PTCAS Essay Prompt

[DPTbound23]

Hi all! I know size isn't all that matters, but I'm trying to get a general idea of how long these essays are typically expected to be. I see the limit is 4500 words; does this mean they want it to be close to that? Explaining everything about my situation without being overly verbose, I don't think I'll even hit half of that. Has anyone done the essay and remember their general word count? Thanks!

 

[currentbull_futuredpt]

4500 characters! Which is roughly 2 pages single-spaced.

 

[DPTbound23]

4500 characters! Which is roughly 2 pages single

*Face-palm* Thank you that makes a LOT more sense!

 

[JMarcusDPT]

Characters, not words! In my experience, if you're under 4000, you're not answering the prompt well.

 

[DPTbound23]

It's not so, I have done a paper with 3700+- characters and it was ok.

Yes, I misunderstood and thought it was words. Characters was easy.

 

[bearp3]

Relating to the prompt itself: When the prompt says "share the deeper story" -- do they mean a literal story should be the main focus of the essay? Currently I talk about how my thinking/attitude of PT has changed after certain patient experiences I recount but the bulk of it is analyzing what I gained from those experiences. It's not much of a story but rather reflection of an instance

 

[JMarcusDPT]

Relating to the prompt itself: When the prompt says "share the deeper story" -- do they mean a literal story should be the main focus of the essay? Currently I talk about how my thinking/attitude of PT has changed after certain patient experiences I recount but the bulk of it is analyzing what I gained from those experiences. It's not much of a story but rather reflection of an instance

The best essays I edit are the ones that tell a story. And I'd be careful about straying too far from the prompt (I've worked with second time applicants who were told the first time around their essay didn't answer the prompt well). Will the admissions committee reading your current essay have a clear understanding of the experience that helped confirm that PT is the right career for you? If not, I'd consider rewriting.

 

[wiseOldPT]

Relating to the prompt itself: When the prompt says "share the deeper story" -- do they mean a literal story should be the main focus of the essay? Currently I talk about how my thinking/attitude of PT has changed after certain patient experiences I recount but the bulk of it is analyzing what I gained from those experiences. It's not much of a story but rather reflection of an instance

Think of it as telling the story to give evidence. You want to talk about what you learned from that reflection, but to back that up, you need to tell the story of, for example, what you observed, what you learned from that, how you applied it to another situation, and onwards. Anyone can use all the buzz words, but when you put them into a story, it acts as evidence.