PTCAS - Should I start early?

[bhatiaa1]

So it seems like PTCAS can be a mess. I plan on submitting my application in the Fall of 2011 (for Summer/Fall 2012). Do you recommend I go ahead and register an account with PTCAS right now? In addition, should I start sending my references and observations hours to PTCAS?

Side Note: I have 2 more pre-reqs left to take in the Spring of 2011, the GRE in June, and about 40-60 hours of observations left to be completed.

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[jbizzle]

So it seems like PTCAS can be a mess. I plan on submitting my application in the Fall of 2011 (for Summer/Fall 2012). Do you recommend I go ahead and register an account with PTCAS right now? In addition, should I start sending my references and observations hours to PTCAS?

Side Note: I have 2 more pre-reqs left to take in the Spring of 2011, the GRE in June, and about 40-60 hours of observations left to be completed.

PTCAS doesn't describe this on their website clearly at all. You will not be able to create an account early. You have to wait until July 1, 2011 with everyone else for next years cycle. If you create an account now, it will be deleted in May or June.

I think it's for the money. Say that I got rejected this year, my account will be deleted so I have to make a new one so that when I apply to schools again next year, they will charge me that $120 fee just to use PTCAS then $35 for each school thereafter. If my account wasn't deleted all I would have to pay is $35 for each school without that $120 fee since I already paid it last year.

My advice is know who you want to ask for your LORs maybe ask them in advance, if you have documentation for your observation hours have those ready (b/c PTCAS accepts those if you are verifying via paper if you already had a PT signed the hours on their own documentation). Since you are already thinking about making an account so early just make sure you esubmit in the month of July. The earlier the better. And it's free to register so you can actually create one now to practice entering your courses (it's self report), see what PTCAS looks like, maybe start thinking about your essay. While your waiting for PTCAS to open do your research on schools you want to apply to, what supplemental apps or fees or essays they may have.

But whatever you decide to do. If you are planning on applying next fall for incoming class of 2012 you have to wait until July.

 

[hefe]

You can likely sign up to see the formatting and practice data input, but otherwise don't put any effort now for the 2011-12 cycle next year.

Why?
All the data you input now the computer thinks will be for this 2010-11 cycle only, and it will all be deleted in May or June I believe to end the cycle. This means unless you are a re-applicant your data will be deleted. If you want to start early, start the first week or so on July 1 when the application window opens for 2011-12.

Oh, whatever you do don't hit the e-submit button and follow through with it before July 1, 2011 when the new cycle starts. The system will think you are trying to apply to your designations for this cycle (10-11), you don't want to have to be a re-applicant if you can help it.

Lastly, PTCAS is not bad really, just start early (I learned this for the current cycle). Just start in July/August and try to complete enough by September in 2011 and you'll give yourself about as good of chances as you can help it. If you apply then to non-rolling schools it should get your priority deadline. The whole things is a waiting game after that.

 

[bhatiaa1]

Thank you for the replies and the suggestions. I feel overwhelm with the process but just trying to ease things up by taking it step-by-step.

 

[Eforma]

The only thing I say you should start early on is the essay portion....because that was the only reason I submitted my PTCAS on the later side....I procrastinated WAY too much with it! Lol. That's my two cents.

 

[DPT hopeful]

if i could do it over, i would have my application done the first week in july. In june get all of your LOR's and transcripts together. when july rolls around bang out your essays and submit asap. when you submit early ptcas is not busy and they will have your app out in a week or 2, I waited till late august and waited 4 weeks. get it done and dont procrastinate.

 

[bhatiaa1]

if i could do it over, i would have my application done the first week in july. In june get all of your LOR's and transcripts together. when july rolls around bang out your essays and submit asap. when you submit early ptcas is not busy and they will have your app out in a week or 2, I waited till late august and waited 4 weeks. get it done and dont procrastinate.

Thanks. I will start working on my essay during the Winter Break. BTW, I notice your signature mentions that you observed greater than 1200 hours. Is that correct? If so, I'm guessing most of it is from a PT tech job?

 

[johncronejr]

Thank you for the replies and the suggestions. I feel overwhelm with the process but just trying to ease things up by taking it step-by-step.

Filling out PTCAS is a piece of cake. It doesn't take very long and is straight-forward. Now, what PTCAS does after that may take awhile and be frustrating, but filling it out is easy.

 

[bhatiaa1]

Thanks guys. I good to see the students on this forum are supportive for each other.

 

[DPT hopeful]

yea i have around 1300 hours. I have had a job as a pt aide for 2 years at a hospital setting which i work about 10-15 hrs a week. I have also volunteered at 2 other clinics. one was pediatric school setting the other was orthopedic.

 

[dizzy88]

Agreed with what everyone else has been saying.

My only other piece of advice is to tell the people who are verifying your hours/writing LORs when they should be expecting the email, and who they should be expected it from. My boss accidentally deleted BOTH these requests and it terrified me!! Typically, you want to give whoever is writing your LOR about a month. Gives them time to actually articulate their thoughts and you know, sometimes we just have busy weeks and can't get to stuff like that. You don't want them to rush writing it.

Other than writing the essay and getting it reviewed by various people (seriously, try and get as many people as you can to read your essay and give you feedback), the only long part is submitting in grades

 

[NATO]

The only thing I say you should start early on is the essay portion....because that was the only reason I submitted my PTCAS on the later side....I procrastinated WAY too much with it! Lol. That's my two cents.

Is the PTCAS essay the same each year? I created an account for this cycle just to get a feel for the system and review the essay question. Like Bhatiaa, I will be applying for the next cycle. I'll have only Physics part 1 (scheduled to take in Fall 2011) and Physics part 2 (scheduled to take in Spring 2012) as my outstanding credits at the time that I submit my PT application. My stats are nearly the same as Bhatiaa, so this shall be interesting. I don't envy the job of the admin committee.

 

[Eforma]

I'm pretty sure the essay is the same, if not extremely similar. Also start reviewing what potential supplemental essay schools might have. Most of them are along the lines of..."why our school?" but some (for me at least) did touch on "why PT over nursing/PA/med" and "what current issues are affecting the profession?". Start w/ the PTCAS essay though, and get a general idea of what you would say. Then, when you get the actual prompt in July, you can fine-tune to your liking.

 

[adh28]

Does having outstanding credits hurt the application very bad even though some schools' websites say that we only need to have all pre-reqs done by the end of the spring before we start PT school? I have a hand full of classes left to take this next Fall and Spring, but still want to apply for this next cycle.

 

[Eforma]

Can you be more specific? Which classes are you missing? Some schools want a certain percentage completed before you apply, while others "highly recommend" that certain courses (ie: Anatomy, physio) have been completed prior to application.

So how many courses will you have left, which courses are they, and when will you be taking them?

 

[pumpkinpatch]

Filling out PTCAS is a piece of cake. It doesn't take very long and is straight-forward. Now, what PTCAS does after that may take awhile and be frustrating, but filling it out is easy.

It's different for every person, I guess, because filling out PTCAS took forever for me. Inputting classes (considering all the fields you have to fill out for each class) took the longest, but also just little things like how do you list a double minor? What constitutes an "upper level" class? How do you get observation hours verified when you volunteered abroad, where they don't have a computer/speak english? What do you do if one of your prereqs you took as an AP class in high school? etc etc Figuring out how to do everything properly can be a pain. But you're getting started really early so you should be fine. If you have problems, I had usually had very prompt responses from [email protected].

 

[PT2014]

get 100+ inpatient hours. looks good. start early.

 

[adh28]

I am looking into Samuel Merritt and St. Augustine in San Diego and in the Fall I will have Physics 1, Human Physiology and in the Spring Physics 2 and a second Biology course. My major of Kinesiology will also have me taking another Exercise Physiology and a structural Kinesiology class in addition to those. I am hoping the schools will not frown upon me having the 3 pre-reqs left!

 

[adh28]

Whoops actually Exercise Phys and Bio 2 are required by Samuel Merritt according to PTCAS so that will be 5 outstanding pre-reqs but the site says that these must be completed by the spring before PT school starts. How do you think my application will be judged according to this? Should I even apply this Fall yet?

 

[futurept89]

hey everyone!
i am new to this
My PTCAS gpa is a 3.1 and my prereq gpa is a 2.8
I just completed Anatomy and Physio and got an A which should bring it up slightly but the gpa's were already calculated and my application will be mailed in the next mailing cycle. They haven't emailed me for the academic update as yet. Will the new classes that i put in change the GPA's already calculated. I got a 3.7 GPA this semester including Anatomy and im nervous that the schools wont see this when they are making decisions
HELP!