Applying for DPT questions

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mhurricane

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Hey I was originally planning on applying to med school this summer. I spent this year fixing my app (retaking some classes, volunteering, and working as an ER scribe). I hated every minute of working in the hospital and shadowing and decided against applying to medical school. I started looking into other health professions and PT seems right on paper. If I want to apply during this upcoming cycle I would need to do my clinical experience, take the GRE, and A&P and abnormal psych. I can do all of this before July but I have a few questions. Can I take A&P and abnormal psych online or at CC? Any recommendations for online programs that are acceptable anywhere?
As for PT clinical experience does that just entail shadowing or is there more to it than that?
Some info about me:
GPA: 3.5
sGPA: 3.4
400 hours scribing at the ER, 50 hours volunteering at a hospice, 50 hours volunteering as an assistant high school JV basketball coach.
Im from Texas so Id love to get accepted to a school here and enjoy the in state tuition. I havent taken my GRE yet but how competitive am I for DPT programs just based on GPA? I have a significant upward trend (3.7 and 4.0 last two semesters) if that matters.
Also anyone recommend a GRE book for self study?
Thanks and sorry for rambling

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Also I forgot to mention I retook 3 classes and fixed my grades from C's to A's. How do PT schools calculate that? Do they average the two grades or just take the most recent one? Thanks!
 
My best advice to overall is to do really thorough research into the programs you are interested in and make sure to have all your program specific questions cleared up with the adviser or head of the program. For example my undergrad only required taking one semester of general chemistry before jumping to Orgo 1 and 2, and while most programs were fine with substituting Orgo 1 for my second semester of chemistry requirement a few required that I take Gen Chem 2 in order to be a qualified application. So glad I asked that question :)

You do need the GRE for most programs. The consensus on this forum seems to be to aim for a combined 320 Verbal/Quant 4.0 Writing.

I took most of my pre-reqs at a community college post-bach, two of which were online, and this was never an issue. Most programs I ran into had the requirement that no more than two pre-reqs could be uncompleted by Fall of the application cycle. You should be fine applying for this upcoming cycle as long as you get started during this summer or fall on at least one of your missing courses.

Some programs don't require shadowing hours, although from my interviews the experience was always seen as positive experience. The programs I applied to that required Letters of Rec always required one letter from a PT, so just something to keep in mind when forming relationships and keeping in touch with your mentor. A wide variety of settings is preferred as opposed to tons of hours in one location. Make sure to start early looking for in-patient experience as I've encountered wait-lists for shadowing up to five months long in these locations. Hopefully you won't come up against this as you live in a different area than I do.

Your GPA is a little low on both sides. Two suggestions would be to apply to programs that put a lot of emphasis on the last 60-90 credit hours you have completed, or to apply to programs that overall have a lower average GPA and pre-req GPA. Every school calculates your GPA differently and more importantly your pre-req GPA different (mine varied from a 3.5 to a 3.9 depending on the program) so I'd ask the programs how they calculate it and to not rely completely on the PTCAS calculation.

The information on programs on the APTA website can be out-dated but helpful ( http://www.apta.org/ProspectiveStudents/ ) and this website was also useful (http://physicaltherapygraduate.com/search-physical-therapy-schools/ ) to really get a hold of what programs would be the best fit for you to apply to.

Good luck with the next application cycle. I hope this was helpful.
 
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The post above mine is probably the best answer you could get. Honestly though, it cannot be emphasized enough that EVERY program is different, so you gotta get a short list of schools and research them.

I think aiming for 310 GRE is more accurate for applicants, with 320 being outstanding. Your GPA will be competitive for some programs, and a little below for others. Again, it depends on the program.

There are a ton of threads on this subject, and all we are doing is repeating what was on the others. Try a search and see what advice pops up.
 
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Thanks guys thats super helpful. How can I check if a program weighs the last 60-90 hours more heavily? Also how many schools is it recommended to apply to?
 
Generally, I found you won't be able to take A&P online (but you often can do a hybrid course online where you do the book part online and come in once a week or whatever for the lab). Check with each school, but maybe start planning to take that one in person. The psychology one is usually fine online. The best place to start looking at this stuff is the PTCAS website, go to the program specific information and carefully go through the charts for each potential school.

As for numbers to apply...it really varies. Again, personal opinion is that PT schools seem to vary more from school to school than med schools seem to (I looked at going med school to). In other words, different schools require different things or favor different things. I would make a list of about 10 initial schools and research the heck out of them....cut that list down to 5 where you can meet ALL of the requirements/or give you the best shot and apply to those.
 
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Yes, you can usually do them at a CC (check those PTCAS charts) but I did all my pre reqs and retakes at a CC.
 
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The SDN search feature is your friend. There is soooo much information already posted that will answer all of your questions and then some. Pre-PT is somewhat different than pre-med so you'll really want to do your homework.
 
As knj said, you've definitely done the most important thing by coming here. It can be overwhelming to research each school, and finding information comes in varying difficulties, but my advice is to really research diligently. Use this resource to find the information you need so you're not just scavenging school sites randomly, only to be blindsided by some unknown prereq or non-transferring class. That's what I struggled with when starting (I'm a non-trad who basically had to take every pre-req known to man).

As previously stated, each school is so different it's important to research. Starsgirl has good advice to narrow it down because it gets impossible to match your strengths to every program (and don't ignore tuition, some places are REALLY expensive!). Honestly, once you've done all this it may still end up feeling like a bit of a crapshoot!! Check the thread on everyone's stats/acceptances and you'll see the distribution covers all levels of GPA, GRE, and shadowing. There's no one size fits all, so all you can do is prepare, prepare more, and then do the best you can.
 
Really appreciate all the help. TX in state tuition is unbeatable so Im looking into every TX school based on that. Ill have to narrow it down further once I start my shadowing and know more specifically what Im looking for.
I guess the best thing is just call up every school Im interested in and talk to them on the phone and make sure I have all the right pre reqs and such. Based on Google the consensus is applying to 4-8 schools. Ill search around SDN for more info.
 
Really appreciate all the help. TX in state tuition is unbeatable so Im looking into every TX school based on that. Ill have to narrow it down further once I start my shadowing and know more specifically what Im looking for.
I guess the best thing is just call up every school Im interested in and talk to them on the phone and make sure I have all the right pre reqs and such. Based on Google the consensus is applying to 4-8 schools. Ill search around SDN for more info.

I am an Arkansas resident who would have received in-state tuition in Texas, so I did at least some research on every school in Texas. With your GPA, an upward trend, and a decent GRE score, there is no reason you shouldn't be able to get into a public in-state school. There are not only a large number of cheap schools in Texas, but there are also multiple schools that look at your last 60hrs GPA.

I agree with Archline that a 310 GRE score is strong and what most applicants shoot for. However, if you really want to get into a school for which your GPA is on the low side. Having a 320ish would definitely help.
 
Based on Google the consensus is applying to 4-8 schools.

With the grades you have I'd go with at least 6 just to be safe, but more than 8 will start to yield rapidly diminishing returns.
 
Awesome thanks for answering all my general questions. Once I start shadowing and take the GRE I'll be able to decide which schools to apply to and how many.
 
Just an FYI, I'm also in Texas and applied this cycle. I have a friend who applied to UNT, UTSW, and TWU and got rejected by all. GRE was a 298, GPA was 3.5-3.6, and last 60 hrs was a 4.0. Observation experience 1500+ hrs outpatient, 135 SNF. I feel like the reason she got a reject was due to her GRE, submittion date and/or possibly the essays. Applications were submitted Sept-Oct. Just a little info on someone's experience :)
 
I hope others will chime in as the DPT enrollment process heats up this summer. I am a non-traditional student looking to get into UNT or TWU. I live about an hour south of the DFW metroplex and moving is not an option right now, so these are the only two schools I am applying to.
Some background: I am 29 years old and have an excellent job (news editor of a county-wide newspaper). The issue is, I just don't see myself being in the media industry long term. I am hoping that both programs look at real-world experience as a plus.
Last 60 GPA: 3.70
Pre-Req GPA: 3.70
Overall GPA: 3.10
Observation experience: currently at 130 hours, shooting for 200 by the time August is here. Have observed in in-patient, out-patient and SNF.
Undergrad is in business administration. I am finishing up my pre-requisites now with A&P II and am retaking Algebra to get a better GPA.
I was a very unmotivated student in my first two years of college (hence the 3.10 overall GPA), but have really picked up the pace the last 2.5 years. I hope the selection committees don't look at overall GPA as much as they look at pre-requisite and last 60 GPA.
Have talked to Mary Beth (TWU) and Sean (UNT) extensively over the last year, and both seem to think I have a decent shot at getting in. I'm just not too optimistic. I know I will be one of the greatest PTs to ever walk the earth if I can just get into a program. I just love being able to help people. I have yet to take the GRE. Planning to take it in the next few weeks.
Anyone have any advice on helping me get in? I'm open to suggestions...
 
Superflymusicman--My first bit of advice is to hit the books hard for the GRE and get that 310 with a 4.0 writing score! You can actually look at the pool of "Issue" topic questions here:
https://www.ets.org/gre/revised_general/prepare/analytical_writing/issue/pool

And the "Argument" topic questions here:
https://www.ets.org/gre/revised_general/prepare/analytical_writing/argument/pool

Even though you obviously can't practice every single essay since there's tons of them, you can at least look at the possible questions. I got incredibly lucky and actually practiced a question that ended up on my test! :soexcited: My other piece of advice is to make sure you find the best recommendation letters possible. Make sure you have at least 1 PT and that each of your letter writers know you on a personal level and aren't just writing your resume down in essay form. Other than that I'm not sure what else to add since you won't have enough time to retake any other classes besides the A&P and Algebra to boost that overall GPA. It's really awesome that you've been in contact with people from the schools you're applying to, I'm sure that'll look good and help you in the long run! Good luck!
 
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I agree with Sunshine-Runner. I know that TWU has a template form for a reference, but I would also ask whoever you are asking to write a separate (additional) letter. The GRE is a dumb test in my opinion, but try to at least get a 300 and 4.0AW; preferably a higher score. My GRE was 145v 157q 4.0AW and I got into UTSW, TWU, and got an interview for UNT (but declined it). My GRE was average, but my GPA was high. The letters did help me a ton as well, and when interview process comes, you'll then have to worry about how to present yourself. But first worry about the present and what you need to do in the next coming weeks.
 
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