Chances of getting accepted after being dismissed from a DPT prgram?

[DPT_hopeful]

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Hey!

I attended school for PT and was dismissed after my PT GPA fell below a 3.0. (I had a 2.96) my cumulative GPA is a 3.06. I also was a Biology minor so I didnt have room for "fluff" classes.

The problem wasn't that I didn't understand the material, in fact I received many As and Bs. My problem was I worked 15-20 hrs a week and received too many B-.

Anyways, I took my GRE and got a 149 V , 148 Q and 4.5 essay. I've applied to the following schools:

Pitt
Slippery Rock
Chatham
Duquesne
Drexel
Arcadia
Widener
Rutgers
Seton hall
George Washington university
Thomas Jefferson
Touro of bayside

I work as an aide at an outpatient sports medicine clinic and have ~145 hrs of observation in outpatient, SNF, geriatrics, and orthopedics.

What do you think my chances are of getting accepted?

 

[starrsgirl]

Can you roll back at your former school and start again?

 

[DPT_hopeful]

No there's no chance of re-entry

 

[Azimuthal]

Touro Bayside is probably your best bet. Most you've listed...no. Maybe cut your losses and look into another profession? Finance in healthcare is hot hot hot...

 

[DPT_hopeful]

I have killer letters of recommendation. Both from PTs who are on boards for their specialties with the APTA, the one being the head of the board. Do you think that with those and with working more in the field I'd stand a better chance? I just don't have the money to go back to school and boost my grades

 

[starrsgirl]

I think if I were another school I would want to hear from prior instructors too. Unfortunately, without taking more classes it's hard to say what would be different the second time around. How will a new school know you can handle the load now? I think it would be worth contacting individual schools and directly ask if they've had students like you before or what they want to see on a reapplication. Get it in writing too.

 

[starrsgirl]

Working on your GPA is more important then hours for you. No I don't think recommendations will sway this one unless they are from academic instructors detailing your ability to handle high loads.

 

[DPT_hopeful]

Both letters are from instructors I've had in class and I work with the one currently. I'm also applying to a PTA program if all else fails

 

[starrsgirl]

^^^this is great!!! However, I strongly suggest you consider taking some classes (at this point, you can wait and see how this cycle goes. But if you don't get interviews, maybe take some classes in the spring semester). I think you have to prove you can handle a full time heavy course load. I hardly ever recommend looking into a masters program, but in your case that may be fitting. You could do a masters program for even a semester or 2 and prove you have what it takes to handle full time graduate work.

I'm curious...your school really doesn't offer any type of roll-back program? Can you reapply from the beginning there (like as a new candidate)?

 

[DPT_hopeful]

I thought about a master's in AT but no they only offer a 3+3 program so they don't even take applications from people who have a bachelors. I appealed the decision to dismiss me with the Dean being that my GPA just barely fell below the limit and there were extenuating circumstances and when I lost I got a letter saying there is no chance of re entry

 

[PT2019Student]

There are AT schools that take applications from people with bachelors. Not all AT programs are 3+3

 

[DPT_hopeful]

There are AT schools that take applications from people with bachelors. Not all AT programs are 3+3

Sorry I meant my school with the PT program was only a 3+3

 

[starrsgirl]

You can broaden your search to masters in biology, masters in kinesiology, masters in public health. Again, I rarely recommend doing a masters for people but your case is very specific. I think a new school needs to see you can handle the load. Another option for you to pursue instead of dpt is consider going after a phd in biomechanics or similar.

 

[aroszko]

I thought about a master's in AT but no they only offer a 3+3 program so they don't even take applications from people who have a bachelors. I appealed the decision to dismiss me with the Dean being that my GPA just barely fell below the limit and there were extenuating circumstances and when I lost I got a letter saying there is no chance of re entry

Hi so you stated that there were "extenuating circumstances" in your appeal letter to the school, but you only told us that a few of your grades dropped to a B- because you were working 15-20 hours a week....personally I would not consider working an extenuating circumstance as (at least with my program) they tell you NOT to work as the course load is a lot and requires a lot out of you. There are a few people in my class who work as lab monitors and a few as PT techs on the weekends once or twice a month but nothing more than that. Can I ask why you didn't leave your job as soon as you saw your grades slipping, to me it would have been as simple as leaving work and focusing on school (yeah I understand the debt aspect but if you're gonna get kicked out of school for low grades I'd rather take out a little bit more and ensure my spot in the program than leave with nothing). Does your school have a remediation policy or anything, I find it hard to believe you can't remediate or roll back in with the next class, is there something else?

 

[DPT_hopeful]

Hi so you stated that there were "extenuating circumstances" in your appeal letter to the school, but you only told us that a few of your grades dropped to a B- because you were working 15-20 hours a week....personally I would not consider working an extenuating circumstance as (at least with my program) they tell you NOT to work as the course load is a lot and requires a lot out of you. There are a few people in my class who work as lab monitors and a few as PT techs on the weekends once or twice a month but nothing more than that. Can I ask why you didn't leave your job as soon as you saw your grades slipping, to me it would have been as simple as leaving work and focusing on school (yeah I understand the debt aspect but if you're gonna get kicked out of school for low grades I'd rather take out a little bit more and ensure my spot in the program than leave with nothing). Does your school have a remediation policy or anything, I find it hard to believe you can't remediate or roll back in with the next class, is there something else?

I did cut back hours once I saw my grades slipping. The spring semester I got a 3.1 on the semester where the fall I got a 2.7. I couldn't afford to not work bc school was close to $50,000. Their policy was if you receive a grade below a C (73%) you stop the program and continue the following year with the class below yours. However if your GPA falls below a 3.0, you're dismissed from the program with no chance of re entry regardless of whether or not you fail any classes. So in my situation, had I failed a class I'd still be in the program but since I didn't I was just kicked out.

 

[DPT_hopeful]

Obviously if I'd get into another program I wouldn't work. I just figured that since I worked that much all undergrad, it wouldn't be that much different in grad school but clearly I was wrong.