Army-Baylor PT Program

[Nailey13]

Thanks for taking the time to respond, pegasus. I appreciate the difficult situation you're in and understand that you're eager to begin preparing for your PT career. I just looked around and saw that none of the (civilian) programs I was considering would allow me to specialize in orthopedic/sports care and even the cheapest of them would put me in 70+K of debt with bare-bones living expenses. That was enough for me to decide that I would continue to apply to Army-Baylor year after year.

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[pegasuscvc]

Now I know for sure I'm not going to Baylor this year. I called my recruiter to see where I was on the merit list. I wanted to know if I should even bother hoping. I'm 13th on the list!!!! That answers that question. I also think that means I'm not applying next year. I seriously doubt I can move up 13 spots to be accepted. It would be a waste of time, and I really don't want to have to start over my education AGAIN.

 

[Nailey13]

I just wanted to give those people accepted from the NE region a heads-up. After speaking with SFC Manguil, I learned that a meet-and-greet for accepted applicants will be held at the end of May (we'll probably get a formal invitation when all of our security clearances and other waiver issues clear). At that event, we'll have to take our first, preliminary PT test. His words were something along the lines of "You should do more than just pass (which is 60 pts in each event)." While we still have a lot of time, I just wanted to let everyone know so we can be adequately prepared.

 

[BrighterFuture]

Not sure if this was mentioned already but does anyone have any advice for ppl that want to apply who have a low GPA? Whats the cut off to apply for this program?

 

[jdaniels360]

Don't waste your time, this program is for the "creme de la creme" and there are an extremely limited number of spots.

Joe

 

[DPTHopeful921]

Yeah, short of one of your parents being a general or knowing the army surgeon general personally, I'd say if you have a low GPA don't even bother. The application process is long and somewhat tedious, and you'd basically e wasting ur time and energy you could be using for other PT applications

 

[JHM787]

BrighterFuture, how low of a GPA are we talking about? I was accepted this year and my GPA was below the average that everyone is quoting. As my interviewer told me, no one thing will make or break you in the application process. My overall GPA was below the class average, but I completed my bachelor's and master's degree while serving active duty. I was also fortunate enough to do extremely well on the GRE. As other members mentioned, the application process is tedious, but if you really want it, you might as well apply. No harm in trying. I wish you the best of luck.

 

[BrighterFuture]

Thanks for the advice everyone appreciate it.

 

[pegasuscvc]

Brighter Future: If you have other things on your application to make up for a low GPA, it may be worth it to apply, like JHM787 said, but be warned. I wasn't able to get any military related observation hours, nor did I have any military experience. However, I had a 3.89 CUM GPA, a 4.0 prereq GPA, and a 1225 (old scale) on the GREs, and I was wait-listed. Just to give you an idea.

 

[OState23]

I 100% agree with the previous posts. I have a 3.9 GPA/prereq GPA, a 307 GRE, had around 100 observation hours in a military facility, and am an Army ROTC cadet who will commission in May. I was wait-listed along with pegasuscvc, however when I called my recruiter they said that the OML list has not been put out yet so I don't know where I stand. I think my GRE score is part of what is holding me back, however I was accepted to two different in-state physical therapy programs. San Antonio is where I want to be so I am declining admission at the in-state schools and going active duty, hopefully into the Medical Services branch. I'll strengthen my application and apply again next year.

 

[scrawnyguy]

I got word back today, but by email rather than by phone. OML. I doubt there's going to be any people dropping, but like someone else said, no regrets!

Did they tell what areas you need to improve upon? Your stats look solid.

 

[jdaniels360]

Your**********

 

[scrawnyguy]

Your**********

Good catch. That's usually one of my pet peeves. I'm on my last couple days of post-deployment leave so I'll blame it on the fact that I'm already a couple drinks in.

 

[jdaniels360]

atta boy!

 

[Nailey13]

Some more updates for the new class. Those of us who haven't been in the military before will have to go through a prep course that begins before the official BOLC start date of August 25th. That report date will be August 11th.

Our official orders should arrive 90 days before the PREP start date (so right around May 11th) and more details will be included there.

We should plan to have 2 sets of ACU's (including patrol cap with rank), 1 pair of boots, our PT uniform (minus the reflective belt, which is school-specific), name tapes + rank, socks and shirts (and backpack and ruck if you want) before we arrive for in-processing b/c there's usually a shortage of items at Fort Sam during the start of training. I'm still not sure if we have to have our ASU too before arriving (some have said it's a good idea though, given how busy the tailors are when everyone arrives).

Pay will most likely be delayed if form 1199 is not completed and submitted before the 10th calendar day of the month, so we might very well have to wait until the end of September before we get our first paychecks. A one-time pay advance should be available, though, which would then be paid back interest free $100 at a time each month.

Edit: Some of the above information now appears to not be true. The ATRRS website lists BOLC as starting on August 25th - that much I know. The PREP course, however, may only be for already licensed civilian PTs who are joining the Army. It is recommended that we NOT buy our ASU until we have been given our one-time officers uniform dispensation in the fall. Orders will be sent approximately 90 days before the report date. After going through in-processing, I was told that we will have approximately 10 days off to take care of moving-related issues. Sponsors (current students in the program) will be contacting us soon to answer our questions.

Edit 2: It appears that no one really knows when the program will begin. My recruiter thinks it might be in mid-September and orders could come as little as 30 days before. I give up. Once the sponsors from the program contact us, we should have a better idea of a timeline.

 

[scrawnyguy]

Has anyone heard what the "stats" of accepted students were for this application cycle?

 

[scrawnyguy]

Just a few pieces of advice I wanted to give everyone. Don't go crazy buying ACUs. 2 or three sets should be fine. I say this for a couple of reasons. Sometime next year there will be a version of the uniform made specifically for females. From what I have read they fit a whole lot better. Also, the ACUs are not going to be around much longer. The Universal Camouflage Pattern (UCP) that they use is actually anything but universal. They are going back to separate uniforms for different environments. IMO they patterns look a lot like the MARPAT used in Marines' uniforms.

Transitional-This will be used for garrison environments. This is what most of you will be wearing unless you deploy.
Woodland-Used in greened areas such as the jungle
Arid-Used in desert environments
Universal-This will be the pattern of your "gear". This is a sort of combination of all of the other patterns. In the pre-ACU days you would always see people with a mix of woodland and desert gear. Now you see people with a mix of the ACU and multicam patterns. Not only does it look like, it often defeats the purpose of camouflage. The new pattern won't blend perfectly with all of the patterns but it is close enough that one won't stick out like a sore thumb.

The email I received said production is set to begin this spring. It is feasible that they will start implementing the new patterns as early as next year. As officers you won't get a yearly clothing allowance so it will all come out of pocket (I believe you will get an inital clothing allowance). I wouldn't recommend making a substantial investment in ACUs. There is always an overlapping period when both uniforms will be authorized for wear but no one wants to be the only guy with the old stuff.

When working in an indoor environment most people get 3-5 days out of a uniform so having a ton of uniforms isn't necessary. I would recommend at least 3 sets. That gives you 2 uniforms for regular wear and one "nice" uniform that you only wear on occasions that you want to make a good impression (the ACUs look a little frumpy after several washes). You are also authorized to sew on rank, nametape, and the US ARMY tape (they come with Velcro). If you sew one on you must sew all of them on. No mixing and matching. This allows them to fade at roughly the same rate as the uniform. The Velcro stuff looks dingy after a while, especially when the corners start to wear out and curl up. Getting them sewn on just only cost a few bucks and looks a whole lot nicer.

I could go on, but I'll cut it short. If anyone has any questions about general military life feel free to ask. I've been playing Army for more than a decade and I have 3 deployments under my belt. A lot of it is a blur but I've picked up a few things along the way.

Once again, congrats to all who were selected!

 

[pegasuscvc]

Been a while since I looked at this thread. No, they didn't tell me why I was put on OML rather than accepted. The best I can come up with are these: lack of military volunteer hours, interview didn't go as well as I thought, and letters of recommendation weren't as good as I hoped. That's all I can think of.

 

[scrawnyguy]

Been a while since I looked at this thread. No, they didn't tell me why I was put on OML rather than accepted. The best I can come up with are these: lack of military volunteer hours, interview didn't go as well as I thought, and letters of recommendation weren't as good as I hoped. That's all I can think of.

Sorry to hear that. Are you going to apply again next year? I know the bulk of my hours will be at a civilian PT clinic but I see now more than ever that I need to find a way to get at least a handful of military hours.

 

[pegasuscvc]

For scrawnyguy: Again, been a while since I looked at this. Short answer: I was accepted to a civilian program in NC that's reasonably priced. I'll be starting there on Monday. I won't be reapplying to Baylor.

Longer answer: In order to reapply to Baylor, I'd have to retake the GREs since mine has expired and also take a prereq that will also expire. Also, if you count up the time from when I finished undergrad, I should have already GRADUATED with a doctorate a year ago, rather than just starting it now. Extenuating circumstances made that an impossibility. Maybe I'm just an impatient kid, but I'm pretty sick of beating around the bush waiting for the perfect set of circumstances to come along. Sometimes it doesn't work that way, and I've decided I'm not interested in staying in retail year after year waiting for Baylor. There's no guarantee, not even a small one, that I would be accepted if I reapplied next year. If I had a good job with a good salary, and if I didn't have a wife and child, maybe I'd just wait, but not so. For all those reasons, I'll leave Baylor's program to those who can afford to wait for it. Good luck everyone!

 

[wanderpt]

For scrawnyguy: Again, been a while since I looked at this. Short answer: I was accepted to a civilian program in NC that's reasonably priced. I'll be starting there on Monday. I won't be reapplying to Baylor.

Longer answer: In order to reapply to Baylor, I'd have to retake the GREs since mine has expired and also take a prereq that will also expire. Also, if you count up the time from when I finished undergrad, I should have already GRADUATED with a doctorate a year ago, rather than just starting it now. Extenuating circumstances made that an impossibility. Maybe I'm just an impatient kid, but I'm pretty sick of beating around the bush waiting for the perfect set of circumstances to come along. Sometimes it doesn't work that way, and I've decided I'm not interested in staying in retail year after year waiting for Baylor. There's no guarantee, not even a small one, that I would be accepted if I reapplied next year. If I had a good job with a good salary, and if I didn't have a wife and child, maybe I'd just wait, but not so. For all those reasons, I'll leave Baylor's program to those who can afford to wait for it. Good luck everyone!

Yeah, I think you did the right thing. You can easily graduate from the Civilian Program and then Direct Commission! You aren't impatient but pragmatic.

 

[scrawnyguy]

Did any of you who were accepted have pending prereqs when applying? I know you can technically have two remaining at the time of the board but I'm afraid it would put me at a significant disadvantage. I am planning on applying to the 2015 class. I am thinking about applying for an internship/fellowship that could give me a ton of observation hours (500ish), but that could put my studies behind by a term. Any thoughts?

 

[futureDPT2018]

BrighterFuture, how low of a GPA are we talking about? I was accepted this year and my GPA was below the average that everyone is quoting. As my interviewer told me, no one thing will make or break you in the application process. My overall GPA was below the class average, but I completed my bachelor's and master's degree while serving active duty. I was also fortunate enough to do extremely well on the GRE. As other members mentioned, the application process is tedious, but if you really want it, you might as well apply. No harm in trying. I wish you the best of luck.

JHM787, I would like to know a little bit about your stats, I also have a GPA below average but putting so much effort in the rest of factors (prep a lot for the GRE and getting as many hours as I can) If you don't want to post your stats here you can send me an e-mail ([email protected]) if you want to give me some advices. thank you!