Question on chances--are grades most important?

[restheo]

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Hi there,
New to the board, I have been reading through the acceptances to get a better idea if I even have a chance of getting into PT school. I am non-traditional in the sense that I went to school for archaeology, have been out in the workforce both for the government and private finance for the last 5 years post-BA, and decided last year to make the move to the medical field.

Undergrad GPA is 3.97. Pre-req GPA is 4.0. Took the GRE in 2010, so will have to retake, but back then I got a 165V and 152Q. Volunteering has been the toughest part, as I work 9-5, but I have managed to rack up 70 hours in 2 different clinics, both primarily ortho, outpatient. Still have more time to rack up more before the apps are turned in, though.

Moving is not possible b/c of my husband's practice, so I'm applying to local schools, Shenandoah, Marymount, and GWU.

What are my chances? I see so many people with like hundreds/thousands of clinic hours, and that's just not possible for me. I'm totally committed and have been working my butt off to make this transition, and I wonder if the grades/committment will be enough?

 

[Azimuthal]

Good.

 

[VitaminPT]

Is this a serious question?

I'll bite. Yes. Your chances are very good. If you read the sticky at the top you can compare.

 

[ktachiba]

It usually goes:

Grades > GRE > Extra-Curriculars > Observation Hours

I'm pretty sure schools don't really care about how many hours you have as long as you meet their minimum requirements. They care much more about grades and GRE scores, unless you have some impressive Extra Curriculars

 

[ktachiba]

Let me re-phrase that...

Pre-Req GPA > Cumulative GPA > GRE > Extra-Curriculars > Observation Hours/LORs

 

[ktachiba]

With your stats, you can pretty much choose to go to any school you want... I was invited to Shenandoah and I had a 3.6 cum/3.8 pre-req, and my GRE scores were 157Q 147V 4.0 W.. I was rejected by GW though

 

[restheo]

Thanks for the replies. Sorry if I came across as a bit of a jerkwad, I honestly just have no idea. The PTs i volunteer for are generally enthusiastic and encouraging when i ask about my chances, but most of them are not recent grads, and i wonder whether acceptance has gotten tougher since 5 or 10 years ago. I read a lot of the acceptance/rejection stat sticky, and though i know i have an above average gpa, I have virtually no medical/pt background outside of the hours of volunteering I've done. A lot of applicants seem to have hundreds and I'm wondering how much my past will hurt me on this one, or if it really is just a numbers game (primarily grade-based).

 

[starrsgirl]

You will be fine as long as you meet the minimum required hours for the schools.

 

[VitaminPT]

Thanks for the replies. Sorry if I came across as a bit of a jerkwad, I honestly just have no idea. The PTs i volunteer for are generally enthusiastic and encouraging when i ask about my chances, but most of them are not recent grads, and i wonder whether acceptance has gotten tougher since 5 or 10 years ago. I read a lot of the acceptance/rejection stat sticky, and though i know i have an above average gpa, I have virtually no medical/pt background outside of the hours of volunteering I've done. A lot of applicants seem to have hundreds and I'm wondering how much my past will hurt me on this one, or if it really is just a numbers game (primarily grade-based).

You'll be more than fine. Background doesn't really matter..if you meet the criteria then you are good to go. As long as you don't completely implode during the GRE then you'll be golden. 🙂

 

[tcpt]

Thanks for the replies. Sorry if I came across as a bit of a jerkwad, I honestly just have no idea. The PTs i volunteer for are generally enthusiastic and encouraging when i ask about my chances, but most of them are not recent grads, and i wonder whether acceptance has gotten tougher since 5 or 10 years ago. I read a lot of the acceptance/rejection stat sticky, and though i know i have an above average gpa, I have virtually no medical/pt background outside of the hours of volunteering I've done. A lot of applicants seem to have hundreds and I'm wondering how much my past will hurt me on this one, or if it really is just a numbers game (primarily grade-based).

DPT Program faculty understand that applicants come from a variety of professions and can see that in your record. Your grades and GRE appear fine and competitive--so you have pretty good options provided that you can articulate why you want to become a PT. Faculty really look close at that factor to determine if they have the professional clarity about their decision to change professions.

Having student's with work/life experience is a plus for DPT programs since they can bring knowledge from other fields to the classroom (and usually common sense). The main questions revolving around selection are regarding whether the applicant can handle the rigors of PT education and really wants to contribute to the PT profession. It is a competitive process, and that is a good thing. Best of luck.