Illinois DPT schools

[nismo13]

I'm a junior at UIC majoring in kinesiology and I am applying to grad schools in Illinois this summer. I know I could look through the sticky for admissions but I just wanted to hear from people about the admissions process and any tips they could give me. Also if you could post your stats and the Illinois school you were admitted to, if its not in your sig already, I would appreciate it.
I don't really have a preference for schools at the moment as I just want to make sure I get into one. Thanks in advance for your input.

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[AbbaZabba]

Since you have some time before you apply, I would make sure that you get plenty of experience in various clinical settings; e.g. inpatient, outpatient, geriatric, pediatric, sports, etc. Many places are all too happy to get someone wanting to volunteer their time.

I would also suggest applying early as possible because the PTCAS system often takes a while to update everything on your application once you finish.

Try to be creative, yet honest, on your essays.

IMHO, getting a letter of rec from a professor in a traditionally more difficult class would look better (think: Physics). I have nothing to back that statement up, just a general feeling



Prereq GPA: 3.5ish
GRE: 1180
Work at PT clinic (500+ hours)

Applied (In IL only): Midwestern and Rosalind Franklin.
Rejected and MWU, and interviewed at RFU--waiting (anxiously) to hear back.

I have interviews at two other schools, as well as waitlisted at one.

I haven't heard back from about 5 schools.



Good luck, mate. Feel free to PM me if you have any further questions.

 

[nismo13]

Where else did you apply

I am probabley going to apply to NW, rosalind Franklin, midwestern, governors, and uic

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[PTgt]

Two pieces of advice that I think helped me get into PT school:
- Figure out which school you are most interested in and apply Early Decision (if available). It costs a bit more, but it would help set you apart from the pack. At UIC, over 1,000 people applied, so this might tip the odds in your favor if they see your app sooner than later. (You can always apply to all the schools later anyway if you are not initially accepted). This might also help if you have unique aspects of your application that deserve closer attention.
- Since you are in close proximity to these schools, go to any and all open houses or other events where you can get your face in front of faculty and admissions staff. NU and UIC don't have interviews, so this would be the only opportunity for them to put a name to a face - might you more memorable come decision time. When I first looked into UIC, I met with the admissions person and found out what I needed to do specifically to get my application up to snuff. Then after I applied, I went back and basically showed my qualifications - again, any way you can show your interest personally and stand out from the pack is good.
I ended up getting into UIC, so if you have any specific questions, feel free to send me an PM.
Good luck!

 

[jb0t]

I got into UIC also and am happy to chat if you want to send me a PM. I'm finishing the last of my prereqs at UIC right now so we might even have crossed paths...

I don't really have an opinion on the other IL schools. I didn't apply to any other school because I have lived in Chicago for the past 6 years, and I didn't want to move, commute to the suburbs, or pay Northwestern prices. I would have rather waited a year and had another shot at UIC than gone to a different school. But fortunately I got in this year.

 

[nismo13]

Pm's sent thanks guys

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[DancerTurnedDPT]

I just applied to schools this last cycle.

My advice to definitely do early decision if there's a school that catches your eye, particularly if that school is UIC. I only know one person who got into that school and she did it through early decision. I spoke with their admissions director, though, and she said they might not be doing it again next year. So look into it and if it's an option then definitely go for it.

Also, make sure to volunteer in a lot of different clinical settings. I'm a career changer, so you probably already have more volunteer hours than I do, but I felt like I was at a distinct disadvantage only having 40 hours, even though that was all that was required at most of the places I applied. Everyone I spoke to and interviewed with had at least 100, often much more.

And definitely apply to many schools. It's competitive to get in and if you don't want to have to wait and apply again next year, it's better to spend the extra money applying to several schools than to get left out in the cold.

I applied to Rosalind Franklin, NW and UIC. I got rejected from UIC, waitlisted at NW (still waiting on a possible admission) and accepted at Rosalind Franklin. My stats:

GPA: 3.8
Science GPA: 3.6
GRE: verbal - 660, math - 660, written - 5.0
40 hrs volunteer experience

Good luck! Hopefully you've gotten all your questions answered, but you can feel free to PM me if you want.

 

[Tiumoy]

I Graduated UIC Summer of 2011 with a psych degree. I applied to Midwestern, Governors, UIC, Rosalind Franklin, Northern Illinois University, UM-Flint, Touro College in NYC.

MAKE SURE YOU APPLY TO NORTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY (its in dekalb), not alot of people know about their program because its not on PTCAS. you have to apply to NIU's PT website.

Also, Make sure you have 2 settings of observation (outpatient, inpatient).

I was turned down from UIC almost instantly they had over 1k applicants. they were accepting 3.7 GPA w/ 1300+ GRE. which was sad cause i really wanted to finish school their.

I had an Interview at Roasalind Franklin and am currently waitlisted. Accepted into UM-Flint and Touro College NYC (both dont require interviews). I'll be going to UM-Flint this fall because it runs about the same price as Rosalind Franklin.

Hope this helps and Good Luck!

My Stats
According to PTCAS (Psychology Major)
GPA: 3.43
GRE: 1090 (not sure how this translates to the new GRE)
Math/Sci GPA: 3.19
Sci GPA: 3.25
Pre-Req: 3.35
Work: Full time Rehab Tech in Nursing Home Setting since July 2011 (1000+ hours)

 

[nismo13]

Thanks for all the replies

I was hoping to apply early decision at uic but just got out of a meeting for uic pt and dr. John said they are not doing it this year :/

So I am jw what schools actually have early decision next cycle, and I hope it wont hurt my chances at another school seeing that I will be able to apply to only that one ed school

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[nismo13]

Prob going to look into governors to see if they have ed, but if one gets accepted ed, then do they have to accept the offer or can you wait and still apply to other schools, ones that didn't have ed?

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