Chances of getting into Texas PT School with no so great academic history

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DeterminedONE84

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I am a non-traditional undergrad student. Please bear with me, don't mean to give you my life story, just a little background:

I went to my first few years of college in Arkansas starting at 22 years old. I was going to a community college and enrolled in a transfer program to a university (to save some money). My major at that time was accounting.

I clearly HATED accounting and was doing it for all the wrong reasons. I started my first semester strong. Once my second semester of my freshman year came around, I became uninterested and bored with my major. Clearly the issue was I was involved in the wrong degree plan. My grades slumped, hit rock-bottom--mostly due to "incomplete" because I showed up to class long enough in the semester to not be dropped by the professor, but stopped showing up close to end of semester when it was too late to drop.

I took the following semester off to do some "soul-searching" after being put on academic probation by a community college! I had always been very much into fitness and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. So during my off-semester break I studied for my first personal training certification, so I was still learning something. I had no issues remaining interested in this genre. I completed my studies in six months and passed my exam first try. I love personal training. I immediately started working at a local gym and gained a plethora of clients almost immediately who all stayed with me up until I relocated back to Dallas, TX. But still, there was so much uncertainty with a job like that. You never know from one month to the next who is going to renew and who can continue to afford a luxury service in an economy like this. What I did know is I enjoyed watching people grow physically active and enjoying a healthy, active lifestyle, but didn't enjoy the instability of income flow.

Upon moving back to Texas in 2009, I began working as a physical therapy tech at a busy seven-physician ortho clinic. I loved my job! Because of my strong work ethic and knowledge (with personal training background), I was transferred to one of our satellite offices where the only employees were myself, the therapist, and a front desk admin. I worked closely with the therapist and she had her full trust in me. I performed ultrasounds with no supervision, offered therex suggestions to the therapist in certain situations (of course not in front of the patient), and received "Thank You" cards from patients upon their discharge with them thanking me and telling me I will be a great therapist one day. I remember one day offering a suggestion to a 10 year therapist on a stretch for a patient with severe lumbar pain and she replied with "Great suggestion, someone needs to go ahead and give you your PT license!" ***I am not saying all this for kudos, just to express my passion and natural instinct in the field of human motion***

I am still on PRN status with the clinic, but now receive a majority of income from personal training because there is a big difference between a $12/hour PT Tech job and a $35/1 hour personal training job (I am 26 now, so I am a big girl with big girl bills that I have to pay!).
I am finishing up classes online with the college back in Arkansas right now to make for an easy transfer to a Texas college. I worry about my GPA history hurting me. Sure, I can bring my GPA up to a 3.5, but will admissions look at the fact that back in 2008 it was 1.2....at a community college!?

Also, I am a single mom (engaged, but fiance lives in Arkansas still until he can transfer branches). The max hours I can take a semester and excel are typically 7 (3 credit class plus 1 science 4 credit class). Does admissions look at how long it takes to complete undergrad and factor that into acceptance? Technically, had a stayed on course, I would be graduating this year. But with my set-backs, and transferring credits soon to another state, I could still be a few credits short of being a junior!

Basically, I am just looking for some advice on what I need to do NOW to clean up my academic history so I get accepted into a PT program and graduate with a degree in something I was meant to do in life.

Thank you in advance for advice 😀

ACADEMIC TIMELINE:

HIGHSCHOOL: AVERAGE STUDENT/GRADUATED W/ DIPLOMA

2003-2007: FOCUSED ON RAISING MY YOUNG CHILD

FALL 2007: 22 YO/ FRESHMAN SEMESTER 1/ 3.0 GPA

SPRING 2008: INCOMPLETE IN ALL 4 CLASSES/ 1.2 GPA/ACADEMIC PROB

FALL 2008: TOOK SEMESTER OFF/ EARNED PERSONAL TRAINING CERT

SPRING 2009: FULLTIME STUDENT/A'S AND B'S IN ALL CLASSES/BROUGHT
GPA UP TO I BELIEVE A 2.2 OR 2.5

FALL 2009: TOOK SEMESTER OFF/RELOCATED TO DALLAS, TEXAS
WORKED FULLTIME AT PT CLINIC AS TECHNICIAN/ PART TIME
AS A PERSONAL TRAINER

SPRING 2010: PART TIME STUDENT/ MADE "A" IN PSYCHOLOGY/ "B" IN
MATH COURSE/ CONTINUED REPAIRING GPA/ WORKED FT
AS PT TECH

FALL 2010: TOOK SEMESTER OFF FOR FINANCIAL REASONS AND APPLIED
FOR FEDERAL STUDENT AID/ WORKED FULL TIME

SPRING 2011: WAS AWARDED FINANCIAL AID/ TOOK 2 ONLINE CLASSES/
RECEIVED "F" IN COLLEGE ALGEBRA BECAUSE I WAS
UNAWARE THAT I HAD TO TAKE FINAL ON CAMPUS FOR AN
ONLINE CLASS (NOT TO MENTION I NOW LIVE 6 HOURS
AWAY FROM COLLEGE). PETITIONED FOR ENTIRE CLASS
TO ATLEAST BE REMOVED FROM TRANSCRIPT, BUT TO NO
AVAIL. WORKED FULL TIME

UPCOMING FALL 2011: WILL RETAKE COLLEGE ALGEBRA ONLINE WITH
ARKANSAS SCHOOL TO REMOVE CURRENT "F" AND
TRANSFER CREDITS TO TEXAS SCHOOL FOR
SPRING 2012

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It sounds like you are doing great! I wouldn't worry too much. From what I have seen, schools look mainly at your last 60 hours. PT schools, like others, realize that we are not immune to a bad early academic experience. What they do want to see is how you recovered from that bad experience. Keep doing well in your classes, especially your science classes.

What TX schools are you looking to apply to?

It sounds like you recovered well and know what you want to do. Best of luck to you!
 
It sounds like you are definitely making huge strides- personally, I think the most important thing is what people do AFTER they "fail" (no matter what type of failure it is)... do you wallow in self-pity/never get any better, or do you start to work your butt off to make up for it?

And you have certainly been working hard. Don't worry about the time you need, when it's time to apply you can explain all of this; schools aren't going to deny you only because you had a child to take care of and couldn't take a full course load.
 
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As long as you get your grades up and keep trying you should be able to get accepted.The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas is one of the hardest PT schools to get into but there are still several choices in Texas.
If you don't mind me asking what college did you plan to attend before PT school?
 
Thank you guys so much for the encouragement, that makes me feel great to know I haven't lost my shot!

I have to stay in the Dallas area (relocating to even another area of the state, much less another state all together is out of the question because of my 50/50 joint custody with ex-husband) so my options are:

TWU (1st choice)
UNT (2nd choice, but only if by the time I apply it is accredited by APTA, it is a brand new program, this year may actually be the first class)
UTSW (3rd choice)

I know I am blessed to be in an area where there are three DPT programs and one PTA in such a close radius.
 
Oh and the Texas junior college I will transfer my Arkansas credits to is North Central Texas College. They have a direct transfer program to TWU for Kinesiology/Pre-PT. After completing all credits possible there I will transfer to TWU to finish undergrad and hopefully get accepted to the TWU DPT program :::fingers crossed::: I will likely be 30 by the time I apply though, yikes.
 
I would apply to UNT. They will be accredited, I have no doubts about that. They have a great reputation in other areas and I can't foresee any issues with them getting the accreditation.
 
Great, I will keep that in mind.

Another question: Should I work as much as possible as a PT Tech rather than personal trainer? I know the time will come when I will be required to do my observations. But does working in a clinic all of my undergrad years give me more of an edge than someone coming straight out of an undergrad with no clinic experience other than observations hours?
 
I am sure the opinions will vary on whether working as a PT tech beforehand will increase your chances. I will say that it won't help more than anything else. I didn't work in any PT related field beforehand and I got the minimum observation hours. The schools I talked to told me that the amount of observation hours they posted were a cut-off. They told me that having more than that would not benefit me, so I wasn't going to stand in a PT office not being able to actually do anything but watch for more than the required hours.

Since you are a single parent, I would do whatever pays the bills the best. Don't over-think this process. Relax and keep doing your best on your grades and you will be fine.
 
I'm also in the Dallas area and I didn't know UNT was starting a Physical Therapy program. Hopefully they get accredited. I know they are trying to be a Tier 1 school so I'm sure they will do whatever it takes. I guess I wil wait and see what happens.
 
I'm also in the Dallas area and I didn't know UNT was starting a Physical Therapy program. Hopefully they get accredited. I know they are trying to be a Tier 1 school so I'm sure they will do whatever it takes. I guess I wil wait and see what happens.

Yes, I believe this year will be the first class! 🙂 Where are you getting your undergrad?
 
Thank you guys so much for the encouragement, that makes me feel great to know I haven't lost my shot!

I have to stay in the Dallas area (relocating to even another area of the state, much less another state all together is out of the question because of my 50/50 joint custody with ex-husband) so my options are:

TWU (1st choice)
UNT (2nd choice, but only if by the time I apply it is accredited by APTA, it is a brand new program, this year may actually be the first class)
UTSW (3rd choice)

I know I am blessed to be in an area where there are three DPT programs and one PTA in such a close radius.

Call Mary Beth at TWU, she can advise you and tell you where you need to be. Her email is pt@twu.edu. I am also a non-traditional student with similar issues, has a 2.1 GPA when I was 18, and on academic warning :scared:. Went back to school and finished with a 3.87 @ TWU for my undergrad in Kinesiology. I was accepted into both UTMB and TWU Dallas. I am starting at TWU Dallas in another month, I'm very excited, but also very nervous since I know I'm the oldest one starting PT school @ TWU this semester at 39, but I think that the experience that I bring has a lot to do with who I am. Good luck, but I think as long as your current studies are doing good, you do well on the GRE and have great letters of recommendation there is a good possibility of getting in.
 
Call Mary Beth at TWU, she can advise you and tell you where you need to be. Her email is pt@twu.edu. I am also a non-traditional student with similar issues, has a 2.1 GPA when I was 18, and on academic warning :scared:. Went back to school and finished with a 3.87 @ TWU for my undergrad in Kinesiology. I was accepted into both UTMB and TWU Dallas. I am starting at TWU Dallas in another month, I'm very excited, but also very nervous since I know I'm the oldest one starting PT school @ TWU this semester at 39, but I think that the experience that I bring has a lot to do with who I am. Good luck, but I think as long as your current studies are doing good, you do well on the GRE and have great letters of recommendation there is a good possibility of getting in.

Wow, thanks for your reply! Thank you thank you!! I will speak w/ Mary Beth. Congrats on getting into TWU. That is awesome!👍
 
You really are determined, DeterminedONE! Good luck with your endeavors in getting into a PT program! With the background you told us, I think you'll get in! 🙂
 
You really are determined, DeterminedONE! Good luck with your endeavors in getting into a PT program! With the background you told us, I think you'll get in! 🙂

Thank you 🙂 It is so good to be a part of a forum where everyone is so positive and encouraging!
 
Call Mary Beth at TWU, she can advise you and tell you where you need to be. Her email is pt@twu.edu. I am also a non-traditional student with similar issues, has a 2.1 GPA when I was 18, and on academic warning :scared:. Went back to school and finished with a 3.87 @ TWU for my undergrad in Kinesiology. I was accepted into both UTMB and TWU Dallas. I am starting at TWU Dallas in another month, I'm very excited, but also very nervous since I know I'm the oldest one starting PT school @ TWU this semester at 39, but I think that the experience that I bring has a lot to do with who I am. Good luck, but I think as long as your current studies are doing good, you do well on the GRE and have great letters of recommendation there is a good possibility of getting in.

I got in touch w/ Mary. She sent me an email with EVERYTHING anyone would ever need to know about applying to the TWU DPT program. She is awesome 😀
 
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