Looking for advice

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BuckeyeCardinal

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Hello,

I'm new to the forum and am looking for some advice if anyone might be able to help me out.

My situation: I finished undergrad with a B.A. in Communication in 2007 at The Ohio State University. It wasn't what I wanted to do, I originally WAS going for Physical Therapy but my plans were thwarted. Now, I've decided to go back to my passion of rehab sciences. A year ago, I became NSCA-CPT certified and have been working for the past year as a personal trainer. This past January, I enrolled at Otterbein College and am pursuing B.S. in ATC.

I just finished taking two quarters of pre-reqs: A&P I, II, and Basic Chemistry. I got A's in all three courses.

Here's the thing, because I was not mature enough to handle school responsibility previously, I screwed around (mostly because I had no idea what I was doing in Comm) and my GPA was 2.43. But, that GPA doesn't accurately portray my intelligence, as with a lot of people.

I am able to pay for all of my classes currently under direct loans but I'm finding it pretty difficult to get private loans since I don't have much credit and my parents won't cosign. My concern is not being able to pay for living expenses, which is why I'm considering private loans.

To sum this up, I know it would be advantageous to get a second degree in ATC not to mention try and bolster my GPA, but the finances are holding me hostage in a sense. What are some alternative ways to get into PT school, if any at all? What can anyone tell me about pre-req GPA vs. cumulative GPA and how it figures into PT school entrance. What classes would I need to take solely to be considered for PT school? Does my personal training experience and volunteer hours at PT clinics help? What about letters of recommendation? I'm just trying to get an idea of exactly what I should do considering my situation financially as well as my previous GPA. And if anyone knows of any financial alternatives to private loans for help I would appreciate it!

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Have you thought about applying to schools that calculate G.P.A. based on the last 60 credit hours? Would that help you? University of Missouri at Columbia only counts the last 60 hours. Maybe some other schools have similar criteria.
 
I don't think getting a second bachelors will necessarily help.

Most schools require that you have a bachelors (in any major) and specific pre-requisites. Concentrate on the pre-reqs. They vary somewhat by school, so check out their websites, or get a quick preview at http://www.apta.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Home&CONTENTID=43269&TEMPLATE=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm

Some schools have a strict 3.0 minimum GPA but many don't. And many will look more closely at your pre-req GPA.

If you prepare well and do good on the GREs, and in your pre-reqs, you'll increase your chances of getting in.

Good luck!
 
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