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...

If you're planning to apply to physical therapy school in the future, here are some helpful tips on some things you can start doing to get a head start on your physical therapy school application:

As a first time physical therapy school applicant:

1. Start to look up programs

Come up with a list of “realistic schools” (schools that your GPA, GRE, and observation hours etc. align with their minimums) that you can apply to. Research the heck out of each program: look at class size, location, cost, clinical affiliations, everything about that program! If you don't meet the minimum requirements for a PT program, don't waste your money or time applying.  Most of the time, if you don't meet the minimum requirements, the school won’t look at your physical therapy application.

If there's a PT program that you meet the bare minimum requirements and want to apply to, go for it! Just be aware that there may be other competitive applicants that have higher "statistics"...

Sometimes, you just need to take the first step. The thing that is the most difficult for you to do can turn out to be very rewarding. We often overlook this and get caught up in fear. The fear of rejection is a powerful and crippling tool. You can easily get caught up in the idea of being denied something you want. When we were small children, we grew accustomed to believing rejection was a bad thing. Looking from the surface value, we will relish in the negative of the situation. However, once we look beyond the surface, we can see the positives. Rejection even though it can be harsh, it can also be a great motivator and teacher. This only happens once a person makes up their mindset to take possession of a victor mentality.

"..you need to be respected and be known as a hard worker."

Mindset is going to help you to attain your goal. Map out in your mind how you want life
to unfold for you. This could be in the form of short term or long-term...