Concerned

[tabsabs]

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Hi all, I'm new to this forum and still getting to know the ins and outs of the PT application process, so any advice or criticism would be greatly appeciated🙂 I'm particularly concerned about my low overall GPA and my lack of PT experience (which I'm in the process of getting). Also, I'm not sure if I should retake the GRE to improve my writing, as I've heard that there's most emphasis on the writing portion of the GRE anyways.

University: UCLA
Major: BS in Physiological Sciences
Overall GPA: 3.08
GRE: Quant 161, Verbal 164, Writing 4.0
Observation Hours: only 10 currently... I just recently decided to pursue PT and am still seeking places to volunteer/observe

Work: Clinical Research Coordinator at UCLA
Internships: TEACH (2 years)
Volunteer: Mobile Clinic (1 year), Global Medical Brigades in Honduras (1 week),
Extracurricular: President of Special Olympics at UCLA (4 years), Officer for UCLA Club Taekwondo
Certifications: EMT certified ,CPR/BLS/First Aid

Thanks in advance!

 

[DPTFL2015]

Wha

Hi all, I'm new to this forum and still getting to know the ins and outs of the PT application process, so any advice or criticism would be greatly appeciated🙂 I'm particularly concerned about my low overall GPA and my lack of PT experience (which I'm in the process of getting). Also, I'm not sure if I should retake the GRE to improve my writing, as I've heard that there's most emphasis on the writing portion of the GRE anyways.

University: UCLA
Major: BS in Physiological Sciences
Overall GPA: 3.08
GRE: Quant 161, Verbal 164, Writing 4.0
Observation Hours: only 10 currently... I just recently decided to pursue PT and am still seeking places to volunteer/observe

Work: Clinical Research Coordinator at UCLA
Internships: TEACH (2 years)
Volunteer: Mobile Clinic (1 year), Global Medical Brigades in Honduras (1 week),
Extracurricular: President of Special Olympics at UCLA (4 years), Officer for UCLA Club Taekwondo
Certifications: EMT certified ,CPR/BLS/First Aid

Thanks in advance!

What is your prereq gpa? And your last 60 hours/upper division gpa? Those often matter more than your cumulative. Your GRE is KILLER! I wouldn't dare worry about taking it again, regardless of the writing. You also have a ton of extracurriculars which is fantastic.

 

[tabsabs]

Wha


What is your prereq gpa? And your last 60 hours/upper division gpa? Those often matter more than your cumulative. Your GRE is KILLER! I wouldn't dare worry about taking it again, regardless of the writing. You also have a ton of extracurriculars which is fantastic.

Thanks for your reply! I'm glad I don't have to take the GRE again. But all my GPAs are about 3.0 area :/ and that's why I'm concerned. My GPA barely meets the minimum requirement for most PT schools, and I'm not sure they would overlook that even if my other stats are great.

 

[navybluedreams]

Your GRE score looks great! No need to touch that area.
Consider retaking some of your pre-req courses to boost your GPAs. You may end up applying to programs that take the highest grade earned in the class.
Obtain observation hours in a variety of settings (4-5).
Get stellar recommendations.

Keep working hard and you'll get there. Just because you don't have the greatest of stats, does not mean getting admitted into a program is impossible. Be smart about what schools you apply to. Do your homework with this forum because it's a valuable resource.

 

[redrose424]

Hi all, I'm new to this forum and still getting to know the ins and outs of the PT application process, so any advice or criticism would be greatly appeciated🙂 I'm particularly concerned about my low overall GPA and my lack of PT experience (which I'm in the process of getting). Also, I'm not sure if I should retake the GRE to improve my writing, as I've heard that there's most emphasis on the writing portion of the GRE anyways.

University: UCLA
Major: BS in Physiological Sciences
Overall GPA: 3.08
GRE: Quant 161, Verbal 164, Writing 4.0
Observation Hours: only 10 currently... I just recently decided to pursue PT and am still seeking places to volunteer/observe

Work: Clinical Research Coordinator at UCLA
Internships: TEACH (2 years)
Volunteer: Mobile Clinic (1 year), Global Medical Brigades in Honduras (1 week),
Extracurricular: President of Special Olympics at UCLA (4 years), Officer for UCLA Club Taekwondo
Certifications: EMT certified ,CPR/BLS/First Aid

Thanks in advance!

What schools are you planning on applying to? California schools are notorious for being very competitive.

1) You need a lot more observation hours. In a VARIETY of settings - don't just do outpatient ortho. Try to find a hospital inpatient rehab, SNF, etc. Build great relationships with those PTs and show initiative, you will need good recommendations.
2) If your pre-req and other grades aren't very high you need to examine why that is. Consider retaking some pre-req classes and making A's in them to boost your pGPA and cGPA. Also build strong relationships with your professors for the above mentioned reason.
3) Retaking your GRE would be a complete waste - however, it's important that you can construct meaningful essays for your PT application so you may want to consider working on your writing anyways if you feel that is a weak area of yours.

 

[starrsgirl]

I agree that your pre req GPA is a very important factor here. Start retaking those pre reqs to boost that GPA up.

 

[tabsabs]

Thanks everyone. I'll see what I can do about retaking prereqs at a community college.