How to ROCK the Application Process

I remember the happiness I felt when I finally received that acceptance email from my top choice program. After practically stalking the Student Doctor Network Forums daily (pro tip: don't do this), and constantly refreshing my email, the moment that I had been working toward for so long was finally here. All of the hard work that I had put in for the past 4 years had finally paid off. Now here I am almost nine months later preparing to start PT school in just a few short months, and it still feels so unreal.

I graduated from The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG) last year (May 2017) with a B.S. in Kinesiology (Sports Medicine concentration). Since my senior year of high school, I knew that I wanted to become a physical therapist. I am a very organized and determined individual, so once I put my mind to something there is no stopping me. As I reflect on my PT school application process, there are so many things I did to become the best applicant I could be.

"I can confidently say that I did everything in my power to have a well-rounded application and stand out."

Before the PTCAS application cycle opened, I committed to applying Early Decision to my top choice program. This would show the admissions committee that I was serious about their program, and that I really wanted to attend. This would also increase my acceptance chances as well, as the applicant pool would be much smaller, and my application would be one of the first to be reviewed. Applying Early Decision was also binding, so if I was accepted, I couldn't apply to any other schools that application cycle. That was fine with me though, because I knew that this program was definitely where I wanted to be. The Early Decision deadline was August 15th, so I had to make sure that all of my application materials would be ready on time. I was told that I would be notified of a decision by the end of September, and if I wasn't accepted, I would be free to apply to other programs. I had a list of programs that I would apply to if I wasn't accepted into my top choice, but luckily, I didn't have to utilize that list. I can confidently say that I did everything in my power to have a well-rounded application and stand out:

Observation Hours

My program didn't have an observation hour/setting requirement, but they recommended that you have at least 100 hours in a variety of settings. To cover all my bases, I shadowed in the following settings:

• Outpatient Orthopedics (30 hours)
• Inpatient Rehabilitation (30 hours)
• Skilled Nursing/Extended-Care/Home Health (30 hours)
• Outpatient Pediatrics (48 hours)

I ended up with 138 hours total, and I learned so much in each setting. The fall before I applied to PT school, I shadowed at the hospital near UNCG (the inpatient rehab setting mentioned above). While there, I met so many great therapists, and two alums from the program that I wanted to apply to. One of these therapists offered to be my mentor (and eventually write me a recommendation letter), and helped me tremendously throughout my application process. She gave me lots of suggestions to boost my application, and I really believe that they helped secure that spot in my program. Her first suggestion was to list the types of patients, injuries, and interventions I observed while shadowing on my resume.

To set myself apart, my mentor also recommended that I try to shadow at a physical therapy clinic within the university's health system. Not every student has the opportunity to do this, so I was grateful that I lived in the same state as the program. At the time, I lived about an hour away, so I contacted the university's pediatric clinic to see if I could set up a one-day shadowing experience. Luckily, they actually had an observation program for pre-PT students. Because the clinic only had limited therapists and so many students wanted to shadow, you had to apply for the program. When I emailed the coordinator (another DPT alum), she informed me that the application deadline for the program was the next day. I told her a little bit about myself, and thankfully, she extended the deadline so that I could get my application in. I was so excited, that I completed the entire application that night. A week later I was accepted, and I drove to the clinic every Tuesday to shadow for four hours. I learned so much at the pediatric clinic, and I got to network with the current DPT students, a DPT faculty member, and other DPT alum. I bonded with one DPT alum in particular, and she ended up offering to write me a recommendation letter! This leads me to the next topic.

Letters of Recommendation

My program required that I have one recommendation letter from a professor, one from a therapist I shadowed, and another from a person of my choice. I ended up having two letters from DPT alums (my mentor and the therapist from the pediatric setting), and a letter from my favorite professor, who was also the Dean of my major’s undergraduate studies. Having recommendation letters from program graduates made me more “credible”. Of course, every program values the opinions of its past students, so it was a good move to have two alums vouching for me.

Grades

I graduated Summa Cum Laude from UNCG, and my overall PTCAS GPA was a 3.82. My pre-req GPA was a 3.65, and I had all A’s in every course except Physics I, Physics II, and Physiology (I had B’s in those). My program didn’t have a minimum GPA requirement, but the average overall GPA for accepted students was a 3.60, and the average pre-req GPA was 3.70. My stats were in this range, so I figured I had a decent chance of getting in.

GRE

Because I was applying Early Decision, I had to take my GRE early. I chose to take it the summer after I graduated (in July of 2017), so that I could fully dedicate my time to studying. I used Magoosh’s Test prep, and their 6-month study plan. I studied for about three hours every weekday, and took a full-length practice test almost every weekend. Magoosh’s program was super helpful, and because of it I ended up with a 160 V (86th %), 156 Q (62nd %), and 3.5 AW (42nd %) (316 composite score). My AW score wasn’t as high as I wanted it to be, but it didn’t end up making or breaking my application. My program also didn’t have a minimum GRE score, but their accepted students usually scored in or around the 50th percentile. I scored above the 50th percentile for each section except for AW, so I was very proud of myself.

Extracurricular Activities

I made sure to have a variety of extracurricular activities, and they are listed below:

• Kinesiology Club
• Bronze Leadership Challenge (leadership workshop through my university)
• Kinesiology Commencement Honor Marshall
• Club Lacrosse Secretary
• Campus Activities Board Member
• Alpha Lambda Delta Honor Society
• Employee for my University’s Facilities and Game Operations (2+ years)
• Retail Sales Associate (5+ years)
• Retail Store Lead/Key holder (new position)
• Volunteer for a Summer Enrichment Program for refugee and immigrant youth (42 hours)
• Muscular Dystrophy Association Summer Camp Counselor (144 hours)
• Muscular Dystrophy Association Muscle Walk Volunteer (8 hours)

Personal Statement/Essays

My program really values diversity and inclusion, so I made sure to talk about the traits and experiences I possess that have prepared me for this type of environment. In addition, I made sure that my essays were very personal, while also remembering to actually answer the prompts. I wrote from my heart, and showed my passion for the physical therapy field. I had a current DPT student from the program edit my personal statements and supplemental essays, as she had already gone through the entire process and knew what the admissions committee was looking for.

"I was one of the only students who dressed up, so I definitely stood out (in a good way)."

Interviews

Lastly, my program doesn't currently conduct interviews, so I unfortunately don’t have any experience with this process. I did attend their DPT information session last summer though, and my mentor suggested that I treat it as if it were an interview. Taking her advice, I decided to dress professionally, and network as much as I could while there. I was one of the only students who dressed up, so I definitely stood out (in a good way). My mentor advised that I bring copies of my resume (which I did), but I was too afraid to actually give them out. Instead, I introduced myself to whoever I could, just to get my name out there. I interacted with current students and faculty members, learned more about the program, and also got to tour the DPT facilities. I am glad that I decided to visit before applying, because it further solidified that this was the right program for me.

And that's it! I hope this post gave you a little insight into my PT school application process. I am excited and eager to start my DPT journey at my dream school, and I can't wait to see what my future holds!

If you are thinking about applying to PT school in the future, here are a few more of my recent blog posts that should be helpful:

PTCAS 101

PTCAS Timeline: When to Apply?

5 Steps to Take Before Applying to PT School

12 Things to Consider Before Choose a PT Program

Feel free to reach out to me with any questions or for advice whenever, I am always here and happy to help!

-Dashaé Smallwood

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