Advice on Taking a Year Off

[Antsi3]

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Hi,
I applied to PT School for the upcoming cycle and I didn't get accepted. I know my application wasn't competitive enough so I know I will be taking the year off and having to wait to apply for the next cycle. In the meantime, is there any advice on what I should be doing this year to help strengthen my application? I do plan on retaking the GRE and hopefully get a position at a clinic as an Aide. My parents are pretty disappointed but I know that I just have to move on and try again. Any advice is appreciated.

Thank you

 

[mark_93]

Hi,
I applied to PT School for the upcoming cycle and I didn't get accepted. I know my application wasn't competitive enough so I know I will be taking the year off and having to wait to apply for the next cycle. In the meantime, is there any advice on what I should be doing this year to help strengthen my application? I do plan on retaking the GRE and hopefully get a position at a clinic as an Aide. My parents are pretty disappointed but I know that I just have to move on and try again. Any advice is appreciated.

Thank you

I was in your position a year ago. My GRE was awful and I had very little experience and just got denied everywhere. During my last semester senior year, part of my undergrad curriculum was to complete a full time internship (400 hours total) and that was it, I had no classes. I was lucky enough to get a position working with the rehab department in a local hospital near my school. So that's 400 hours inpatient. Then towards the end of my senior year I used indeed.com and started looking for PT aide jobs back at home and applied to almost everything within 30 minutes of my house. I got a call for an interview 5 minutes after applying and eventually got the job. Started working the day AFTER graduation full time and had been working there ever since. So we're looking at easily over 1,000 hours inpatient. So with my second attempt of applying I finally got in. Luckily I didn't have to take the GRE again, but my best advice would be to be proactive and get experience in as many places as you can and make solid connections with PTs. Also if you have an prereq classes with a B- or lower I would consider retaking those as well but most importantly don't feel defeated. It's hard to get into these schools and in my opinion I think you also need a little luck. Just stay proactive and get involved and enhance your application every way you can to make sure you stand out next time.


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[Antsi3]

I was in your position a year ago. My GRE was awful and I had very little experience and just got denied everywhere. During my last semester senior year, part of my undergrad curriculum was to complete a full time internship (400 hours total) and that was it, I had no classes. I was lucky enough to get a position working with the rehab department in a local hospital near my school. So that's 400 hours inpatient. Then towards the end of my senior year I used indeed.com and started looking for PT aide jobs back at home and applied to almost everything within 30 minutes of my house. I got a call for an interview 5 minutes after applying and eventually got the job. Started working the day AFTER graduation full time and had been working there ever since. So we're looking at easily over 1,000 hours inpatient. So with my second attempt of applying I finally got in. Luckily I didn't have to take the GRE again, but my best advice would be to be proactive and get experience in as many places as you can and make solid connections with PTs. Also if you have an prereq classes with a B- or lower I would consider retaking those as well but most importantly don't feel defeated. It's hard to get into these schools and in my opinion I think you also need a little luck. Just stay proactive and get involved and enhance your application every way you can to make sure you stand out next time.


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Hey, thanks a bunch man. This was very helpful, definitely going to do everything possible!!

 

[Carson Ranger]

# of observation SETTINGS trumps # of hours. an aide job won't boost your profile if your application is average. but if you can observe in 3, 4, or more settings, that makes you stand out. observing at many settings also will give you more opportunities to find a PT who'll write you a great LOR.

 

[Ginglymus]

Not to scare you but I applied for 4 years (i am a unique applicant in a few ways). The only way I was able to withstand the emotional roller coaster was focusing on how I could improve my application: GRE, observation hours, retake prerequisite if need be (many schools take highest grade for prereqs), extracurricular/volunteer work, well written essays. If you happen to have gotten a C on any prerequisite I would retake it. Yes not much of a deal on PTCAS, but again many schools look at highest grade (school specific). I personally had to even retake a couple prerequisites I had Bs in. Just a few thoughts based on my own personal experience.


Also, I hope your parents aren't disappointed in you specifically. Applying to PT school is at an all time high, and has been rising exponentially for many years. It is incredibly competitive with the majority of schools being within a 5-15% acceptance rate and I would say most are more towards the 5-10% range. Also it is quite common to not get in the first round.

 

[Antsi3]

Not to scare you but I applied for 4 years (i am a unique applicant in a few ways). The only way I was able to withstand the emotional roller coaster was focusing on how I could improve my application: GRE, observation hours, retake prerequisite if need be (many schools take highest grade for prereqs), extracurricular/volunteer work, well written essays. If you happen to have gotten a C on any prerequisite I would retake it. Yes not much of a deal on PTCAS, but again many schools look at highest grade (school specific). I personally had to even retake a couple prerequisites I had Bs in. Just a few thoughts based on my own personal experience.


Also, I hope your parents aren't disappointed in you specifically. Applying to PT school is at an all time high, and has been rising exponentially for many years. It is incredibly competitive with the majority of schools being within a 5-15% acceptance rate and I would say most are more towards the 5-10% range. Also it is quite common to not get in the first round.

Thank you for the advice!

 

[turtlot]

I agree with everyone on this! I was in a similar boat to you. I took a year off before applying to PT school. I applied to 10 programs this cycle and only received 1 interview invitation where I was waitlisted. One of the things I did throughout the rejections was really focus on one of my passions: volunteering. One of the biggest reasons I believe I was accepted into a program was my commitment to community service. Aside from getting a job as a rehab aide and retaking the GRE, I would recommend volunteering with a non-profit organization you're passionate about. I have spent an ample amount of time volunteering with the ALS Association. A lot of these non-profit organizations love volunteers and really appreciate the help. You also get the chance to meet new people and learn something from them.

If I didn't get in this cycle, I know I would've had that sinking feeling of disappointing my parents. Your parents are not disappointed in you. Let them know you have a plan for your next step and I'm sure they will support it. The next application cycle opens up in 4 months. It's not a long time, so don't worry! Everything will be okay! 🙂

Hope this helps! Good luck!

 

[Kona7]

Taking a year off after I applied the first time was the best thing that has ever happened to me. Last cycle I only applied to one school. I was confident I would get in due to having a near perfect GPA, however, my GRE was average and I decided to pursue PT school in my last semester of college. Therefore, to graduate on time I decided to finish up my chemistry and physics prereqs at a community college after I graduated- this also hurt my chances of getting in at this particular school. This cycle I was smarter in applying and have gotten into 2 ot of the 3 schools I applied at (I still haven't heard from the one I was rejected from last cycle). During my "two gap years", I was very fortunate to tech at a private practice out patient clinic. I work with 5 fabulous PTs and consider all of them my mentors. They have guided my interests and have really made a difference in how I plan to practice. Also, I have shown the owner how passionate I am about PT, and he has already offered me a job after I graduate! I am most thankful for the recommendations they have given me to strengthen my application; one of my mentors suggested I become certified in the Functional Movement System. I applied this testing method in the clinic and also in the cheer gym I coach at. I am certain this certification and the ways I have applied it got me into both of the schools I received acceptances from. I think it is very important to set yourself apart from other students applying, whether it be the certification route, varying settings for observation hours, stellar LORs or a rememberable personal statement (not just " I got hurt, had to have PT and fell in love with the profession".) Write about your experiences during your observation hours/teching, how your mentors have inspired you, how you will be a forward thinking physical therapist, and what you can bring to this awesome profession. If you have anymore specific question please fee free to message me=)

 

[starrsgirl]

I would put all your stats out here and ask for some advice. What is your cum GPA and pre req GPA. In my experience, many students don't think retaking classes is important and waste time getting more hours (when they already have a billion) or working some random job (which schools don't really care that much about). What they want to see is attacking every weak area in your application and staying committed to the field.

If you haven't asked for advice from your top schools, plan to do that too. Many have admissions people who will sit down with you and review your transcript or offer advice.

 

[DPTFL2015]

Hi,
I applied to PT School for the upcoming cycle and I didn't get accepted. I know my application wasn't competitive enough so I know I will be taking the year off and having to wait to apply for the next cycle. In the meantime, is there any advice on what I should be doing this year to help strengthen my application? I do plan on retaking the GRE and hopefully get a position at a clinic as an Aide. My parents are pretty disappointed but I know that I just have to move on and try again. Any advice is appreciated.

Thank you

What are your stats and extras and what schools/area are you applying to? That would help me more in giving you advice as I didn't get accepted my first time out either.

 

[Phyline]

# of observation SETTINGS trumps # of hours. an aide job won't boost your profile if your application is average. but if you can observe in 3, 4, or more settings, that makes you stand out. observing at many settings also will give you more opportunities to find a PT who'll write you a great LOR.

This, so much. I had only ~170 total hours, but spanning several settings. I got into almost all of my schools, which were pretty competitive.

 

[redrose424]

Hi,
I applied to PT School for the upcoming cycle and I didn't get accepted. I know my application wasn't competitive enough so I know I will be taking the year off and having to wait to apply for the next cycle. In the meantime, is there any advice on what I should be doing this year to help strengthen my application? I do plan on retaking the GRE and hopefully get a position at a clinic as an Aide. My parents are pretty disappointed but I know that I just have to move on and try again. Any advice is appreciated.

Thank you

I would agree with other posters we need your SPECIFIC stats. GRE, cGPA, pGPA, # of settings and hours, etc. A lot of people preach high number of hours; "I had 1000 hours as an outpatient tech," "I had 600 hours in a SNF" etc etc. This is a waste of time. Simply put, it is not necessary. The person with 1000 hours as an outpatient tech doesn't look as good as the person with 60 hours in inpatient rehab, 60 hours in outpatient, and 60 hours in SNF/acute care.

You need to "discover" physical therapy. Learn the different settings of physical therapy and their roles, find your passion for PT. I am a nontrad major with a less than stellar GPA but with decent GRE and good variety of observations. I found my passion for PT and, more importantly, I ARTICULATED that passion during my interviews. That is most important.