Advice & Inspiration for New DPT Applicants

[Never2Late4Change]

Hello, all!

I have been a user of SDN for some time, and finally decided to join the community, in an effort to share my experiences with others, and hopefully to provide advice and inspiration to those that seek it.

A little about me: I am a non-traditional 35yo who just started a DPT program in May. I have a background in a completely different field and, without going into too much unimportant detail, I made the change to be more fulfilled in life, and to provide a more secure future for me and my family.

To those of you who have less than perfect stats - if this is what you want, do not give up! I certainly struggled to get to this point, but I worked very hard and I believed in myself, even through failure, and I could not be happier for the next three years!

I took two years of full-time coursework to complete prerequisite requirements. It took another two years for me to earn an acceptance. The first year of constant rejection was super hard to handle emotionally. I applied to about a dozen schools, was offered an interview at almost all of them, and was wait listed everywhere. I was more strategic in the application process the second time around, and was honored to be offered admission at two schools. My overall GPA was approximately 3.2, prerequisite GPA approximately 3.5, and GRE scores 151V&Q/4AW. Although I knew my stats were not super awesome in this very competitive field of PT, I also knew that this would not define my success as a PT, and that helped me to press along and stay positive in my efforts.

So...if you are struggling like I did but know this is what you really want - keep working hard and do not give up! And, if you have any questions for me regarding anything I am happy to provide my experiences and advice. Thank you for reading!

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[Mynameismanny]

Awesome post man! Im currently in the process of applying to multiple schools. I hate the idea of rejection specially because of all the hard work ive put into everything over the past few years. My current stats are 3.65 undergrad in exercise science, 3.66preq. 800 outpatient ortho, 40 inpatient cardio pulmonary, orthotic, neuro, 3 letters req. extra curriculars are decent. Ive volunteered on physical therapy websites and have a research study under my belt. Im just horrible at standardized test, and am scared of banking too much on the GRE. Any insight?
Words of wisdom?

 

[Never2Late4Change]

Thanks so much! A lot of people will say to save your money and narrow down your application to a few schools that you think you have a good shot at, but my attitude is that casting a wide net (if you can afford all of the PTCAS and supplemental app fees) gives you more options. Just be sure that you are actually researching the schools in terms of their NPTE pass rates and whatnot. As for the GRE - if you can afford it and have the time, plan on taking it one time without pressure just to get a "baseline". Then, you can see what you need to work on. Personally, I purchased a few GRE books (Kaplan & McGraw Hill - you can also use these for free at a library!) and a lot of the material is VERY similar to an actual GRE, so it is worth the time to do some studying in this area.

Aside from that, you have really good GPA's and a lot of observation hours, so that will help your application! Hope this helps - let me know if you have any other questions!

 

[danhj89]

Thanks so much! A lot of people will say to save your money and narrow down your application to a few schools that you think you have a good shot at, but my attitude is that casting a wide net (if you can afford all of the PTCAS and supplemental app fees) gives you more options. Just be sure that you are actually researching the schools in terms of their NPTE pass rates and whatnot. As for the GRE - if you can afford it and have the time, plan on taking it one time without pressure just to get a "baseline". Then, you can see what you need to work on. Personally, I purchased a few GRE books (Kaplan & McGraw Hill - you can also use these for free at a library!) and a lot of the material is VERY similar to an actual GRE, so it is worth the time to do some studying in this area.

Aside from that, you have really good GPA's and a lot of observation hours, so that will help your application! Hope this helps - let me know if you have any other questions!

A great post.
It's funny that your stats and situation are nearly identical to my current state.
I am 28 years old, and plan on e-submitting either end of this week or next week. I have done about 70 hours inpatient and 130 hours outpatient so far, and still doing the observation at outpatient. I was just so bored from shadowing PTs until last week, and I figured this is typical. But I recently met two PTs that lit up my passion and taught me what the professional PT means. I am going to observe another 80 hours under those PTs!!!
I also have an interview on next Monday for rehab aide position.

I think what really matter is whether you truly want to be a PT.
If you have a confidence in yourself and be able to define why you want to be PT, then everything else follows.
It's also important to have good mentors from whom you can learn both personal and professional aspects of PT.
Enjoy preparing application everyone!

 

[danhj89]

Thanks so much! A lot of people will say to save your money and narrow down your application to a few schools that you think you have a good shot at, but my attitude is that casting a wide net (if you can afford all of the PTCAS and supplemental app fees) gives you more options. Just be sure that you are actually researching the schools in terms of their NPTE pass rates and whatnot. As for the GRE - if you can afford it and have the time, plan on taking it one time without pressure just to get a "baseline". Then, you can see what you need to work on. Personally, I purchased a few GRE books (Kaplan & McGraw Hill - you can also use these for free at a library!) and a lot of the material is VERY similar to an actual GRE, so it is worth the time to do some studying in this area.

Aside from that, you have really good GPA's and a lot of observation hours, so that will help your application! Hope this helps - let me know if you have any other questions!

A great post.
It's funny that your stats and situation are nearly identical to my current state.
I am 28 years old, and plan on e-submitting either end of this week or next week. I have done about 70 hours inpatient and 130 hours outpatient so far, and still doing the observation at outpatient. I was just so bored from shadowing PTs until last week, and I figured this is typical. But I recently met two PTs that lit up my passion and taught me what the professional PT means. I am going to observe another 80 hours under those PTs!!!
I also have an interview on next Monday for rehab aide position.

I think what really matter is whether you truly want to be a PT.
If you have a confidence in yourself and be able to define why you want to be PT, then everything else follows.
It's also important to have good mentors from whom you can learn both personal and professional aspects of PT.
Enjoy preparing application everyone!

 

[toomanyknees]

Thanks so much for posting this! I'm in a similar boat to you all - 31, totally different background (degree is in political science), and discovered about three years ago that I thought I might have what it takes to become a PT. Until recently, I had trouble finding places that would let me gain observation hours (it's hard as a nontrad to get into a lot of clinics, it turns out!), but I recently got hired as an aide in an ortho clinic, so that should help a lot! I'm turning in my applications next week! Excited to see what happens!

 

[CareerSwitcheroo]

Hey, it's me again! Thanks for being so supportive of future applicants - I hope to be able to pay it forward someday.

What would you say were the biggest changes/improvements you made the second time around?

 

[Never2Late4Change]

Thanks so much for posting this! I'm in a similar boat to you all - 31, totally different background (degree is in political science), and discovered about three years ago that I thought I might have what it takes to become a PT. Until recently, I had trouble finding places that would let me gain observation hours (it's hard as a nontrad to get into a lot of clinics, it turns out!), but I recently got hired as an aide in an ortho clinic, so that should help a lot! I'm turning in my applications next week! Excited to see what happens!

You're welcome! And congratulations on being hired as an aide! That should really help on the experience side of things as it comes time for interviews. Good luck with the application process, and let me know if you have any questions!

 

[Never2Late4Change]

Hey, it's me again! Thanks for being so supportive of future applicants - I hope to be able to pay it forward someday.

What would you say were the biggest changes/improvements you made the second time around?

Hello, again! For sure - happy to help!

I did two things differently: I worked on my interview skills, and I applied much earlier. I had a supervisor who simulated an interview for me several times, which helped me to get more comfortable, as well as get some valuable feedback (such as being concise in my replies!) I don't think that applying earlier really made a difference, but who knows! Oh, I actually did three things - I also was more strategic in the the schools that I applied to. I looked at a lot of the school stat pages on PTCAS, in terms of what percent of students accepted are in state versus out of state, and really read each program's mission and vision, in terms of what they look for in students.

Hope this helps - let me know if you have any other questions!