Low GPA Physical Therapy chances

[Hopeful0330]

It wasn't until my spring semester Junior year until I decided I wanted to become a Physical Therapist. After my Junior year I was able to volunteer at three physical therapy clinics over the course of the summer (170hrs outpatient geriatrics and sports therapy) and work full time. The thing is my GPA is really low like embarrassingly low. Throughout college my family went through a lot. My dad and mom both got sick and a few deaths. I was really depressed during this time and my grades suffered and I take full responsibility. I was also working during this time to help with the depression. The therapists I've worked with said I was very compassionate, caring, and I was very driven while volunteering. Anyways I just completed my undergraduate studies December 2015 & now I'm applying to some schools. I'm planning on taking the GREs in mid-February, I've been studying for the past month. I'm am not looking at the big very competitive schools (like USC, UD etc) because I know I would not get in. But are my chances too stacked against me for the other schools? Should I just give up hope? Are there schools that look at the bigger package other than GPA?

Cumulative GPA: 2.37
Science GPA: 2.62

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[jblil]

If you search this forum, as well as the pre-PT one, with the key words "low GPA" you will get all the info and advice you want.

 

[redrose424]

It wasn't until my spring semester Junior year until I decided I wanted to become a Physical Therapist. After my Junior year I was able to volunteer at three physical therapy clinics over the course of the summer (170hrs outpatient geriatrics and sports therapy) and work full time. The thing is my GPA is really low like embarrassingly low. Throughout college my family went through a lot. My dad and mom both got sick and a few deaths. I was really depressed during this time and my grades suffered and I take full responsibility. I was also working during this time to help with the depression. The therapists I've worked with said I was very compassionate, caring, and I was very driven while volunteering. Anyways I just completed my undergraduate studies December 2015 & now I'm applying to some schools. I'm planning on taking the GREs in mid-February, I've been studying for the past month. I'm am not looking at the big very competitive schools (like USC, UD etc) because I know I would not get in. But are my chances too stacked against me for the other schools? Should I just give up hope? Are there schools that look at the bigger package other than GPA?

Cumulative GPA: 2.37
Science GPA: 2.62

I'm sorry for your losses and the issues that you've had to deal with. My advice to you would be to retake any prerequisite classes that are not an A and get an A in them. You desperately need a GPA of AT LEAST a 3.0 or your application will be immediately trashed.

 

[starrsgirl]

I had a very low GPA initially as well. My advice is retake every pre req for an A. You need to get your GPA to at least above a 3.0 before you even apply. Figure out right now how many semesters that will take. It may be a year or more of full time classes before you are ready to apply.

 

[Hopeful0330]

So I should basically retake: Psychology, Statistics, and A&P 1&2 ? those are the only classes I got C's in.

 

[starrsgirl]

So I should basically retake: Psychology, Statistics, and A&P 1&2 ? those are the only classes I got C's in.

Because your GPA is so low, I would go ahead and retake any other pre reqs for As as well. You have to take a ton more classes anyway to bring your GPA up so you might as well help your pre req GPA out as well.

 

[redrose424]

So I should basically retake: Psychology, Statistics, and A&P 1&2 ? those are the only classes I got C's in.

Agreed with Starrsgirl. Retake the classes that you have a C in first and then do the ones with Bs.

 

[NJ DPT HOPEFUL]

Just a few things from your post I want to point out

You say you aren't applying at the big competitive schools, I'm sorry but they are all very competitive. You're going to need to drastically improve your stats and qualifications. Starrgirl is right that you should be retaking every pre-req that isn't an A. Your GPA is currently a C+, it's going to take a lot of As to make it competitive. I'd also add that you need to do more shadowing in varied settings. You did 3 clinics, but they all seem to be outpatient. And since you're going to be spending a lot of time doing retakes, you will have plenty of time to observe in as many types of settings as you can.

So in short, I think you have a chance, but that chance is going to be based on how hard you work and if you have the ability to get the grades you need. You mention that you are applying now, and I'm sorry but I can't see that being successful as you are well below the minimum qualifications for a field who is hard to get into while being above the minimums. If you are better than those low GPAs then you're going to have to prove it and I wish you the best of luck

 

[Hopeful0330]

Because of all of your helpful advice. I decided to retake some of my pre-reqs! I'm shooting for a 4.0 for the courses I'm taking now. But my one question is .. why should I retake classes I received a B in? Hasn't anyone received majority Bs in their pre-reqs and have been accepted into a DPT program?

 

[jesspt]

Because of all of your helpful advice. I decided to retake some of my pre-reqs! I'm shooting for a 4.0 for the courses I'm taking now. But my one question is .. why should I retake classes I received a B in? Hasn't anyone received majority Bs in their pre-reqs and have been accepted into a DPT program?

Look more closely at the above posts-you MUST HAVE a cumulative GPA of AT LEAST 3.0 to even have your application considered at nearly every PT school out there. You can't just retake a few classes you got C's in and get your current GPA above that.

Also, you can't just "shoot for 4.0 for the courses I'm taking now." You need to get A's in them.

 

[redrose424]

Because of all of your helpful advice. I decided to retake some of my pre-reqs! I'm shooting for a 4.0 for the courses I'm taking now. But my one question is .. why should I retake classes I received a B in? Hasn't anyone received majority Bs in their pre-reqs and have been accepted into a DPT program?

Look at the average GPAs of accepted students for the programs you're interested in. I would bet they are all in the 3.5-3.7 range. Why take a student with a 3.0 when an equally qualified applicant has a 3.5? Especially since your GPAs are starting out so low you need to do a lot of work to improve them. Do not take it lightly.

 

[ptisfun2]

Because of all of your helpful advice. I decided to retake some of my pre-reqs! I'm shooting for a 4.0 for the courses I'm taking now. But my one question is .. why should I retake classes I received a B in? Hasn't anyone received majority Bs in their pre-reqs and have been accepted into a DPT program?

Of course people get accepted with primarily Bs in pre-reqs. But it is balanced by something else outstanding (high overall GPA, high GRE).

To maximize your chances:
1. Look at schools that assess the last 60 credits.
2. Do well on your GREs (like above 320, which would be about 80-85 percentile). And then find schools who weigh GRE scores heavily. Since you haven't taken the GREs yet, it is a chance to do well on something. It is very difficult to move your GPA a lot now that you have graduated. You just have a large denominator (number of credits completed) to overcome.
3. Find schools that take your highest pre-req grade and weight pre-req GPA more than overall GPA.

There are schools that weigh all of these things more.. you just have to find them. The easiest (and cheapest and fastest) is to do well on GREs.

 

[steveyk]

People saying you NEED a 3.0 is great advice, but not necessarily true. Also, it may not be relevant to you since it may not be possible for you. Focus on what steps you are able to take from this point on. Apply to schools strategically. First, you should definitely take the advice of retaking courses trying to raise your grade trend. Apply to schools that have slightly lower GPA requirements (a very few schools require a 2.75 or 2.8). Then, you have to apply to schools that take your last 60 credits. Your last 60 credit hour GPA should be close to a 3.0. Also, apply to developing programs... it may be your only shot at being a physical therapist.

The reality is, you're really asking for a miracle trying to get into PT school with your grades. But it CAN happen. You will need to do EVERY SINGLE THING right from here on out. Retake courses and get straight A's. Get those professors to write you an outstanding rec letter. Study your butt off for the GRE's. Shadow or work in as many settings as possible to gain insight on the field. Really immerse yourself in the field and get a deeper understanding of what the field is like. It'll show in your essays and interviews.

 

[NJ DPT HOPEFUL]

Because of all of your helpful advice. I decided to retake some of my pre-reqs! I'm shooting for a 4.0 for the courses I'm taking now. But my one question is .. why should I retake classes I received a B in? Hasn't anyone received majority Bs in their pre-reqs and have been accepted into a DPT program?

To put this simply and as nicely as possible. If you are trying to get into PT school, you are no longer competing against the average undergrad student. You are now competing against the top students for a limited amount of spots. A "B" is not a good grade. It is the absolute minimum average to even apply. With how poor your undergrad grades are, a "B" is a failure. You need As.

As previously mentioned, the average GPA for many programs is close to a 3.5. With your current GPA, if you got a 4.0 while retaking the number of credits you have taken throughout all of college, you would only have a 3.15. I did the math, and if you currently have 120 credits at 2.37, you will require 76 credits of 4.0 to equal a 3.002. While those 76 credits are necessary to be able to apply to most programs, taking an extra 44 (using my example figures) to gain .15 to that gpa isn't a great investment. However, by retaking the B's in your prereq classes and achieving all As, you could have a 4.0 prereq GPA at schools that accept the highest grade for retakes. So retaking pre reqs with a B will help you raise your pGPA quickly, while contributing you the approx 76 credits of 4.0 work you need to do.

If you search low GPA you may find some select programs that may be more lenient on cGPA but regardless you have a lot of work to do and will need a big GRE score to be competitive regardless. If this is your passion then good luck and get to retaking/observing, if it's too much you may have more luck looking into PTA or another field

 

[starrsgirl]

Because of all of your helpful advice. I decided to retake some of my pre-reqs! I'm shooting for a 4.0 for the courses I'm taking now. But my one question is .. why should I retake classes I received a B in? Hasn't anyone received majority Bs in their pre-reqs and have been accepted into a DPT program?

For you, it's more about your cumulative GPA is also low. You might as well retake those pre reqs (even if you got a B in them) to kill 2 birds with 1 stone. A pre req retake will improve both your pre req GPA and your cumulative GPA. Plus, if you take quite a few pre reqs at once, you are demonstrating your ability to handle a heavy course load. You must get As....there is no other option for you. Don't allow yourself to think there is.

 

[PBandJammer]

Hello! So i have had my heart set on physical therapy for a couple years now and I am well aware of how competitive all the schools are. I recently graduated from Kansas State with a bachelors in Kinesiology. My GPA is very low (2.77), but I started undergrad in Engineering which shot my GPA down the first 2 years. since I changed majors my semester GPA only got higher and higher and I even finished with semester honors in my last semester. I still need to take a couple prerequisites and retake some courses to get my GPA up to a 3.0 to be considered. I have a physical therapy internship where I accumulated over 250 observation hours, all in outpatient, but plan shadowing more in different setting during this next year of retakes. My question: If i take the rest of my prerequisites at a junior college will it look bad? do I have to go to a 4 year school to verify the difficulty of the courses? I live close to a junior college but a commutable distance to a 4 year. Also currently studying for the GRE, which i know i have to crush.

 

[Ndebt]

It won't look bad but it's slower than Christmas at getting your gpa up. If you made a C before and now you make an A the grade is not replaced it is averaged so now it's as if you made a B. Now some schools may do a replacement but most will average the grades.

 

[PBandJammer]

It won't look bad but it's slower than Christmas at getting your gpa up. If you made a C before and now you make an A the grade is not replaced it is averaged so now it's as if you made a B. Now some schools may do a replacement but most will average the grades.

I understand. I have actually been doing a lot of research about different schools and their admissions requirements and i think my chances are better than i originally thought! (not complete zero i mean) Some schools will take the GPA of your last 60 credit hours, which mine is a 3.11. It will go even higher when I get A's on these final prereqs that I'm taking this fall. My prerequisite GPA will definitely be above a 3.0 as well. Although my app isn't very competitive I am finding a little bit of hope! Not getting accepted the first go around of applications is only a set-back, but once I get accepted (eventually) failure is not an option.

 

[apta_pharaoh]

I understand. I have actually been doing a lot of research about different schools and their admissions requirements and i think my chances are better than i originally thought! (not complete zero i mean) Some schools will take the GPA of your last 60 credit hours, which mine is a 3.11. It will go even higher when I get A's on these final prereqs that I'm taking this fall. My prerequisite GPA will definitely be above a 3.0 as well. Although my app isn't very competitive I am finding a little bit of hope! Not getting accepted the first go around of applications is only a set-back, but once I get accepted (eventually) failure is not an option.

Be good EVERYWHERE ELSE. Get high GRE scores. Get tons of HOURS right now. Apply to State schools and do it early. I only got in my state schools with my 3.2.

 

[Ndebt]

Basically make it your life purpose to get accepted to pt school, that's what I did. It changes your whole mind set, you start wearing business clothes out to clinics and meet people and get a job working with PT's and you just have to commit to it. I know it's not fair that people with higher gpas basically get handed a position but there's no such thing as being unable to get accepted only not trying hard enough.


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[redrose424]

Basically make it your life purpose to get accepted to pt school, that's what I did. It changes your whole mind set, you start wearing business clothes out to clinics and meet people and get a job working with PT's and you just have to commit to it. I know it's not fair that people with higher gpas basically get handed a position but there's no such thing as being unable to get accepted only not trying hard enough.


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"I know it's not fair that people with higher gpas basically get handed a position.."

This is both blatantly false and rude. A lot of people with high GPAs have them because they worked really hard and even then they aren't handed a position.

 

[Ndebt]

"I know it's not fair that people with higher gpas basically get handed a position.."

This is both blatantly false and rude. A lot of people with high GPAs have them because they worked really hard and even then they aren't handed a position.

Or they have them because they went to a community college and got many easy A's


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[redrose424]

Or they have them because they went to a community college and got many easy A's


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Says the person who offers this advice in other threads: "Those, in my opinion, are the 4 hardest classes that college has to offer. Take them at a community college if possible. Good luck, my friendddd"

We get it, no one could have possibly worked hard at a 4-year school and actually just succeeded in their classes. PT school just hands out class seats to anyone and everyone as long as they have a 4.0!! I hope you went to Harvard.

 

[Ndebt]

PT school just hands out class seats to anyone and everyone as long as they have a 4.0!!

Pretty accurate.
Find something to do with your time besides looking through peoples' business to make insults like Donald trump.


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[redrose424]

Pretty accurate.
Find something to do with your time besides looking through peoples' business to make insults like Donald trump.


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Not accurate, and I have plenty to do. I don't like when people insult the profession and schools to make it seem like it is "easy" to get into PT school. As a SPT yourself, I'd hope you would learn better and help to elevate the profession.

Btw, anything you post on a public internet forum is not your business.

 

[Ndebt]

Don't kid yourself a 4.0 can have about 40 hours of experience and smile at an interview and get a spot. I'm fine with that, GPA shows work ethic. But it can SEEM unfair, which is what I'm getting at

 

[redrose424]

Don't kid yourself a 4.0 can have about 40 hours of experience and smile at an interview and get a spot. I'm fine with that, GPA shows work ethic. But it can SEEM unfair, which is what I'm getting at.
Don't be so angry, you are better than that and I hope you do not act that way around class mates and patients.


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Again, that is blatantly wrong. A lot of programs have minimums of 100 hours of experience, most programs expect well thought-out answers to interview questions, it isn't "unfair" it's how programs are run. What you're trying to do is put down classmates who may have achieved a higher GPA than you; sure, a lot of people do have high GPAs because they took classes at a community school. A lot of people have high GPAs because they worked really hard for them, whether at a community school or at MIT. And either way, that certainly doesn't mean they were handed a spot in a program. You are effectively putting down students across the country, your classmates, my classmates, and the profession. I don't like it. I hope you can see why that might annoy me (angry is the incorrect term), and I will swiftly call out people who are propagating false and deragatory information about the profession that I will be a part of.

 

[Bones26]

Or they have them because they went to a community college and got many easy A's

So...you're basically saying that traditional students who earn a 4.0 in prereqs worked much harder than people who went to CC? It meant a lot more? And as long as you have a 4.0 you can roll into PT school without a personality and minimal experience?

There are many people who go to CC because they have a full-time job and/or a family. Some of them might say that "just going to school" is much easier than juggling classes, work and family obligations with small children. But, whatevs.

Your posts sound a little bitter, and to be honest, immature. Nobody is automatically accepted due to a GPA. That belittles both the schools and profession. Most schools are searching for someone who's well-rounded and has something to offer besides the ability to perform well in undergrad exams.

What excuse will you have for your classmates who are more successful than you on exams and in the clinic?

 

[Ndebt]

So...you're basically saying that traditional students who earn a 4.0 in prereqs worked much harder than people who went to CC? It meant a lot more? And as long as you have a 4.0 you can roll into PT school without a personality and minimal experience?
?

Exactly.
Of course given you do average on the GRE and made conversation with a professor at one point in time so that they write you a letter. GPA can make or break your chances.

Community college as opposed to university work is like counting and coloring.

 

[redrose424]

Exactly.
Of course given you do average on the GRE and made conversation with a professor at one point in time so that they write you a letter. GPA can make or break your chances.

Community college as opposed to university work is like counting and coloring.

Are you a troll? Hopefully I won't encounter you as a future colleague.

 

[redrose424]

So...you're basically saying that traditional students who earn a 4.0 in prereqs worked much harder than people who went to CC? It meant a lot more? And as long as you have a 4.0 you can roll into PT school without a personality and minimal experience?

There are many people who go to CC because they have a full-time job and/or a family. Some of them might say that "just going to school" is much easier than juggling classes, work and family obligations with small children. But, whatevs.

Your posts sound a little bitter, and to be honest, immature. Nobody is automatically accepted due to a GPA. That belittles both the schools and profession. Most schools are searching for someone who's well-rounded and has something to offer besides the ability to perform well in undergrad exams.

What excuse will you have for your classmates who are more successful than you on exams and in the clinic?

If you make A's on exams/practicals and do well in clinic it's obviously just because PT school is easy to get into and complete. You haven't heard??

 

[Ndebt]

Make whatever spinoff you want of my opinion that's fine. It's not putting down the profession to assume schools put major emphasis on GPA which is true folks.


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[redrose424]

Make whatever spinoff you want of my opinion that's fine. It's not putting down the profession to assume schools put major emphasis on GPA which is true folks.


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It's putting down the profession to insinuate (or plainly state - as you did) that all you need to get into PT school is a good GPA, and furthermore, that those with good GPAs are just heading to CCs, getting 4.0s, and getting handed their slot in a program.

 

[Ndebt]

I did not say that a good GPA means you went to community college I said that's a way to get a good GPA easily.

 

[redrose424]

I did not say that a good GPA means you went to community college I said that's a way to get a good GPA easily.

You're going your own direction with everything I say.

You: "I know it's not fair that people with higher gpas basically get handed a position but there's no such thing as being unable to get accepted only not trying hard enough."

Me: ""I know it's not fair that people with higher gpas basically get handed a position.."

This is both blatantly false and rude. A lot of people with high GPAs have them because they worked really hard and even then they aren't handed a position."

You: "Or they have them because they went to a community college and got many easy A's"

Your response to me saying a lot of people with high GPAs worked hard was that they went to a CC.

Hope the quotes jog your memory and diminish your delusions. Good day.

 

[Ndebt]

Notice the word "or" in my quote.