I feel like I'm screwed. Am I?

[T2T2]

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Hello all,

I'm in the process of applying to DPT programs like most on this forum. Looking at all these requirements makes my statistics scream mediocrity, or worse. I decided to attend the best school in my state, and one of the best in the country, and now feel that I am being hurt by a GPA that resulted from rigorous academics. I just wanted to see if anyone here thinks I have a shot at being accepted to any DPT programs my first application season.

School: University of Michigan
Major: Movement Science (School of Kinesiology)
Cumulative GPA: 3.2
Pre-req GPAs: Vary between about 2.9 - 3.2 depending on program
GRE: Have not taken, but expecting maybe a 1200-1250, 4.5
Observation: 50+ hours outpatient (continually adding hours every week)
Recommendations: Will have several great recs from PTs and employers. I don't really feel close enough to any professors to ask for a recommendation.

Also, my pre-req GPA for a lot of schools I want to apply to is in the 2.9-2.99 range. With one pre-req still to complete and with a good grade expected, will the programs with a 3.0 minimum let that slide?

Thanks for any opinions/advice anyone offers up.

 

[Kismet426]

mm. they don't care what school you went to/whether it was rigorous or more highly ranked than any other.
they care about stats period.
GPA is a little low but you still stand a chance.
Are there any prereq classes you got a C in and can retake in the spring?
Definitely need more observation. Aim for 200.
I would start to get close to a professor. most of my schools *require* at least one professor and won't take an employer in place of that.

 

[GMA2013]

Just some advice 1. Most schools will want a variety of pt volunteer hours. At least outpatient and inpatient. 2. A lot of schools require a professor so I would bring your resume to one and talk with them about it. Teachers are use to this. 3. While your GPA isn't amazing, if your essay is and you interview well you still have a shot.

 

[Azimuthal]

Has there been a Kinese professor that you have taken multiple times and have done well in their classes? A relationship between a student and professor can be built easily. I started mine via emails. I asked a few questions on lectures and things that were not covered in lectures that sparked my curiosity. I then proceeded to visit office hours, asking about exams and expanding the discussion that began on email. It would also help choosing a professor who has done or is doing research on subject matter you're interested in. Good luck.

 

[Seatown87]

I have a GPA very similar to yours and I was accepted to a few schools this round. Is your GPA trend positive? Were there a few semesters/quarters where you didn't do well but the rest were good? Have you done better recently? Some schools only look at your last 60-90 credits so if you had a rough freshman year then they can overlook that.

Because I knew my GPA was not stellar I worked on making every other aspect of my application as great as it could be. Work on accumulating observation hours in a variety of settings. Acute hours are hard to come by but if you can get some that would be great.

Doing well on the GRE would be great as well.

Look through PTCAS and find schools that have stats similar to yours. If the school has an average accepted GPA of 3.8 ...probably don't have a great chance of going there. If there is a school with an average accpeted GPA of 3.3 then that would be great for you.

 

[yuns554]

I have a GPA very similar to yours and I was accepted to a few schools this round. Is your GPA trend positive? Were there a few semesters/quarters where you didn't do well but the rest were good? Have you done better recently? Some schools only look at your last 60-90 credits so if you had a rough freshman year then they can overlook that.

Because I knew my GPA was not stellar I worked on making every other aspect of my application as great as it could be. Work on accumulating observation hours in a variety of settings. Acute hours are hard to come by but if you can get some that would be great.

Doing well on the GRE would be great as well.

Look through PTCAS and find schools that have stats similar to yours. If the school has an average accepted GPA of 3.8 ...probably don't have a great chance of going there. If there is a school with an average accpeted GPA of 3.3 then that would be great for you.

If you don't mind me asking seatown87 what schools did you get accepted into?

 

[HouseDPT]

mm. they don't care what school you went to/whether it was rigorous or more highly ranked than any other.

I disagree with this statement. A 3.2 from Michigan will be regarded better than a 3.2 from a second-tier school in the same state. You have a solid shot at getting accepted in your first go-around. Your hard statistics won't keep you out of a program somewhere. Now you'll have to worry about whether your resume shows that you're motivated to pursue physical therapy, and whether you're involved out in the world (via non-academic activities).

I suggest a mullet and tuxedo t-shirt for your interview.

 

[CherokeeWahine]

i suggest a mullet and tuxedo t-shirt for your interview.

+1 🙂

 

[Kismet426]

I disagree with this statement. A 3.2 from Michigan will be regarded better than a 3.2 from a second-tier school in the same state.

I have yet to find one school that tells me they give any amount of points for a "first-tier" versus "second-tier" undergraduate school in the admissions process.
what gets you points is your gpa, gre, etc. aka. stats.

 

[Azimuthal]

I have yet to find one school that tells me they give any amount of points for a "first-tier" versus "second-tier" undergraduate school in the admissions process.
what gets you points is your gpa, gre, etc. aka. stats.

I agree. IMHO, the caste system does not apply to PT programs. Now, if considering majors and course load, I would be more inclined to support the theory. An engineering major who is a 3.2 that took 16-22 units a term would most likely be given more weight than a recreation major with a 4.0, 12 units per term.

During one of my interviews, it was mentioned that the course load that I had taken (18-22) per quarter for the last year while maintaining a decent GPA were pretty good. The following questions of course, involved study habits, critical thinking, time management and confidence.

 

[T2T2]

To answer a few questions brought up:

- Yes, I have gotten a C in a pre-req and am currently retaking it (Physics 2). Expecting a B+/A- final grade.

- About professor recommendations - There are a couple professors that I feel I could talk into writing me a recommendation, I would just feel badly doing so, as they probably don't actually know me well enough to write what they will end up writing.

- There has been a huge trend in my grades getting better as I progress through school. I had a hard time adjusting to university level science courses, and my grades showed that. My GPA my junior year was around 3.5-3.6 and I expect to see that, or even better, senior year (although, they won't see that).

- Also, I think it is terrible that graduate schools don't consider where you attend undergrad. With that system, it is encouraging people to go to easy schools, get terrific grades, and coast into grad school. Not only are the classes easier, but those easier classes allow more time outside of schoolwork to shadow, volunteer, be involved in student orgs, etc. By not accounting for that in admissions they are putting a lot of qualified students who decided to challenge themselves at a disadvantage. Just my opinion.

To be honest, if a high school senior came up to me and asked for advice on what school to go to, first I would ask if they intend to go to graduate school. If the answer is yes, I would have a much easier time telling them that they should just go to an easy school, get a 4.0, and use the extra free time to rack up observation hours and volunteer. And that's totally sending the wrong message.

 

[Kismet426]

Also, I think it is terrible that graduate schools don't consider where you attend undergrad. With that system, it is encouraging people to go to easy schools, get terrific grades, and coast into grad school. Not only are the classes easier, but those easier classes allow more time outside of schoolwork to shadow, volunteer, be involved in student orgs, etc. By not accounting for that in admissions they are putting a lot of qualified students who decided to challenge themselves at a disadvantage. Just my opinion.

To be honest, if a high school senior came up to me and asked for advice on what school to go to, first I would ask if they intend to go to graduate school. If the answer is yes, I would have a much easier time telling them that they should just go to an easy school, get a 4.0, and use the extra free time to rack up observation hours and volunteer. And that's totally sending the wrong message.

yea, i totally agree with you. I paid $50,000/year to go to a top 50 liberal arts college in the country (basing this off of US News rankings). was a complete waste of time/money.
i wish i would have gone to this "college" down the street from my house. somehow accredited (idk how honestly) and $12,500/year
but you can't change where you went/how you've already done, just try to work with what you have..

 

[Azimuthal]

- Also, I think it is terrible that graduate schools don't consider where you attend undergrad. With that system, it is encouraging people to go to easy schools, get terrific grades, and coast into grad school. Not only are the classes easier, but those easier classes allow more time outside of schoolwork to shadow, volunteer, be involved in student orgs, etc. By not accounting for that in admissions they are putting a lot of qualified students who decided to challenge themselves at a disadvantage. Just my opinion.

To be honest, if a high school senior came up to me and asked for advice on what school to go to, first I would ask if they intend to go to graduate school. If the answer is yes, I would have a much easier time telling them that they should just go to an easy school, get a 4.0, and use the extra free time to rack up observation hours and volunteer. And that's totally sending the wrong message.

I understand where you're coming from. However, in my personal experience, a 4-year college curriculum and rigor in many majors are relatively the same. I graduated from a low-tier college. But I have also sat in UCB and Stanford classes as an assistant student researcher for a group of professors who were consolidating their resources. Guess what? The curriculum and rigor were the same. The exams asked the same type of questions and covered the same group of materials. Also, there is not much data [or any] to support that going to one particular school is an indicator of your success rate in graduate school. Keep in mind that academics is only a fraction of what adcoms are evaluating.

Also, please, please, please do not dwell on this matter any longer. DO NOT hint at any form of regret. I have family and friends who graduated at UCB and Stanford engineering. They were 3.4+ GPAs and still managed to take part in student research, engineering club officers, NROTC and paid internships.

In my opinion, let's move forward and address what you can control at this moment. YOU CAN get into PT school. How are those hours, PT relationships and essay coming along? Also, I would note your rising trend in the section where it asks if your "academic history is representative of you"...or something like that.

 

[NewTestament]

Azimuthal set it correctly. Your GPA is finished and there's nothing you can do about it. You can't go back and change it. That's all done now. There's no time for regrets. What can you do now to make your application more competitive?

Focus now on doing well in your pre-requisites. If you have any Cs or Bs, try to raise those to As. You can always raise your pre-requisite GPA by retaking classes. How's your GRE? Is it competitive or lousy? If the latter, then consider retaking that too. Obtain as many volunteer hours as you can. Look in SNFs, ALFs, hospitals, and outpatient sports clinics. Get the variety that your competition doens't have. Earn LORs that will make schools want you.

Also, have someone else (including me) proof read your statement of intentions before submitting it. My application had a lot of weaknesses, but I think my communication skills made up for it. Interview well, speak professionally, and write a good essay. You can get into PT school if you direct your energy where you should.

Kevin

 

[Litlwarrior08]

Hello all,

Also, my pre-req GPA for a lot of schools I want to apply to is in the 2.9-2.99 range. With one pre-req still to complete and with a good grade expected, will the programs with a 3.0 minimum let that slide?

Thanks for any opinions/advice anyone offers up.

Going into fall semester my application was overall GPA 2.8 w/ 3 or 4 prereqs to finish. I was granted an interview at my state college NAU where they post a 3.0 min. my prereqs were lower. Yes, shocked to get the interview, and was waitlisted. (ended up 4th). Luckily I was accepted elsewhere (lower min GPA) My point; schools have a weeding out process and eliminate the lower stats but somewhere in my app I made an impression enough to be granted an interview and waitlisted. Good Luck.

Apply to a range of schools. Observations need to be done in at least 3 environments, kick A** on your essay, Provide your professors w/ a copy of your essay, a bio of sorts to show them your community involvement and extra currics. and info about your work history. Anything that will show them what you are all about. The LOR is basically a check list w/ comment areas. The prof can use your info to fill in the comments to demonstrate your character etc.

Rewrite that essay until it is perfect and have a few people read through it and edit it. It should reflect who you are as well as why you want to be a PT.