Making application more COMPETITIVE???

[MyFutureBH]

I NEED SOME HONEST FEED BACK PLEASE!
I have been getting alot of community service hours by volenteering at a number of different places.This includes: Hosting for art exibits, helping at animal shelters, participating in food drives, and also participating in different homeless feeding programs. I now have over 100 hours.

Will my community service help my application be more competitive or will it be pointless?

Stats:
Overall GPA: 2.9
Pre-Req GPA: 3.2
GRE: Taking In July

Observations: Homehealth, Inpatient Neurology Hospital, Outpatient Othopedic, Inpatient/Outpatient Pediactric Hospital

Extras: Medical Proffesions Club, New Student Orientation Leader, Relay for Life Team Captain, 4 Year Div. II Football Player (Team Captain/All Conference), Microbiology Lab Assistant, Epidemiology TA, NODA Conference Participant.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[DPTHopeful921]

Honestly, Idk that your extracirricular activities will play THAT much of role in your PT packet. It shows you are selfless and like to do things for others with your time, so I wouldnt call it pointless, but i dont think that PT programs will put that much emphasis on it when they look over your packet. They are more interested in your GPA's, GRE, LORs, Observation hours, and SOM. Idk if thats what you were looking for, but I hope this helps somewhat, but its just my opinion.

 

[MyFutureBH]

Yea that makes sense. My main concern is for them to look at my application as a good overall canidate and not just look at my numbers you know?

Honestly, Idk that your extracirricular activities will play THAT much of role in your PT packet. It shows you are selfless and like to do things for others with your time, so I wouldnt call it pointless, but i dont think that PT programs will put that much emphasis on it when they look over your packet. They are more interested in your GPA's, GRE, LORs, Observation hours, and SOM. Idk if thats what you were looking for, but I hope this helps somewhat, but its just my opinion.

 

[goyo1010]

Hm... I'm not so sure about those numbers. They are quite low. Although they do look for an individual who is more "well-rounded" they place particular scrutiny on the applicant's GPA. One of the reasons for this is if they student is ready for the level of coursework that will be placed upon them. With your GPA, will you be able to handle the amount of information and work that will be thrown at you? An overall GPA of 2.9 is worrisome, as in PT school, any average less than a 3.0/4.0 is cause for suspension or expulsion from the program for 6 years, depending on the program, university, and the state the program is in. Some are even more strict as to limit the number of Cs you can make, e.g. you can only receive 3 Cs on any test/practical before suspension or academic probation.

If you're planning on still applying this year, get as high of a score as you can on the GRE. Work your ***** off for that high score.

Your extracurricular activities won't be "pointless"--they will lend to your application's competitiveness; however, you have to understand that programs focus a lot on the "numbers". I don't want to sugarcoat anything and give anyone a false sense of security. It's best, with these kinds of things, to be straightforward.

Where do you plan on applying to?

 

[MyFutureBH]

Thanks for your honesty I really appreciate it!! One thing I hope they take in to consideration is that I wasnt your average student but a student athlete. I did play a Collegiate sport which is a full time job on top of that taking pretty tuff classes for my degree in Health Science , such as Microbiology, Organic Chemistry, Physics, Anatomy/Physiology ect...
I do understand my GPA is quite low and sports are not a exuse, therefore I'm taking a few classes to help raise it above a 3.0 and doing as many things as possible to help my application. Is there anything else you would suggest? Hopefully you understand where im coming from.

Hm... I'm not so sure about those numbers. They are quite low. Although they do look for an individual who is more "well-rounded" they place particular scrutiny on the applicant's GPA. One of the reasons for this is if they student is ready for the level of coursework that will be placed upon them. With your GPA, will you be able to handle the amount of information and work that will be thrown at you? An overall GPA of 2.9 is worrisome, as in PT school, any average less than a 3.0/4.0 is cause for suspension or expulsion from the program for 6 years, depending on the program, university, and the state the program is in. Some are even more strict as to limit the number of Cs you can make, e.g. you can only receive 3 Cs on any test/practical before suspension or academic probation.

If you're planning on still applying this year, get as high of a score as you can on the GRE. Work your ***** off for that high score.

Your extracurricular activities won't be "pointless"--they will lend to your application's competitiveness; however, you have to understand that programs focus a lot on the "numbers". I don't want to sugarcoat anything and give anyone a false sense of security. It's best, with these kinds of things, to be straightforward.

Where do you plan on applying to?

 

[DPTHopeful921]

Not to discourage you, but be careful when saying you were a student-athlete and that is a reason why your GPA might not be as high as it should be. I was at a group interview and one of the people interviewing said he was a student-athlete and thats the reason his GPA was just above a 3.0. The professor in the PT program asked the student "So what did you do when you werent in season?? You dont play the sport all year long. So how do you explain it now?" I understand that student-athletes have practices, workouts, training camps, etc. along with taking certain classes, but its not any different from the student who puts in a full day of school then works 30+ hrs a week. If they can pull a high GPA, then so can anyone. (That btw, was the excuse the professor gave the student. I felt so bad for the kid, bc it basically embarrassed him bc he was at a loss for words.)

 

[MyFutureBH]

That is Definitly a good point! If his grade trend was better in the spring than in the fall maybe he could have explained his self much better but I do agree on what your saying though.

Not to discourage you, but be careful when saying you were a student-athlete and that is a reason why your GPA might not be as high as it should be. I was at a group interview and one of the people interviewing said he was a student-athlete and thats the reason his GPA was just above a 3.0. The professor in the PT program asked the student "So what did you do when you werent in season?? You dont play the sport all year long. So how do you explain it now?" I understand that student-athletes have practices, workouts, training camps, etc. along with taking certain classes, but its not any different from the student who puts in a full day of school then works 30+ hrs a week. If they can pull a high GPA, then so can anyone. (That btw, was the excuse the professor gave the student. I felt so bad for the kid, bc it basically embarrassed him bc he was at a loss for words.)

 

[NewTestament]

Hm... I'm not so sure about those numbers. They are quite low. Although they do look for an individual who is more "well-rounded" they place particular scrutiny on the applicant's GPA. One of the reasons for this is if they student is ready for the level of coursework that will be placed upon them. With your GPA, will you be able to handle the amount of information and work that will be thrown at you? An overall GPA of 2.9 is worrisome, as in PT school, any average less than a 3.0/4.0 is cause for suspension or expulsion from the program for 6 years, depending on the program, university, and the state the program is in. Some are even more strict as to limit the number of Cs you can make, e.g. you can only receive 3 Cs on any test/practical before suspension or academic probation.

If you're planning on still applying this year, get as high of a score as you can on the GRE. Work your ***** off for that high score.

Your extracurricular activities won't be "pointless"--they will lend to your application's competitiveness; however, you have to understand that programs focus a lot on the "numbers". I don't want to sugarcoat anything and give anyone a false sense of security. It's best, with these kinds of things, to be straightforward.

Where do you plan on applying to?

I second this opinion. Your overall needs to be at least 3.0. It's very easy for programs to discard applicants who don't meet that minimum requirement. They receive so many applications that there must be a cut off to expedite the process. Get a mimimum 3.0, and then retake some science classes to boost that pre-req GPA, which is probably the most important factor in your application. Spend less time volunteering everywhere and more time focusing on academics.

Kevin

 

[Ngozi Onyema]

What about the situation the other way around? What about an application with practically no volunteering on it? Will that hurt me despite good marks in the other areas?

 

[goyo1010]

Thanks for your honesty I really appreciate it!! One thing I hope they take in to consideration is that I wasnt your average student but a student athlete. I did play a Collegiate sport which is a full time job on top of that taking pretty tuff classes for my degree in Health Science , such as Microbiology, Organic Chemistry, Physics, Anatomy/Physiology ect...
I do understand my GPA is quite low and sports are not a exuse, therefore I'm taking a few classes to help raise it above a 3.0 and doing as many things as possible to help my application. Is there anything else you would suggest? Hopefully you understand where im coming from.

As DPT hopeful has mentioned, being a student-athlete only goes so far as a reason to why your academics has suffered. Don't get me wrong, I admire them for what they're dedication to athletics and academics. I have a few student-athletes in my class, and some of them also worked 1 or 2 jobs. I don't know how they did it, but they maintained at least a 3.5. And understandably, those are difficult courses you have taken.

Also, you need to focus now on observational hours with a PT.

As Testament said, get that GPA up to at least a 3.0 anyway you can. That's the very minimum. You don't have to stop doing volunteer work, as doing that is a good thing, but it would be a good idea to prioritize. Do less of the animal shelter type volunteering, and as I mentioned earlier, focus on PT related shadowing/observations. I know you'll be able to get it up there. Get good GRE scores, great LORs, and write a very compelling personal statement, and interviews may just be around the corner.

What about the situation the other way around? What about an application with practically no volunteering on it? Will that hurt me despite good marks in the other areas?

It definitely has the potential hurt you. You should have some type of volunteering. One of APTA's core values is altruism, and PT schools will want people who do some type of volunteering. If I were and ADCOM member reviewing your application and I see that you don't have any volunteering at all, what would that say about you as an individual and a future PT?

 

[MyFutureBH]

I agree !! One thing I'm not worried about really is PT observation hours as I now work as a PT technician in a outpatient orthopedic clinic. I just decide to volenteer as extra's. I'll will definitly be taking classes to get my GPA up ! Thanks for the Advice Everyone

As DPT hopeful has mentioned, being a student-athlete only goes so far as a reason to why your academics has suffered. Don't get me wrong, I admire them for what they're dedication to athletics and academics. I have a few student-athletes in my class, and some of them also worked 1 or 2 jobs. I don't know how they did it, but they maintained at least a 3.5. And understandably, those are difficult courses you have taken.

Also, you need to focus now on observational hours with a PT.

As Testament said, get that GPA up to at least a 3.0 anyway you can. That's the very minimum. You don't have to stop doing volunteer work, as doing that is a good thing, but it would be a good idea to prioritize. Do less of the animal shelter type volunteering, and as I mentioned earlier, focus on PT related shadowing/observations. I know you'll be able to get it up there. Get good GRE scores, great LORs, and write a very compelling personal statement, and interviews may just be around the corner.



It definitely has the potential hurt you. You should have some type of volunteering. One of APTA's core values is altruism, and PT schools will want people who do some type of volunteering. If I were and ADCOM member reviewing your application and I see that you don't have any volunteering at all, what would that say about you as an individual and a future PT?

 

[Ngozi Onyema]

It definitely has the potential hurt you. You should have some type of volunteering. One of APTA's core values is altruism, and PT schools will want people who do some type of volunteering. If I were and ADCOM member reviewing your application and I see that you don't have any volunteering at all, what would that say about you as an individual and a future PT?

Thanks, I'll get some volunteering done.

 

[Seatown87]

That is great that you work at an outpatient ortho. However, work on diversifying your experiences. Volunteer in different settings and try and get some inpatient hours. Many school require multiple settings and others require both inpatient and outpatient hours.

 

[MyFutureBH]

If you would have read the original post you would have seen that I have observation hours in different settings. Including neurology inpatient, inpatient/outpatient pediatrics, home health, and now Im at a outpatient orthopedic clinic actually gettin hands on experience. I think these settings are pretty diverse in my opinion but please correct me if I'm wrong??

That is great that you work at an outpatient ortho. However, work on diversifying your experiences. Volunteer in different settings and try and get some inpatient hours. Many school require multiple settings and others require both inpatient and outpatient hours.

 

[Litlwarrior08]

@ My Future-You could focus on applying to the few schools that have GPA min. of 2.7, 2.75, 2.8. and then a couple of the others. Most schools tell you not to apply if your GPA is not min. at time of application.

NGOZI--IMO the volunteering is important to show you are a well rounded, caring individual who can manage his/her time in various environments. I drew from volunteering during my highschool years where I did most / and variety of the volunteer hours and connected it in my essay to my character development, personality, ability to manage time, etc.

 

[MyFutureBH]

Thanks! Do you mind naming the schools that have those GPA min?

@ My Future-You could focus on applying to the few schools that have GPA min. of 2.7, 2.75, 2.8. and then a couple of the others. Most schools tell you not to apply if your GPA is not min. at time of application.

NGOZI--IMO the volunteering is important to show you are a well rounded, caring individual who can manage his/her time in various environments. I drew from volunteering during my highschool years where I did most / and variety of the volunteer hours and connected it in my essay to my character development, personality, ability to manage time, etc.

 

[Kepania]

Yes, it will help. Schools like a well rounded applicant and personally I think this is especially important if you're not the overachiever type with a 3.9 GPA. I just wrote a reply to another poster where I mentioned that the one thing that I realized I completely blew during my interview (besides giving a mediocre interview in general due to being nervous!) was that I had no community service hours. One interviewer specifically asked this and he did not seem thrilled when I said I had none. Nevertheless I got a nice waitlist spot near the top of the list and was soonafter accepted. I'm starting in a few weeks. I suggest preparing really well for the GRE as it is a good way to beef up your numbers, which will carry varying levels of importance depending on the schools to which you apply. I think my GRE score is what got me into the "top third of applicants" invited to interview, as my school stated that they used only GPA and GRE scores for this initial "weeding out."

Look at my terrible stats for encouragement:

University: UCSB
Major: Biology, 1999
Undergrad GPA: 2.94
Post-bac GPA: 4.0 (real estate & art classes mostly, but also Anatomy & Physiology)
Overall GPA: 3.16
Pre-req GPA: 2.98
GRE: V160 Q158 AW4.0
Community Service: None! Ugh!
Observation: 70 hours inpatient

Applied, Interviewed, Waitlisted, and then finally accepted: Samuel Merritt

I only applied to this one school. They are waaaay overpriced (private school), but they have a fantastic program, are near my home, and have a minimum GPA of (I think) 2.8.

Good luck to you!!!

 

[Litlwarrior08]

Thanks! Do you mind naming the schools that have those GPA min?

This should help http://www.capteonline.org/uploaded...APTE/Programs/Accredited/PrerequisiteGrid.pdf