Chicago applicants

[atorres]

Are there any people in the city looking to apply to physical therapy programs? I have a job as an aide at an outpatient clinic but Im trying to figure out where to do my inpatient hours. I will be trying to get an internship over the summer hopefully at RIC through school. Also I'm doing what I can working at the clinic and in retail. Does anyone know how schools view working while in school and doing volunteer work? I tutor on the weekend now and hope to volunteer more over the summer. I'm looking to go to the east coast, NY specifically for grad school. I have over a 3.0 and rising. I will be working on physics and chemistry prerequisites over the summer. Those are the plans for now. Any thoughts?

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[nismo13]

I'm from the south side of Chicago. I worked all throughout college and worked 2 jobs my last 2 years at UIC. It is tough but definitely doable. I would suggest get a wide variety or observation experiences. I got a job as a PT aide so I got over 1000 outpatient orthopedic observation hours. I also volunteered at my local hospital, Advocate Christ Medical Center. I was able to observe inpatient as well as acute care physical therapy at that location. So keep up the good grades, get a wide variety of observation hours, and do well on your GRE. Also make sure your letters of recommendation are strong. Feel free to ask anything else. This forum was of great help to me this application cycle and I feel like I should give some back.

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[atorres]

Where did you end up going to PT school and undergrad? My biggest question is who to contact at hospitals. I'm trying to get an internship at a hospital through my school which I hope works out. Thanks for your help!

 

[nismo13]

My undergrad I did my first 2 years at a community college on scholarship to save some money. The last 2 years I did at UIC. I got accepted into Northwestern, Midwestern, and Governors State University. I am waitlisted at Rosalind Franklin and Northern Illinois. I am leaning towards Governors because of the in state tuition and small class size.

In regards to the hospitals, I would stop in and go to the rehab coordinator directly. I am sure they get a lot of phone calls but it is hard for them to say no to you when you are there in person 😎

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[nutter903]

I went to UofI in Champaign for undergrad but I took a year off to get more observation hours and I currently work in the city. I got lucky and got to observe at RIC, but the waiting list to observe is very long so I would get on that list as soon as possible. Also, they have positions as a rehab aide in both outpatient and inpatient settings so check their website often! I got an interview for a rehab position but I had already been accepted a PT program set to start in the summer. I also observed at Imagine PT a peds outpatient center on Roosevelt and Jefferson (near UIC) and they are really good about having people come in and observe! I also applied to east coast and midwest coast schools and got accepted to NYU, Columbia, and UIC! Message me if you have any concerns finding places to observe!

 

[atorres]

Thanks for the replies! I will definitely be looking into Imagine PT . So where are you/where did you end up going to PT school? I am very confident about getting outpatient hours just having trouble with inpatient. I'm going ask a professor I had who was a doctor at Rush to see if he can put me in contact with someone or as was said earlier just go in and talk to someone. Has anyone heard of misericordia? They also offer therapy services which I'll be looking into

 

[atorres]

Anyone know how to document hours?

 

[nismo13]

Just do it by pen and paper for now and have the PT sign off on it each day. Then when the application cycle opens you will have to have the PT verify the hours electronically. You pretty much type in how many hours you completed at a particular location and the therapist is sent a email through PTCAS to verify.

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[atorres]

Awesome thanks! To the person who posted about attending community college, will any prerequisites I take at a community college over the summer be transferable? Meaning that PT schools would accept them?

 

[nismo13]

I'll answer this one too lol

I took almost all of my pre reqs at a cc, with the exception of stats and calculus. I was pretty successful in my application cycle. Just make sure you get good grades on your per reqs.

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[atorres]

So there shouldn't be a problem as far as schools accepting classes from a cc?

 

[nismo13]

Some schools cough UIC cough may look down on taking classes at a cc. But all the other schools in Illinois I believe don't care. I assume it would be the same for most schools outside of Illinois but I can't be certain.

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[Oregon48]

So there shouldn't be a problem as far as schools accepting classes from a cc?

Schools will tell you on their website (or on their PTCAS page) if they will accept pre-reqs at a community college. Most will, some won't (the one that comes to mind is Marquette. You can't apply there if any pre-req was done at a two year. Bummer). Other schools (such as UIC) say that they will take pre-reqs at a CC, but they do look at "strength of institution" when looking at deciding factors (however I think that a 4.0 with classes taken at a community college generally looks more favorable compared to someone who got a 3.0 at a fancy-schmancy university).
Having taken most of my pre-reqs community colleges in Chicago, I can say that I met A LOT of people in my situation, or similar situations (people looking to go into PT school, med, pharm, nursing) and I heard many success stories of people getting into top schools. Also, if you'll be taking classes at the Chicago Community Colleges, the science classes (well many of them) are considered top-notch city-wide due to the nursing programs at the CC. You may also get a better education because you'll be in a class with approximately 30 people taught by a professor with excellent credentials who will get to know your name as opposed to a 200 person lecture with labs taught by some sort-of TA (at least that's how I felt). Schools in Chicago and the surrounding areas know this...and those that still have stigmas against community colleges are just being unnecessarily judgemental. Seriously, I can't say enough good things about taking classes at the CC instead of a four-year... (except prepare for the registration process to be a mess)

 

[atorres]

I'm having trouble finding the page for each school. When you have a chance can you post the link? If you can it would be awesome

 

[nismo13]

It should be under their admission criteria for each program. If it is not on there, just shoot the school an email.

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[goodkarma]

Hi everyone! I have a friend who wants to go to PT school in or close to Chicago, applying next year. I was trying to give her advice, but I honestly know nothing about getting into PT and there's not too much info out there. It seems like you guys know what you're talking about, specifically with Chicago schools. Would any of you mind sharing the info you've compiled on Chicago schools' admissions? Is there an average GPA or GRE? number of observation hours? I've heard talk that some schools use formulas? Would you happen to know any? UIC seems pretty competitive - how about the others? I'd appreciate any info or advice I could pass along to her about admissions!

 

[nismo13]

Its hard to say because it gets more and more competitive each year. But she should shoot for at least a 300 on her GRE. As for GPA it really depends. A high prereq GPA is ideal, about a 3.5, but if she has a great GRE then at some schools that would compensate for that. You can search this forum for the particular school she is interested in and find out exactly what admitted students' stats were.

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[PTgt]

This is how UIC makes their admissions decisions (from their website) - they don't list actual scores or GPA's, but at least you can see how everything factors in, percentage-wise. I am sure that all schools use some sort of formula like this, but it may not always be made public.

THE ADMISSIONS DECISION
The following elements of evaluative criteria are used by the Department of Physical Therapy Admissions Committee when reviewing applicants.
The Admissions Equation:
Total Selection Index Points = TSIP = 100 points

GRE Verbal and Quantitative sections (15%)
GRE Analytic Writing section (5%)
Cumulative GPA (15%)
Prerequisite GPA (25%)
Academic preparation (15%)
Additional factors (25%)


GRE Verbal and Quantitative (15%) will be based upon the sum of the scores in the verbal and quantitative sections.

GRE Analytic Writing (5%) will be based on the score of the GRE Writing Assessment.

Cumulative GPA (15%) will be computed based on the last 60 credit hours whether at the undergraduate or graduate level.

Prerequisite GPA (25%) will be computed by PTCAS based on grades earned in a common set of prerequisite courses that will likely include all of the UIC prerequisites except calculus.

Academic preparation (15%): will be based on

School attended: competitive vs. non-competitive
Course load taken/factors affecting course load (e.g. full time work)
Number of credit hours per term
Whether more than one science/math was taken per term
Additional science courses taken; caliber, type, grade, relevance, lab
Recentness of prerequisite science courses; update of old prerequisite science courses; work experience refreshing old sciences
Type and amount of prerequisites left to complete and plan for completion
Graduate course work taken and grades
Additional Factors (25%): will be based upon

Mitigating circumstances issue
Efforts since last application to program: additional course work, additional work/volunteer experience
Specific facts presented in personal statement and letters of recommendation
Work/volunteer experience
Cultural diversity
Other language fluency
Generic abilities
Reliability of the scoring system for Academic Preparation and Additional Factors and any potential for bias will be controlled. If the scores from the two reviewers differ by more than 40% of the weight of a category, a third reviewer will provide a score. The three scores will be averaged. If one of the criteria proves to be more or less predictive of success, its relative weight may be increased or decreased in future years.

 

[nismo13]

This is how UIC makes their admissions decisions (from their website) - they don't list actual scores or GPA's, but at least you can see how everything factors in, percentage-wise. I am sure that all schools use some sort of formula like this, but it may not always be made public.

THE ADMISSIONS DECISION
The following elements of evaluative criteria are used by the Department of Physical Therapy Admissions Committee when reviewing applicants.
The Admissions Equation:
Total Selection Index Points = TSIP = 100 points

GRE Verbal and Quantitative sections (15%)
GRE Analytic Writing section (5%)
Cumulative GPA (15%)
Prerequisite GPA (25%)
Academic preparation (15%)
Additional factors (25%)


GRE Verbal and Quantitative (15%) will be based upon the sum of the scores in the verbal and quantitative sections.

GRE Analytic Writing (5%) will be based on the score of the GRE Writing Assessment.

Cumulative GPA (15%) will be computed based on the last 60 credit hours whether at the undergraduate or graduate level.

Prerequisite GPA (25%) will be computed by PTCAS based on grades earned in a common set of prerequisite courses that will likely include all of the UIC prerequisites except calculus.

Academic preparation (15%): will be based on

School attended: competitive vs. non-competitive
Course load taken/factors affecting course load (e.g. full time work)
Number of credit hours per term
Whether more than one science/math was taken per term
Additional science courses taken; caliber, type, grade, relevance, lab
Recentness of prerequisite science courses; update of old prerequisite science courses; work experience refreshing old sciences
Type and amount of prerequisites left to complete and plan for completion
Graduate course work taken and grades
Additional Factors (25%): will be based upon

Mitigating circumstances issue
Efforts since last application to program: additional course work, additional work/volunteer experience
Specific facts presented in personal statement and letters of recommendation
Work/volunteer experience
Cultural diversity
Other language fluency
Generic abilities
Reliability of the scoring system for Academic Preparation and Additional Factors and any potential for bias will be controlled. If the scores from the two reviewers differ by more than 40% of the weight of a category, a third reviewer will provide a score. The three scores will be averaged. If one of the criteria proves to be more or less predictive of success, its relative weight may be increased or decreased in future years.

Except for some reason I believe UIC didn't look past my numbers. I was accepted or wait listed at every school I applied to except UIC. That leads me to believe they did not look at my entire application. Sorry for the rant, but after that long application cycle, I'm happy where I ended up at 🙂



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[goodkarma]

Thanks a bunch!

 

[atorres]

You have all been very helpful. I was looking on the city colleges of Chicago website for a medical terminology class. They have terminology for medical careers listed under biology. This is the description: Basic medical vocabulary for allied health professionals and others with minimal background in anatomy and physiology; includes study of the human body systems. Writing assignments, as appropriate to the discipline, are part of the course. The also have a class titled medical terminology with this description under CE Health: Basic medical vocabulary for allied health professionals and others with a minimal background in anatomy and physiology; includes study of the human body systems. Student will learn terminology for common pathologies (diseases) and diagnostic tests, with a focus on proper pronuncation, usage and spelling. Writing assignments, as appropriate to the discipline, are part of the course. Can anyone tell the difference? Which ones should I take? Terminology for medical career is offered online so I was looking into that one as the summer schedule has not been released yet except for the online courses.

 

[nismo13]

I took a 3 credit medical terminology class that was listed as Classics/Linguistics 201 at UIC

My friend took a 1 credit online course

I believe both are accepted. Just double check with your schools to make sure that they accept it.

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[atorres]

Anyone taken classes at the Chicago community colleges?

 

[tottenhamFan]

I had a question about the Chicago area PT schools. Which schools in the area are generally the easiest to get into and the hardest? ex) Northwestern, UIC, Governors State, Midwestern University, etc.?

 

[nismo13]

None are really "easy" to get into. It is getting harder to get into PT school ever year. With that being said, it is usually tougher to get into the state schools because they are cheaper. Just make sure your application is as competitive as possible and hope for the best.

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[atorres]

I need someone's help. I'm lookin to take some prerequisites at a community college over the summer. I've been wanting to know if schools accept classes from community colleges. People on here have said to check the schools pcta page. Under the heading for each prerequsite course it says 4-year with a yes/no/varies. I take this to mean yes needs to be taken at 4-year institution or no does not need to be. Is that correct? Need verification

 

[nismo13]

I would not assume anything. Just email the program directly to be sure.

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[atorres]

That's the problem. Stilla waiting for a response from them

 

[nismo13]

In my experience some schools are good about responding promptly to emails and some are not. So if you really need information quickly then it would be best to call them on Monday.



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