Ask a DPT Admissions Director

[pacificNWPT]

Hi Josh,

Is it a faux pas to get in touch with programs to check on application status? I am especially interested in programs with interviews. I have applied to some programs that I know have already offered interviews. In an ideal world I would just wait for correspondence from the programs but I have a family situation where it would be helpful to have an idea on my status, even if that is rejection.

Thank you.

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[IndianaDPT]

@pacificNWPT : Thanks for your message.

Generally I do not think it's a good idea to contact programs and inquire. This is because the program staff are often busy with other programs and with the matriculation/acceptance process about when the time these questions come in. In a word, it's undesirable. These questions create workload that is not that productive.

In the case that you are moving or illness in the family or something that causes you to have a lack of availability, then contacting the program and inquiring makes some sense. For instance, let's say you have to be out of country for a week in February. It's not crucial that the program know the reason other than a family emergency, if that's the case, but informing the program means they can act on that information.

Keep in mind that admission decisions, including declines, are under the purview of faculty, and those decisions are not made by staff in the vast, vast majority of cases, if not all of them. So you may not be able to get a definite answer when you call or email.

Good luck!

Josh Morrison
Director, Student Enrollment Services
IU School of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences, IUPUI
www.shrs.iupui.edu
[email protected]

 

[yogalover222]

Hi Josh!

Thanks for answering questions on here. I graduated in May 2013 and am taking a gap year (teaching english in Spain), but am planning on moving back to the states this summer and applying to DPT school. I was premed in undergrad and majored in nutrition with a minor in psychology. My undergrad overall GPA was a 3.68 (I think the way PTCAS does GPAS, it will be a bit higher). For my prereqs, I did fine (mostly A's, a few B's) in all the science classes except for anatomy (C) and physiology (C+). I took anatomy and physiology my 5th year of college while I was also researching and writing my nutrition honors thesis, and the courseload combined with it being my 5th year of college is why I did so poorly. I'm guessing my prereq GPA will be anywhere between a 3.2-3.6, depending on the university.

I haven't taken the GRE, but I am going to start studying. I feel my application, besides the bad anatomy/physiology grades, is good as I have lots of research, volunteer and leadership experience. But, I was wondering (since anatomy and physio are such big parts of physical therapy), if that will ruin my application? I would really like to be accepted for the 2015 entry class! Do you think I should retake the classes? I wouldn't be able to retake them until Autumn semester 2014, as I will not get home from Spain until June.

Thanks for any advice.

Elizabeth

 

[IndianaDPT]

@yogalover222:

Hi Elizabeth, thanks for your message.

Depending on what PTCAS GPA is used, the 3.68 could go down; if you repeated courses and "redlined" or "grade replaced" them, it will likely move downward. Not sure how it might go up, unless you took courses at another institution and earned above 3.68, which is possible.

A&P are critical courses, as you might expect. A cumulative GPA of 3.68 is competitive, a prerequisite GPA of 3.2, not so much.

Some programs may require or prefer grades of B or higher in certain prerequisites. You may wish to check that out. Since you have a semester, perhaps you could use some time and repeat A&P and replace the C/C+ with A or A-, which would improve your prerequisite math/science GPA and improve your cumulative GPA a bit.

IU allows up to two prerequisites to be outstanding at the application deadline, and we count repeating courses as outstanding. So we would not factor in the A&P courses if they were in progress or planned at the application deadline. This would certainly improve your prerequisite math/science GPA upon application to us.

Good luck, and enjoy Spain!

Josh Morrison
Director, Student Enrollment Services
IU School of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences, IUPUI
www.shrs.iupui.edu
[email protected]

 

[Tifanie]

Hello @IndianaDPT , I want to thank you for all the time you spent on this forum. I've been preparing for my interview and I found your answers very useful! Thank you so much.

I would just like to ask you your opinion on direct access. I've been doing research about direct access in California (AB 1000), which was recently passed and implemented in 2014. The controversy of this new law is that the patients can now see physical therapists for diagnosis, evaluation and treatment without referrals from the physicians for only up to 45 days or 12 visits, whichever occurs first. After 45 days or 12 visits, the patients will need to return to the physician for further examination in order to have more PT visits. This part kind of confusing me. It sounds like the therapists don't really get "clean" direct access, since their patients visits without physician intervention are limited. What do you think about this? Is it the same in Indiana?

In addition, now PTs in California can be hired by any medical corporation, physicians, podiatrist, etc, even though they still have direct access to their own patients. Those patients who visit physician-owned clinics also have the right to see other physical therapists who are not hired by the same clinics. <-- this part is confusing me. Many PTs oppose this part of the legislation because they believe it will create more competition for PTs who open their own clinics and further toughens the referral for profit. Is it the same in Indiana also? what do you think about this?

sorry if this is kind of confusing. I am just trying to understand the current issues here in California and would like some opinions from the professionals. Thank you.

 

[IndianaDPT]

@Tifanie:

Thanks for your message! Very happy to help.

I really don't know the California issues, but Indiana was the last state to obtain direct access, and at this point I think the limitation is 10 visits or 30 days before a physician or other approved provider must write orders for PT services. You're right, it's limited direct access to PT services. It's a start. PTs and physicians (MDs, DOs) are prepared differently and have a different set of skills, though complimentary in many ways. Another issue I think that coincides with direct access is billing and reimbursement. How does direct access change the provision of PT services? What are the ethical considerations around direct access and treating clients when their primary care physician may not know? What about medical records access and compliance? So direct access is great for PTs and for patients in many ways, but also brings with it other questions.

I don't know about restrictions on PTs in California, but I understand that PTs here can run their own clinics without supervision or formal business relationships with other health care providers. It seems reasonable to me that clients that see physicians should have the option of seeing outside-of-clinic PTs, as it's their choice. Certainly this may be a disadvantage for PT-run clinics, and I could see that competition would be changed because of the "one-stop shopping" aspects of a combined physician-PT clinic. What I expect this will mean is that the less efficient and less client-centered PT practices may close or consolidate in order to take advantage of economies of scale, but it might also create opportunities for novel partnerships and integrated medicine/PT practice that are effective.

My suggestion is to really dig into the California PT association website (surely there is a professional organization of PTs in CA) and look into the research/policy/advocacy section. APTA has a section on this as well, and there is a lot of material to work through.

We do not expect all our candidates to have an in-depth knowledge of the current issues but they should know what they are and be conversant enough to answer some general questions about what the main issues are or are expected to be in the next 5-10 years. That doesn't seem unreasonable to me.

Good luck!

Josh Morrison
Director, Student Enrollment Services
IU School of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences, IUPUI
www.shrs.iupui.edu
[email protected]

 

[futuredpt1313]

Hey Josh. I have attended 4 interviews, all of which I thought went very well, and have been placed on the wait-list at all of these schools. Two schools wait-listed me who don't have interviews. Recently I realized that there is some profanity on my facebook page.....could this have anything to do with it?

 

[georgia2009]

Hi Josh,

At this point, if you're selected for an interview, is it safe to say you have the same chance of being accepted as everyone else being interviewed? Or will they still look back at other parts of the application (GPA, GRE, hours, etc.)? I'm wondering because my stats were not very competitive, but I was still offered an interview. I noticed in one discussion, a person was given an interview, but denied admission because of a low GPA and/or GRE score. Why invite someone to interview, if you have no intentions of accepting them, right?

 

[IndianaDPT]

@futuredpt1313:

Thanks for your note, and I apologize for the delay in response. Your question is a very difficult one to answer. In my view items that are not on the official admission requirements list should not be used in the decision-making process. Even so, applying to professional programs is a different ballgame, in the sense that programs want students that are, well, professional. So while I do not expect such a factor to be definitive, if used, it may have caused concerns. In my view this is less damaging than illegal activities, such as underage drinking or illicit drug use. However, it's not helpful.

Looking this over, I would say that there is no evidence that the Facebook flap has any bearing on your placement on the alternate list. Focus on what you can control and do your best with any other application processes this cycle.

Good luck!

Josh Morrison
Director, Student Enrollment Services
IU School of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences, IUPUI
www.shrs.iupui.edu
[email protected]

Hey Josh. I have attended 4 interviews, all of which I thought went very well, and have been placed on the wait-list at all of these schools. Two schools wait-listed me who don't have interviews. Recently I realized that there is some profanity on my facebook page.....could this have anything to do with it?

 

[IndianaDPT]

@georgia2009 :

Thanks for your message. I have seen this play out in different ways, and it really depends on how an interview is weighted. Some programs could "start fresh" and consider everyone equal at the interview stage. This seems uncommon. My impression is that most programs use the interview score in addition to the pre-interview, mostly academic factors, to rank candidates.

If everyone who was interviewed was accepted programs might interview a lot fewer candidates. But programs have to interview some multiple of their class number to ensure that there are enough viable candidates to select from in the case of withdrawals or such poor interview performances that the candidate is excluded from further consideration.

An invitation to an interview is not a guarantee or promise of admission, but it tells a candidate that s/he is considered academically qualified enough to meet the minimum scores and likely over the minimum necessary. However, with the interview included in a final score, the candidate's overall score still may be lacking and bring her or him into the "decline" list.

Good luck to you -- remember to focus on what you can control and don't stress!

Josh Morrison
Director, Student Enrollment Services
IU School of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences, IUPUI
www.shrs.iupui.edu
[email protected]

Hi Josh,

At this point, if you're selected for an interview, is it safe to say you have the same chance of being accepted as everyone else being interviewed? Or will they still look back at other parts of the application (GPA, GRE, hours, etc.)? I'm wondering because my stats were not very competitive, but I was still offered an interview. I noticed in one discussion, a person was given an interview, but denied admission because of a low GPA and/or GRE score. Why invite someone to interview, if you have no intentions of accepting them, right?

 

[pacificNWPT]

Hi Josh,

Thanks again for answering all the questions.

I was wondering what your thoughts are regarding post-interview thank you notes.
Do you think they should be sent? If so, is email sufficient or should they be sent snail mail? Some schools seem to make finding faculty emails easy, while others are difficult, if not impossible to find. Additionally, should you send one just to your interviewer(s) or would you suggest any other player(s) in the process?

 

[IndianaDPT]

@pacificNWPT

Thanks for your message. Thank-you notes are fine, either in paper or email form. I would not think of them as being important in terms of an admission decision, because generally only the items that are used in the process can be considered (such as academics, GRE, interview, personal statements, letters of recommendation, etc.).

I have received thank-you notes and emails from students who interviewed for admission to our programs, even though I am not on the committee and do not have a say in an admission decision. Notes to the faculty/interviewers and admission staff are acceptable, but not required.

Best,

Josh Morrison
Director, Student Enrollment Services
IU School of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences, IUPUI
www.shrs.iupui.edu
[email protected]

 

[Fortiores]

Hello IndianaDPT,

I wanted to ask how much importance goes into observational hours/humanitarian work/internship

I have an internship at the University of Southern California Keck Medical Center Physical therapy department where I am accumulating observational hours. I also have traveled to India to work in a rehabilitation center in a poor village and worked under a PT there for 2 weeks.

To sum up:
How many observational hours do you want to see out of the applicants?
Does, for example my India trip, make me more appealing in the application process, or this more of just a cherry-on-the-top thing?
In general, how heavy is this extra curricular work viewed relative to GPA?

Thank you for your time! And I appreciate any knowledge you can share

 

[somewhatanxious]

So far I have been placed on the alternate list at 3 schools. Two of the schools claim that they don't rank their alternates, and that they re-evaluate with each new opening. So, I am trying to figure out how "pushy" I should be with the admissions department. Should I be staying in close contact to let them know that I am still highly interested, or should I wait patiently? I don't want to be annoying, but at the same time I don't want to accept defeat. What do you think most admissions departments are looking for?

 

[IndianaDPT]

@Fortiores:

Thanks for your message. Of course like most questions regarding admission, the true answer is, "It varies."

What I think the focus should be on for many programs is the quality of experience and what you learned from it. I happened to be in a session with another admissions person and she was indicating her campus counted them up and points were associated with each hour (such that more hours = more points). Indiana University's program has set a minimum of 20 hours inpatient an 20 hours from outpatient settings. This is enough to see PTs in practice with a variety of issues/ailments, and to have the candidate have some idea of what PTs do in multiple settings. More are encouraged, but not required, and there is no "magic" number to obtain.

In the majority of cases I have seen, high levels of volunteerism/observation are not going to wholly make up for lackluster academic background. The difference with individuals who have a lot of experience is that they have fodder to talk about with regard to what they've learned. Those who have not experienced multiple PT settings and issues are disadvantaged in this regard. But will another 100 hours in a single setting mean a candidate will jump to the top of a list? Probably not.

I'm sorry I cannot be more definitive; every program thinks of these things differently. One thing is true though; one needs to be well prepared academically for the program, whichever one enters.

G0od luck!

Josh Morrison
Director, Student Enrollment Services
IU School of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences, IUPUI
www.shrs.iupui.edu
[email protected]

Hello IndianaDPT,

I wanted to ask how much importance goes into observational hours/humanitarian work/internship

I have an internship at the University of Southern California Keck Medical Center Physical therapy department where I am accumulating observational hours. I also have traveled to India to work in a rehabilitation center in a poor village and worked under a PT there for 2 weeks.

To sum up:
How many observational hours do you want to see out of the applicants?
Does, for example my India trip, make me more appealing in the application process, or this more of just a cherry-on-the-top thing?
In general, how heavy is this extra curricular work viewed relative to GPA?

Thank you for your time! And I appreciate any knowledge you can share

 

[IndianaDPT]

@somewhat anxious:

Thanks for writing. You are on the alternate list, which means that you are at least in the running and have not been removed based on academic or interview (if applicable) performance, or other item in your profile.

I urge you not to be pushy. There's really no impact you can have on the process, as at least in our case we cannot consider items that are not stated as admission requirements.

If you must contact the programs, you could send a short and polite message reiterating your interest in the program, perhaps up to even that you would accept if offered a position in the class, and leave it at that.

Admission offices are not looking for additional contacts with applicants, in general terms. We're happy to help, but there's really nothing that those folks can do unless a space is available.

You're not defeated, just on hold for a bit. You'll find your spot, if not this cycle then soon!

Best,

Josh Morrison
Director, Student Enrollment Services
IU School of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences, IUPUI
www.shrs.iupui.edu
[email protected]

So far I have been placed on the alternate list at 3 schools. Two of the schools claim that they don't rank their alternates, and that they re-evaluate with each new opening. So, I am trying to figure out how "pushy" I should be with the admissions department. Should I be staying in close contact to let them know that I am still highly interested, or should I wait patiently? I don't want to be annoying, but at the same time I don't want to accept defeat. What do you think most admissions departments are looking for?

 

[LeTryst]

Hi Josh,

Thank you so much for taking the time to answer all of our questions.

I have recently had a very interesting situation where I was interviewed for a school and I thought the interview went very well. They seemed to be giving good body language: nodding and smiling and acknowledging that I was being authentic and clear. I felt very confident going into the interview because I had praticed with my girlfriend the week before and had gone over the scenario in my head visually many times.

However, I was rejected from the program and not even considered on the wait list. I would say that I'm a self critical person, so I've gone over the details of the interview many times, but I cannot think of what I had done that could've made them not even consider me for the waitlist. It seemed like a very positive interaction, neither asked for clarification on any of my answers or seemed confused and I didn't feel that I stumbled with any questions or delivering my answer.

My question is do I consider the rejection to be personal (i.e. that I've committed some kind of grand error) or just shake it off? It's very hard to attain anything constructive because I don't have any other feedback other than a simple rejection letter. I keep going over my head about why I'm not even considered for the waitlist because of how pleasant and smooth the whole process went. While I might feel that it is general, better to come in prepared to deliver a thoughtful and well articulated response, might it also be to my detriment at the risk of sounding over aggressive?

 

[AspiringPT1234]

Hello Mr. Morrison,

I had an interesting experience at a recent interview and I am not sure who I should talk to about it or what actions I should take, if any. My issue was with the writing sample that was part of the interview process. The email that I received with the schedule for the day is copied and pasted below (minus the location of the school).

[ To keep your wait time to a minimum during the interview day, we have scheduled you for a MORNING interview. You will check-in between 8:30 am – 9:00 am. The full schedule of events is listed below:

8:30 am – 9:00 am Welcome and Registration
9:00 am – 10:00 am Group 1: Interview and Writing Sample
Group 2: Tour of Campus
10:00 am – 11:00 am Group 1: Tour of Campus
Group 2: Interview and Writing Sample
11:00 am – 12:00 pm Program Overview, Admissions and Financial Aid
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm Lunch with Current Students ]

I arrived to the check-in desk around 8:40 am and was then hurried into the writing sample. The sample was supposed to be 15 minutes in length, but I was given 7 minutes to complete it. I was obviously confused and a bit frantic. Several people arrived after me, but they were held out of the sample and were given the opportunity to complete it after their interviews. I talked with the Assistant Director of Graduate and Professional Admissions immediately before those students were given the sample and they told me that the email said 8:30 am and there was nothing they could do for me because I had already taken the sample. They told me to not worry about it because it is a small portion of the application.

The schedule that was handed out at check-in and was actually used is as follows.
8:00-8:30 Welcome and Check-in
8:30-8:45 Writing Sample
9:00-10:00 Interviews / Tour of Campus

If the writing sample was an insignificant portion of the application, then they wouldn't administer it. I was and still am pretty upset about this situation. I had less than half of the allotted time, and the people that arrived after me were given the opportunity to complete it later. It caused me a lot of stress and my writing sample could have been far better. Luckily I think the actual interview still went well. I don't think there is any ambiguity in the schedule that I was emailed. Am I interpreting that schedule incorrectly? Who should I contact at the school about this situation? Would it be a bad idea to raise this issue with them? I don't want to be a whiner and complain, but I really feel wronged here. I am disappointed because this is probably my #1 school and I acted on the information that was sent to me.

Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thank you for your time.

 

[IndianaDPT]

@LeTryst

Thanks for writing, and I do apologize for the delay. I've been under the weather this week, unfortunately!

The plain fact is that there are more candidates for positions in every DPT program than there are spots. I encourage you to learn what you can from the experience and shake it off. Dwelling on past struggles doesn't really help in exploring new opportunities, which is what you are going to need to do at this point.

I would encourage you to practice interviewing with other individuals, particularly faculty or staff members at a career center. It could have been that your answers appeared to be rehearsed or that you were jumping in as if you knew what the question was going to be. It is appropriate to think through the question for a moment and then give an answer. The goal of many interviews is to get a sense of you as a person and how you approach problems, particularly communication, teamwork, and ethics.

Every year I hear stories of candidates removing themselves from consideration due to their interactions in the interview. This is not common, but happens. Focus on what you can change and improve upon, and don't worry about what you can't change!

Best,

Josh Morrison
Director, Student Enrollment Services
IU School of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences, IUPUI
www.shrs.iupui.edu
[email protected]

Hi Josh,

Thank you so much for taking the time to answer all of our questions.

I have recently had a very interesting situation where I was interviewed for a school and I thought the interview went very well. They seemed to be giving good body language: nodding and smiling and acknowledging that I was being authentic and clear. I felt very confident going into the interview because I had praticed with my girlfriend the week before and had gone over the scenario in my head visually many times.

However, I was rejected from the program and not even considered on the wait list. I would say that I'm a self critical person, so I've gone over the details of the interview many times, but I cannot think of what I had done that could've made them not even consider me for the waitlist. It seemed like a very positive interaction, neither asked for clarification on any of my answers or seemed confused and I didn't feel that I stumbled with any questions or delivering my answer.

My question is do I consider the rejection to be personal (i.e. that I've committed some kind of grand error) or just shake it off? It's very hard to attain anything constructive because I don't have any other feedback other than a simple rejection letter. I keep going over my head about why I'm not even considered for the waitlist because of how pleasant and smooth the whole process went. While I might feel that it is general, better to come in prepared to deliver a thoughtful and well articulated response, might it also be to my detriment at the risk of sounding over aggressive?

 

[IndianaDPT]

@AspiringPT1234:

I will send you a private message regarding your question.

Best,

Josh Morrison
Director, Student Enrollment Services
IU School of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences, IUPUI
www.shrs.iupui.edu
[email protected]

 

[justbelieve1230]

Mr. Morrison,

I greatly appreciate that you take such time to answer so many questions for all of us! After talking to a program earlier today that denied me after an interview, I have some thoughts I would like some outside opinions on; if you don't mind, that is (or anyone else reading this).

I am an applicant that is quite an... anomaly? I am pursuing to gain entrance in veterinary medical school (have done two application cycles, but to no avail) or physical therapy school (just wrapped up first cycle, waitlisted at 2/10 programs). My personal statement focused on why the transition (the prompt was "why PT over other healthcare?" and veterinary med is really the only other career I have pursued, so that's what I had to work with). My end goal is canine rehab, just to help you with connecting the two together. In order to be certified in canine rehab, I have to be a DVM or DPT. I would be really happy with either, but am also starting to really like the way PT's think and take a more holistic approach (which, being this late in the game, is probably why my personal statement, written some-odd months ago, hasn't been convincing on the most passionate end for PT spectrum).

What has confused me is of the three interviews I had gotten this cycle, my interviewers varied greatly on their thoughts of my reason for wanting to go the PT route. At one program, I was told on several separate occasions that this makes me an interesting applicant. Another program drilled me during the interview; pretty much asking me, "well, why DON'T you want to be a vet??" and I felt scorned. The third was more accepting of it, but not as enthusiastic as the first.

So my inquiry is, if I have to go another round of applications, should I tone down the emphasis of my former career aspirations? By how much? My friends and family think I need to get myself into the door by saying what they want to hear, but I can't help but get excited for this new, upcoming, and growing field within the veterinary and physical therapy worlds. Is it just too different still?

Again, thank you, kindly, for your time.

Take care,
Stephanie

 

[IndianaDPT]

Hi Stephanie:

Thanks for your message. Happy to help!

I do think personal statements are important, though their importance varies by program. Programs want to be certain that the applicant has considered other health care careers and decided that PT is right for them, and has a solid rationale for doing so. It is a tragedy when someone leaves PT school; that's a PT that the profession will never get back, and it's an opportunity for another student that is lost. For this reason every admission committee I know takes the selection process very seriously.

I am curious as to why canine rehabilitation. This is a very specific area and one that seems to remove a whole host of other very interesting and promising areas in PT. Of course you need the background to do canine rehabilitation. I wonder if recreation therapy is another option, which just popped into my head. I am not familiar enough with the program and career outlook to know if this is a third option, but it may be. Certainly occupational therapy may be an option as well; they are very much holistically focused.

Honestly I'm not familiar with the canine rehabilitation area and this is not an area of specialization among our faculty. What I would caution you about is foreclosing too early on a particular area. You have a few years in PT school to figure it out, and PTs move among specialty areas as well. It could be that this laser-like focus on one area (a) limits the programs you can realistically join to get experience in the area and (b) sends a message that you are disinterested in the vast span of other PT practice. Both of those are potentially problematic, as I am sure you can tell.

So as for what to do, I certainly think you can mention and interest in canine rehabilitation. However, I urge you to open your options much more broadly. You may be surprised at what really strikes your passion. And if at the end of your program you are still enchanted by canine rehab, then great, but at least you'll have been open to other possibilities.

Best,

Josh Morrison
Director, Student Enrollment Services
IU School of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences, IUPUI
www.shrs.iupui.edu
[email protected]

Mr. Morrison,

I greatly appreciate that you take such time to answer so many questions for all of us! After talking to a program earlier today that denied me after an interview, I have some thoughts I would like some outside opinions on; if you don't mind, that is (or anyone else reading this).

I am an applicant that is quite an... anomaly? I am pursuing to gain entrance in veterinary medical school (have done two application cycles, but to no avail) or physical therapy school (just wrapped up first cycle, waitlisted at 2/10 programs). My personal statement focused on why the transition (the prompt was "why PT over other healthcare?" and veterinary med is really the only other career I have pursued, so that's what I had to work with). My end goal is canine rehab, just to help you with connecting the two together. In order to be certified in canine rehab, I have to be a DVM or DPT. I would be really happy with either, but am also starting to really like the way PT's think and take a more holistic approach (which, being this late in the game, is probably why my personal statement, written some-odd months ago, hasn't been convincing on the most passionate end for PT spectrum).

What has confused me is of the three interviews I had gotten this cycle, my interviewers varied greatly on their thoughts of my reason for wanting to go the PT route. At one program, I was told on several separate occasions that this makes me an interesting applicant. Another program drilled me during the interview; pretty much asking me, "well, why DON'T you want to be a vet??" and I felt scorned. The third was more accepting of it, but not as enthusiastic as the first.

So my inquiry is, if I have to go another round of applications, should I tone down the emphasis of my former career aspirations? By how much? My friends and family think I need to get myself into the door by saying what they want to hear, but I can't help but get excited for this new, upcoming, and growing field within the veterinary and physical therapy worlds. Is it just too different still?

Again, thank you, kindly, for your time.

Take care,
Stephanie

 

[tonyt91]

Hello Josh,

Thanks for taking the time to answer these questions. I graduated last year and this past cycle was the first that I have applied for. Unfortunately I didn't get into any of the schools that I applied to which wasn't too surprising considering my grades were pretty mediocre (cGPA~3.0, pGPA~3.3). I did decent on the GRE (V:156 Q:162 W:4.5) and have a lot of volunteer hours at an outpatient PT clinic among other volunteer opportunities. I've also been working as a medical assistant at a physiatry office since graduating, I felt that this experience gave me a different perspective on the role of PTs in the healthcare spectrum and tried to convey that in my personal statement.

I am already planning on taking 1-2 courses to up those GPAs and retaking the GRE, but other than that what else could I do to strengthen my application for the next cycle? Would it benefit me if I were to be working at an actual PT clinic? Would doing things like becoming a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist be helpful? I would greatly appreciate any insight that you would be willing to give.

Thank you for taking the time,
Tony

 

[IndianaDPT]

@tonyt91:

Thanks for your message, Tony. As always happy to help, and glad that the thread seems to be useful to applicants.

Certainly your chances are improved if you take advantage of repeat rule policies and attempt the maximum number of credits allowable. With a prerequisite GPA of around B+ you likely have some courses in that list (usually of 8-10) that could use some improvement. This will also improve your cumulative GPA, though slowly.

It does sound like you have good work experience and your outpatient PT numbers are reasonable. What I do not see is inpatient PT observation or experiences, or more specialty areas such as neurological rehabilitation for instance, or wound care/burn care.

I don't know where you are from, but my suggestion is to try and find programs that take a very broad look at applications and try to be more holistic in their admissions approach. If a program weighs the writing sample and interview just as strongly as academic scores, or close, you'll have a better chance at those types of programs. This may not be intuitively obvious but is worth investigating.

Physiatry or physical medicine and rehabilitation is certainly in the wheelhouse of PTs, and is highly related. What I would focus on is (a) academics, (b) diverse PT observation experiences, (c) improving your GRE scores, particularly verbal, and (d) ensuring your personal statement and interview skills are first-rate. In other words, a multi-pronged approach focused on as many aspects of the process you can improve on is warranted, especially for competitive programs.

I do not think work in a PT clinic is necessarily required, though it would be useful. More useful than your current position? Not necessarily. Depends on what you do, not where you are. I really don't have much use for the strength and conditioning certifications. What you have to ask yourself is very simple -- What are the aspects of the application process, and how can I improve each one? Those items that are outside of the application and selection process are at best secondary concerns.

Good luck!

Josh Morrison
Director, Student Enrollment Services
IU School of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences, IUPUI
www.shrs.iupui.edu
[email protected]

Hello Josh,

Thanks for taking the time to answer these questions. I graduated last year and this past cycle was the first that I have applied for. Unfortunately I didn't get into any of the schools that I applied to which wasn't too surprising considering my grades were pretty mediocre (cGPA~3.0, pGPA~3.3). I did decent on the GRE (V:156 Q:162 W:4.5) and have a lot of volunteer hours at an outpatient PT clinic among other volunteer opportunities. I've also been working as a medical assistant at a physiatry office since graduating, I felt that this experience gave me a different perspective on the role of PTs in the healthcare spectrum and tried to convey that in my personal statement.

I am already planning on taking 1-2 courses to up those GPAs and retaking the GRE, but other than that what else could I do to strengthen my application for the next cycle? Would it benefit me if I were to be working at an actual PT clinic? Would doing things like becoming a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist be helpful? I would greatly appreciate any insight that you would be willing to give.

Thank you for taking the time,
Tony

 

[mmghanem_]

Hello Josh,

I am currently a sophomore at UNC-Chapel Hill, interested in PT. I have a question regarding majors. Is there a preference toward individuals who are double majors, or is GPA simply the bigger aspect? I am currently a Exercise Science and Psychology double major, but I am questioning if I want to continue with the Psychology major because it will probably not help me in the PT aspect, but if it will help me get accepted to schools, I may keep it. What are your thoughts?

Thank you.

 

[IndianaDPT]

@mmghanem_:

Thanks for your note. I do not see much utility in a double major, and any major is generally acceptable so long as the prerequisite coursework is completed. The real question for me is what advantage in terms of preparation does the double major give you that you otherwise might not have? If you can justify the second major based on preparation for PT school or practice as a PT (and there are some reasons that this would be useful), then it's OK to keep it.

Does a double major show that you are more capable of handling the professional coursework and clinical work in PT school? I don't think that it does. Certainly academic preparation in terms of overall GPA, prerequisite GPA, GRE scores, etc., weigh more than obtaining a double major and two degrees.

Good luck!

Josh

Josh Morrison
Director, Student Enrollment Services
IU School of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences, IUPUI
www.shrs.iupui.edu
[email protected]

 

[futuredpt1313]

Hello Josh,

I am planning for re-applying next year in the event that I do not come off any of the wait-lists that I am on. What is your opinion on re-taking prerequisites at a community college? I have completed all of them at 4 year institutions. Will this look bad? Taking the classes at a community college would be much more economical, however I am not sure how the admissions committee will view this. How does your program view this type of situation? Thank you for your help.

Alex

 

[IndianaDPT]

@futuredpt1313:

Thanks for writing. I have just been to two separate health career fairs and the answer regarding CC prerequisites will vary. Many programs want to see the most rigorous preparation possible, and can consider CC courses to be less rigorous and therefore weaker preparation for their programs. So repeating prerequisites at CC may actually harm your chances if a program views them as less substantive than senior (4-year) institutions.

IU does not consider the institution formally in the admission review process. In other words as long as the institution is regionally accredited (or international equivalent), then the course is considered valid as long as it meets our criteria.

Best,

Josh Morrison
Director, Student Enrollment Services
IU School of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences, IUPUI
www.shrs.iupui.edu
[email protected]

 

[ktachiba]

Hi Josh,

Does it matter which professor I get a LOR from? For example, can I get one from my Speech professor, or do PT schools only want letters from professors of the common pre-requisite courses (i.e. anatomy, physics, etc).

Thanks!

Kevin

 

[ptlover]

Hi Josh,

Im currently in a dilemma. I was not accepted into any dpt programs this cycle. I applied to a higher education masters program which is a second passion of mine as a backup. I was accepted and offered a grad assistant position. And.tuition waiver. BUT I stil want.to pursue Pt. I want to reapply this upcoming cycle, but was wondering would DPT schools see it negatively if I don't finish my masters to go to PT school?

 

[Blueflower1]

Hi Josh,
I was hoping to ask you how you viewed non-exercise science/human kinetic degrees during the admissions process?
I am currently a pharmacy student and after nearly a year of researching and a shadowing a little, I have realized my passion lies in PT. However I don't have a previous degree and therefore can't apply directly to PT. I would need to leave pharmacy, do 2 and a half more years in exercise science/Hkin and then apply to a program. The only fear there is that ''what if''' of not getting into a program. My other option would be to stay in pharmacy and do 3 more years, and then apply to a PT program. The fear here is not doing really well in all of my courses because of the rigorous course load and possibly a lower GPA. But I am curious as to how a pharmacy degree looks to admission committee? Would you say this is a plus, a disadvantage or neither?
Many thanks for your time

 

[SouthernSlingin'PT]

Hey Josh,

I am an Exercise Science graduate from Georgia Southern University. This cycle was my first time applying into DPT programs. However, I did not get accepted into any programs, even the two I had interviews for. I currently have a 3.34 GPA with a 3.16 pre req GPA, and plan to retake two pre req courses. I have around ~1300 hours of hands on experience at the out-patient orthopedic clinic I currently work as a tech for and 15 hours of in-patient observation. My GRE numbers are 153 Q 149 V 4.0 AW. I played 4 years of collegiate baseball 1 year juco and 3 years D-1. First, is collegiate athletics considered when applying? Would it be more beneficial to retake 6-9 hours of credit and work full time, or take as many classes as possible (18 hours) over summer terms? What do you consider a good verbal GRE score? >160? Is diversity or volume more important when collecting in-patient hours? Thank you again for all your responses.

Drew

 

[phenom832]

Hey Josh I have a quick question. If you were reviewing a applicant who struggled during there first couple years of college but showed a progression in their grades do you downplay their bad grade at the beginning? My freshman year really hurt me as far as GPA goes. While I am trying to make up for lost time by retaking classes one in which I got an A the second time I just don't know if I will be at a disadvantage with the bad grades on my transcript. Am I just wasting my time trying to be a PT? I plan on doing observation hours this summer but if its a lost cause maybe Ill reconsider

 

[banjojo]

Hello Josh,

How much is the rigor of one's major taken into consideration? I have noticed on this site that most are kinesiology/exersize science type majors, while I am a biology major. I fear that some classes that my major requires will make my gpa less competitive, for example the organic chemistry sequence that is not really required by PT schools or many other majors that PT applicants have.

 

[BiffTheFlashRogers]

Hello Josh,

How much is the rigor of one's major taken into consideration? I have noticed on this site that most are kinesiology/exersize science type majors, while I am a biology major. I fear that some classes that my major requires will make my gpa less competitive, for example the organic chemistry sequence that is not really required by PT schools or many other majors that PT applicants have.

Dude, I'm in the exact same boat. I love the college I chose but I hate that I have to be a bio major (exercise science/kinesiology is not a major option here). If I could go back in time and change one thing, it would be to find a way to get my pre-reqs without being a bio major. I am much stronger in other subject areas than biology, but am passionate and still very strong in classes like A&P. A couple non-prereq, major requirements hurt me a little bit cumGPA-wise though.

 

[IndianaDPT]

Hi Kevin,

I'm replying to you and this will be my last series of posts. I've resigned my position with the IU School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, and I do not know if my replacement will continue with the thread. If so I would be happy to provide the log details and s/he can continue to follow up.

My suggestion is to obtain a LOR from those who can speak most directly about your interest and preparation for PT school. The LOR should add value to your application and not cover details already indicated in a personal statement, if at all possible.

Good luck!

Josh Morrison

Hi Josh,

Does it matter which professor I get a LOR from? For example, can I get one from my Speech professor, or do PT schools only want letters from professors of the common pre-requisite courses (i.e. anatomy, physics, etc).

Thanks!

Kevin

 

[IndianaDPT]

@ptlover:

Thanks for writing. It is certainly possible to have two areas of interest. It sounds like you were not academically competitive for admission to DPT programs, or you could have been competitive but applied too late in the cycle for rolling admission programs.

The chairperson of PT at IU has a PhD in higher education and MSPT (that was the entry level degree at the time). So it's possible to combine interests, particularly if your interests are in teaching and learning in higher education. I don't think it's a negative to get admitted to another program, but you're going to have to be very specific about your reasons for pursuing a graduate program in higher education and how it relates to your interest in PT. PT programs, as I've said before, want to be first priority, not second or further down the list.

Good luck!

Josh Morrison

Hi Josh,

Im currently in a dilemma. I was not accepted into any dpt programs this cycle. I applied to a higher education masters program which is a second passion of mine as a backup. I was accepted and offered a grad assistant position. And.tuition waiver. BUT I stil want.to pursue Pt. I want to reapply this upcoming cycle, but was wondering would DPT schools see it negatively if I don't finish my masters to go to PT school?

 

[IndianaDPT]

@Blueflower1:

Thanks for writing. The undergraduate major is mostly not considered in an admission decision. What counts most are (in various orders of importance): GPA, GRE, prerequisite GPA, PT-related experience, community engagement/service.

There is always a possibility of not getting into a program, but you have to be qualified in order to apply. So I suggest doing all that you can to be competitive in applying to programs once you are eligible, and not to apply before you are eligible.

Pharmacy is a professional degree, and IU DPT has taken a PharmD into the program without a BA/BS on the strength of the first professional degree. If you are not that interested or committed to pharmacy this will show in your GPA, making you less competitive. My suggestion is to find an area for which you are truly passionate at the undergraduate level, complete that degree, do a lot of PT shadowing and get work experience in the field if possible, then apply.

Good luck!

Josh Morrison

Hi Josh,
I was hoping to ask you how you viewed non-exercise science/human kinetic degrees during the admissions process?
I am currently a pharmacy student and after nearly a year of researching and a shadowing a little, I have realized my passion lies in PT. However I don't have a previous degree and therefore can't apply directly to PT. I would need to leave pharmacy, do 2 and a half more years in exercise science/Hkin and then apply to a program. The only fear there is that ''what if''' of not getting into a program. My other option would be to stay in pharmacy and do 3 more years, and then apply to a PT program. The fear here is not doing really well in all of my courses because of the rigorous course load and possibly a lower GPA. But I am curious as to how a pharmacy degree looks to admission committee? Would you say this is a plus, a disadvantage or neither?
Many thanks for your time

 

[IndianaDPT]

@Phenom:

Thanks for your note and patience. The answer depends on the institution. Some review the last 30 or 60 credit hours and create a GPA based on this for admission purposes, though many do not. You'll want to investigate application processes for the institutions you are interested in attending before submitting an application.

I recommend meeting the minimum qualifications at least for every program you apply for admission, if not exceeding them. If you don't have the basic academics, then much of your other experience will not matter. If you cannot make the minimum GPA, then consider looking into PTA programs or other health careers that are a little less demanding. You'll have to ask yourself whether you want to be an autonomous PT or if you are willing to consider other options.

For IU, all grades are counted using PTCAS, so there is no way to remove poor grades from freshman year in a cumulative calculation.

Best,

Josh Morrison

Hey Josh I have a quick question. If you were reviewing a applicant who struggled during there first couple years of college but showed a progression in their grades do you downplay their bad grade at the beginning? My freshman year really hurt me as far as GPA goes. While I am trying to make up for lost time by retaking classes one in which I got an A the second time I just don't know if I will be at a disadvantage with the bad grades on my transcript. Am I just wasting my time trying to be a PT? I plan on doing observation hours this summer but if its a lost cause maybe Ill reconsider

 

[IndianaDPT]

@banjojo:

There's no way to ascertain the rigor of one's major by an institution name or major title. If you are passionate about biology and chemistry and you can do the work, then go ahead. Other courses in an exercise science major may be more difficult for you than organic chemistry. There are resources, likely, on your campus to help with O-Chem and other major-specific courses.

I read an article the other day about things that highly successful people do. One of them was that they recognize that they are really only competing with themselves as they were yesterday. Which is to say that they are only competing to get better than they were.

Rather than focus on what others are doing, my suggestion is to solely consider what you are doing and how it is contributing to your success. Any effort outside this is not likely to aid in your goal of becoming an excellent PT.

Good luck!

Josh Morrison

Hello Josh,

How much is the rigor of one's major taken into consideration? I have noticed on this site that most are kinesiology/exersize science type majors, while I am a biology major. I fear that some classes that my major requires will make my gpa less competitive, for example the organic chemistry sequence that is not really required by PT schools or many other majors that PT applicants have.

 

[IndianaDPT]

Dear Students:

I write to inform you that I have resigned my position with the IU School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences. Due to this I will no longer be monitoring this account. When a successor is named I will share the login details with her or him and hope that this professional will continue to communicate with you and help as they can.

Best wishes to you all for great success in the admission process this year and in years to come.

Sincerely,

Josh Morrison

 

[RockChalk29]

Hello Josh!


I have been reading your responses on the "Ask a DPT director" page and was hoping you might be able to answer a question or two of mine.


Here are my statistics:


GPA: 3.58

GRE: 151 Q 146 V

Work Experience: I have worked as a Technician for an outpatient PT company for over a year now, year-round.

200 observation hours in 3 different settings

My recommendation letters should be very good from PT's i have worked with and know.

I am involved in a variety activities including two honor societies, four fraternities (one philanthropy, one pre health, one academic, and one regular). I have done a decent amount of volunteering through the philanthropy fraternity.


Anyways, I was wondering about your Input about my GRE scores. Obviously they are not stellar and I am aware of that. My top choice is University of Kansas Medical Center. I am in state and go to KU. i am going to be a senior. The director came and talked and said being in the 150-154 range for both is a good place to be and if you're close it's up to you whether that's good enough or not. Assuming my letters come off well and represent me in a very good way that impresses the admissions director, and seeing that the rest of my application besides the GRE are pretty decent I would say, do you recommend that I retake the GRE. I have honestly studied for about 4-5 months including 10 practice tests and lots of practice questions, so preparation is not the problem. Do you think I would be a competitive applicant even though my GRE verbal section is only in the 31% percentile. Would this be the deciding factor of being accepted or not?


Any advice is very much appreciated.


Thanks

 

[dpt04]

Does anyone know if Rutgers(Newark) accepts applicants with GRE scores that are below their minimum listed on PTCAS for Verbal and Quantitative? Aside from that other areas of the application are strong.. Strong GPA, strong score on the written part of the GRE, and countless # of hours in various PT settings. Any input would be greatly appreciated! Would love to go to Rutgers DPT program, but I also want to be realistic if it is worth applying or not. Due to the fact if they even consider applicants with below minimum GRE scores listed on their site.

 

[swimmer87]

Hi Josh,

Thank you very much for your help. I have a question about ptcas and transcript verification. PTCAS has had my transcripts as received for about 4 weeks, but has just started verifying them now on 9/24 because that is the day I submitted my application. My first due date is 10/2. The school has received my gre scores and references. On the school website it says that 10/2 is the schools deadline for the ptcas application to be submitted. Does that mean it is okay that my transcripts are still under review/may still be under review by 10/2?