Prospective PT needs guidance.

[prospectivept1]

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My dream is to get a DPT and work as a Physical Therapist. I have an undergrad degree in business from a top engineering school. After graduating, I worked as a health volunteer in the Peace Corps for 2 years in Africa.

The only problem is my low GPA of 2.68. I am a great student but I had a problem with depression and overloading in engineering classes (some semesters with 21 hours). Engineering was the wrong choice for me. I have overcome this problem and I take responsibility.

I am planning on going back to school to finish the pre-reqs and boost my GPA. I can get a 4.0 GPA in these classes. I know I could get a 95th percentile score on the GRE. Also, I plan on getting a lot of hours shadowing a PT and perhaps volunteering. After 1 year I could get my undergrad cumulative GPA up to 2.8-2.9 and after 2 years I could get it up to 3.0-3.1 depending on how many hours I take.

This is really my passion so I was hoping if some of you could tell me if I should get a second undergrad degree in 2 years (maybe in biology, chemistry, biochem or health sciences?) or if I could possibly get into a PT school after 1-1.5 years with a killer GRE, good refs and PT hours.

I really appreciate any advice you can give me.

 

[okramango]

A second degree isn't really necessary, but meeting the minimum cumulative GPA for PT programs is. In my opinion, if you have a 4.0 prereq GPA, and your overall GPA meets the minimum (3.0 for most programs), you'll have a good chance of being accepted into programs. You can raise your GPA by taking courses at a community college, and save money (as opposed to getting a second degree). You might want to look at programs that look only at your last 60 hours for the overall GPA calculation, because that might give you a boost. Also, make sure your PT observation hours are in a variety of settings. Good luck!

 

[prospectivept1]

Thanks!! I did not know that any schools look at only the last 60 hours for GPA. I will have to check that out. Do you know any schools like that or anywhere I can find that?

Does it make a difference if I take the prereq classes at a community college or a university?

 

[okramango]

Most programs don't care if you take prereqs at a CC, but a very small number of them do care, so you should check with programs that you might be interested in to confirm.

I think if you look at the PTCAS program directory, you can find out whether various programs look at the last 60 units. You might also find that info on each program's own website, under application requirements. I've heard Univ of St Augustine looks at the last 45 units, but I forget which other programs look at the last 60 units, since it's been a while since I researched programs and applied. There might be a thread somewhere here on SDN about that, too.

 

[NewTestament]

You MUST get that GPA >3.0 or else you will be disqualified and your application will be wood, hay, and stubble, regardless of everything else. Schools discard applications that don't meet minimum guidelines. With more and more applicants, schools need fewer and fewer excuses to discard weak applications. If you think you can achieve an overall GPA of 3.0 or more, then apply. If not, be a PTA.

Schools care less about your overall and more about your pre-req GPA. A 4.0 pre-req GPA and a 3.0 overall GPA look solid to me.

Kevin

 

[ptisfun2]

You MUST get that GPA >3.0 or else you will be disqualified and your application will be wood, hay, and stubble, regardless of everything else. Schools discard applications that don't meet minimum guidelines. With more and more applicants, schools need fewer and fewer excuses to discard weak applications. If you think you can achieve an overall GPA of 3.0 or more, then apply. If not, be a PTA.

Schools care less about your overall and more about your pre-req GPA. A 4.0 pre-req GPA and a 3.0 overall GPA look solid to me.

Kevin

There are some schools that accept lower than 3.0 GPA. I think ATSU and the Touro school in Nevada are 2. But I agree with your statement about not applying if you do not meet the minimums. We do not even open the file on PTCAS of applications that do not meet the minimums for our school.