Does Pro sports help your DPT application ? (first post, introduction included)

[CanCrusher]

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First post on the forum. Thanks to all that are reading. I've been looking through this board for the last few days and feel like I have learned a lot about GRE, good GPA scores, and good ways to diversify your shadowing hours.

I took a hiatus from school after receiving my associates in science in 2015 to focus on professional sports (MMA). 2015 was also the same year I graduated from massage therapy school. I currently have 3 amateur fights and the plan is to go pro at the end of 2018.

Before deciding to go to the sports route I was planning on getting my bachelors at TWU Denton in pre-physical therapy and hopefully applying for a DPT program.

I would be applying to all 3 schools that are in the DFW metroplex. The schools are TWU, UNT, and UT Southwestern.

Would being a licensed massage therapist and being a former pro athlete really help me stand out or give me a significant boost in the application process ?

The reason I ask is because the 3 schools i listed are competitive. From what I've been told, most of the people who get into TWU either have a perfect 4.0 on there undergrad, already have a masters degreee, or have previously been a PT assistant (associates program). UT southwestern and UNT have much more lax minimum requirements but receive 500 to 600 applications for only 40 spots.

My GPA and GRE will be solid but I don't think they will blow anyone away (based on my first 60 credit hours I think a mid 3 GPA will be attainable). I plan on getting a good variety of shadowing as well.

I"m hoping pro sports and massage license can help give me a little boost in the application process or at least show the school that I am passionate about health/fitness

 

[nd_dpt]

Being a licensed massage therapist and a former pro athlete won't help you in terms of the application process. However, they can be good points to bring up during an interview. I was accepted to TWU Dallas last year but went to UTMB instead. The initial phase of the review process is purely the academic portion of your application (GPAs, GRE, etc). You have to get a certain score on that part to make it to the next phase of the review where they look at your extracurriculars, community service, essays, etc. This is how most PT schools in Texas review applications. Students that were accepted to TWU for their most recent class had an average last 60 hours GPA of 3.85 and a math and science GPA of 3.8. They are looking for GRE scores to be 155V, 155Q, and 4.5 AW. The 3 DFW schools in particular are extremely competitive. I HIGHLY encourage you to also apply to schools outside of that area. Make sure you get observation in as many different settings as possible. More settings is better than more hours. Retake prereqs that aren't at least a B (A would be better though). Get excellent recommendation letters from PTs you've observed.

"From what I've been told, most of the people who get into TWU either have a perfect 4.0 on there undergrad, already have a masters degreee, or have previously been a PT assistant (associates program)."
This is not true. I was accepted with a cumulative GPA was 3.72. Already having a masters or previously being a PT assistant is also false. I can say with certainty that they absolutely give preference to students who did their undergrad at TWU.

 

[Snek1234]

Not really, you'd be surprised how many people pursuing PT are into fitness/sports. Being in sports doesn't make you stand out as much as you would hope. The interview I attended, nearly EVERYONE (and I mean almost 100% of my group) was talking about their background in fitness via certs or collegial sports. Same with being a massage therapist. Moreover MMA is not exactly reflective of what a physical therapist practices, you know the whole injury prevention/recovery thing.. They can be talking points during an interview to get the process going when they ask you the inevitable "why you want to be a PT?". My 0.02.

 

[pickmept]

I don't think my title as an NCAA D1 athlete got me in the door at all. Like nd_dpt mentioned, the numbers are the first thing most schools look at. However, I do think talking about my experiences as an athlete (along with a few other extracurriculars/shadowing experiences) in my essays and interviews got me some of my acceptances. They want you to be memorable and a great fit to the profession/their program, so answering questions based on unique experiences you've had (in MMA, massage therapy, observation hours, etc.) is a great way to set you apart.

 

[Grizzlyman]

If you can articulate the responsibilities and soft skills you learned that are similar to PT it will be helpful during interviews and essays. As long as academics are in the ballpark it can set you apart.

 

[CanCrusher]

I can say with certainty that they absolutely give preference to students who did their undergrad at TWU.

Do you have any more information on this ? TWU is where I will be getting my bachelors so it will be interesting if this is true.

I have been told that for there Nursing program they give a .4 boost on your GPA if they got your pre-req credits at the TWU Denton campus so I wouldn't be surprised if there is in fact some sort of preference for the PT program as well

 

[jay801]

No, but it can make you stand out if you find a way to talk about it in your application.

 

[nd_dpt]

Do you have any more information on this ? TWU is where I will be getting my bachelors so it will be interesting if this is true.

I have been told that for there Nursing program they give a .4 boost on your GPA if they got your pre-req credits at the TWU Denton campus so I wouldn't be surprised if there is in fact some sort of preference for the PT program as well

I went to UNT during my undergrad and had multiple PT students at TWU tell me this. The class that just started this past fall has ~20ish TWU students.

 

[CanCrusher]

I went to UNT during my undergrad and had multiple PT students at TWU tell me this. The class that just started this past fall has ~20ish TWU students.

Thank you for the reply.

You said you got into TWU. Did you also get into/apply to UNT and UTSW as well ?

Since your from the DFW area, what did you think of the three schools and what caused you to pick the state school you ended up picking ?

 

[beyoutiful_sunshine]

I don't think it will help your application just because like a previous post said, SO many people that apply to be a PT have a background in sports. I got into TWU and UNT, I didn't apply to UT southwestern. UNT actually receives close to 1,200 applications due to them not requiring the GRE so make sure you apply early as they are on a rolling admission basis.

What will help your application other than grades and GRE scores is setting yourself apart, being different from everybody else. Tell your story, and use your background in MMA and massage therapy to set yourself apart by talking about what you've learned from it, etc... and like people have already said, observe different fields. When I applied, I had one observation hour in hippotherapy. It was only one, but it was brought up in almost all my interviews, and it set me apart from the crowd. If you have long term goals on how you're going to use PT, talk about it as well. I have some dreams about how to use PT in some areas of the world to improve the health of communities and that was the main focus of my TWU essay and I strongly believe it's one of the thing that got me in.
I applied with one of my friend, we submitted our applications at the same time, we had VERY similar applications number wise, but she had a higher gpa (4.0). We both ended up getting in, but I found out I got in in late September unofficially and officially in early October (TWU sends early acceptances to their top choices), while she didn't get in until a month later. The main difference in our applications was our essays (we read each other essays) which were going two complete different routes. Yes TWU is extremely competitive, but to say that they only take 4.0 students (or close) is not entirely true. From my experience while applying there, they really look at the whole applicant and what you will bring to the profession.

Good luck with everything! 🙂

 

[nd_dpt]

Thank you for the reply.

You said you got into TWU. Did you also get into/apply to UNT and UTSW as well ?

Since your from the DFW area, what did you think of the three schools and what caused you to pick the state school you ended up picking ?

I didn't apply to UNT, but I applied to UTSW and was rejected. It was because my GRE writing score was below the minimum. They are a school that will flat out reject you if you don't meet their minimums. I personally believe that TWU is the best school out of the 3. I've shadowed and worked with multiple therapists that graduated from their program and they are outstanding. I would have loved to be able to live at home while going to TWU, but I ended up choosing UTMB because it felt like the school where I would be more successful. Instead of being in downtown Dallas, I live on an island. It helps to reduce stress during times where school can be overwhelming. I also loved all of the professors and their enthusiasm about UTMB's program. Now that I've spent almost 2 semesters here, I couldn't be happier with my choice. I encourage you to apply to all 3 DFW area schools, but be sure to apply to other programs in the state!

 

[CanCrusher]

I didn't apply to UNT, but I applied to UTSW and was rejected. It was because my GRE writing score was below the minimum. They are a school that will flat out reject you if you don't meet their minimums. I personally believe that TWU is the best school out of the 3. I've shadowed and worked with multiple therapists that graduated from their program and they are outstanding. I would have loved to be able to live at home while going to TWU, but I ended up choosing UTMB because it felt like the school where I would be more successful. Instead of being in downtown Dallas, I live on an island. It helps to reduce stress during times where school can be overwhelming. I also loved all of the professors and their enthusiasm about UTMB's program. Now that I've spent almost 2 semesters here, I couldn't be happier with my choice. I encourage you to apply to all 3 DFW area schools, but be sure to apply to other programs in the state!

Thank you.

I was suprised you didn't get into UTSW. I checked there website and they said for the class starting in 2016 (45 total students), the average GRE scores where 300 combined for the general and a 4.0 average for the writing

 

[nd_dpt]

Thank you.

I was suprised you didn't get into UTSW. I checked there website and they said for the class starting in 2016 (45 total students), the average GRE scores where 300 combined for the general and a 4.0 average for the writing

I was over 300 but got a 3.5 on the writing. I worked at UTSW for 4 years and the dean of the school of health professions is my neighbor, so I was also very surprised when I didn't even get an interview. It was super interesting with TWU because when I checked my account to see if they received and entered my GRE scores, they said that I got a 4.0 on the writing. To this day I still don't know why that happened.