Petition to Eliminate PTCAS!!!

[arvest25]

My application was delayed for verification just b/c of one typo! JUST ONE LITTLE TYPO!! Guys, our voices need to be heard! We are already stressed and frustrated enough trying to get into just 1 school.......Why do we need to stress more with an application service that is understaffed?? I'll be the first to sign this petition to ELIMINATE PTCAS and go back to the old "do it yourself" process!!



ARVEST25
ARVEST25
ARVEST25

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[Tsd06]

I totally agree. I've had to call them multiple times to ask a few questions and had the misfortune of dealing with the rudest SOBs EVER. I totally would be willing to go back to the "old school" way and get 100 LOR instead of dealing with PTCAS and giving them my money.

 

[unlikeall]

I 100% agree!

 

[jbizzle]

I am torn. I do want to sign this petition, but PTCAS has done right by me but I also don't like some things about it.

I like the centralized part so that I could apply to so many schools (16 to be exact) and is probably the reason why I got accepted this year and wasn't accepted the first time I applied (all paper apps for the programs I applied to).

I dont like that we pay PTCAS then pay for an extra supplemental fee WTF, and an extra supplemental application, might as well not use PTCAS and just pay the school directly.

I like that I only have to ask for one copy of my LORs and use this one copy for 16 programs

I dont like how so many people are having so many problems when they are paying PTCAS large amounts of money only to have their future of becoming a PT ruined because they didn't process it on time.

 

[henohenoman]

I've had my share of problem w/ PTCAS, but despite of everything overall it was easier than having to apply to dozen of programs separately.

For people who are applying to a small # of programs I can understand how the added third party can lead to more complications. So instead of petition to abolish PTCAS maybe one can petition to have the choice of using the old-school method.

 

[callmecrazy]

Or you could take the proactive route and write to PTCAS with suggestions for improvement. In the long run, a centralized system is more practical, but this is only the 3rd year that PTCAS has even existed. There is plenty of room for improvement because it is a new setup, but like any company they need input from consumers to improve the process.

 

[johncronejr]

One of the biggest issues I think PTCAS needs to address is to recognize grade forgiveness/ academic clemency. People work hard to overcome past educational experiences. If the same class is repeated, then that repeat is what should count. Why average two grades for the same class? This takes away the entire benefit of grade forgiveness/academic clemency.

 

[jbizzle]

One of the biggest issues I think PTCAS needs to address is to recognize grade forgiveness/ academic clemency. People work hard to overcome past educational experiences. If the same class is repeated, then that repeat is what should count. Why average two grades for the same class? This takes away the entire benefit of grade forgiveness/academic clemency.

It's not just PTCAS. Most of the programs I applied to say that they will average these classes regardless of how many times you take it. However, there are other programs that state clearly that they will take the highest grade earned for the class. So it's not just PTCAS averaging the classes that were taken twice, it depends on the program.

 

[johncronejr]

It's not just PTCAS. Most of the programs I applied to say that they will average these classes regardless of how many times you take it. However, there are other programs that state clearly that they will take the highest grade earned for the class. So it's not just PTCAS averaging the classes that were taken twice, it depends on the program.

True, but if a program uses PTCAS as their only application then it is PTCAS who is disregarding the academic clemency process. If PTCAS and the PT school are trusting enough to accept the credits from a university, then they should be trusting enough in that university's decision to grant academic clemency.

 

[caindiana]

I totally agree. I've had to call them multiple times to ask a few questions and had the misfortune of dealing with the rudest SOBs EVER. I totally would be willing to go back to the "old school" way and get 100 LOR instead of dealing with PTCAS and giving them my money.

I'd have to disagree with you. I called a LOT and whenever I talked to somebody, they were nothing but helpful and extremely nice!

I had no problems with PTCAS at all... I just made sure I read the directions about a dozen times and rechecked that with my work before I submitted my application. I applied to 11 schools, which wouldn't have been possible without a centralized system.

 

[psu17]

Like caindiana, I applied to around 10 schools on PTCAS, so I can't say I wish it didn't exist. It did make the applications much easier, especially for the recommendation letters. I felt bad giving my recommendors 3-4 forms for other schools, I couldn't imagine giving them 10 more!

I also have had horrible experiences with their customer service through both, email and phone. Sadly, I've found that posting on here is much more useful. So, although I wouldn't want PTCAS to be gone, I would like them to get much better, and more friendly, customer service reps. By far the worst customer service I've ever dealt with..

Other wise, I agree with caindiana - reading the directions and checking over your app is extremely helpful. After dealing with their customer service, I knew I didn't want to rely on them to fix a mistake that was my fault.
However, when they told me my app was verified and to check it over - I did find a mistake. They put my Nutrition class was 3.25 credits instead of 3(I printed my app after I submitted and it said 3, so not my fault). They fixed it right away, but I do think I missed a mailing date because of it - oh well. They also made a mistake on my verification last year - put that my anatomy class was an English class or something.

PTCAS is new so these little things will probably get worked out in the next few years, hopefully.

 

[waterrboyy33]

Trash PTCAS. In the long run though it does not matter what we think, its what the schools want to go by. Sign me up though.

 

[siracha]

cannot agree w/ u more. similar situation happened to me. i like the idea of ptcas but like u sed, the are understaffed...w/ current staff no better than bimbos. gaaash. however....rather than eliminating them we should vouch for a better trained, larger number of staffs and fire the current peeps

My application was delayed for verification just b/c of one typo! JUST ONE LITTLE TYPO!! Guys, our voices need to be heard! We are already stressed and frustrated enough trying to get into just 1 school.......Why do we need to stress more with an application service that is understaffed?? I'll be the first to sign this petition to ELIMINATE PTCAS and go back to the old "do it yourself" process!!



ARVEST25
ARVEST25
ARVEST25

 

[markelmarcel]

Or you could take the proactive route and write to PTCAS with suggestions for improvement.

Can we constructively come up with some improvements we would like PTCAS to implement (in a perfect world)?

I already noted the conversation about the course repeat. Personally, I think that this should be determined by the institute's policy where the class was taken. For example, at my undergrad university if you re-take a class the old grade is removed and the new grade goes in place of it. If that held true for my GPA assigned by my undergrad institute, then it should hold true in PTCAS. However, that could literally be a huge pain, needing to know EVERY possible school's grading policy.

I'd like to add that although the FAQ is helpful, it isn't overly helpful. There were things that I thought would be included in sub-sections that weren't and that left me feeling uneasy. (Can't think of a specific example... I know I was wondering about something LOR related, but I don't remember- it's been months)