one semester I loaded up on hard core science classes; I did 4 classes over the summer (so "double time" since the summer semester is very short) and I dropped to part time work for just that semester. The cost of dropping to part time work wasn't too bad because I was done in 8 weeks.

 

[Dr. Pursuit of excellence]

Here's what I did....I did most of my easy retakes (english, statistics) and extra classes (to boost my gpa) while working full time. I did 2 online courses at a time and 1-2 weekend courses for a total of 3-4 classes at a time while working full time. For the one semester I loaded up on hard core science classes; I did 4 classes over the summer (so "double time" since the summer semester is very short) and I dropped to part time work for just that semester. The cost of dropping to part time work wasn't too bad because I was done in 8 weeks.

What school were you retaking your classes? Did you retake all your online classes at the same school?