Penn State Grads - success getting into DPT programs?

[Mergyman]

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Hello - I'm new to this forum and an currently a Bio major at PSU. Currently I have a 2.9 GPA - mostly B's in Science classes, but have C's in Calc 1 & II. Are there any other PSU grads out there in DPT programs and if so, how do DPT admissions departments view a challenging PSU science degree and a student who was on "Main Campus" for 4 years. Thanks for any and all feedback!! (I'm only a sophomore)

 

[TheOx777]

I am a PSU grad and I know there are a lot of others lurking around on these forums. I graduated from main campus 3 years ago. I decided to work for a couple of years after school and I also decided to get my M.S. during that time. Up to this point I have been offered 5 interviews and have been accepted to all of those in which I attended. I still have two left, so we'll see how those go. I would like to say that there isn't a bias toward PSU students(specifically at the PA/Philly schools), but I can't. Each interview that I had, there seemed to be 8-12 psu students/grads there. I do believe that it has to due with the very strong/competitive Kinesiology program at main campus and the Eberly College of Science is pretty fantastic as well. So to answer you question, I think there are SOME schools who do view PSU students highly.

That said, it is my opinion that you SHOULD NOT count on PSU's name being your ticket into DPT school. I would try as much as possible to get that 2.9 gpa up over the next 2-3 years, so that the admissions committee has no choice but to view you as an extremely competitive applicant. The bottom line is that most of these programs care about your numbers. I don't care if your major was bio, chemical engineering, or fractional dynamics. Your major will not matter if you are viewed as a "lesser student".

Cliffs:
-PSU does carry some clout(esp. at PA schools)
-Major matters very little
-Try to improve GPA(at least a 3.0)
-Prepare well for and get a solid GRE score(1000+, 4.0AW)
-Get as much experience as possible in the field to ensure this is the career choice for you!

Best of luck to you!

 

[johncronejr]

I have to comment on this. I understand that many who do not have a competitive GPA like to believe that somehow their school is just inherently more difficult than other schools, after all why else would their GPA not be higher than it is. I feel there is a natural inclination for humans to want to rationalize such things.

Bear in mind, when PT schools say "minimum 3.0 GPA" they likely put some thought into the requirement. I have looked at a ton of schools out of curiosity over the last two years and I have yet to see any place an asterisk next to the GPA requirement of "unless you attended Hard As Hell State".

As Ox said, don't count on your school name making up for your GPA. This is not to say that someone on the interview committee may not do just that, but it would be foolhardy to base your chances on such an unlikely event.

Get the grades up and score what you have to on the GRE then you are covered.

 

[Mergyman]

Yep - I get it. I guess my key point is that a BS in Biology where the program requires 2 calculus classes, 2 Org Chem classes, etc, is by nature likely more challenging that other majors....and if you follow the logic, would llikely lead to a weaker GPA I'm not disrespecting Athletic Training or Kinesiology as undergrad majors. For me, I just feel a straight bio major offers more paths (teaching certification possibility / business if you combine with a business minor). What can you really do with a Kinesiology degree (i.e. - earn a decent income) if you do not pursue grad school (DPT / PA)?

 

[TheOx777]

Yep - I get it. I guess my key point is that a BS in Biology where the program requires 2 calculus classes, 2 Org Chem classes, etc, is by nature likely more challenging that other majors....and if you follow the logic, would llikely lead to a weaker GPA I'm not disrespecting Athletic Training or Kinesiology as undergrad majors. For me, I just feel a straight bio major offers more paths (teaching certification possibility / business if you combine with a business minor). What can you really do with a Kinesiology degree (i.e. - earn a decent income) if you do not pursue grad school (DPT / PA)?

Bwahaha!🙄 I agree that a traditional science degree is more than likely going to be more challenging than many other degrees(kinesiology included). That said, there will probably be limited opportunities to make a "decent income" for any science major beyond the teaching certification option you mentioned. Which means that even if you did major in biology,chemistry, physics, etc that one would need to pursue an advanced degree to earn a "decent income". This is not me stating a subjective opinion, this is fact. The average science college professor with a PhD MAY make close to 100k and that's after 10-12 years of schooling. Most degrees at the baccalaureate level are not terminal, which means you will need to get the advanced version of that degree to make a decent salary, Biology included

On another note, I agree with your sentiment that schools should consider how difficult a particular major is. At this point in time, that is not the case. So given that this is not the case, your primary focus should be to improve your GPA in your respective major. There will be some programs who understand the rigors of your degree, that will not be the case across the board.

 

[PT2014]

With Kinesiology, you can also attain a teaching credential or even minor in business as well. I think Bio majors are in the same position as Kinesiology majors... no jobs unless you go to grad school.
Regardless, in my case, I chose Kinesiology knowing that I wanted to go into PT. The coursework is clearly lined up with PT.
I also know a couple Kines majors who took the O. Chem and Calc series because they were thinking about Med School etc... gpa was still high.

 

[TheOx777]

With Kinesiology, you can also attain a teaching credential or even minor in business as well. I think Bio majors are in the same position as Kinesiology majors... no jobs unless you go to grad school.
Regardless, in my case, I chose Kinesiology knowing that I wanted to go into PT. The coursework is clearly lined up with PT.
I also know a couple Kines majors who took the O. Chem and Calc series because they were thinking about Med School etc... gpa was still high.

Precisely what I was getting at. I graduated from PSU in Kinesiology-Movement Science. My aspiration of becoming a DPT came later and was not the primary reason I chose Kinesiology as my major. I, too, had a couple of ppl in my class who were definitely going to Med school, but chose kinesiology as their undergrad major. One classmate had a 3.89 gpa and that was with all of the pre-reqs for medical school(orgo and calculus series).