What are my chances of getting in? Any answers would be much appreciated.

[ProspectDPT]

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My undergraduate career has been somewhat scattered in terms of grades and I'm not quite sure about my chances of getting into PT school. I was working full time and going to school full time and it had a negative impact on my grades. Currently my cummulative GPA is 2.76 and my prereq GPA is at a 2.3. I took 2 science prereqs together in 1 semester and was not able to handle the courseload while working. I ended up failing Chem 2 and Bio 1 and my GPA dropped significantly. This semester I quit my job to focus on the last couple of courses I have and I am retaking the ones I've failed. I'm hopeful that I can get an A in those courses but not sure if that will be enough. I have Bio I and II Chem II, and Physics I and II left. I'm taking Chem II in the summer semester(now), Physics I and Bio I in the fall and Physics II and Bio II in the spring. I plan on applying this cycle but not sure if I really should. Do schools calculate F grades into your GPA calculation? Also, I have 3800 hours working in an outpatient PT clinic, a recommendation letter from my boss(the therapist), I will be taking the GRE in Septemeber and am going to volunteer in a local hospital during the fall semester. So sorry for the long post I really appreciate any feedback or advice you can give me. Thank You so much!

 

[wiseOldPT]

I would say you do not have a chance this cycle. With so many courses still to take and no proven track record to suggest you will be successful in them, it is not worth your money applying. The experience and rec are great, but right now you'll get screened out before anyone gets to that point. With your current GPA, I'd say getting A's in those remaining courses is basically mandatory. Space them out as much as you need to to be able to do so.

 

[ProspectDPT]

Thanks for your response. I know my chances are slim this cycle but if I can finish all my prereqs with A's and have only two outstanding courses at the time of application would I still be able to apply this cycle and be competitive? That, along with really strong GRE scores.

 

[wiseOldPT]

What are the deadlines of the programs you are looking at? Many are this fall, so the only grades that would be helping your GPA is this summer course, which isn't going to move the needle much. I don't think a program will consider you unless you are at least above a 3.0 and have most of your (meaning maybe 1-2 to be completed) prereqs done. You likely need to take more courses than the ones you "need" to take to get a good bump in your GPA, but I recommend playing with a GPA calculator to help. Any F is a red flag, so you need every advantage you can get, which would be applying early in the cycle. Is there a chance you'd get it- well there's always a chance. But I wouldn't recommend wasting time and money on it- wait til you are ready.

 

[DPTATC2023]

If the schools that you are applying to have Fall deadlines then I would consider waiting to apply next year. Programs only use the course that you have completed when they calculate your overall and prereq GPAs, so the courses that you are planning to take in the Fall and Spring semester would not be included. Also, many programs will not consider your application if you have more than 2 incomplete prereq courses at the time you submit your application. I think waiting until next cycle would give you a way better chance of being a competitive applicant. Once you ace your remaining courses, do well on your GRE and get some inpatient experience you should be set! Good luck!

 

[ProspectDPT]

I know given my circumstances I am in no position to be choosy as to which schools I apply to. I figured I could take a chance and apply to schools that have late deadlines and my GPA would have been improven by then. I am looking at 3 schools that have late deadlines in February and March. I would have have completed all but 2 of my remaining courses by December 20th

 

[HopefulDPT96]

I know given my circumstances I am in no position to be choosy as to which schools I apply to. I figured I could take a chance and apply to schools that have late deadlines and my GPA would have been improven by then. I am looking at 3 schools that have late deadlines in February and March. I would have have completed all but 2 of my remaining courses by December 20th

If you’re only applying to 3 schools, your chances are pretty much zero for sure. 3 schools is even a low number for applicants with >3.7 GPA and 300+ GRE scores. I’ve never heard of someone with even close to your grades getting in. I would recommend retaking all of your pre-reqs and getting A’s in all of them, no matter how long this takes. This is pretty much all you can do at this point. Don’t waste your money this cycle.

 

[ProspectDPT]

If you’re only applying to 3 schools, your chances are pretty much zero for sure. 3 schools is even a low number for applicants with >3.7 GPA and 300+ GRE scores. I’ve never heard of someone with even close to your grades getting in. I would recommend retaking all of your pre-reqs and getting A’s in all of them, no matter how long this takes. This is pretty much all you can do at this point. Don’t waste your money this cycle.

Thanks I guess that might actually be my only option at this point. Its going to cost an arm and a leg and not to mention the time it would take to complete all those courses. Could take up to 1.5 years. I'm currently 25 I guess I'll finish school at 30 :/. I know its a great and rewarding field and I'm up for all the obstacles ahead of me nonetheless. Thanks a lot for the feedback.

 

[HopefulDPT96]

Thanks I guess that might actually be my only option at this point. Its going to cost an arm and a leg and not to mention the time it would take to complete all those courses. Could take up to 1.5 years. I'm currently 25 I guess I'll finish school at 30 :/. I know its a great and rewarding field and I'm up for all the obstacles ahead of me nonetheless. Thanks a lot for the feedback.

There have been a lot of people in your position who have retaken all of their courses that they did not earn A’s in and eventually made it into school! It definitely can be done 🙂 If PT is something that you are truly passionate about, it will all be worth it in the end.

 

[ya1]

If you apply during this cycle, your deadlines will be by around Jan 2020, right? You will not have enough time/classes to increase your GPA above 3.0 by Jan, I believe.
If you have not done that yet, try to do calculation or maybe your school adviser can help you with those calculations... Basically, you need to know how many units of As or Bs, or combination of both will bring your GPA above 3.0. Those number could give you a better idea if it is realistic for you to increase your GPA enough by certain deadline. For example, if you need 15 units of As to bring your GPA up to 3.0 and you will take only 13 units by the deadline, you will not have your GRE high enough by the deadline and therefore it does not make sense to spend your time and money to apply in this cycle.
It's a good idea to observe in a hospital setting since it's a very different environment from the outpatient. Do not spend too much time there. Maybe 30-40 h should be enough.

 

[DPT143]

Thanks I guess that might actually be my only option at this point. Its going to cost an arm and a leg and not to mention the time it would take to complete all those courses. Could take up to 1.5 years. I'm currently 25 I guess I'll finish school at 30 :/. I know its a great and rewarding field and I'm up for all the obstacles ahead of me nonetheless. Thanks a lot for the feedback.

Age is just a number. I’m just starting PT school at 35. I’ll be 38 when I graduate 🙂

 

[ProspectDPT]

If you apply during this cycle, your deadlines will be by around Jan 2020, right? You will not have enough time/classes to increase your GPA above 3.0 by Jan, I believe.
If you have not done that yet, try to do calculation or maybe your school adviser can help you with those calculations... Basically, you need to know how many units of As or Bs, or combination of both will bring your GPA above 3.0. Those number could give you a better idea if it is realistic for you to increase your GPA enough by certain deadline. For example, if you need 15 units of As to bring your GPA up to 3.0 and you will take only 13 units by the deadline, you will not have your GRE high enough by the deadline and therefore it does not make sense to spend your time and money to apply in this cycle.
It's a good idea to observe in a hospital setting since it's a very different environment from the outpatient. Do not spend too much time there. Maybe 30-40 h should be enough.

Thanks a lot will due. We have a prehealth professionals office at my school... will speak with an advisor and see how I can get my numbers up to where they need to be.