DPT Application Advice

[jteitel10]

Hey guys I need a little advice on applying to DPT programs. I do not believe I have the strongest application at the moment, but I am looking to strengthen it before this upcoming application cohort. So far my stats are:

Undergrad: Ithaca College
Major: Clinical Exercise Science
Overall Cumulative GPA: 3.51 (including transfer credits)
Pre-Req GPA: 3.69
GRE: V 151, Q 153, AWA 4.5
Observation: 100 Hours directly with PT at EXOS, but 700 total (Worked as a Performance Specialist Intern rehabbing injured Special Operatives), I am planning on completing 200 inpatient (Veteran Affair Hospital), and I currently have another 50 hours outpatient outside of EXOS. I plan on trying to complete another few hundred hours as a PT Aide before the application period.
Extra Curricular: NSCA-CSCS, ACSM-CPT, CPR/AED, I.C. Club Rugby, Local Men's Rugby team player, Part Time Strength & Conditioning Coach

I am not entirely sure where I plan on applying yet, but I want to get into the best school that I can. Does any advice to improving my application?

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[redrose424]

Hey guys I need a little advice on applying to DPT programs. I do not believe I have the strongest application at the moment, but I am looking to strengthen it before this upcoming application cohort. So far my stats are:

Undergrad: Ithaca College
Major: Clinical Exercise Science
Overall Cumulative GPA: 3.51 (including transfer credits)
Pre-Req GPA: 3.69
GRE: V 151, Q 153, AWA 4.5
Observation: 100 Hours directly with PT at EXOS, but 700 total (Worked as a Performance Specialist Intern rehabbing injured Special Operatives), I am planning on completing 200 inpatient (Veteran Affair Hospital), and I currently have another 50 hours outpatient outside of EXOS. I plan on trying to complete another few hundred hours as a PT Aide before the application period.
Extra Curricular: NSCA-CSCS, ACSM-CPT, CPR/AED, I.C. Club Rugby, Local Men's Rugby team player, Part Time Strength & Conditioning Coach

I am not entirely sure where I plan on applying yet, but I want to get into the best school that I can. Does any advice to improving my application?

Looks good, get A's on remaining classes and build good rapport with any PTs and professors so they can write you good letters.

 

[jteitel10]

Looks good, get A's on remaining classes and build good rapport with any PTs and professors so they can write you good letters.

Do you think I should take the GRE again? I would prefer not to but if I need to I will

 

[redrose424]

Do you think I should take the GRE again? I would prefer not to but if I need to I will

Your GRE scores are average.

 

[Daniel M. Pitta]

Do you think I should take the GRE again? I would prefer not to but if I need to I will

Na, your GPA is solid and your GRE scores are average. GPA is way more important than your scores on a standardized test. You also have the observational hours. You should be good...what schools are you applying to and for what term?

 

[jteitel10]

Na, your GPA is solid and your GRE scores are average. GPA is way more important than your scores on a standardized test. You also have the observational hours. You should be good...what schools are you applying to and for what term?

I am applying for 2017, so this upcoming cohort starting in July 2016. My list of schools is constantly changing, but right now I am planning on applying to: Rutgers, Nova Southeastern, Azusa Pacific, US Army Baylor, Shenandoah, Arcadia, Stony Brook, U Colorado. I'll probably add in another few schools. Hopefully I'm not over reaching.

 

[jwhite13]

I was just accepted to Azusa Pacific and Loma Linda. I think your stats are good but here are mine if it helps

University: CSULA
Major: Exercise Science
cGPA: 3.44
Preq GPA: 3.71
GRE: V 152, Q 150, AW 4.0

Observation: 2,000 hours outpatient in one setting, 100 hours inpatient one setting

Extra-curriculars / Work Experience: Business owner and licensed massage therapist (3.5 years), Undergraduate research (1 year), Officer in Kinesiology and Exercise Science Club, American Medical Student Association Member, Golden Key Honor Society Member, Tri Beta Biology Honor Society Member

 

[jteitel10]

I was just accepted to Azusa Pacific and Loma Linda. I think your stats are good but here are mine if it helps

University: CSULA
Major: Exercise Science
cGPA: 3.44
Preq GPA: 3.71
GRE: V 152, Q 150, AW 4.0

Observation: 2,000 hours outpatient in one setting, 100 hours inpatient one setting

Extra-curriculars / Work Experience: Business owner and licensed massage therapist (3.5 years), Undergraduate research (1 year), Officer in Kinesiology and Exercise Science Club, American Medical Student Association Member, Golden Key Honor Society Member, Tri Beta Biology Honor Society Member

Thanks for the advice, which are you thinking about attending? I live on the opposite side of the country, so visiting Azusa Pacific is kind of out of the question at the moment. I spoke with an advisor and they told me my application was strong and advised me to apply early. What made you decide one versus the other?

 

[Highlife.himalayas]

Are you including sci and nonsci classes into your prereq calculation? Just wondering cos in applying to APU too. My stats are similar

 

[jteitel10]

For that PreReq number I just included Science Courses + Psych + Stats

 

[jteitel10]

Are you including sci and nonsci classes into your prereq calculation? Just wondering cos in applying to APU too. My stats are similar

I am including science and non science classes. It is a general prereq that includes the writing, science courses, and nonscience courses that seemed to be most common in applications. My range for PreReq, depending on the school, is about 3.6-3.8.

 

[butterscotchxx]

Hey guys I need a little advice on applying to DPT programs. I do not believe I have the strongest application at the moment, but I am looking to strengthen it before this upcoming application cohort. So far my stats are:

Undergrad: Ithaca College
Major: Clinical Exercise Science
Overall Cumulative GPA: 3.51 (including transfer credits)
Pre-Req GPA: 3.69
GRE: V 151, Q 153, AWA 4.5
Observation: 100 Hours directly with PT at EXOS, but 700 total (Worked as a Performance Specialist Intern rehabbing injured Special Operatives), I am planning on completing 200 inpatient (Veteran Affair Hospital), and I currently have another 50 hours outpatient outside of EXOS. I plan on trying to complete another few hundred hours as a PT Aide before the application period.
Extra Curricular: NSCA-CSCS, ACSM-CPT, CPR/AED, I.C. Club Rugby, Local Men's Rugby team player, Part Time Strength & Conditioning Coach

I am not entirely sure where I plan on applying yet, but I want to get into the best school that I can. Does any advice to improving my application?

I wouldn't take the GRE again, I got 156V 148Q 4.0W and I got accepted to almost every school that I applied to.

 

[PREPT2016]

I wouldn't take the GRE again, I got 156V 148Q 4.0W and I got accepted to almost every school that I applied to.

What did your other stats look like? I got similar scores on my GRE.

 

[butterscotchxx]

What did your other stats look like? I got similar scores on my GRE.

GPA: 3.69
Major: Bio
Minors: Psych and Chem
Observation hours: I don't remember exactly, but somewhere around 100 (combo of acute and out-patient)
Extras: Student Government, Division II athletics, various work study jobs, 1 year of work experience in a hospital as a part-time phlebotomist after graduation, high school volleyball coach, club volleyball coach, various volunteer experiences

I applied to a ton of places, probably more than I needed to-- Sacred Heart, Sage, Tuoro (both campuses), Franklin Pierce (both campuses), Upstate Med, American International, Thomas Jefferson, Clarkson, Mercy, Long Island Univ, Wheeling Jesuit....I think that was it..
But anyways, I got accepted to almost all of them--Sacred Heart, Tuoro, Franklin Pierce, Upstate Med, American International, Clarkson, Long Island, and Wheeling Jesuit
I ended up withdrawing my applications from the other schools I hadn't heard back from.

Let me know if you have any other questions, good luck!

 

[PREPT2016]

GPA: 3.69
Major: Bio
Minors: Psych and Chem
Observation hours: I don't remember exactly, but somewhere around 100 (combo of acute and out-patient)
Extras: Student Government, Division II athletics, various work study jobs, 1 year of work experience in a hospital as a part-time phlebotomist after graduation, high school volleyball coach, club volleyball coach, various volunteer experiences

I applied to a ton of places, probably more than I needed to-- Sacred Heart, Sage, Tuoro (both campuses), Franklin Pierce (both campuses), Upstate Med, American International, Thomas Jefferson, Clarkson, Mercy, Long Island Univ, Wheeling Jesuit....I think that was it..
But anyways, I got accepted to almost all of them--Sacred Heart, Tuoro, Franklin Pierce, Upstate Med, American International, Clarkson, Long Island, and Wheeling Jesuit
I ended up withdrawing my applications from the other schools I hadn't heard back from.

Let me know if you have any other questions, good luck!

So far I have been rejected from 2 out of the 4 schools I applied to, and waitlisted at 1. I'm still waiting to hear back from one school. I'm wondering if the west coast schools are just a lot harder to get into?!

 

[butterscotchxx]

So far I have been rejected from 2 out of the 4 schools I applied to, and waitlisted at 1. I'm still waiting to hear back from one school. I'm wondering if the west coast schools are just a lot harder to get into?!

Yes, west coast and Florida schools are definitely much harder to get into in part because of the climate appeal and large sports team associations. Overall, southern and west coast schools get many more applications and some even have a tendency to accept in-state applicants over out of state applicants. I wouldn't get too hung up about it just yet. If worse comes to worse, take a gap year and get some real world work experience that is maybe a little different from physical therapy so that when you do reapply and go on interviews you have that extra something to set you apart as far as maturity, experience, and world view.

 

[PREPT2016]

Yes, west coast and Florida schools are definitely much harder to get into in part because of the climate appeal and large sports team associations. Overall, southern and west coast schools get many more applications and some even have a tendency to accept in-state applicants over out of state applicants. I wouldn't get too hung up about it just yet. If worse comes to worse, take a gap year and get some real world work experience that is maybe a little different from physical therapy so that when you do reapply and go on interviews you have that extra something to set you apart as far as maturity, experience, and world view.

I graduated in 2012 . . . so I have a few gap years under my belt. Lol. I've worked as a freight dispatcher and food services assistant at an elementary school while I was finishing up some post-bac prerequisite courses for PT school. I graduated from a CA high school so, according to their state law, I will always be considered a CA resident. So I guess I have that going for me . . . since I have lived out of state for the past 3.5 years.

 

[butterscotchxx]

I graduated in 2012 . . . so I have a few gap years under my belt. Lol. I've worked as a freight dispatcher and food services assistant at an elementary school while I was finishing up some post-bac prerequisite courses for PT school. I graduated from a CA high school so, according to their state law, I will always be considered a CA resident. So I guess I have that going for me . . . since I have lived out of state for the past 3.5 years.

Okay, those are all good things, all positives! My advice would be see how the remainder of this application season goes, if you do not get accepted anywhere try contacting the schools and see if they will offer you any feedback on your application.