Everything we talk about is based on setting yourself up to be the student that no one can forget. During a group interview, we also want to stand out as an applicant. A group interview is just an interview where other people just happen to be in the room. A lot of the stress and anxiety comes from not being used to interviewing with multiple people. Understanding why may ease some of the stress and anxiety. The reason why the school does a group interview can be as simple as saving time. The school may not have the time or the faculty to interview everyone individually. Another reason why may be to see how you interact with the other students, faculty, and PT profession. They might be trying to see if you are a team player or just trying to sabotage everyone else.

A tip is to realize that everyone is just as nervous as you. Every applicant most likely has the same fears as you. Everybody is thinking the same, wondering rather to outdo or sizing each other up. Use that to your...

As a pre-PT student, how do you handle hearing "no" from mentors, advisors or even PT programs? It's so easy to become discouraged, unmotivated, and not hopeful when you're told there's not a chance you can do something.

How do we handle being told that we can’t? It really starts by understanding that this journey is filled with a lot of NO’s. Here are 7 ways to handle rejection as a pre-PT student.

1. Remember your “WHY” 

If you haven’t already, you need to find your reason why you want to pursue a career in physical therapy. Did you pick PT because of the patient interactions you've had through observation hours, or because of your own personal experiences with physical therapy? Use YOUR WHY as fuel that drives and motivates you to push through the toughest times. At the end of the day, this is so important and it will be one of the driving factors to help you get over rejections you may face.

2. Do this for yourself

Sometimes we...

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...

You can't really explain that feeling when you get an email saying, "You've been invited to a physical therapy interview day!" You'll start to get butterflies and be really nervous, but that's totally normal. You have worked SO hard to get to this step in your pre-PT journey, and you DESERVE IT! Now, it's your time to shine and show that PT program why you deserve to hold a seat in their class.

PT programs invite applicants to interviews because they really want to know what type of person you are and how you might fit into their program. Each program has their own "style," and they really want to see if it's a good fit for you too. They want to see how you present yourself (especially in a stressful situation), how you dress, and how you communicate with others. It may not seem like it, but PT programs do look at the little things too! Here are a few things that you can do before and after your physical therapy interview to help put you in the best position to get into PT school:

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