EC activities post grad and Extra classes to take to boost GPA

[calli4591]

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I’ll be receiving my BS in nutrition science this coming June.

To be honest, my stats aren’t good. My cGPA will be about 2.3, I plan to retake all the prerequisite classes and get A’s to boost my GPA but I’m afraid it won’t be enough. WhAt are some other classes I could take to boost my GPA? Can I take medical terminology, kinesiology, nutrition etc classes to just booSt my pGPA? I want to have my last 60 credits to be 3.8-4.0 and I will be taking my GRE soon.

I’m looking to get my CSCS. Already CPR/AED certified and will be getting my first aid certification. I also have 3 PTs I’m working for and will probably be willing to write my letters of rec for me.

I also have 100 outpatient hours and working full time as a PT aide at 2 outpatient settings. Will be looking to gain observation hours at an inpatient Setting.

I didn’t participate in any extracurricular activities in school due to constantly working, is it too late to build my ec experience. If it’s not too late, what are some extracurricular activities should I look for to boost my application?

Please advise! Thank you!


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[freakinmeowt]

In regard to the GPA, a lot of programs have a minimum cGPA requirement (even if they don't look at cGPA or do a last 60 credit hours thing) due to being a part of the graduate school, so I'd definitely double check on that before you apply! Otherwise, plan on applying to last 60 cr hr schools or schools that don't even have a cGPA component. Just know that all schools will still be able to see your GPA, so you really have to prove to them in your upcoming coursework that you can excel academically. Also something to consider--some schools I applied to didn't love the fact that I took CC courses for my prereqs, but they said it was helpful that I took full course loads each semester instead of stringing them along. I don't know if that's possible for you to do (I ended up working part time again to go back to school), but what you need to do is establish that you aren't a risk essentially. What is your current last 60 cr hr GPA? If you retake your prereqs maybe you won't have to pad your GPA that much. Also, was your GPA consistent throughout the years, or was there a period where things were especially bad? PTCAS does have a section to explain if you don't feel that your academic record reflects your abilities.

Regarding ECs, PTCAS will also show your work endeavors so that will be helpful! It's not too late to add some ECs, but post-grad it will have to be more volunteer oriented things probably. I personally had 2 organizations I volunteered for post-grad (one with direct people interaction, and one in an admin position). However, I spent 3 years with one org and 2 years with another so I believe that showed I was committed to them. Try to find something hands on that you enjoy so that you have an additional experience to talk about in essays and at interviews.

Honestly, it sounds like getting into PT school will be a challenge for you, but it also sounds like school really needs to become a top priority if you continue this path. It will also be a lot of money and after you graduate, you'll only have loans available to you. My best advice is to research schools, find some that you would be eligible to get into, crunch some numbers, and make a plan. I've seen people on here apply to schools and then not get in anywhere because they don't even meet minimum GPA requirements. Don't be that person.