Applying for PT Schools 2015. NEED HELP!

[gorillaz2332]

---

Members don't see this ad.

Ok so quick synopsis on me. I am currently a Masters student at the University of Illinois in the Kinesiology department; basically taking classes, TAing a few classes, and doing research. I took my undergrad at Trinity College in Connecticut where I majored in Neuroscience. I do not want to spin a sob story but basically I did not do everything I needed to do in undergrad. I have C's in classes I shouldn't such as Chem II and Anatomy and Physiology II along with a cumulative GPA of 2.85 (I know not great). I applied to about 8 PT schools last year and got an interview at 1 (MGH in Boston) but got waitlisted.

I went to grad school hoping to bolster my GPA and show that I do care and a trend toward success. I do know however how competitive PT school is and how small the accepting classes are. I am attempting to also retake some classes that I got Cs. So far I have found schools that take the highest grade, average the grades, look at cumulative GPA, Science and Math GPA, and even last 60 hours of credit GPA.

My main question is what schools would be best for me to apply to? Which ones would weigh my Graduate credits heavily, would be looking for growth, would replace bad grades with the good ones I take this summer, etc?

Any help would be appreciated and I can give more details if needed!

 

[BiffTheFlashRogers]

Commenting to help keep this bumped up so maybe someone can help more than m, but most people are probably going to just suggest contacting the individual programs to get that sort of specific info.

If you go on to the PTCAS directory, you can browse all of their programs and read the requirements, average GPA's...etc. But it already sounds like you did a lot of research.

Wish I could be more helpful than that! If I can add one thing though: I really truly do believe that people (even the big, scary, seemingly faceless graduate-admissions dept people) can be understanding. Reach out and try to find a way to tell them what you told us, don't just rely on them to put the puzzle together by looking at your app. It sounds like you have done a ton of good things to put yourself in an improved situation from the last application cycle, and I am sure it will pay off! Best of luck!

 

[hopefulapplicant]

I'm not well educated on this matter however I know schools that say they look at math/science or prereq gpa (for their set of prereqs) however almost every school that I researched looked only at the PTCAS documented gpa (both cumulative and prereq). I would say do your best at retaking the classes and reapply. You should also look at schools that are not through the PTCAS (they are listed on the PTCAS website though) because less people apply to those schools. Maybe also look at schools that aren't fully accredited yet? Trine university in Indiana is a new program and very few people know of it. Like said previously, contact schools if you are unsure. Just do your research to see which schools will be the best for for you. Best of luck!

 

[BiffTheFlashRogers]

You should also look at schools that are not through the PTCAS (they are listed on the PTCAS website though) because less people apply to those schools. Maybe also look at schools that aren't fully accredited yet? Trine university in Indiana is a new program and very few people know of it. Like said previously, contact schools if you are unsure. Just do your research to see which schools will be the best for for you. Best of luck!

Glad you said that! Desales University is also new candidate for accreditation. One of my friends was just accepted into their DPT program this year.

http://www.desales.edu/home/academi...cal-therapy/program-information/accreditation

 

[hmmmatt]

Hello! I was in a pretty similar boat as you. I didn't do well early in my undergrad and it really affected my chances, I had a GPA a little bit below 3.0 as well. Luckily for me, I didn't take any of the prerequisite courses until later in my undergrad when I was more serious, so I killed it in those. I think my pre-requisite GPA is like a 3.8 or 3.9... so I would recommend going along with retaking some of those if you can, the ones you got C's in. I went back after my undergrad (and being rejected from a ton of schools) and enrolled at a local college that has a pre-PT program. I've worked really hard in this program and I will be receiving a second bachelors degree after 3 semesters, and I have a 4.0 post-bacc GPA. Now my GPA is up around a 3.2 and I have been accepted to a couple different schools and I was granted interviews at a few others that I declined, because I would have chosen the acceptances over the interview schools anyways.

My best advice is to just keep taking classes and get that GPA up so you can get your foot in the door, and get past the initial cuts. Also, APPLY VERY VERY EARLY. I cannot stress that enough, and I think it's why I got accepted. Find programs that have rolling admissions and somewhat lower requirements, and apply very early. Look at schools like Touro College New York (there are 2 campuses), Touro University Nevada, and Rockhurst University. You can find plenty of other lower GPA schools on here and the GPAs, Extras, etc sticky at the top of this forum.

Another great resource in researching PT schools is www.ptgrad.com. On this site you can easily search by state with a map and it lays out pretty much all the general information you need to know. It's much easier and less time consuming than fighting with the PTCAS site when searching for schools, although you will want to head over to the actual PTCAS site when you find a school that looks decent to see if you have the prerequisites.

 

[gorillaz2332]

One thing I am vague on is the difference between a fully accredited school, one that is near accredited, and a school that is just starting the process. In the end what is the difference between these? If I were to go to a school that was not fully accredited yet would their be any negative ramifications once I graduated compared to an accredited school?

 

[Dragon416]

I am from Florida but applying to George Fox (Oregon), for its religious affiliation is why, and actually most of my schools are religious based institutions. So, I think it being at least a candidate or in the process isn't really a concern for me, unless they get denied from canadicy. Then, I am pretty much screwed but a risk I am willing to make if that is my only option left. Good luck!

 

[WarriorPT]

Ok so quick synopsis on me. I am currently a Masters student at the University of Illinois in the Kinesiology department; basically taking classes, TAing a few classes, and doing research. I took my undergrad at Trinity College in Connecticut where I majored in Neuroscience. I do not want to spin a sob story but basically I did not do everything I needed to do in undergrad. I have C's in classes I shouldn't such as Chem II and Anatomy and Physiology II along with a cumulative GPA of 2.85 (I know not great). I applied to about 8 PT schools last year and got an interview at 1 (MGH in Boston) but got waitlisted.

I went to grad school hoping to bolster my GPA and show that I do care and a trend toward success. I do know however how competitive PT school is and how small the accepting classes are. I am attempting to also retake some classes that I got Cs. So far I have found schools that take the highest grade, average the grades, look at cumulative GPA, Science and Math GPA, and even last 60 hours of credit GPA.

My main question is what schools would be best for me to apply to? Which ones would weigh my Graduate credits heavily, would be looking for growth, would replace bad grades with the good ones I take this summer, etc?

Any help would be appreciated and I can give more details if needed!

You really need to contact the schools' Admissions offices. Anything here is hearsay. Schools will emphasize criteria differently as you mentioned, and this extends to GRE scores. Some schools do not care about verbal scores, while others do. I was a neurosci undergrad (switched to Bio mid-junior year), then did a master's in kines (ex sci). I was an early admit at U. Rhode Island. I feel my master's helped my candidacy simply because of my research background. The one ding you have is the science pre-reqs. This will be your limiting factor.