Extremely Competitive Year for DPT

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nismo13 said:
Impressive.

Just wondering why you decided against medicine and went towards PT? I've heard of PTs going back to school and into medicine but never a pre med switching to PT.

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I didn't know what I wanted to do during my undergraduate years. Afterwards, I put my foot down and said "I messed up during my undergraduate years. I want to take a post-bac to improve" and took the MCAT. Never ended up doing the post-bac after I discovered the rehab floor and PT.

I had to volunteer as well. After spending 200 hours on a the rehab nursing floor, and then 100 in surgery, and talking to all the doctors and nurses and PTs, I changed my mind. Sure, it's not as prestigious and I won't make as much money, but I simply enjoyed what PTs did a lot more. I feel the rewards of PTs are more tangible than as a doctor (unless you're a surgeon). What I mean by that is: I watch doctors shuttle from patient to patient, spending like 5 minutes with them. The PTs are the ones spending 1-2 hours a day with each patient, every day for weeks. A guy comes in from hip surgery, can't walk. Three weeks later, he's walking out the door on his own two feet. How satisfying is that? More satisfying to me than diagnosing a patient, writing out a prescription or treatment, and then telling the patient "see me in two weeks so I can see how you're doing."

PT for me is more human interaction and I enjoy that, as introverted as I am. I see doctors and nurses as a constant revolving door of patients going in and out and I am turned off by that.
 
Although this thread has turned into more of angry/bitter banter, I do understand where most people are coming from. However, I think it's more realistic to look at it from the school's perspective and what the easiest way for them to pick applicants is. They don't have time to interview every single person applying or read every single essay so I know for many schools they first have a "cut-off" for GPA/GRE and then move on to things like LOR's, essays, volunteer experiences, job shadowing experiences, etc. At my interview they told us "You're all here because we know you can succeed in PT school. Now is the time to decide if you're a good fit for the school and the profession". You have to be aware that your GPA/GRE scores are usually what get your foot in the door, regardless of how hard you think your classes were. Not to mention everyone has to take the same pre-req courses so it's not as though someone with an "easy" major skated by in every single class. The field of PT is changing and in order to shoulder more responsibility as professionals we have to maintain our standards, which starts with a rigorous admissions process.
 
josierita said:
Although this thread has turned into more of angry/bitter banter, I do understand where most people are coming from. However, I think it's more realistic to look at it from the school's perspective and what the easiest way for them to pick applicants is. They don't have time to interview every single person applying or read every single essay so I know for many schools they first have a "cut-off" for GPA/GRE and then move on to things like LOR's, essays, volunteer experiences, job shadowing experiences, etc. At my interview they told us "You're all here because we know you can succeed in PT school. Now is the time to decide if you're a good fit for the school and the profession". You have to be aware that your GPA/GRE scores are usually what get your foot in the door, regardless of how hard you think your classes were. Not to mention everyone has to take the same pre-req courses so it's not as though someone with an "easy" major skated by in every single class. The field of PT is changing and in order to shoulder more responsibility as professionals we have to maintain our standards, which starts with a rigorous admissions process.
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Very true. They told me the same thing when I went to interview this year as well.

I can get my foot in the door with the cuttoff, but its true - if I were the admissions committee, I'd choose that guy with the 3.5 over me with the 3.15. Mainly because I wouldn't want to risk my neck. Say the 3.5 guy does poorly. I can always say "well, I chose him because he looked better than the 3.15 guy on paper." But say I choose the 3.15 guy and then he ends up doing poorly. The responsibility falls more on me now since I chose that guy and now have to explain why I chose him over the 3.5 guy.
 
Can anyone help me with this? I was wondering where I should look to see what programs have what GPA/GRE requirements. I know the CAPTE site links to every program, but is there a one-stop resource out there (or book like Princeton Reviews "colleges" book) that lists every program and all the pertinent information (tuition, average GPA, GRE, etc) on a single page? Thanks!!
 
situational said:
Very true. They told me the same thing when I went to interview this year as well.

I can get my foot in the door with the cuttoff, but its true - if I were the admissions committee, I'd choose that guy with the 3.5 over me with the 3.15. Mainly because I wouldn't want to risk my neck. Say the 3.5 guy does poorly. I can always say "well, I chose him because he looked better than the 3.15 guy on paper." But say I choose the 3.15 guy and then he ends up doing poorly. The responsibility falls more on me now since I chose that guy and now have to explain why I chose him over the 3.5 guy.
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I do not know about other schools, but our interviews are blind with regard to GPA. The interview team does not know the applicants GPA, but they will have the applicant's essay. They are told that all applicants have the qualifications to enter PT school.
 
HughLee said:
I do not know about other schools, but our interviews are blind with regard to GPA. The interview team does not know the applicants GPA, but they will have the applicant's essay. They are told that all applicants have the qualifications to enter PT school.
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That's reassuring to know next time I go into an interview. However, even the step before that - someone had to have made the final decision on who gets an interview and who doesn't, and that decision will most likely come down to GPA/GRE, correct?
 
situational said:
That's reassuring to know next time I go into an interview. However, even the step before that - someone had to have made the final decision on who gets an interview and who doesn't, and that decision will most likely come down to GPA/GRE, correct?
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A qualified yes.

We rank applicants who are have not taken courses at our university by GPA, and then interview them based on GPA and meeting our requirements. This year the cut-off is currently 3.37. We currently do not look at GRE, but we are considering it.

We interview all applicants from our university if they have a GPA of 3.0 or higher. They also receive some points based on how many credits they earned here. The rationale is that we know the applicant and we know the academic rigor of their courses. We also have an early entrance program for high school students.
 
situational said:
Stop thinking I am acting so entitled. If you look down this forum, you'll see I made a thread where I asked for help to improve my GPA and my application as a whole. I came into this thread because I wanted to contribute to the discussion because I have experienced and have also considered the reasons why people are upset, and your post stuck out because it was very condescending. You still didn't address the main issue I brought up. What do you do when someone realizes they can game the system after undergrad before they go to undergrad, and take an easier major to begin with? I don't mind the people who genuinely loved their majors. I am concerned with people like Jason.

No one said I should get better treatment than the person who took water-weaving. But the fact of the matter is that he did not ever have to deal with courses that will bring down his or her GPA. You say just retake courses, so easy. It's so easy! You're right. I had to. I had to retake my linear algebra course because the first time I got a D. The second time I got an A. Why the hell do I even need linear algebra for my degree? Does PT care I had to take linear algebra? No, they don't care that I finally got an A in it, but the D brought down my GPA nonetheless, and that's what they see.

It's so easy for me to retake these courses at community colleges! I only live in a bankrupt state and have to petition with thirty people to get into a class of thirty. We don't even have summer school here this year because we're broke. Are you just going to tell me to get up and move to another area so I can have easier access to retake courses? Your words may be true, but being in a situation where it's simply not feasible to retake courses and I must find other avenues to improve my application in hopes they see past my numbers just makes me upset while you sit there on your throne laughing at the rest of us.

Also to dispel your delusions of me, I received a 162/161/5.0 on my GREs.

Also for another example, back when I was considering taking a post-bac program to apply to medical school (I dont want to do medicine anymore), I took the MCAT to get it out of the way. I got a 36R just brushing up on stuff that I learned over the summer. But according to my GPA, I'm an absolute **** student and I couldn't and didn't learn anything, right?
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I'm just going to have to try another approach and format.

No one questioned your intelligence. My major and GRE reference was pretty general. To your impression that I implied that you did not learn anything - what?! I was questioning your effort. So my "delusion" of you did not exist. You're far smarter than I. However, there are political science and communication majors with your GRE scores - should schools look over their applications for a lower GPA science majors? Some do. Some don't. Depends on the program and individual adcoms. Did you inquire about who does and who does not? Did you look into programs that will overlook your GPA for your your GRE scores? If not, I'm raising an eyebrow. 😉 With that said, you should not have an issue gaining admittance unless you're being picky.

You ask that I stop thinking that you're acting entitled. Yet, you keep pointing fingers to those who did not do this or that as you "had" to. You say you ask for no preferential treatment, but immediately point to those afterwords who did not have to take more rigorous courses than you. Like them doing so meant they "gamed" the system. Why would you do that, if not to point out something you would like made tangible?
As for "gaming" the system... I ignored it because IMHO it is a very immature way of looking at life. Something that I believe can only be learned through further life exposure. To me, this is okay, because you seem young and haven't realized that people are naturally opportunists. Being an opportunist does not mean they are cheating the system. But since you brought it up again, I'll offer my opinion.

It's hard to say that anyone 'gamed' the system. Let's look at PT and other health related programs in general. Each program usually requires a set of prerequisites (including if CC courses are okay). Each program outlines other requirements and preferences. If you meet said program's cut offs, you're deemed eligible. Its a simple system. Anyone who meets these cutoffs did not 'game' anything. Everyone played by the same given rules. There are barriers to professional programs. Its up to the students on how they want to overcome these barriers and "the path of least resistance" is not vs. the rules or prohibited.

Finally, stop comparing yourself to your buddy. Your friend joined a large firm and like many large banking firms they will overlook your background is as long as you have an accredited degree. Why? Take this as a grain of salt, but speaking from experience, top banking firms want their entry levels to know very little on how they operate so that they can be fed through their training pipeline to do things their way. I doubt your buddy was given any major accounts until this was done, assuming he even obtained an accounting/finance position.
 
SalwaGirl said:
Can anyone help me with this? I was wondering where I should look to see what programs have what GPA/GRE requirements. I know the CAPTE site links to every program, but is there a one-stop resource out there (or book like Princeton Reviews "colleges" book) that lists every program and all the pertinent information (tuition, average GPA, GRE, etc) on a single page? Thanks!!
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Absolutely, www.PTCAS.org has all the information you're looking for. Go to Program Directory, and there is a page for each school. I don't think there is a spreadsheet-ish page like you're wanting, but it's a great resource.
 
Azimuthal said:
I'm just going to have to try another approach and format.

No one questioned your intelligence. My major and GRE reference was pretty general. To your impression that I implied that you did not learn anything - what?! I was questioning your effort. So my "delusion" of you did not exist. You're far smarter than I. However, there are political science and communication majors with your GRE scores - should schools look over their applications for a lower GPA science majors? Some do. Some don't. Depends on the program and individual adcoms. Did you inquire about who does and who does not? Did you look into programs that will overlook your GPA for your your GRE scores? If not, I'm raising an eyebrow. 😉 With that said, you should not have an issue gaining admittance unless you're being picky.

You ask that I stop thinking that you're acting entitled. Yet, you keep pointing fingers to those who did not do this or that as you "had" to. You say you ask for no preferential treatment, but immediately point to those afterwords who did not have to take more rigorous courses than you. Like them doing so meant they "gamed" the system. Why would you do that, if not to point out something you would like made tangible?
As for "gaming" the system... I ignored it because IMHO it is a very immature way of looking at life. Something that I believe can only be learned through further life exposure. To me, this is okay, because you seem young and haven't realized that people are naturally opportunists. Being an opportunist does not mean they are cheating the system. But since you brought it up again, I'll offer my opinion.

It's hard to say that anyone 'gamed' the system. Let's look at PT and other health related programs in general. Each program usually requires a set of prerequisites (including if CC courses are okay). Each program outlines other requirements and preferences. If you meet said program's cut offs, you're deemed eligible. Its a simple system. Anyone who meets these cutoffs did not 'game' anything. Everyone played by the same given rules. There are barriers to professional programs. Its up to the students on how they want to overcome these barriers and "the path of least resistance" is not vs. the rules or prohibited.

Finally, stop comparing yourself to your buddy. Your friend joined a large firm and like many large banking firms they will overlook your background is as long as you have an accredited degree. Why? Take this as a grain of salt, but speaking from experience, top banking firms want their entry levels to know very little on how they operate so that they can be fed through their training pipeline to do things their way. I doubt your buddy was given any major accounts until this was done, assuming he even obtained an accounting/finance position.
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I would hardly say I am being picky. I applied to over twenty DPT programs. It could have been more, but like someone with $100 going to the mall shopping, I had to apply to the programs that I could feel sure I could actually complete the requirements in time, given how impacted the community college system is. Luckily for me, this past semester I finished the remainder of the prerequisites. It took me about two years to sneak my way into four courses. I don't even want to think about how hard it would be to grab a spot for say, General Chemistry to boost my B to a B+ or A-. In the end, I am waitlisted for one program, and had an interview with another. Everything was was a no-go.

Let's take a straight A basket-weaving student who did also did well in the prerequisite courses and put him against a straight B pre-med student. He got Bs in the prerequisites as well. But he also took upper division biology courses and received Bs in those, and so he has a 3.0 GPA in both overall and prereqs. May he or she be have a stronger background in the sciences because of it? Possibly. Can you honestly say that the basket weaver has put in more effort because he or she is the one with the As and that the pre-med did not put in the effort and thus got a B? Both make the GPA cutoff. But it's hard to determine who would succeed better in a DPT program, no? Who is more qualified? However, the issue bnwj89 (yes, it is another person entirely whose words sparked our conversation, haha) was trying to make is that in the end, the basket weaver will be chosen more often than not, and the fact that it does makes some people question why the system works the way it does.

With that being said, do you really want an opportunist enrolled in a program that ultimately prepares people to take care of other people? Why do we live in a world where being an opportunist is seen as "oh well, suck it up if you decide to play fair" and is a simple fact of life now?

My friend is an opportunist. Makes sense that he was an investment banker and now in private equity. He finishes his assignment, and the next week in the news five hundred people are laid off partly due to him. If opportunists belong anywhere, it's in law and in finances and banking, not in health care field.
 
In response to the comments made by situational, I would agree with Azimuthal in your dilemma. I was not a pre med major at my accredited 4 year university. I was studying education because it was something that I enjoyed and still enjoy doing. To say that a a pre med student that gets all Bs is better off in a DPT program than the so called "basket weaver" is a false belief.
In my case, I was the basket weaver and decided I would like to help children in a different way. This idea came very clear to me after observing a PT in the school setting work with students that have physical disabilities. I decided that I would look into this field of study and do some research on what it takes to get in. I came to the conclusion that I needed to take more science courses, and that is what I spent my last two extra years of undergraduate school taking. I even took Physics 1 and 2 in one summer session, and ended up with an A and B! I see no reason why a basket weaver like me couldn't perform to the same standards that a pre med student could.

So before you make false claims about individuals that you know nothing about, please think before you type. I was wait listed at my top two school choices , but you don't see me waiving my finger around blaming the system.

Just my $.02

Thanks
 
s402651 said:
In response to the comments made by situational, I would agree with Azimuthal in your dilemma. I was not a pre med major at my accredited 4 year university. I was studying education because it was something that I enjoyed and still enjoy doing. To say that a a pre med student that gets all Bs is better off in a DPT program than the so called "basket weaver" is a false belief.
In my case, I was the basket weaver and decided I would like to help children in a different way. This idea came very clear to me after observing a PT in the school setting work with students that have physical disabilities. I decided that I would look into this field of study and do some research on what it takes to get in. I came to the conclusion that I needed to take more science courses, and that is what I spent my last two extra years of undergraduate school taking. I even took Physics 1 and 2 in one summer session, and ended up with an A and B! I see no reason why a basket weaver like me couldn't perform to the same standards that a pre med student could.

So before you make false claims about individuals that you know nothing about, please think before you type. I was wait listed at my top two school choices , but you don't see me waiving my finger around blaming the system.

Just my $.02

Thanks
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You know, I have no qualms against you. The major takeaway from my posts is that I am concerned about the people that take easier majors not because they enjoy them, but because it's the easiest way and the path of least resistance, to a better GPA and to better things after undergrad. I dislike people with that kind of intent.

You obviously don't fall into that category. I hope you get into your DPT programs, because you seem like a nice person. I like to teach as well (taught English as a volunteer ESL teacher for fun).
 
You mentioned that you asked the forum for help. Seems like you took an opportunity to me, no? By your reasoning or lack of understanding, you just ruled yourself out of healthcare. Are you a physics major? How about nuclear engineering? (I can't believe I had to break that down) No? Looks like you took other opportunities that you believed benefited your end goal at the time. There were many opportunities thrown your way also. You either took one route or another. I'm now going to call BS on that GRE score of yours.

Do you also see how ridiculous "what if" questions are? There is no way to tell. I'm astounded by your reasoning - from a scientist at that. My problem with you is that you seem to believe that anyone who didn't take the routes you took are somehow gaming a system. A system that has well defined rules. How are you so sure you would have gotten better grades than these other students should they have gone further into the sciences? How do you know how much effort they will put forth going that route? You don't. Your level of arrogance is amazing.

Your buddy took the opportunity to make more money and the BYPRODUCT was that hundreds lost their jobs (hint hint). I don't know your friend's situation but I'm going to call BS on this guy also. You don't seem to like him but he's your buddy? Hmmm...

6/10
 
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Listen, Azimuthal. Situational is angry that he (or she) got excluded this time around. He's looking to take out his frustration on someone or something and the object of his ire is all of the people who got what he wanted so badly - to get into PT school. It's much easier to tear others down or rail against an unjust system than to face the fact that your best efforts came up short.

As others have said, though, Situational, you need to focus on what you can do from this point forward to make your application amazing in all of the ways you can control. Let your goal - getting into specific schools - guide your efforts and dictate whether you've done enough. You can't change the past, but you can do everything in your power from here on out.

And to share a personal anecdote. I was a philosophy major as an undergrad (not easy, by any means, but definitely not as time-intensive as a major in the sciences) and went to graduate school without a clear love for my profession. I dropped out after one year and that alone terrified me for years as I began to prepare my PT applications. In some ways, I "failed" at the graduate level and I feared that that would be a black spot on my record that I simply couldn't erase. I became a personal trainer and realized that that wasn't quite right either and finally zeroed in on PT. But I hadn't taken any of the prerequisite courses. So a year in advance I managed to book a full course-load from halfway across the country in one of the most cash-strapped CC's in CA, SBCC. I worked my bloody ass off, contacted CA volunteering sites 6 months in advance to ensure that I could stay on the proper timeline and did everything I could to add to my extracirricular activities. I sucked and was a graduate-level failure but I got work done. I might have been "lucky" to have been able to take all my pre-reqs at a CC, but I worked very hard to get to where I am ... and succeeded. Hard work isn't always the answer, but it's a pretty powerful weapon.

I know you'll do more, work harder, and ultimately succeed. Just please stop being angry at so many people.
 
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Nailey13 said:
Listen, Azimuthal. Situational is angry that he (or she) got excluded this time around. He's looking to take out his frustration on someone or something and the object of his ire is all of the people who got what he wanted so badly - to get into PT school. It's much easier to tear others down or rail against an unjust system than to face the fact that your best efforts came up short.

As others have said, though, Situational, you need to focus on what you can do from this point forward to make your application amazing in all of the ways you can control. Let your goal - getting into specific schools - guide your efforts and dictate whether you've done enough. You can't change the past, but you can do everything in your power from here on out.

And to share a personal anecdote. I was a philosophy major as an undergrad (not easy, by any means, but definitely not as time-intensive as a major in the sciences) and went to graduate school without a clear love for my profession. I dropped out after one year and that alone terrified me for years as I began to prepare my PT applications. In some ways, I "failed" at the graduate level and I feared that that would be a black spot on my record that I simply couldn't erase. I became a personal trainer and realized that that wasn't quite right either and finally zeroed in on PT. But I hadn't taken any of the prerequisite courses. So a year in advance I managed to book a full course-load from halfway across the country in one of the most cash-strapped CC's in CA, SBCC. I worked my bloody ass off, contacted CA volunteering sites 6 months in advance to ensure that I could stay on the proper timeline and did everything I could to add to my extracirricular activities. I sucked and was a graduate-level failure but I got work done. I might have been "lucky" to have been able to take all my pre-reqs at a CC, but I worked very hard to get to where I am ... and succeeded. Hard work isn't always the answer, but it's a pretty powerful weapon.

I know you'll do more, work harder, and ultimately succeed. Just please stop being angry at so many people.
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It's almost mind boggling how s/he considers one route "playing fair" while others "gamed" a system, even though the rules were set before anyone chose their own path. Or the distaste for opportunists or those who chose a "path of least resistance?" The horse is high under this one. But I shouldn't look that direction assuming any entitlement at all. I can take a valid and sound argument, but lack there of, WOW.

On another note, I took a Spanish class at SBCC! Haha... OBTW congrats on ArmyBaylor. I've heard nothing but great things about that program. Branch? This old man is going back Navy after, I like the uniforms better 😉. Also, can't beat the benefits.
 
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Thanks, Azimuthal. I'm joining through the Army.
 
Azimuthal said:
You mentioned that you asked the forum for help. Seems like you took an opportunity to me, no? By your reasoning or lack of understanding, you just ruled yourself out of healthcare. Are you a physics major? How about nuclear engineering? (I can't believe I had to break that down) No? Looks like you took other opportunities that you believed benefited your end goal at the time. There were many opportunities thrown your way also. You either took one route or another. I'm now going to call BS on that GRE score of yours.

Do you also see how ridiculous "what if" questions are? There is no way to tell. I'm astounded by your reasoning - from a scientist at that. My problem with you is that you seem to believe that anyone who didn't take the routes you took are somehow gaming a system. A system that has well defined rules. How are you so sure you would have gotten better grades than these other students should they have gone further into the sciences? How do you know how much effort they will put forth going that route? You don't. Your level of arrogance is amazing.

Your buddy took the opportunity to make more money and the BYPRODUCT was that hundreds lost their jobs (hint hint). I don't know your friend's situation but I'm going to call BS on this guy also. You don't seem to like him but he's your buddy? Hmmm...

6/10
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Yep, I'm going to post a thread asking for help on how to improve my application for the next cycle and give people completely false information. Brilliant mind you have there, Watson. You want proof, you got it.

http://i.imgur.com/SDKAlL8.jpg

And if you would look the time posted, I posted that thread asking for help before I even stumbled onto this thread. I was genuinely trying to improve my own application before all else.

I guess I'll take your own advice

"The take home message is to work hard, stop comparing yourself to others and make things happen. "

and then you can turn around and call me an opportunist as well. Maybe you don't understand that the difference between someone liking to teach and teaching for a few years before changing his or her mind (this I don't mind) compared with planning to get all As in education and then immediately taking community college courses for the graduate school of his or her choice (this I do mind) is the intent. Seems to me that you're continuously ignoring the most important concern I have and assuming that I am referring to everyone who has a non-science degree when I say I think people are gaming the system. I am not.
 
situational said:
Yep, I'm going to post a thread asking for help on how to improve my application for the next cycle and give people completely false information. Brilliant mind you have there, Watson. You want proof, you got it.

http://i.imgur.com/SDKAlL8.jpg

And if you would look the time posted, I posted that thread asking for help before I even stumbled onto this thread. I was genuinely trying to improve my own application before all else.

I guess I'll take your own advice

"The take home message is to work hard, stop comparing yourself to others and make things happen. "

and then you can turn around and call me an opportunist as well. Maybe you don't understand that the difference between someone liking to teach and teaching for a few years before changing his or her mind (this I don't mind) compared with planning to get all As in education and then immediately taking community college courses for the graduate school of his or her choice (this I do mind) is the intent. Seems to me that you're continuously ignoring the most important concern I have and assuming that I am referring to everyone who has a non-science degree when I say I think people are gaming the system. I am not.
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Everyone has to just chill. Its a Friday night, go out and have a brew and watch some hockey like I'm doing..lol But seriously, improve your GPA if that is possible. If not, I an sure you will get in next cycle if you don't get in this cycle. You will be more successful if you apply broadly to schools that weigh the GRE heavily and are more lenient with low GPAs. Furthermore, everything you posted about not wanting to become a doctor and why you like PT should definitely go into your essay.

I had an average GRE, decent GPA, but I had a very strong essay and LORS. I got into 3 schools, wait listed at 2, and rejected by 1. You can do it, I wish you the best of luck.



Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk 2
 
nismo13 said:
Everyone has to just chill. Its a Friday night, go out and have a brew and watch some hockey like I'm doing..lol But seriously, improve your GPA if that is possible. If not, I an sure you will get in next cycle if you don't get in this cycle. You will be more successful if you apply broadly to schools that weigh the GRE heavily and are more lenient with low GPAs. Furthermore, everything you posted about not wanting to become a doctor and why you like PT should definitely go into your essay.

I had an average GRE, decent GPA, but I had a very strong essay and LORS. I got into 3 schools, wait listed at 2, and rejected by 1. You can do it, I wish you the best of luck.



Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk 2
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Pffft. Knowing him, he's going to say it's a fake and that I spent all this time and effort to maintain some sort of facade. The pixels, man. Look at them.

I would love to improve my GPA. But I cannot. At the beginning of this semester, I went to all the nearby community colleges and classes that I could possibly sit in for to petition to retake my Chemistry classes. No dice. Too many people are going to community college now because of how expensive tuition is in California.

What I can improve on, however, as people pointed out in the GPA thread, is my volunteer experiences. I apparently put all my hours into one outpatient clinic. Right now I am trying to balance them out by driving around (just came back, actually) to nearby clinics to see if they would take a student to observe/volunteer a couple hours a week, at places such as aquatic/orthopedic clinics so I would have a more diverse range of observation experiences. This way I can also perhaps obtain several more sources of LoR, since the PT I volunteered under was a Taiwanese immigrant and had questionable English.

So there are things I am currently actively trying to improve on my application, since I have about half a year before the next cycle. Fixing my GPA seems out of reach though, and I am actually okay with that (3.15/3.11). What got on my nerves was the way Azimuthal, self-proclaimed jerk, responded to people who I felt had legit concerns, and I felt that I had to say something about it, and it blew up into a huge argument on a public forum.

Thanks for the advice, btw. I definitely intend to talk about why I chose PT over MD more. I talked about it in my interview, but it wasn't my main area of focus in my essay though I touched upon it briefly.
 
situational,
I'm not that petty. You mad, bro?
 
this is great entertainment

tCp90.gif
 
Azimuthal said:
situational,
I'm not that petty. You mad, bro?
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You called me out for faking my numbers, I proved you wrong. I'm actually far from mad right now after seeing your kind of response devolving down to this.
 
situational said:
You called me out for faking my numbers, I proved you wrong. I'm actually far from mad right now after seeing your kind of response devolving down to this.
Click to expand...

I don't need to be right all the time, especially for a call out. It simply doesn't bother me. As I said, I'm not that petty. I made my points, I'm "Watson" after all. You brought nothing new to debate so I simply had nothing more to say. People will make their own judgement after reading the conversation and your ridiculous claims.
 
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pubicsymphysis said:
hehe. whenever i refresh this website, the first thing i look for is either Azimuthal or Situational postings. Enjoying my Starbucks black tea while reading this thread.
Click to expand...

You should try a dirty chai, x2 shots. Delicious.
 
pubicsymphysis said:
hehe. whenever i refresh this website, the first thing i look for is either Azimuthal or Situational postings. Enjoying my Starbucks black tea while reading this thread.
Click to expand...

Glad you were at least entertained! I think it has simmered down, though. I just feel a bit remorseful for having a hand in offing one of the more read and active threads. I just imagine this big long awkward silence, while someone tries to revive it again.
 
LOL wow, this definitely is entertaining. I think everything has already been said but I was definitely like Nicole for a while there :corny: lol
 
bnwj89 said:
Absolutely, www.PTCAS.org has all the information you're looking for. Go to Program Directory, and there is a page for each school. I don't think there is a spreadsheet-ish page like you're wanting, but it's a great resource.
Click to expand...

FOR SPREAD SHEET go to this web site http://www.capteonline.org/apta/directories/accreditedschools.aspx?navID=10737421958&site=capte on capte on the bottom is another link " admission requirements for programs"" that brings up a pdf file of all the programs and their stats. Its 4 pages you can copy to your desk top for future reference........I can't cc to share.

info is from 6/ 2012 there is also a link on the PDF for PTCAS programs. whats missing is a comparison chart for tuition / fees.............lol
 
Wow what a thread this has become since my last post. I enjoyed reading all ur strongly opinionated posts. While I agree w/most of you and some maybe not so much...
Thanks for the feedback!
 
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Brooxmom said:
Maybe you should concentrate on schools that might not get the high percentage of applications. My daughter has her acceptance to Wayne State and I think she told me they only got 120 applications. At the interview they told her that they get a bad rap for being in the heart of Detroit, but she was very impressed with their program and loved the staff. She is wait-listed at 2 other schools in Michigan, so she's still waiting on those yet. Don't write a school off because they aren't ranked super high or because they aren't in the most desirable location. I really think every program is what you make it to be. There are schools out there that aren't getting the high number of applications you are describing, you just have to find them.
Click to expand...

I just got accepted there at the end of January as well! I remember they telling us that in the interview as well, but getting to meet the staff and viewing the facility at the interview made me set my heart on Wayne. It looks like a great program and I'm really excited. Hopefully your daughter and I will be in the same class!
 
Litlwarrior08 said:
FOR SPREAD SHEET go to this web site http://www.capteonline.org/apta/directories/accreditedschools.aspx?navID=10737421958&site=capte on capte on the bottom is another link " admission requirements for programs"" that brings up a pdf file of all the programs and their stats. Its 4 pages you can copy to your desk top for future reference........I can't cc to share.

info is from 6/ 2012 there is also a link on the PDF for PTCAS programs. whats missing is a comparison chart for tuition / fees.............lol
Click to expand...

Thanks so much to both Litlwarrior and bnwj! I love this forum! 😛
 
mitherapy said:
My #1 choice turned me down because all they are looking at to determine admission is GPA and gre. They don't have interviews and there is no special essay and try also don't require observation hours.

I was rejected 2 years from this University& I'm an alumni too. I'd say my GPA is not too bad, around 3.2-3.3 depending on ptcas/pre req...

But here's what upsets me the most. I have thousands of observation hours in over 3 different practice settings. And to know others who got into my top school w/ no observation hours, no people skills, and no real idea of the profession upsets me & is driving me insane.

Here's me venting now:
Anybody can be a robot & exclusively focus on academics only....making 4.0s throughout their undergrad.

But what about the students who held full time jobs, worked all undergrad in multiple PT settings, volunteer many hours for various community programs, participated in research and explored/shadowed all fields of healthcare? No chance. I'm furious w/ all the instate DPT programs & it worries me to hear when someone w/ a business degree (or any random degree), with no experience gets into a program simply because they have a 4.0.

😒
Click to expand...


Wow quoted for truth.
 
oh sorry didn't realize that agreeing with someone else's post automatically made me a troll. Maybe they should post that in the forum rules somewhere.
 
You revived a contentious thread not to provide any new insight or elaborate on points made, but to simply "quote for truth." I stand by my initial claim. Troll.
 
Im sorry are you a moderator here? If not then pull the stick out of your ass and move it along. You are clearly not adding anything of value to this thread either.
 
prodigiousflame said:
Im sorry are you a moderator here? If not then pull the stick out of your ass and move it along. You are clearly not adding anything of value to this thread either.
Click to expand...

LOL you mad bro? You seem to be the one with the stick up the ass! . :roflcopter:
 
I was really hoping this thread was dead.... lol

Sent from my DROID3 using SDN Mobile
 
uh oh! looks like im back at starbucks, waiting for my entertainment to start.
 
I fully expect this thread to be active for the next application cycle...I'll bump it if I have too! 😀
 
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