Need help/advice about reapplying to DPT programs.

[cmstatler]

Hello, all. I have tried hunting around on the forums, but haven't had much luck finding what I'm looking for. I am seeking general advice on a current dilemma I am in.

I have been wait listed for two schools after the application process this year. I am realistic about the fact that I probably will not get in this year. Having said that, I am already considering what I can do to strengthen my application for the upcoming year.

My GPA is not very competitive and I had very average GRE scores. I have a couple C's (one in BIO and one in ANT&PHYS) on my transcript. I took these classes when I was younger and, boy, I could really kick my 23-year-old self for screwing up so badly. My dilemma is what I can do to be a better applicant. Given that I have taken so many classes, I cannot raise my GPA much at all. I think a good starting point is retaking the GRE and raising those scores, but I don't know what else to do. I read a lot about retaking courses to raise a GPA, but as mentioned, my GPA is never going to be a 3.5 or better due to the amount of classes I've already taken. I didn't know if retaking courses would show effort and doing better would show a better understanding than what my grades show. I've already contacted programs and most average the "retakes" with the first grade.

I do have every pre-req done. My background is a different one because I have my bachelors in philosophy, which is why I don't think I can do much with my GPA because my attempted hours are higher because my degree is in something unrelated to my pre-reqs. I know the more classes you take, the more it takes to alter a GPA.

Any advice is very much appreciated. I am currently 27-years-old and very passionate about a career in the field of PT. I wish I could change things in my past, but obviously I cannot and I am trying to do what I can with the hand I have dealt myself. Thanks for taking your time to read this.

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[Azimuthal]

Consider retaking those C classes to up your sGPA if it is low.

 

[Dysprosium]

Hello, all. I have tried hunting around on the forums, but haven't had much luck finding what I'm looking for. I am seeking general advice on a current dilemma I am in.

I have been wait listed for two schools after the application process this year. I am realistic about the fact that I probably will not get in this year. Having said that, I am already considering what I can do to strengthen my application for the upcoming year.

My GPA is not very competitive and I had very average GRE scores. I have a couple C's (one in BIO and one in ANT&PHYS) on my transcript. I took these classes when I was younger and, boy, I could really kick my 23-year-old self for screwing up so badly. My dilemma is what I can do to be a better applicant. Given that I have taken so many classes, I cannot raise my GPA much at all. I think a good starting point is retaking the GRE and raising those scores, but I don't know what else to do. I read a lot about retaking courses to raise a GPA, but as mentioned, my GPA is never going to be a 3.5 or better due to the amount of classes I've already taken. I didn't know if retaking courses would show effort and doing better would show a better understanding than what my grades show. I've already contacted programs and most average the "retakes" with the first grade.

I do have every pre-req done. My background is a different one because I have my bachelors in philosophy, which is why I don't think I can do much with my GPA because my attempted hours are higher because my degree is in something unrelated to my pre-reqs. I know the more classes you take, the more it takes to alter a GPA.

Any advice is very much appreciated. I am currently 27-years-old and very passionate about a career in the field of PT. I wish I could change things in my past, but obviously I cannot and I am trying to do what I can with the hand I have dealt myself. Thanks for taking your time to read this.

Hello!

Don't worry, there are many of us who are in the same boat as you are. What did you get on the GRE? Depending on what you got, retaking the GRE is not a bad option. Regarding your GPA -- you're absolutely right. Retake those classes you got C's in, especially BIO & A&P as those are pre-reqs. Unfortunately, you wont be able to raise your cGPA up much due to the amount of credits you already have, but retaking those classes will show persistency and dedication.

The key to this is doing research. Find those schools that take the higher of the retakes, or the schools that will take the last 60 hrs GPA instead of the cGPA. It's tedious but it will drastically increase your chances of getting into a program if you select the programs that match your needs. Good luck!!

 

[starrsgirl]

Absolutely retake the classes! I am an example of this. I had so many credits that each class I took and received an A in only moved me GPA by .01 (ish) of a point. So barely anything! BUT....it says a lot to be able to show you've earned straight A's in all your pre req courses (even on retakes). My initial GPA when applying was about a 3.00. I re took a bunch of classes and I think it only bumped it up to a 3.1 ish but it made all the difference. Do it! Remember that schools calculate GPA in a lot of different ways. Also, I think the key for me was to show I could hold a very full course load and do well. (I took a billion credit hours one semester and got straight As....so not only was I retaking and getting good grades, but I showed I could do it with an extremely heavy course l0ad)

 

[cmstatler]

Thank you all for such wonderful advice. I truly appreciate it. I will retake the courses, as well as retake the GRE. I got a 150 in each of the two objective sections and a 4.5 on the writing. I know I really need to put some serious effort in improving the math portion. Thanks, again. I didn't expect such thorough replies.

 

[mv85dpthopeful]

Don't forget to keep working on your observation hours. If you retake a class or two and repeat the GRE it shows you're dedicated to being a better applicant. But adding a lot more observation hours in a variety of settings shows you're committed to the career and thinking long-term.

 

[starrsgirl]

^^ in my opinion this (more hours) completely depends on how many you have now. If you already have more than the minimum I wouldn't worry about it. I think too many people put too much weight on these hours. The hours should be enough to show the admissions committee you know what a PT does and you won't change your mind in school. For most schools I don't think going above and beyond or getting a ton of settings makes any difference. People who work as a tech will have a billion hours. Others won't. That's not held against them. In general, I say if you have 100 hours in 2-3 settings, you should be fine (unless school specifically dictates more). Especially as a non traditional, hours will be a very minor factor for you. All of your effort should go into raising your GPA (what is your GPA anyway?). I don't think your GRE score sounds terribly low. So this may be solely a gpa thing?

 

[PTProspect7]

I would focus on replacing any prerequisites that you got C's in with A's. Even if your cumulative GPA won't increase significantly, your prerequisite GPA might increase more significantly, and this is what some programs may factor in when ranking applicants.

Give yourself a good amount of time before taking the GRE again. Do not take it until you are consistently scoring high on practice tests and feel confident in all subjects. If it takes 4 months, then let it take 4 months because rushing it will not yield good results, and those tests aren't cheap either. I strongly recommend getting a Magoosh subscription, as it's the best resource that I've encountered to improve GRE scores significantly. You really can't beat $100 for a subscription either.

Search for programs that have lower admitted GPA's and GRE scores and also interview. If you are passionate and cut out for the field you will be able showcase why at your interview; just make sure becoming a PT is a priority to you, and not an option. Two safe programs I would recommend applying to are Marymount and Wheeling Jesuit University.

 

[mv85dpthopeful]

Most programs list a 100 hour observation minimum but if you look carefully accepted students usually have at least 300-500. Just sayin'.

 

[DesertPT]

Most programs list a 100 hour observation minimum but if you look carefully accepted students usually have at least 300-500. Just sayin'.

Accepted students usually have a variety of inpatient and outpatient settings. The 500+ hours numbers come from a lot of people having worked as techs. If there are people out there that have actually spent 300-500 hours of standing around doing pure observation, they are absolutely, categorically out of their minds. After 100 hours of standing around just observing, I was pretty cooked.

My experience has been that having worked as a tech generally does not give you a huge advantage in admissions. Breadth of experience will always be more valuable to schools than depth.

With that being said, we have to always include the disclaimer that every school is different in what they really emphasize. There may be some schools where having depth of hours above the minimum requirement is important. But most schools are looking to see that you have met or exceeded the minimum and have observed numerous PTs across a broad range of the profession.

 

[starrsgirl]

^^ well said! I continue to read about too many people (reapplicants) going after more hours when there is a huge elephant in the room with their application (usually GPA). Hours will not fix GPA issues.

 

[DesertPT]

@starrsgirl seems to be my partner in crime when it comes to preaching on this subject lately

 

[camiosyz]

I was in your boat this past application cycle (I'm 28 with a degree in economics and political science...ha!). I was lucky enough to get in to a program, but I think a lot of that had to do with the fact that all of the pre-reqs I took were recent, and I got got good grades in them despite them not bumping up my mediocre gpa (3.2 cum even with almost straight A's in pre-reqs). I talked to a lot of people who were reapplicants with poor undergrad grades, and they said that they either retook the old courses and/OR took additional upper division courses to prove that they could do well in higher level sciences. Retaking the GRE is obviously in your favor since you have a ton of time to study up on it, and I think scoring highly on it helped me a ton. This one may be harder to do, but try to find programs that might like a candidate like you. My anatomy professor said that Regis (my #1 school and the only one I got in to) actually values older candidates who are making a career change, and my interviewers mentioned multiple times that they really liked that about me. I'm sure there are others that focus on other aspects of your application much more than GPA, so ask around. Good luck!!

 

[yogeeeee]

just a random question about reapplying... How much are people changing their personal statement if you reapply? The prompt is exactly the same as last year. Would it look lazy if you use the same essay? Or would they even really notice?

 

[starrsgirl]

I used the same essay when I reapplied (modified 1 paragraph to make it current). The essay was not my issue though, GPA was. Just have some "mean" editors tear it up again and make sure it's not a hidden weak point for you.

 

[yogeeeee]

@starrsgirl you have been a real savior on here thanks so much!

 

[yogeeeee]

Anyone know if you need to submit the "how you've strengthened your application" essay to schools that you haven't applied to before? For example, I didn't apply to loma linda last year and it specifically asks if you have applied to this program before....enter the essay?

 

[starrsgirl]

I did not answer that question for schools that were "new" the second time around. I only reapplied to 1 school and completed the essay for them only.

 

[ptisfun2]

^^ in my opinion this (more hours) completely depends on how many you have now. If you already have more than the minimum I wouldn't worry about it. I think too many people put too much weight on these hours. The hours should be enough to show the admissions committee you know what a PT does and you won't change your mind in school. For most schools I don't think going above and beyond or getting a ton of settings makes any difference. People who work as a tech will have a billion hours. Others won't. That's not held against them. In general, I say if you have 100 hours in 2-3 settings, you should be fine (unless school specifically dictates more). Especially as a non traditional, hours will be a very minor factor for you. All of your effort should go into raising your GPA (what is your GPA anyway?). I don't think your GRE score sounds terribly low. So this may be solely a gpa thing?

Please listen to starrgirl! With one addition..make sure you have some variety in your hours! I have had applicants interview and had no idea PTs were in the school system, acute care, wound care, etc....A 100 hours in 3 or 4 settings is a 'better' applicant than 500 hours in one setting in my opinion. This is especially apparent in an interview and personal statement. But with anything, checking the boxes (3 settings? Check!) is insufficient. What did you learn about PT from each setting? Similarities? Differences? Not 'I learned I do not want to work in x setting;' rather, what did it help you understand about the profession, not what you think your personal job aspirations are.

 

[ptisfun2]

Hello, all. I have tried hunting around on the forums, but haven't had much luck finding what I'm looking for. I am seeking general advice on a current dilemma I am in.

I have been wait listed for two schools after the application process this year. I am realistic about the fact that I probably will not get in this year. Having said that, I am already considering what I can do to strengthen my application for the upcoming year.

My GPA is not very competitive and I had very average GRE scores. I have a couple C's (one in BIO and one in ANT&PHYS) on my transcript. I took these classes when I was younger and, boy, I could really kick my 23-year-old self for screwing up so badly. My dilemma is what I can do to be a better applicant. Given that I have taken so many classes, I cannot raise my GPA much at all. I think a good starting point is retaking the GRE and raising those scores, but I don't know what else to do. I read a lot about retaking courses to raise a GPA, but as mentioned, my GPA is never going to be a 3.5 or better due to the amount of classes I've already taken. I didn't know if retaking courses would show effort and doing better would show a better understanding than what my grades show. I've already contacted programs and most average the "retakes" with the first grade.

I do have every pre-req done. My background is a different one because I have my bachelors in philosophy, which is why I don't think I can do much with my GPA because my attempted hours are higher because my degree is in something unrelated to my pre-reqs. I know the more classes you take, the more it takes to alter a GPA.

Any advice is very much appreciated. I am currently 27-years-old and very passionate about a career in the field of PT. I wish I could change things in my past, but obviously I cannot and I am trying to do what I can with the hand I have dealt myself. Thanks for taking your time to read this.

You may also want to focus your application to schools that assess last 60 or so credits and weight that more than overall GPA. I know there are a few, but I do not know what they are. We do not do that, but a quick PTCAS and Google search should give you the information.

 

[manila7242]

Research your schools. Some schools don't even look at cGPA at all. Others look at the last 60. Some schools replace retake grades while others average. Others give bonus points if you take higher level kinesiology courses. Take a gander at the average stats of the students that were granted admission and see how your stats compare.

That's my plan of attack, at least.

I'm on the same boat as you are. I barely have a 3.0 cGPA because I worked full time (plus a part time job) during college while taking on 18 hours per semester. Kind of stupid now that I think of it, but I wasn't planning on going forth into grad school at the time and worried more about putting food on the table/having a roof over my head rather than acing all my classes.

Best of luck. I have my fingers crossed for you.

 

[yogeeeee]

I did not answer that question for schools that were "new" the second time around. I only reapplied to 1 school and completed the essay for them only.

I missed this the last time I looked at this thread sorry about that! So ptcas gave me a red little note saying reapplicants couldn't leave that section blank. Did you just write that you had never applied to that program?