Stressed DPT - Need Advice!

[Buckeye26]

Hi everyone -

I am afraid that my graduate school ignorance coupled with a lower GPA will keep me out of the running when programs make their decisions. I will be graduating at this time next year and I want to be prepared. I have been cruising around these threads for about a month, and it seems like everyone is very willing to help! Here is where I expect to be next year:

Degree: BS Biology - Bowling Green State University

GPA: 3.1-3.3

GRE: ~1100-1200 (i have been taking practice tests)


Volunteer Hours: ~250, three different areas.

Extra-curricular: biology tutor, biology TA (3-4 semesters), volunteered at a food bank, big brothers big sisters, played/coached a softball team for 4 years(unsure if that's relevant, thought maybe it would show teamwork and an active lifestyle.. taking whatever i can get)

LOR: i have at least three strong letters of recommendation already guaranteed. i have formed extremely close relationships with a board member of the biology faculty and the lab instructor that i TA for. i have been at my present job for 4 years, and i will have a great LOR.

I don't know what schools look for with specific grades.. i am not very strong at mathematics (B's and C's) but my biology classes are all a's and b's... english classes and prereqs have all been a's and b's as well. my issue is that i am a nontraditional student. my family has no money so i have taken advantage of a partnership with the community college in my city that allows me to earn my degree through BGSU by taking distance learning classes with smartboards and interactive landscapes. in addition to this, i have worked 35-40 hours a week until this semester.. and i have recently become a primary caretaker of a family member. because of this, i have had a few withdrawals along the way. i dont know if schools look down on those or not. can i turn these seemingly negative aspects of my schooling into positives? my GPA does not reflect my capabilities as a student, but i understand that a college could easily overlook me due to my GPA. do i stand a chance? i really want to be accepted to cleveland state because it is a 25 minute drive from home and i could help out with my famliy member.. i have a connection through mutual friends to a faculty member there but i dont want to count on that for anything.

any tips on how i could make myself more appealing? i have a friend enrolled in a physics PhD program at northwestern, and he mentioned that he contacted schools and asked them what they looked for in a student and how he could make himself more attractive. is that a good idea?

so anxious, want to make my family proud and i would love more than anything to be a DPT and help improve/return the quality of life on a daily basis... but this nervousness is starting to affect me physically and mentally.. so any answers or encouragement would be appreciated! sorry it's so long - good luck to everyone in their endeavors

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[truthseeker]

I don't think that your stats look all that bad. If you have a good interview and have good knowledge of some of the political things going on in healthcare you should have a good chance of being accepted.

 

[TheOx777]

I agree with truthseeker. Your stats are solid and a little higher than the mandated 3.0 for almost all programs. I will tell you , that it is absolutely CRITICAL for you to find out the specific admissions competitiveness of each program you intend to apply to. No use in applying to a program where your chances of admissions are remote!

 

[Buckeye26]

I agree with truthseeker. Your stats are solid and a little higher than the mandated 3.0 for almost all programs. I will tell you , that it is absolutely CRITICAL for you to find out the specific admissions competitiveness of each program you intend to apply to. No use in applying to a program where your chances of admissions are remote!

Is there a specific site that could tell me this? I know all of the specific coursework that needs to be done.. but the only thing that I have seen regarding the stats of students accepted was on the ptcas.org site. for CSU, 31 students that were accepted (out of 40) were from ohio, the average gpa for both overall and prereq were 3.6 and the average gre score was 1067/3.89. considering that its the average gpa, do you expect that csu is accepting just as many students with a gpa in the range of 3.9-4.0 as they are 3.3-3.4? or pretty much all 3.6s are being accepted? cruising through the schools in ohio, it seems like all of the average gpas are near 3.6. on these message boards i have seen a decent amount of students being accepted with 3.2's.

 

[truthseeker]

make contact via email or voice with admissions people at the schools you plan to apply to. If you are memorable (in a good way) that might be one more thing in your favor. Showing interest in presenting yourself in the best possible light will probably endear you to the interviewers.

 

[goyo1010]

The previous posters have said it all, basically.

 

[DPTRVTCCRP]

Is there a specific site that could tell me this? I know all of the specific coursework that needs to be done.. but the only thing that I have seen regarding the stats of students accepted was on the ptcas.org site. for CSU, 31 students that were accepted (out of 40) were from ohio, the average gpa for both overall and prereq were 3.6 and the average gre score was 1067/3.89. considering that its the average gpa, do you expect that csu is accepting just as many students with a gpa in the range of 3.9-4.0 as they are 3.3-3.4? or pretty much all 3.6s are being accepted? cruising through the schools in ohio, it seems like all of the average gpas are near 3.6. on these message boards i have seen a decent amount of students being accepted with 3.2's.

The thing to think about is your GPA in the last 60 hours, some schools look at the last 90 hours. Calculate that GPA as well. If all your A's were at the beginning of your schooling, it could cause you some issues. In your letter of interest, tell them what you have been doing, as well as how you plan to be able to handle the extra load associated with grad school. Tell them how you manage your time. It also can't hurt to have your LOR say things about how you handle yourself despite the load you are under. Another thing to consider is that you may not be able to work while in PT school, how are you planning on address that issue. Being a primary caretake can limit where you apply as well as where you attend school. If you get an interview, then I would have prepared statements for these types of questions.

Good luck, and do your homework on all the schools. The APTA website has links to all the school requirements.