2.5 GPA, applying for my DPT??

[Nana6787]

I graduated with my Bachelors in Psychology and Pre-Physical Therapy.I must admit precalculus was my weakness and caused my GPA to go down. I used to have 3.4 GPA but with 2 F's because of repeating pre-calculus it brought down my GPA. I do have my volunteer hours and letters of recommendation. I also am currently studying for my GREs that will be taken in April and I work as a physical therapy aide in an outpatient clinic. My question is whats the highest score I can receive on the GREs.. and what are some schools that might consider at 2.56 GPA but most importantly consider the the whole package?? Very determined and driven to reach my dream.

Thankyou

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[Damccookster]

You have to search individual school's requirements in order to see if they will accept your GPA. Most schools have a minimum of 3.0.

In regard to the GRE, get the highest score you can to combat that GPA. Definitely going to have to come out with 165+ on both sections and at least a 4.0 on the writing sections.

 

[villacog]

What's your pre-req gpa? Ive come across schools that have an overall 2.5 gpa minimum but all of them required you have a 3.0 cumulative for your prerequisite classes.

 

[Golfer05]

Lowest GPA ive seen schools accept is 2.75, but pre req GPA is most important. Keep in mind schools do look at how many times you have retaken a class. I would suggest trying to improve your GPA as entry to schools have become much more competitive in the past few years with the growing profession.

 

[nicolej5]

your options with that gpa are extremely limited, even if your pre req is passable. What is your grade trend? Did those f's come the last two years or the first? If the answer is first, search for schools who look for last 60 hours. Retake classes to get a's. Only way to make the initial weed out cut is to have the minimum gpa requirements.

 

[bnwj89]

I agree with nicole... you need to retake those few F's to increase your GPA. Most schools have a 3.0 minimum GPA, a few have 2.75. I suppose there are a few with a 2.5 minimum, but there arent going to be many.

If you have a high pre-req GPA, and rock the GRE, then this could maybe work

 

[Azimuthal]

Two F's brought you down from a 3.4 to a 2.5?

Your only hope is to 1) retake some classes and 2) if you had a rising trend in your last two years with a GPA of >3.4, you may apply to schools that look at last 60/90; 3) 3.8+ prereq GPA; 4) strong GREs.

If not, your stats are not competitive for PT school. I would recommend looking into PTA or exploring other career options before you waste your time, energy and $.

 

[NewTestament]

Two F's brought you down from a 3.4 to a 2.5?

Your only hope is to 1) retake some classes and 2) if you had a rising trend in your last two years with a GPA of >3.4, you may apply to schools that look at last 60/90; 3) 3.8+ prereq GPA; 4) strong GREs.

If not, your stats are not competitive for PT school. I would recommend looking into PTA or exploring other career options before you waste your time, energy and $.

1) agreed, 2) agreed, 3) agreed, 4) agreed. Honestly you don't have chance with a 2.5 GPA. Don't apply until your overall GPA is 2.8, at least. Even then, your chances and options are limited. Even with a great pre-req GPA, and a good GRE score, most schools will automatically discard your application when they see that number. There are too many applicants these days to consider someone with a 2.5 GPA. As Azimuthal suggested, look into PTA school.

Kevin

 

[thatguy1243]

Never say never, Nana.

If I can give any advice, it would be to target programs where you can differentiate yourself in what you might call the "character" categories: interview, essays, recommendations. Be forthcoming and don't look like you're trying to hide anything. Be able to explain eloquently what went wrong earlier and how you've corrected it. Spend time on your essays, and apply to schools that may require more writing if it means you can stand out in your responses.

Make an effort to get in front of people, whether in the interview process or otherwise. And once you do, be clear on how much you want this. I believe schools can see this when it's the case. However, they can also see when someone just clicks "Submit" on a website for 35 bucks. And obviously kill it with your prereq grades and GRE score to provide statistical balance, as was wisely pointed out above. But make your application about more than your numbers.

By the way, my undergrad GPA is 2.38. Overall (after prereq grades) is 2.66. I've been accepted to three schools, received a substantial grant at one, and still waiting to hear back from several others.

The only reason I include that is to point out that I was in the same boat, and I know it can be done! This is my first post in this forum after visiting for the past couple years; I just wanted to provide encouragement and let you know that it's possible.

 

[Azimuthal]

You may as well tell him/her where you applied and got accepted because VERY few programs are willing to give a seat to those stats, let alone review their applications. Welcome to SDN.

 

[jholly528]

Never say never, Nana.

If I can give any advice, it would be to target programs where you can differentiate yourself in what you might call the "character" categories: interview, essays, recommendations. Be forthcoming and don't look like you're trying to hide anything. Be able to explain eloquently what went wrong earlier and how you've corrected it. Spend time on your essays, and apply to schools that may require more writing if it means you can stand out in your responses.

Make an effort to get in front of people, whether in the interview process or otherwise. And once you do, be clear on how much you want this. I believe schools can see this when it's the case. However, they can also see when someone just clicks "Submit" on a website for 35 bucks. And obviously kill it with your prereq grades and GRE score to provide statistical balance, as was wisely pointed out above. But make your application about more than your numbers.

By the way, my undergrad GPA is 2.38. Overall (after prereq grades) is 2.66. I've been accepted to three schools, received a substantial grant at one, and still waiting to hear back from several others.

The only reason I include that is to point out that I was in the same boat, and I know it can be done! This is my first post in this forum after visiting for the past couple years; I just wanted to provide encouragement and let you know that it's possible.

where did you apply? I am having a difficult time getting into schools with a 3.1...

 

[bnwj89]

You may as well tell him/her where you applied and got accepted because VERY few programs are willing to give a seat to those stats, let alone review their applications. Welcome to SDN.

This. I am amazed you got in with a 2.38. OP will have to do EXACTLY what you did to get in, at the same exact schools.

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[nicolej5]

By the way, my undergrad GPA is 2.38. Overall (after prereq grades) is 2.66. I've been accepted to three schools, received a substantial grant at one, and still waiting to hear back from several others.

 

[NeophyteParkour]

By the way, my undergrad GPA is 2.38. Overall (after prereq grades) is 2.66. I've been accepted to three schools, received a substantial grant at one, and still waiting to hear back from several others.

I find that hard to believe, or perhaps you're leaving something out. Regardless, you're painting a misleading picture. You're suggesting investing a lot of time and money into what is at best an anomaly. The average accepted GPA is around 3.5. Also, I believe a lot of schools have a limit as to how many times you can retake a course.

Realistically, OP, you might want to consider another profession. You could talk with PTA programs to see where you stand, but from what I've heard they are competitive in their own ways as well. If you do still pursue this, you'll definitely need to raise your cGPA up to 2.75 somehow. Most schools have a 3.0 cutoff, but some here and there have lower requirements. They won't even look at your application unless you meet that minimum GPA requirement.

 

[thatguy1243]

I find that hard to believe

Thanks for the warm welcome!

Whether or not other posters "believe" what I said, my only goals in posting were to encourage the OP to pursue his/her dream and to show that it would not be unprecedented to do so. I'm sure I'm not the only one, anyways.

Nana, I'll respond to your DM and I apologize for this thread getting off track. Everyone else, please feel free to encourage and provide advice to the OP as was the original intent of this topic.

 

[DPTHopeful2012]

Thanks for the warm welcome!

Whether or not other posters "believe" what I said, my only goals in posting were to encourage the OP to pursue his/her dream and to show that it would not be unprecedented to do so. I'm sure I'm not the only one, anyways.

Nana, I'll respond to your DM and I apologize for this thread getting off track. Everyone else, please feel free to encourage and provide advice to the OP as was the original intent of this topic.

So what were the 3 schools that accepted you?

 

[bnwj89]

Would you mind posting a full personal stats + appled/rejected/waitlisted/accepted breakdown? I think it would be helpful for OP as well as other lower GPA applicants to know this informative

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[thatguy1243]

Would you mind posting a full personal stats + appled/rejected/waitlisted/accepted breakdown? I think it would be helpful for OP as well as other lower GPA applicants to know this informative

If it would be helpful for others to see, then of course. I'll do so in the stickied thread later this week, after I hopefully hear back from a couple more programs.

Also, I'm sorry if I came off to anyone as brazen or terse earlier. Some of us are understandably a bit on edge at this point in the process, myself included! In the end though, we all have the same common goal and I'm thankful that this forum has been such a great resource.

 

[HouseDPT]

If it would be helpful for others to see, then of course. I'll do so in the stickied thread later this week, after I hopefully hear back from a couple more programs.

Also, I'm sorry if I came off to anyone as brazen or terse earlier. Some of us are understandably a bit on edge at this point in the process, myself included! In the end though, we all have the same common goal and I'm thankful that this forum has been such a great resource.

Applicants should also be cognizant of the fact that an SDN'er with a 3.6, in the 85% GRE percentile, with 200 hours of OP ortho experience is certainly NOT the same applicant as the next SDN'er with a 3.6, in the 85% GRE percentile, with 200 hours of OP ortho experience. Pre-PT people tend to forget that these postings of acceptances are misleading. A 4.0 student could completely bomb their interview or a 2.8 student could have a very compelling background. Thatguy obviously has something about him that compelled admissions committees to take a chance on him; and I'm willing to bet that it won't be reflected in his "SDN stats."

The take home message for the OP is that each applicant needs to somehow convince a committee that they're worthy of a spot in their program. Azimuthal gave some suggestions that will get your application considered. But you ultimately can't guarantee an acceptance by raising below average grades to slightly below average grades. A 2.8 by itself isn't gonna cut it nowadays. In order words, you can't buy a $5 sandwich with $4. It's up to the OP to build a compelling narrative with the application and interview.

 

[schnell8]

Well said nicolej5, well said. haha

To the OP, its exactly what everyone has been telling you. Your going to really have to do your homework here (in more ways than one..haha). Make sure you really look in to what the minimum requirements are for schools you want to go to. For me here in Michigan, it was mainly 3.0 overall GPA and 3.0 pre-req. One place was 3.2 overall GPA at a minimum and another place has a minimum of a 2.75 pre-req GPA with a 3.0 overall. I was pretty much at around a 3.2 overall, but my pre-reqs were around a 2.9. I took a semester of retakes and was warned by one of my schools of choice that the only way to really be considered would be to get 4.0's in all my retakes. Fortunately, I managed to do just that. So my advice to you is the same that was given to me. Pick 3 or 4 classes, retake them, do awesome in them. Even if its at a community college (thats what I did). And even if its a pain in the butt, do the math to figure out how much your gpa will raise by retaking certain classes. That way you will know what you need to do. Also, volunteer for one of you university research groups. It will looks AMAZING on your application...Hope this helps and good luck!

 

[anonanogirl]

Never say never, Nana.

If I can give any advice, it would be to target programs where you can differentiate yourself in what you might call the "character" categories: interview, essays, recommendations. Be forthcoming and don't look like you're trying to hide anything. Be able to explain eloquently what went wrong earlier and how you've corrected it. Spend time on your essays, and apply to schools that may require more writing if it means you can stand out in your responses.

Make an effort to get in front of people, whether in the interview process or otherwise. And once you do, be clear on how much you want this. I believe schools can see this when it's the case. However, they can also see when someone just clicks "Submit" on a website for 35 bucks. And obviously kill it with your prereq grades and GRE score to provide statistical balance, as was wisely pointed out above. But make your application about more than your numbers.

By the way, my undergrad GPA is 2.38. Overall (after prereq grades) is 2.66. I've been accepted to three schools, received a substantial grant at one, and still waiting to hear back from several others.

The only reason I include that is to point out that I was in the same boat, and I know it can be done! This is my first post in this forum after visiting for the past couple years; I just wanted to provide encouragement and let you know that it's possible.

Could you please list the schools you got accepted to? It would be SO helpful! I'm currently looking to apply but I only have a 2.98 GPA.

 

[Grizzlyman]

This is tough one. There is high possibility that you will not get in right now.

I think you would need to develop some great skills that others do not have. Manage a group of people, be a leader in an organization, teach english in Vietnam...something with a lot of responsibility. Working as PT aid is not really developing skills that would in anyway separate yourself from others. The benefit from observation hours decays quickly.

You also need to show some signs of academic success. At least a heart beat of the possibility to succeed. Right now your looking like you wouldn't be able to handle the academics. Look into a post bacc program or simply retaking pre-reqs. You seriously need some kind of track record.

 

[ptdude66]

Could you please list the schools you got accepted to? It would be SO helpful! I'm currently looking to apply but I only have a 2.98 GPA.

FOCUS ON GPA. TAKE CC CLASSES!!! I had a 2.7 gpa in college and am now studying to be a PT because i raised my gpa taking CC classes

 

[DPTapplicant805]

FOCUS ON GPA. TAKE CC CLASSES!!! I had a 2.7 gpa in college and am now studying to be a PT because i raised my gpa taking CC classes

@ptdude66 what school are you attending for your DPT now?

 

[steveyk]

I've hesitated on commenting on this discussion partly due to embarassment and mostly due to laziness but thought I should finally contribute as I've seen it resurrect over and over again in the past few years

I got into an accredited DPT program with a 2.54 overall GPA as a first time applicant.
First point I want to make is, don't ever let someone tell you, you can't do something. But my second point is, I see where they're coming from, though, since it took a near miracle for me to get in. It took years and drastic measures for my application profile to look pretty enough to apply. And timing is key.

Definitely will spare you all the details of the process since the only purpose of this post is to let you know it CAN happen but if you are planning on applying in the next year or two and have questions, feel free to msg.

Good luck to all the pre-PTs

 

[DPTapplicant805]

I've hesitated on commenting on this discussion partly due to embarassment and mostly due to laziness but thought I should finally contribute as I've seen it resurrect over and over again in the past few years

I got into an accredited DPT program with a 2.54 overall GPA as a first time applicant.
First point I want to make is, don't ever let someone tell you, you can't do something. But my second point is, I see where they're coming from, though, since it took a near miracle for me to get in. It took years and drastic measures for my application profile to look pretty enough to apply. And timing is key.

Definitely will spare you all the details of the process since the only purpose of this post is to let you know it CAN happen but if you are planning on applying in the next year or two and have questions, feel free to msg.

Good luck to all the pre-PTs

@steveyk congrats! That's great and I'm sure you gave a lot of people hope in a very competitive field. Which school did you get accepted to?