What to include in a PT essay?

[metsies85]

Hello. I will be applying to PT school when PTCAS opens again in July. I applyed to 8 schools this past year and didn't get in...or even an interview. I applied to highly ranked schools and lower ranked. Here's some history on me that I wish I could have sat down and discussed in an interview and I am wondering if I should include this in my essay.

My grades do not jump off the chart (3.2 prereq. 3.1 Overall) and neither does my GRE (1040). My major was exercise science. I then received my Master's in Exercise Science (gpa of 3.91). Since the sophmore year of undergrad I raised a son. I went to school full time, worked roughly 25-30 hours a week to support my son and spent time with him. I then worked a full time job post undergrad and received my masters. Not to make excuses but I could have done better in my undergrad. Most of my poor grades (or B grades that could of been A's) in classes was due to not completing assigments (either lack of time or just exhausted); I did very well on tests.

Then...after my master's I find out I was not the biological father, and he is now sadly out of my life. I am trying to pick up the pieces and go to PT school although I am very discouraged that I didn't even get an interview at a lower ranked school. I have about 400 hours of volunteer and/or paid work in out patient, sub acute and acute care.

My main question is what to include in the essay. I would rather not get too personal in the essay but now feel the need to mention my background with my son while being an undergraduate. Any help would be much appreciated. And thanks for taking the time to read this whole thing!

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[dizzy88]

My biggest advice with the essays would be to 1) really distinguish why PHYSICAL THERAPY. Lots of fields in health care allow you to do similar things, so why is it that you want PT? And 2) include something that make you stick out from other applicants. Pick something unique about your life, your experiences, etc and tie that in somehow.

I'm sorry to hear about the situation with the little boy. I can't imagine what that feels like. I don't know if the situation could tie in with your essays, but you can definitely mention it if you choose to explain any poor grades on your application.

Also, look into meeting with program advisors (even on the phone if you applied out of state), and ask if they will talk to you about your application. Maybe they will have some insight! Best of luck! I admire you for going back and picking up school

 

[goyo1010]

I agree with dizzy88. First and foremost, include in your essay: WHY PHYSICAL THERAPY. Why not MD, PA, RPh, RN, etc. Then tie in some of your relevant personal experiences with the field or health care in general. Talk about how your interest in PT came about, how it was cultivated, and what you can eventually contribute to the field and to the patients. What would make you stand out from the deluge of other applicants the admissions committees face every year.

I think you can fit that bit about your son in somewhere pretty well. Maybe write about how this experience has led to you become more focused on your goals, or how taking care of your son while going to school has done this or that for you, etc. I'm really not sure, as I don't know what you went through.

Good Luck!!!

 

[markelmarcel]

Wow, I am so sorry to hear about your son. And even more upset to hear that he's been taking out of your life. My best friend is a single mother and her fiance is the only father her daughter knows; I couldn't imagine ripping my goddaughter away from him after he's been the only father figure in her life.

Anyway- I agree with both of the posts. If you can talk about determination because of your son, then do it. I don't care if you are the biological father or not, you still fathered this child and loved him unconditionally- and that takes determination with school because you were wanting to succeed for the both of you.

 

[ptootles]

I can only say "ditto" to the previous posts about why you've chosen PT versus other health care fields. I cannot say that my essay was the make-break of my application but I definitely emphasized how I became initially interested in PT, how I maintained that interest through school and work (PT Tech) and how my real desire was to be the person that evaluated patients and prescribed the therapies to improve their health versus someone that simply implemented the PT's instructions. It's not a ego thing but really just wanting to be the person primarily responsible for helping patients return to good health, physical and emotional.

 

[Corks]

My question is this... I had Crohn's disease about... 3 years ago, and this was my first exposure to PT after my surgery, and the one thing that got me out of the hospital quicker than normal (I wanted to leave as fast as I could do to being in college and not wanting to withdraw from classes). I was considering using this as my opener, but I don't want the adcom's to view it as a pity post...

Do you think bringing up your own personal diseases/struggles like this & how you overcame them, and THEN talking about your experiences in PT via work/volunteering would be ok? Or would you simply not dwell at all about it. I only want to bring it up because I feel as though it's a great STARTING point, but I don't want to dwell on it too long for the sake that I'm not looking for pity (I'm 100% crohn's free at the moment).

BUT since it's an autoimmune disorder, my only fear is that they'll view me as a liability IF it would happen to come back.

Thoughts?

 

[jbizzle]

My biggest advice with the essays would be to 1) really distinguish why PHYSICAL THERAPY. Lots of fields in health care allow you to do similar things, so why is it that you want PT? And 2) include something that make you stick out from other applicants. Pick something unique about your life, your experiences, etc and tie that in somehow.

This!

I think that my essay (and LORs) put me over the hump even with my low GPA. I wrote something similar to what dizzy advised to write about.