Low GPA but I want to improve. What are my chances?

[chris93]

Hey Everyone!

I applied for the very first time to PT schools this past cycle for classes beginning in 2018 and was rejected from 8 and my application is on hold for 1 (Campbell University, whose classes start in 2019), pending that I send in my transcript for classes they want me to retake. I am already familiar my GPA is not the strongest but I figured I should at least try applying once to be familiar with the process and see if I would get in a school with how my current application.


Long story short, overall my grades in undergraduate aren’t stellar because I was immature and didn’t value my education as much as I should have. That is obviously biting me in the butt, so comments about how I should have done better are not what I’m looking for (hindsight is 20/20 after all). What I am looking for is advice on my plan so I can be considered competitive when I do reapply, if my plan is practical, and if there is anything else I can possibly do to make me stand out.


I am a full-time PT aide, leaving me enough time to only retake 1-2 classes per semester. I received C/C+ in my general biology courses, ochem, and genetics. My plan is to retake all the classes I received a C/C+ in and then reapply. This will probably take a year to a year and a half. Unfortunately, there is one class I cannot retake the exact one anywhere, Plant Ecology (it was a course that was considered an upper div for my major), and I received a C+ in that class.


My GRE was 155 verbal, 148 quantitative, 3.5 analytical.


I am currently working at an outpatient PT clinic and I’ve done 42 hours at an inpatient hospital in the PT department.


My questions: Will schools consider my retake classes as a strong sign that I am serious about PT school? Or do I need to go back to undergraduate basically all over again? Will my Plant Ecology class be weighted against me? The only equivalent I’ve found offered at the community colleges near me is an intro to plant sciences class. And even if I retake my classes, my GPA will still be around the low 3.0 range. What else can I do to strengthen my application? Should I retake my GRE? Is taking a GRE prep course worth it? I’ve got a lot on my plate already with retaking classes and working full time- is looking for another place to volunteer at worth it?


Has anyone been in my predicament, or something similar, before? I am low-key/high-key panicking because a lot of schools will not accept classes past 7-10 years old and I took my first prerequisites in the Fall of 2011.

Thanks!

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[ThatKidKate]

Plant Ecology will not be held against you; although it will be added into your science GPA. Honestly, I'm no expert, but I would solely focus on raising up pre-req grades, especially if you can only re-take a handful of classes. If you have time then by all means take ochem and genetics to raise your science GPA, but I would focus on general biology and any other pre-req you got a lower grade in. Please don't feel like you need to re-do undergrad to become a PT. There are several schools that weigh your pre-req GPA much higher than your cGPA, and some that consider your last 60 credit hours in replace of your cGPA. Apply strategically and realistically to schools that will look at your application in more of a holistic manner instead of just GPA numbers.

 

[wdpt98123]

Grades are important but they're not everything.

Definitely agree with ThatKidKate's response. Take the time to look up schools that accept
I got into schools with a GPA of 3.18. I didn't have any internship experiences nor did I have over the top GRE scores. I took it once and it was 152V/154Q/4W. I have experiences from just 140+ hours at my university's hospital and 35+ at a local orthopedics clinics' PT department.

What helped me get into schools besides my below average grades and average GRE scores MUST have been my essays and letters of rec.

There's a criteria that letters of rec providers get asked on your behalf. You should really like your letter providers and hopefully they like you back. They should also have full trust that you will make a great PT. I'm sure most providers are honest on their surveys. I love everyone I've asked to be my reference. I crack jokes with them, they've seen me work, be organized and professional, interact with patients/customers/co-workers, and I hope they liked me back as much as I appreciate and love all of them. Looking for a new place to volunteer would be helpful for you to get new insights on PT as a profession and taking this chance to make new/good connections for potential references.

There's also the personal statement with prompts that vary every year, so make sure you have an essay that answers the prompt with stellar organization. It's not how many GRE/SAT words you can vomit onto the essay but what you have to say. I put my personal philosophies, my motivation of why I want to be a PT, and what I want to do in the field for the people and the profession and for myself in the essay while answering the prompt fully and maintaining flow. I've had one of the faculty members tell me my essay was really good from one of the interviews. My primary language is not English, and I don't take myself for a strong writer, but with appropriate/carefully edited grammar and awesome content, you can sway your readers.

So all in all, if there's classes to re-take that is a pre-req that will help your gpa, do it, and do it while you have enough time. People sometimes over load to try to squeeze in full time work and everything else and do mediocre in their classes, and basically waste money and time. If you choose to take classes, take it seriously and alot sufficient time to yourself, even though that's easier said than done. Otherwise, chisel up on areas where you can, like building a positive/professional/personal relations with your references and taking the time to really figure yourself out onto a prime personal statement to convince admissions to take you over others with good grades/gre scores and whatnot. For the GRE, you're riding on scores that are slightly below average, so if you have the money and time to study one of those books half an hour a day and getting a free app to brush up on the vocabs, then yes, re-take the GRE and get above 150/150/4 scores. At least GRE does not average out with previous attempts like gpas of classes that you re-take. Again, be sure you can be prepared for it to know you will get a better score before paying into it.

Re-taking classes and performing well in them will definitely help you.

Hope this helps and feel free to ask me questions!

 

[beckywiththegoodhair]

Adding on to the above responses, be very strategic to where you apply. I graduated undergrad int he Spring of '15 with a 2.59 cGPA and a 2.74 pGPA. I've since taken/retaken 54 credits worth of classes while working as a full-time PT aide, even shadowing two separate settings on the side as well. I got a 151Q/151V/4.5A on my GRE so basically the minimum for most programs. It took me about 1.5-2 years to boost my GPA and build my resume enough to be a strong applicant. By the end of all of it, I now have a 3.01 cGPA (averaged) and a 3.89 pGPA (if you take the higher grade) and I'm heading to a DPT program at the end of May. I applied to a total of 7 programs and got interviews to 5 of them. I heavily researched schools that took the higher grade for pGPA and looked at schools that focused on the last 60 credits. If you're smart about how to apply, you'll get in if you want to.

Make sure you retake any class that you got in C+ or lower in. Get your pGPA to be as high as possible. If you have time, take random science classes to help your science GPA. Focus on your grades first, then look for more hours in different settings. Lmk if you have any other questions!

 

[chris93]

Thank you everyone for the great responses! They are definitely a moral boost since I've been feeling pretty dejected lately about my situation. It gives me hope that things aren't a total lost cause

Has anyone been able to substitute/find an alternative class to exercise physiology? Some schools I looked into, I've fulfilled all the prereqs except exercise phys. The CCs and state schools around me either don't offer it or they are only for enrolled students fulfilling a kinesiology major.

Thanks!

 

[ThatKidKate]

I remember when I was looking at University of New Mexico's DPT program they had an online Ex Phys course:

https://orthopaedics.unm.edu/pt/admissions/new_course.html

University of North Carolina offers it as well:

EXS 3321: Exercise Physiology - The William and Ida Friday Center for Continuing Education

Although online is not ideal for Ex Phys, like you said I would assume you would need to be enrolled in a 4 year university as a Kinesiology major. You might have luck finding it on campus as a summer course at a university near by, but it will take some research.

All the best!

 

[Zjack14]

I just got accepted into a program this cycle and my cumulative GPA was 3.19, my prerequisite gpa was 3.23, and my GRE scores we're 155/155/3.5. I had a total of about 600 observation hours total between 2 settings. So as you can tell definitely not stellar stats. But I got several interviews and I believe it was in large part do to my essays, letters of recommendation, interviews, and my employment. 2 jobs throughout my undergrad working 45+ hours a week total. So definitely don't give up hope, just keep working toward your goal.