GPA's, GRE's, XTRA's, ACCEPTANCES

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I had 3 strong letters of rec from professors and my TA at the Center of Excellence, however I didn't get a letter of rec from a DPT so I'm guessing that affected my application? I'm seriously frustrated that I haven't been accepted anywhere and the wait with Chapman is agonizing!!!

Why no LOR from the 80 hours of outpatient observation? This is a glaring red flag to any admissions committee.

From my quick checking of the schools you applied to I found the following: Loma Linda has a firm requirement of 20 inpatient observation hours, which it doesn't look like you have. Interesting that they interviewed you anyway. The other schools don't have an official requirement for inpatient hours, but variety of observation hours is strongly encouraged by all of them. Also, Puget Sound has a firm requirement of a LOR from a PT, which you don't have. The other schools don't technically require a LOR from a PT, but a couple of them "strongly suggest" that you get one, and all of them would certainly like to see one.

No PT LOR is a complete and total app killer, and no inpatient hours is more or less an app killer at many schools. I wouldn't bother re-applying until you have both of these things in hand. And you applied to at least one school (Puget Sound) where you were not even eligible for consideration. The University of Washington is also one of the most competitive PT schools in the country and they appear to have an "unofficial requirement" for a PT LOR. Getting accepted to the Pacific Northwest schools in general is highly competitive.

Your grades are fine, your GRE score could use some improvement though. Getting your V & Q scores up by about 6 or 7 points each would definitely help your cause. You school selection also wasn't great, as described above. This was obviously your biggest problem. If you have to re-apply, maybe bump up number of schools you apply to up to around 10, and do your homework to find some schools at which it looks like your app will be competitive. If you can stomach the cost, the less prominent east-coast expansion private schools in the inter-mountain west are relatively easy to get in to (eg. Touro in Nevada, Franklin Pierce in AZ). You're already applying to equally expensive schools anyway.

Sorry if this sounds harsh, I am not trying to be. Just trying to help you out for your re-application, if it comes to that. Who knows, you may very well get in at Chapman at the last minute.
 
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From my quick checking of the schools you applied to I found the following: Loma Linda has a firm requirement of 20 inpatient observation hours, which it doesn't look like you have. Interesting that they interviewed you anyway. The other schools don't have an official requirement for inpatient hours, but variety of observation hours is strongly encouraged by all of them. Also, Puget Sound has a firm requirement of a LOR from a PT, which you don't have. The other schools don't technically require a LOR from a PT, but a couple of them "strongly suggest" that you get one, and all of them would certainly like to see one.

No PT LOR is a complete and total app killer, and no inpatient hours is almost an app killer at many schools. And you applied to at least one school (Puget Sound) where you were not even eligible for consideration. The University of Washington is also one of the most competitive PT schools in the country and they appear to have an "unofficial requirement" for a PT LOR. Getting accepted to the Pacific Northwest schools in general is highly competitive.

Your grades are fine, your GRE score could use some improvement though. Getting your V & Q scores up by about 6 or 7 points each would definitely help your cause. You school selection also wasn't great, as described above. This was obviously your biggest problem.

Sorry if this sounds harsh, I am not trying to be. Just trying to help you out for your re-application, if it comes to that. Who knows, you may very well get in at Chapman at the last minute.

In addition to what this awesome man just spoke of.... make sure to research each school you plan on applying and that you meet their minimum requirements and then some. There's no point in applying to any school that you're not even eligible for because you'll just be wasting money. And we all know that it's not cheap applying to any these PT schools. (>_<) Unless you're okay with the spray and pray method. LOL!
 
From my quick checking of the schools you applied to I found the following: Loma Linda has a firm requirement of 20 inpatient observation hours, which it doesn't look like you have. Interesting that they interviewed you anyway. The other schools don't have an official requirement for inpatient hours, but variety of observation hours is strongly encouraged by all of them. Also, Puget Sound has a firm requirement of a LOR from a PT, which you don't have. The other schools don't technically require a LOR from a PT, but a couple of them "strongly suggest" that you get one, and all of them would certainly like to see one.

No PT LOR is a complete and total app killer, and no inpatient hours is almost an app killer at many schools. I wouldn't bother re-applying until you have both of these things in hand. And you applied to at least one school (Puget Sound) where you were not even eligible for consideration. The University of Washington is also one of the most competitive PT schools in the country and they appear to have an "unofficial requirement" for a PT LOR. Getting accepted to the Pacific Northwest schools in general is highly competitive.

Your grades are fine, your GRE score could use some improvement though. Getting your V & Q scores up by about 6 or 7 points each would definitely help your cause. You school selection also wasn't great, as described above. This was obviously your biggest problem. If you have to re-apply, maybe bump up number of schools you apply to up to around 10, and do your homework to find some schools at which it looks like your app will be competitive. If you can stomach the cost, the less prominent east-coast expansion private schools in the inter-mountain west are relatively easy to get in to (eg. Touro in Nevada, Franklin Pierce in AZ).

Sorry if this sounds harsh, I am not trying to be. Just trying to help you out for your re-application, if it comes to that. Who knows, you may very well get in at Chapman at the last minute.
Outstanding. The only thing I would add is to research the schools that you apply for to make sure you meet their qualifications. I see soooo many people on here that apply to schools and waste money because they do not meet the minimum qualifications to get accepted. Researching programs is one of the most important steps in the application process.
 
In addition to what this awesome man just spoke of.... make sure to research each school you plan on applying and that you meet their minimum requirements and then some. There's no point in applying to any school that you're not even eligible for because you'll just be wasting money. And we all know that it's not cheap applying to any these PT schools. (>_<) Unless you're okay with the spray and pray method. LOL!
I should've just waited a couple more more minutes before posting LOL 🙂
 
Hey everyone! Just wanted to throw a quick update out there. I wound up selecting Emory, so there's at least one more seat open at IUPUI, UIndy, and WashU. Good luck to all!
 
Why no LOR from the 80 hours of outpatient observation? This is a glaring red flag to any admissions committee.

From my quick checking of the schools you applied to I found the following: Loma Linda has a firm requirement of 20 inpatient observation hours, which it doesn't look like you have. Interesting that they interviewed you anyway. The other schools don't have an official requirement for inpatient hours, but variety of observation hours is strongly encouraged by all of them. Also, Puget Sound has a firm requirement of a LOR from a PT, which you don't have. The other schools don't technically require a LOR from a PT, but a couple of them "strongly suggest" that you get one, and all of them would certainly like to see one.

No PT LOR is a complete and total app killer, and no inpatient hours is more or less an app killer at many schools. I wouldn't bother re-applying until you have both of these things in hand. And you applied to at least one school (Puget Sound) where you were not even eligible for consideration. The University of Washington is also one of the most competitive PT schools in the country and they appear to have an "unofficial requirement" for a PT LOR. Getting accepted to the Pacific Northwest schools in general is highly competitive.

Your grades are fine, your GRE score could use some improvement though. Getting your V & Q scores up by about 6 or 7 points each would definitely help your cause. You school selection also wasn't great, as described above. This was obviously your biggest problem. If you have to re-apply, maybe bump up number of schools you apply to up to around 10, and do your homework to find some schools at which it looks like your app will be competitive. If you can stomach the cost, the less prominent east-coast expansion private schools in the inter-mountain west are relatively easy to get in to (eg. Touro in Nevada, Franklin Pierce in AZ). You're already applying to equally expensive schools anyway.

Sorry if this sounds harsh, I am not trying to be. Just trying to help you out for your re-application, if it comes to that. Who knows, you may very well get in at Chapman at the last minute.

Thank you for double checking all of this information for me sir, I appreciate it. This being my first time applying to DPT programs I was clearly unaware of how competitive the Pacific Northwest schools have become or all the DPT programs for that matter, so I definitely put myself at a disadvantage by not applying more broadly. I'm originally from Washington state but I never imagined each school would be getting over 1,000 applications this cycle! To answer your question about why no PT LOR, the place I volunteered at had just hired this PT and assigned him the role of "volunteer coordinator" and lets just say the guy hated it and was not very nice in general. When I emailed him to ask for my total number of hours and if he would be willing to write me the LOR he never replied. I had to call the clinic to find out my hours from the receptionist and the other PTs who I interacted with said he was the only one who could write LORs which was weird to me. I think I made the mistake of volunteering a year before applying so he probably didn't remember me. Now I know that I need to put in a lot more hours in diverse settings and keep in touch with the PT in order to get the LOR. 🙁 LLU didn't mention the lack of inpatient hours during my interview, in fact the interview went extremely well and when I got the rejection letter I called to ask why I hadn't been accepted. The girl said everything in my application looked great, but they received over 1,000 interview which is a first for their program and the average GPA for accepted students was 3.7 so I was just under the "average". Very disappointing to say the least. I agree my GRE scores could also be better. I don't know if I wan to reapply, it seems like the field is highly saturated right now. Thank you for the pointers. 🙂
 
Outstanding. The only thing I would add is to research the schools that you apply for to make sure you meet their qualifications. I see soooo many people on here that apply to schools and waste money because they do not meet the minimum qualifications to get accepted. Researching programs is one of the most important steps in the application process.
Agree. It was a total waste of time applying to some of the programs I chose. 🙁
 
This being my first time applying to DPT programs I was clearly unaware of how competitive the Pacific Northwest schools have become or all the DPT programs for that matter, so I definitely put myself at a disadvantage by not applying more broadly. I'm originally from Washington state but I never imagined each school would be getting over 1,000 applications this cycle!

Sounds like you didn't quite do your homework. But you've certainly learned you lesson the hard way, I wish you luck in your future endeavors. This forum will always be here to provide you all the good advice you'll need.
 
Congrats to everyone who has gotten into schools!!! I've been off the thread for awhile but omg it's so exciting!! aahhh!!

I have an update for you all 🙂 ACCEPTANCE!!! YAYYY :clap:

University
: University of Maryland, College Park
Major: Cell Biology and Genetics, Minor in Human Development
Cumulative GPA: 3.24
Pre-Req GPA: 3.47 (PTCAS)
GRE: V 155, Q 155, AW 4.5

Extracurriculars: Kappa Phi Lambda (Minor and Exec board positions), involved in a lot of church stuff (worship leader, teen counselor, activities supervisor), research assistant for the Smith school at UMD, etc.

Experience: Outpatient Ortho PT (200+ hours, working as a tech), Inpatient hospital (25 hours)

Applied: University of Maryland Baltimore, UMES, GWU, Shenandoah, Marymount, UNC Chapel Hill, Franklin Pierce (NH), Duquesne, Loma Linda, U of Southern California, Western U, Azusa Pacific

Interviews: Loma Linda (Skype 12/14), Shenandoah (12/16), GWU (1/22), Western U (2/18 - declined)

Rejections: Azusa Pacific, UMBaltimore, UMES, Marymount, UNC Chapel Hill, Loma Linda

Acceptances: Shenandoah University (12/29 - Deposit sent), Franklin Pierce University - NH (2/6 - declined) George Washington University!!!!!!!! (4/8)


OMG IM SO EXCITED!!!
I cant believe I didn't get into some other schools but I got into GW. But now i'm facing a bit of dilemma, and I need all the opinions I can have in order to make the decision between Shenandoah and GW. I am leaning towards Shenandoah because the overall cost is so much cheaper (a 40k difference) and the PTs that I work with are saying that it doesn't really matter where you get your doctorate as long as you pass the boards.

Any help/advice that you guys cam give me is fantastic! Please help me make this incredibly important decision 🙂

and CONGRATS AGAIN TO EVERYONE!!!! What an exciting time in our lives 😀 😀 😀
 
UPDATE: ACCEPTANCE

Rutgers University
Degree: Public Health/Psychology
Overall GPA: 3.33
Pre-requiste GPA: 3.39
GRE: Retaking soon
Observation: 1000+ outpatient, Aide for a few years

Applied: Dominican College, LIU, NYIT, Seton Hall, Stony Brook, Thomas Jefferson, Touro, U of Sciences, Sacred Heart

Interviews: Sacred Heart (1/17), Dominican College (3/5)

Accepted: Dominican College!

Waitlisted: Thomas Jefferson University

Rejected: NYIT, Stony Brook
 
I am leaning towards Shenandoah because the overall cost is so much cheaper (a 40k difference)

Personally I think you would be absolutely out of your mind to spend another $40,000. At 7-8% interest that will likely add another 4-5 years and $10,000 worth of interest to your student loan repayment.

With my acceptances I had the option to stay in my home state and spend ~$115k or move to another state and spend $75k. Needless to say, I chose the move. I don't think it's reasonable to pile another $40k on top of an already tremendous student loan balance when your entering a profession that doesn't pay tremendously generously.
 
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I don't know if I wan to reapply, it seems like the field is highly saturated right now. 🙂

Saturated? Actually, the job security for PT's is pretty good at the moment. If you want to talk about saturated... look at law schools. That's saturated. I know, I work at one. PT programs takes an average of 40 students for each program and law schools take an average of 250 per program. I feel that you may think it's only saturated because of the amount of applications being sent out each year. I agree that the competitive pool is increasing every year but the amount of PT's being pumped out is steady and relatively low compared to other professions. That's just my opinion and two cents..... @DesertPT Your thoughts?
 
So this is my first time posting on the blog, although I've been following people's stories of successes and disappointments and I finally decided to just put my stats up here and hear your thoughts.

University: California State University, Northridge (CSUN)
Major: Kinesiology Exercise Science
Overall GPA: 3.66 (PTCAS)
Pre-req GPA: 3.66 (PTCAS)
GRE: 151V 146Q 4.0AW

Volunteer: 80 hours in outpatient clinic plus 1-year academic internship at the CSUN Center of Achievement Through Adapted Physical Activity (I implemented aquatic and land-based therapeutic exercises with special needs clients; this was HANDS ON!!)

Applied: Chapman, Loma Linda University (LLU), University of Washington (UW), University of Puget Sound (UPS), University of North Dakota (UND)

Interviews: LLU (10/19/14)

Acceptances: N/A

Rejections: Loma Linda (1/21), UND (1,24), UPS (2/2), UW (2/18)

Waiting List: N/A

Still waiting to hear back from Chapman. They sent me an email on 4/2 saying "There is no specific deadline for decisions; it is on a rolling basis. Currently, our class is filled, but we still could send out acceptances. Also, we are dilegently working on sending out waitlist and ineligible letters. The waitlist remains open until the program begins." Not sure what this means for me though.

I had 3 strong letters of rec from professors and my TA at the Center of Excellence, however I didn't get a letter of rec from a DPT so I'm guessing that affected my application? I'm seriously frustrated that I haven't been accepted anywhere and the wait with Chapman is agonizing!!!

Hi,

I just wanted to let you know how Chapman acceptances go, since I know how Chapman admissions work and got accepted during this cycle (it was also the only school I applied to). I made sure to do a lot of research before applying to make sure I got in on the first try and searched these forums top to bottom relating to anything Chapman. I also confirmed all this information when the head of admissions spoke about how decisions were made. Chapman does not require any letters of recommendation. Serena (the person in charge of admissions) does not care or reads any letter of recommendation you give, she also will not read your personal statement. Chapman admissions only cares about your pre-req GPA and GRE score and they will accept you according to these stats. They do not care about your cumulative GPA, they only check that it is above a 3.0. They also do not care about how many hours you have, as long as you have the required 45 hours of experience. They allow you one re-take for all pre-req courses, and take the highest grade. You will be on the waiting list as long as you have the minimum scores, so technically everyone that has the bare minimum scores are automatically on the wait list. Their logic is that people learn everything they need in PT school, and having more experience isn't very beneficial when PT school is going to be rigorous no matter how much experience you have doing basic work as a PT aide. They also don't care about your letters of recommendation, because they know everyone's letters of rec will just say good things about them. It's just a stats game that you have to play, a pre-req GPA of 3.8 and above and combined GRE score of above 150 will get pretty much get you in based on the stats I've seen of everyone who's been accepted in the past 3 years (these were my stats as well). If you applied to the Summer 2016 cohort you still have a chance at getting in! Good luck!

P.S. In relating to the other schools, one letter of rec from a DPT is pretty much always required, and lacking a major requirement guarantees to make your application void and thrown out automatically. If you fail to get in this cycle, definitely make sure to get a letter of recommendation from a DPT and pay close attention to the requirements. You're expected to read over each requirement from every school you apply to, and schools will not make exceptions for you if you fail to meet their requirements. PT school is pretty simple to get into if you just follow the directions of what is required and know how the stats game is played at each school you apply to.
 
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Saturated? Actually, the job security for PT's is pretty good at the moment. If you want to talk about saturated... look at law schools. That's saturated. I know, I work at one. PT programs takes an average of 40 students for each program and law schools take an average of 250 per program. I feel that you may think it's only saturated because of the amount of applications being sent out each year. I agree that the competitive pool is increasing every year but the amount of PT's being pumped out is steady and relatively low compared to other professions. That's just my opinion and two cents..... @DesertPT Your thoughts?
There are more law students than lawyers. The PT field is supposed to grow by 20-30% over the next ten years. I have actually been offered two jobs when I complete PT school and I haven't even had my first class yet. Plus most programs have a 100% employment rate so that should tell you something🙂
 
There are more law students than lawyers. The PT field is supposed to grow by 20-30% over the next ten years. I have actually been offered two jobs when I complete PT school and I haven't even had my first class yet. Plus most programs have a 100% employment rate so that should tell you something🙂

See I believe PT schools when they say 100% employment rate within 6 months. WHAT I DON'T BELIEVE is when law schools say 100% employment rate within six months. They screw with the stats and there's actually a lawsuit going around against a group of them because of false advertisement of their employment rates. Also, most, if not all, law schools don't even do interviews. Consequently, the people they admit to law school makes me worried about hiring an attorney in the future. haha!
 
Saturated? Actually, the job security for PT's is pretty good at the moment. If you want to talk about saturated... look at law schools. That's saturated. I know, I work at one. PT programs takes an average of 40 students for each program and law schools take an average of 250 per program. I feel that you may think it's only saturated because of the amount of applications being sent out each year. I agree that the competitive pool is increasing every year but the amount of PT's being pumped out is steady and relatively low compared to other professions. That's just my opinion and two cents..... @DesertPT Your thoughts?

Agreed. PT will become saturated in the coming years as more and more schools continue to open up. I've written about this a few times in the past but don't remember what the thread really was. But for now there really aren't unemployed PTs. Some cities are somewhat saturated and you may have to be willing to move or take a so-so job at an SNF in some cases. At least that's what I hear. It's kind of region dependent across the country but for the most part I think the unemployment rate of PTs is still like 0.2% or something like that.
 
Congrats to everyone who has gotten into schools!!! I've been off the thread for awhile but omg it's so exciting!! aahhh!!

I have an update for you all 🙂 ACCEPTANCE!!! YAYYY :clap:

University
: University of Maryland, College Park
Major: Cell Biology and Genetics, Minor in Human Development
Cumulative GPA: 3.24
Pre-Req GPA: 3.47 (PTCAS)
GRE: V 155, Q 155, AW 4.5

Extracurriculars: Kappa Phi Lambda (Minor and Exec board positions), involved in a lot of church stuff (worship leader, teen counselor, activities supervisor), research assistant for the Smith school at UMD, etc.

Experience: Outpatient Ortho PT (200+ hours, working as a tech), Inpatient hospital (25 hours)

Applied: University of Maryland Baltimore, UMES, GWU, Shenandoah, Marymount, UNC Chapel Hill, Franklin Pierce (NH), Duquesne, Loma Linda, U of Southern California, Western U, Azusa Pacific

Interviews: Loma Linda (Skype 12/14), Shenandoah (12/16), GWU (1/22), Western U (2/18 - declined)

Rejections: Azusa Pacific, UMBaltimore, UMES, Marymount, UNC Chapel Hill, Loma Linda

Acceptances: Shenandoah University (12/29 - Deposit sent), Franklin Pierce University - NH (2/6 - declined) George Washington University!!!!!!!! (4/8)


OMG IM SO EXCITED!!!
I cant believe I didn't get into some other schools but I got into GW. But now i'm facing a bit of dilemma, and I need all the opinions I can have in order to make the decision between Shenandoah and GW. I am leaning towards Shenandoah because the overall cost is so much cheaper (a 40k difference) and the PTs that I work with are saying that it doesn't really matter where you get your doctorate as long as you pass the boards.

Any help/advice that you guys cam give me is fantastic! Please help me make this incredibly important decision 🙂

and CONGRATS AGAIN TO EVERYONE!!!! What an exciting time in our lives 😀 😀 😀




Congratulations! If I had a choice between two programs I'd definitely go with the less costly one. I've also heard from PTs that where you go to school doesn't matter as much as what you put into your education, and the actions you take after graduating. I might be biased though, because I'm on the wait list for GW and haven't been accepted anywhere else 🙂 Good luck with your decision!
 
Hi,

I just wanted to let you know how Chapman acceptances go, since I know how Chapman admissions work and got accepted during this cycle (it was also the only school I applied to). I made sure to do a lot of research before applying to make sure I got in on the first try and searched these forums top to bottom relating to anything Chapman. I also confirmed all this information when the head of admissions spoke about how decisions were made. Chapman does not require any letters of recommendation. Serena (the person in charge of admissions) does not care or reads any letter of recommendation you give, she also will not read your personal statement. Chapman admissions only cares about your pre-req GPA and GRE score and they will accept you according to these stats. They do not care about your cumulative GPA, they only check that it is above a 3.0. They also do not care about how many hours you have, as long as you have the required 45 hours of experience. They allow you one re-take for all pre-req courses, and take the highest grade. You will be on the waiting list as long as you have the minimum scores, so technically everyone that has the bare minimum scores are automatically on the wait list. Their logic is that people learn everything they need in PT school, and having more experience isn't very beneficial when PT school is going to be rigorous no matter how much experience you have doing basic work as a PT aide. They also don't care about your letters of recommendation, because they know everyone's letters of rec will just say good things about them. It's just a stats game that you have to play, a pre-req GPA of 3.8 and above and combined GRE score of above 150 will get pretty much get you in based on the stats I've seen of everyone who's been accepted in the past 3 years (these were my stats as well). If you applied to the Summer 2016 cohort you still have a chance at getting in! Good luck!

P.S. In relating to the other schools, one letter of rec from a DPT is pretty much always required, and lacking a major requirement guarantees to make your application void and thrown out automatically. If you fail to get in this cycle, definitely make sure to get a letter of recommendation from a DPT and pay close attention to the requirements. You're expected to read over each requirement from every school you apply to, and schools will not make exceptions for you if you fail to meet their requirements. PT school is pretty simple to get into if you just follow the directions of what is required and know how the stats game is played at each school you apply to.

👍 👍 👍 👍 👍 👍
 
See I believe PT schools when they say 100% employment rate within 6 months. WHAT I DON'T BELIEVE is when law schools say 100% employment rate within six months. They screw with the stats and there's actually a lawsuit going around against a group of them because of false advertisement of their employment rates. Also, most, if not all, law schools don't even do interviews. Consequently, the people they admit to law school makes me worried about hiring an attorney in the future. haha!
They are lying with statistics. I know many many lawyers and they told me the scam works like this: When you graduate you get hired as an intern for next to nothing by huge law firms. After a year they "let you go" and hire the next bunch. So yes they are "employed", but don't make any money.
 
Congratulations! If I had a choice between two programs I'd definitely go with the less costly one. I've also heard from PTs that where you go to school doesn't matter as much as what you put into your education, and the actions you take after graduating. I might be biased though, because I'm on the wait list for GW and haven't been accepted anywhere else 🙂 Good luck with your decision!
I think you're right on the money. Every PT I talked to told me that CC's are what really makes you a good PT. I actually shadowed two PT's who graduated from the same school and were worlds apart in their knowledge based on CC's.
 
Hi,

I just wanted to let you know how Chapman acceptances go, since I know how Chapman admissions work and got accepted during this cycle (it was also the only school I applied to). I made sure to do a lot of research before applying to make sure I got in on the first try and searched these forums top to bottom relating to anything Chapman. I also confirmed all this information when the head of admissions spoke about how decisions were made. Chapman does not require any letters of recommendation. Serena (the person in charge of admissions) does not care or reads any letter of recommendation you give, she also will not read your personal statement. Chapman admissions only cares about your pre-req GPA and GRE score and they will accept you according to these stats. They do not care about your cumulative GPA, they only check that it is above a 3.0. They also do not care about how many hours you have, as long as you have the required 45 hours of experience. They allow you one re-take for all pre-req courses, and take the highest grade. You will be on the waiting list as long as you have the minimum scores, so technically everyone that has the bare minimum scores are automatically on the wait list. Their logic is that people learn everything they need in PT school, and having more experience isn't very beneficial when PT school is going to be rigorous no matter how much experience you have doing basic work as a PT aide. They also don't care about your letters of recommendation, because they know everyone's letters of rec will just say good things about them. It's just a stats game that you have to play, a pre-req GPA of 3.8 and above and combined GRE score of above 150 will get pretty much get you in based on the stats I've seen of everyone who's been accepted in the past 3 years (these were my stats as well). If you applied to the Summer 2016 cohort you still have a chance at getting in! Good luck!

P.S. In relating to the other schools, one letter of rec from a DPT is pretty much always required, and lacking a major requirement guarantees to make your application void and thrown out automatically. If you fail to get in this cycle, definitely make sure to get a letter of recommendation from a DPT and pay close attention to the requirements. You're expected to read over each requirement from every school you apply to, and schools will not make exceptions for you if you fail to meet their requirements. PT school is pretty simple to get into if you just follow the directions of what is required and know how the stats game is played at each school you apply to.
Congratulations on getting accepted! And thanks for the info on Chapman's admission's process too 🙂 I'm keeping my fingers crossed!
 
As opposed to...?
Yeah I guess everything else is saturated too right?!?! But I was thinking a good plan B could be an MPH or MHA and doing healthcare administration given that there will be many opportunities there as well. But we'll see what happens, I'm not too worried. I know that if I do more volunteer hours and secure some LORs from PTs my chances will be much better the next time. 😉
 
My mentor who is a DPT PhD said she would love to get her MPH because it gives you background on communities and health from a different prospective. She said it would also help with research if that's a route you want to take. She advised me to get my MPH, then my DPT if I didn't get in this 3rd time. Luckily I did get in to PT school, but I think the MPH is a fabulous degree and completely related to PT
 
@Cpetrydpt Thank you! It was a long grind but it all paid off. I'm rooting for you to get off your waitlists as well. I'll be watching the thread for your acceptance soon! But I'm glad to hear that no matter what happens, you're already preparing before hand and I believe that's key. Don't worry, I know how you feel about doing a second cycle but in the end, it'll all be worth it. Good Luck!
Yeah I plan on re-taking the GRE, already signed up for an online masters in Exercise Science with a concentration in Sport Psychology (my undergrad) and continuing on with more certifications to add to my personal training, next one is orthopedic exercise specialist. On top of that working on getting hours inpatient somewhere in the city to boost up the resume.
 
already signed up for an online masters in Exercise Science with a concentration in Sport Psychology.

This isn't really necessary to get into pt school, you'd spend less by just retaking some pre reqs you didn't do great in at a community college to boost your gpa...if you were gonna do the masters otherwise for personal reasons that's one thing, but if your dropping a ton of money on a masters just for the purpose of helping you to get into pt school it's not worth it in my opinion.

@starrsgirl can tell you more
 
This isn't really necessary to get into pt school, you'd spend less by just retaking some pre reqs you didn't do great in at a community college to boost your gpa...if you were gonna do the masters otherwise for personal reasons that's one thing, but if your dropping a ton of money on a masters just for the purpose of helping you to get into pt school it's not worth it in my opinion.

@starrsgirl can tell you more
Yeah I would agree but it is more personal. My undergrad was sports psychology and I always planned to do a PhD in sports psychology since I'm an athlete and mainly want to work with athletes/ sport teams.then senior year did an internship at a PT and feel in love with the physical results so changed to graduate doctorate degree in physical therapy. There is so much behind the mental aspect of recovery and I want to cover all bases and have my own business at the end of the day that is a one stop shop.
 
Yeah I plan on re-taking the GRE, already signed up for an online masters in Exercise Science with a concentration in Sport Psychology (my undergrad) and continuing on with more certifications to add to my personal training, next one is orthopedic exercise specialist. On top of that working on getting hours inpatient somewhere in the city to boost up the resume.
I think your resume is good enough to get in somewhere. I think people, in general, severely under rate how important it is to thoroughly research a program to make sure it is a fit both ways. I'm not saying you did this. I think you're far better off retaking a couple prerequisites and getting as much variety as you can shadowing. Then I'd make sure my LOR's are good, personal statement is as close to perfect as possible, and if I thought I could get a higher GRE score I would do that also. Then research programs with a fine tooth comb. Hope I didn't forget anything or repeat myself much. I am once again typing from the sauna LOL 🙂
 
Thanks everyone for the congrats! So, honest question would a be crazy to not accept and try again next cycle for my top school that I got rejected from this cycle? Thoughts and opinions appreciated
 
Thanks everyone for the congrats! So, honest question would a be crazy to not accept and try again next cycle for my top school that I got rejected from this cycle? Thoughts and opinions appreciated

Not necessarily...what makes this program your #1? If it's a major financial difference in favor of your #1, I could see waiting. Or if you have some major issues with or see some red flags in the programs you were accepted to. Other than that, personally, I would go now. That being said, if you can work and save money while strengthening your app, increased savings always helps. For me though, I like the momentum I have currently. Taking a year off might make it hard to go back.
 
Thanks everyone for the congrats! So, honest question would a be crazy to not accept and try again next cycle for my top school that I got rejected from this cycle? Thoughts and opinions appreciated
I strongly feel that if you are not comfortable with the school of choice, then that may affect how well you do overall and your experience as a PT student. If you're not comfortable with WestCoast, then it's not crazy to wait a year and try to get into your top choice school. Just consider all factors before making that decision and if you believe that you can handle another year financially.
But I could understand your concern with WestCoast. One, they're not yet accredited but they do have a backup plan in case they fail accreditation. And two, they lack a cadaver lab. That one was a major concern for me. However, I did like the campus though.
 
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