Hello, my name is Briana Lievanos, and I am currently enrolled in Tufts University DPT program. Tufts DPT program is an accelerated hybrid program and I have been accepted into the first cohort of this program. I will start by saying that this first month of DPT school flew by, probably because of the high load of work from being an accelerated program. While this program is challenging with time management and balancing course work, I do not think I could have picked a better program for myself. I have felt truly blessed being part of Tufts DPT first cohort with the amazing and supportive faculty and my wonderful and helpful peers.

After researching all the different programs, I feel like I am a perfect fit for my program at Tufts. I remember starting my journey in preptgrind in June of 2020 and I am so happy to have gotten guidance this time around for my PT application. I remember one of the first things Joses and Casey mentioned, was to research the DPT schools that you are...

This is MORE than just getting into PT School!

My name is Joses Ngugi; I'm one of the co-founders of pre-PT grind. This platform helps future physical therapists get into PT programs. I want to share a little about my life; I was born in Kenya, Africa and moved to the United States. The specific group I am writing to is future black physical therapists. Casey and I understand that the department of physical therapy does not have a strong black representation. Casey and I have talked about obstacles that our students have to face and things that are stopping them from getting to where they're trying to go. Whether it's your race or the lack of not having the background in what we are trying to achieve can be the biggest obstacles that can get in the way. I want you all to know that you all belong here. You all belong in this profession in physical therapy especially as the minority because; you are part of an element of change. That's why I am advocating for you to continue to...

Start treating your application like a workday and treat it with priority and importance as a job. If you can start practicing breaking everything down like most of the students in the Accepted System, we literally teach them how to reverse engineer everything. Make it simple for yourself and ask yourself, what do I need to do tomorrow? What do I need to check off the list? That will allow you to be on track for what you need to do and worry about your application. Once you check the task off the list, then treat yourself to some snack you like, watch whatever movie you want to see. Like literally, if you do that, then what will happen in those days will build upon your application.

If you continue to treat your application like a priority, eventually, those little things on your checklist will build this grand, pretty, beautiful, and massive completed application. In reality, what makes the application great, is you. You made the observation hours great, and you made PTCAS great....

We all love taking advice from people we love, right? Everybody has an opinion, and getting advice can be a good and dangerous area to play. When taking advice, be very aware of the advice bringing you closer to getting accepted into PTs rather than farther away. A lot of people will give you input on what they think you should be doing right now as a pre-PT. While that can be a good thing from the right person, it can also be a scary thing from the wrong people. It can feel like you're being pulled in multiple directions. You can be taking advice from people that are kind of contradicting each other which becomes overwhelming and messy.

What I want you to do is, especially with people that have never applied to PT school, when they're giving you advice, ask yourself what they're telling me to do, or how they're advising me. Is it bringing me closer to my dream of becoming a physical therapist or, is it taking me away? Understand that when most people are giving you advice, they...

A lot of people, especially through the Pre-Doctor of Physical Therapy Students Facebook page, always ask questions like, “Have you gone to a physical therapy interview for this school? How was it? What should I know going into it? What questions did they ask?” That’s what that Facebook page is for, and we are so glad you can benefit from others through posts like that.

Today, we want to talk about physical therapy school interviews and campus visits and the 3 steps to help you fight your nervousness. Because it’s a real thing and it can screw up and what you’ve worked so hard for. Have you thought about getting to that interview and then thinking, “Man, my heart’s pounding. I can feel those butterflies. I just don’t know what to say when the time comes up.” Let’s tackle how to handle those nerves.

1. Be over-prepared

A lack of preparation is killing a lot of you guys. If you’re thinking that you only need an hour to...

One of the biggest questions we get from pre-PT students throughout the year is "what types of questions should I ask at my physical therapy interview or campus visit so I can stand out?" Sometimes those unique questions you ask are the ones that make you memorable! Here are just a few of the many questions we think you should ask to stand out:

1. What extracurricular activities/community services opportunities do the students participate in?  

A lot of people sometimes forget to ask programs this question! At this point, you’ve probably had some volunteering experience under your belt..so why not ask what the program does in their community to serve others? Asking will show that you care - being involved in your community is so important! As far as extracurricular activities go, what do the students get involved in? Do they play on intramural teams?

2. What is the student/professor relationship like?

Observe how the students and professors interact during your...

What are some ways that you can stand out on your physical therapy school application? This is such a common question and concern that pre-PT students have when they start to apply to physical therapy school. Believe it or not, there are so many activities out there that will set you apart as a pre-PT student. Activities that can essentially help you leverage yourself as you apply to PT programs as an applicant. What are some specific activities that you can engage in that will help set you apart from other applicants?

One simple thing you can do is see if your school has a pre-PT club. You can just be a member, or you can even try to be on the board. If there isn’t a pre-PT club at your school, join a healthcare or health sciences club. This will show that you’re involved, invested, and interested in the field. You’re doing more than just studying and going to class. Even volunteering with a physical therapy clinic shows your dedication. We have seen students...

Follow the journey of one of our Pre-PT grind coaches, the future Dr. Ben Kim!

Ben was born and raised in Southern California. He studied Molecular Biology at UC Merced. He graduated in 2015 with a low GPA, 2.4. And was recently accepted into a physical therapy program!

Since graduating, he’s spent the last few years re-taking prerequisite courses. Prior to, he never really knew what he wanted to do as a career until the end of his junior year. He bounced between the ideas of pursuing pharmacy and physical therapy and decided to try PT his junior year. After deciding PT, he started to learn how great the field was through different shadowing experiences. One big eye opener for him was Smart Success PT.

Ben originally heard about Pre-PT Grind through Casey and from being a part of Smart Success PT. He was able to network and ended up joining the Pre-Doctor of Physical Therapy Facebook Group page. He enjoyed the community that was built and enjoyed seeing people strive to reach...

In a way, it's kind of exciting when PTCAS gets closer to opening. The list of schools  where you might want to apply is becoming finalized, you're adding programs as you go, and you begin to envision where you could see yourself living and going to study everything about physical therapy for the next few years. Those are great times, but what if you don’t know where you would like to go to physical therapy school? What should you really consider when choosing a physical therapy school? vYou know that PT is what you want to do, but don’t know how to decide which program is right for you. It's my hope that this blog can help you as I give you three things to consider when deciding which program is the right fit for you.

Besides the basics of NPTE pass rates, cost and percentage of students who find jobs within 6 months of graduation, let's talk about other things you might consider when deciding on which physical therapy school is best...

Prior to starting the application process, identify your fears. We all have similar fears, anxieties, and frustrations. We feel isolated or as if we can’t handle it on our own. We fear the unknown, we lack direction, and we constantly question our ability by asking ourselves “what if I apply and it doesn’t work out or I don’t get in?” or “what if I apply and I have to settle for what my professor, family member or friend said I should do instead?” Prove your fears wrong and give yourself a SHOT.  At the end of the day, that’s better than not trying, right?

Step one: No Surprises

Understand the other side of the equation- the admissions side- so that there are no surprises. Know exactly what the program is looking for and what the program favors (GPA, GRE scores, etc). Look up any information you need on schools website or PTCAS. Use a GPA calculator to make sure you have the what the school is looking for. Do everything you...