Masters before DPT

[futuredptcscs]

Hi Everyone!

I've just recently been accepted into Teacher's College, Columbia University Motor Learning masters program. My ultimate goal is to obtain my DPT and end up becoming both sports performance/orthopedic rehab specialist. I finished my undergrad last summer and decided to take the year off but did not apply for DPT programs for the Fall 2017 cycle due to starting my application too late and missing most of the deadlines. So I applied to the masters program at Columbia so that I have other options for continuing school this fall (which I thought was a complete long shot due to my low GPA). It is very tempting to accept this offer because of the prestige of the university and because I am very interested in what the curriculum has to offer. Which is great but I am not completely sure how this would help my chances of getting into a DPT program, not to mention the expensive price of attending the program.
If this helps, my stats are:

Undergrad: CUNY Lehman College
Major: BS in Exercise Science
Cumulative GPA: 2.99
Major GPA: 3.2
GRE: Have not taken yet
Volunteer/Career Experience: 120 hours in outpatient Sport Performance/Physical Therapy clinic
Extracurricular Activities/Other: 4 year Co-Captain of the Men's Volleyball Team, NASM-CPT, Personal Training/Coaching Experience, Strong Recommendation Letters


I have been going back and forth about what to do because my heart is very much into the sport and rehab sciences. I've trying to gather as many opinions so that I could make an informed decision, so any advice would be greatly appreciated 🙂

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[rangers28]

Hate to be that guy but most programs want that cumulative gpa over a 3.0. Unless you are looking at programs down south who ask for a lower minimum cumulative gpa.

 

[ss1817]

It is possible to bring your GPAs up (I had a 2.8 cGPA after undergrad). You could accomplish this by completing the masters degree (I believe) or by retaking any pre-req you do not have an A in.

If you're truly interested in doing the masters program and don't mind putting in the extra time and money, go for it. Otherwise spend this gap year retaking prereqs, studying and taking the GRE and getting more observation hours. If it were me, I would do the later. There is hope for those of us with subpar GPAs, just have to put in the extra work to get there. Sounds like you're motivated, good luck!

 

[gotaspirations]

Motor teaching masters program? That sounds really interesting! What kind of curriculum is it? If you learn more in detail about the human body and motor mechanics perhaps, it'll benefit you in a different way and it'll help you boost your GPA.

I'm really curious what this program is about though. Does it relate to PT or rehab at all? If it's kind of the same path, that's something I would be interested in.

 

[preptkittty123]

I think you really need to think about all the different scenarios.

If you are interested in the Columbia program I think it would be a good idea because it will improve your total GPA and you'll have a good grad school GPA to show PT schools in the future that you can do well in school. You could also take community college classes to do this though at probably a cheaper price & taking less time (idk if Columbia will give you scholarships or something, or if the program is 1 or 2 years).

However, even if you do take community college classes to improve your GPA you already have over 120 credits so your cumulative GPA will not improve by much and even if you bring it up to 3.3 3.4 that is still not "competitive" for PT schools so it's not guaranteed that you will get in even if you do retake prereq classes. It is also not guaranteed you will get in after this masters program b.c PT programs seem to care a lot about your cumulative GPA and your GPA in the prerequisite classes, not sure how much they weigh grad programs.

How would you feel if you didn't do the Columbia program, and ended up not getting into PT school after spending a year retaking prerequisite classes? This is a real possibility since your overall GPA is not very high.

(If you have an excellent Prereq GPA though like 3.7-4.0 I wouldn't worry too much about your overall GPA and I personally think you will get in somewhere, but I'm not sure bc many schools have a minimum overall GPA prereq of 3.0 which you currently do not meet with a 2.99)

The Columbia program might also be a good idea bc it might guide you to find a different career that you might enjoy just as much as a PT (I don't know of many jobs you can get with a BS in exercise science, so in general it could help, and maybe in the future you will change your mind about PT.)

If you know 100% that PT is the only career for you though, you probably won't want to spend so much time and $ on another program. But it could help you in the long run to get into PT school since it does seem interesting and somewhat relevant, so it could be worth it. Also, if you currently have a job that pays well, you might not want to do a program since that will be time away from making good $ and time away from improving your prereq GPA.

This year was my first round applying to PT schools. I applied to 12 PT schools and am currently on a 5 waitlists with an undergrad GPA of 3.1, cumulative of 3.2 and prereq GPA of 3.3. GRE 154, 157,4 volunteered in many PT settings. Like you, I have also been accepted to a masters program and I think that if I do not get in off a waiting list I will attend the masters program I was accepted to. I personally do not want to continue taking prereqs at community college only to improve my GPA's slightly. Applying to PT schools and getting in depends on where you apply, the other people applying that round, and many factors, so I do not want to be unlucky and do it all over again to not get in somewhere (I do not have a job that pays well though, if I did I might reconsider).

 

[Cheezy89]

Congrats on getting accepted to the masters program! How long is it? Seems like you have chosen the expensive route in order to become a DPT. I had a 2.6 cGPA and I was able to get into a program. Even though I had to go to the application process twice, there is definitely a way to increase your chance of acceptance if you apply strategically. I don't think you will have a problem getting accepted after your master's program but have you consider other options. Here's what I did to increase my chances: