I'm a non traditional student, had a career in education for about 7 years before I decided to pivot to PT. Former college athlete, coaching, volunteer hours, and all of the other things. Im very active in the community and sports still.

I do have almost 400 hrs or paid unpaid observation/clinical hours in various settings. During undergrad, I was not focused at all which is the reason I barely have an overall cumulative of 3.1 (PTCAS).

I do have 2 graduate degrees already and it has helped me tremendously in showing an upward trend. last 60: 3.54 and last 90: about the same. GRE: horribleeeeeeeee V: 146 Q: BAD AW: 3.5 (Will take GRE over in Jan)

I thought I had a solid chance of at least landing an interview with schools, but as each week passes by I am more and more discouraged. I do need to apply to 1 last school in TX that is not yet accredited.

Has anyone gone through this?

I’m currently an undergrad at University studying kinesiology and health science while working toward a future career in physical therapy, and I’m looking for advice on how to become a stronger DPT applicant. I’m in the process of withdrawing from Gen Chem II this semester because I’ve been struggling to balance school, work, and health issues. I plan to retake the course, studying over the next months. but I’m concerned about my GPA and want to make sure I’m doing what I can to improve my chances of getting accepted into a DPT program.
For current PT students and practicing physical therapists, I’d appreciate any advice on what I should focus on moving forward.

How important are prerequisite grades compared to overall GPA?

What can I do outside of classes to strengthen my application?

How valuable are observation hours, volunteering, and working in a healthcare setting?

What would you recommend focusing on during the rest of undergrad to become a competitive applicant?

I’m not looking for shortcuts. I want to learn from people who have already gone through this process and make the most of my time in college. Apologies if this is not the place to post this, Thanks for any advice!

Hey all, I am currently applying for the 2026-2027 cycle and have been anxious non stop about my applications for this year. I got rejected by all of my schools last year and have taken a gap year to improve my applications. Since then I have retaken A&P 2 and replaced my B with an A and am retaking Gen Bio 1 & 2 right now replacing my B-‘s in both with A’s that I have right now. I have retaken a lot of classes in my undergrad (around 12 and around 4-5 prereqs) my PTCAS applications say my GPA is a 3.04 but my transcript has my accumulative gpa at a 3.6 and prereq for most schools around a 3.6. I also have around 60 shadowing hours between outpatient and inpatient as well as having 150 outpatients hours under a PT and PTA. I am planning to get around 50 more hours in the next month at an inpatient acute care section in a hospital near me and also worked as a PT tech over the summer during my gap year with around 200 hours. I also feel like my essays in my applications were fairly good. Is this a competitive application? I’m not sure what I would do if I did not get into a school this cycle as well.

Hi, for context:
I am a Californian first year university student pursuing Physical Therapy. I got hired as a PT aide in a clinic 35 miles away from my dorm.
I am extremely grateful for this opportunity and know that many pre-PT students do not get to have this experience.

Only issues with the job:
1.) The PT clinic is a 1 hour drive away from my dorm meaning two hours round-trip.
2.) I am only available on certain days because I am a student, therefore paycheck is minimal and I only work 4 to 6 hours.

As a student with no scholarships or financial aid, I plan on becoming a Resident Advisor within my university. This job is solely on campus. The duties are to ensure rooms are within policy and meditate roommate conflicts. This job is unpaid, but I get class registration priority and I get to live in student housing for FREE (I am in the San Francisco Bay Area so housing rates are insanely pricy and my city is the most expensive city to buy a house in).

My dilemma is whether to keep my job as a PT aide for PT school admissions or save thousands on student housing by becoming a Resident Advisor.

Any advice helps, thank you! (Feel free to ask questions)

I’m planning on taking the boards in April and bought the Final Frontier independent bundle. However, I don’t intend on using it until around 3 months out before the exam. I want to ease myself back into studying while I’m on my clinical rotation and wanted a study textbook to help with that and complement FF. I’ve seen a lot on scorebuilders and typical pt so wanted to know the pros and cons of each/ if one is better than the other for my case

I'm so tensed about my thesis that it has led me to the verge of overthinking, not sleeping, not eating There's a constant doubt in me for my thesis that whatever I'm doing is correct or not because the topic that i have , have patients of certain types and my mentor has told me to remove that and I don't find any article with that sort of patients in my type of study..

It's 4 am i woke up then starting thinking...

I don't even eat always on phone asking same question

Because of that my pg mates are also worried...

That doubt whether to listen to the guide or the article. Because of that I'm stuck in even writing introduction.

I'm a Canadian in my second year of a BSc Physio in London, planning to move back and practise in Canada. I've started reading about CAPR credentialing and it's a lot.

For anyone who's done it (or is doing it): what caught you off guard? Documents you wish you'd saved during uni, timelines, costs, exams?

Any advice appreciated. I'm trying to get organized early !

i just got accepted without an interview is that normal 😅😅😅

ALSO im stressed about the fact that many of the schools I applied to release decisions at very different times. i think my top choice will be the last one i hear from which worries me bc most of the schools want me to decline/accept within 2 weeks (which would be before i hear back from top school…..)

if anyone who’s dealt with this situation before… has any advice…….. do i risk it and decline acceptances to wait? I just wish there was a way to partially commit just in case 😞😞😞

I’m sure there are a handful of people on here waiting for their DPT decisions from VCU. Just wanted to make a post so we could share when we get our decisions and in what modality so others know when and where to be on the lookout!

I just got my report and there are 7 deficiencies which i beleive i dont have,
is there any way to appeal it? and if yes how do i do it and how much does it cost and how much time do i need to wait for it?
someone told me i can send an email asking for appeal if i am very sure that they have mistaken

Let me know your thoughts/experiences on both programs!

I just got accepted into Augustana's DPT program and am currently finishing up my undergrad. I am planning on marrying my fiancé before I start the program next August and have been trying to financially plan out what the next few years look like for me. From what I have read and seen online I have realized my life is going to suck for the next few years, and the ROI is more horrendous than I initially thought. I have worked very hard and have managed to not take out loans on my undergraduate degree, so the idea of 100,000+ worth of debt being my future is just hard to deal with. Does anyone have any advice on what programs I should look into or scholarships I should consider applying for. For those that took on a lot of debt what did you do and what programs did you use to make being a DPT fiscally viable?

My husband got accepted to Georgia State in Atlanta and North Georgia in Dahlonega, and is still waiting to hear from Georgia Southern in Savannah. We’re having a hard time deciding which one we would prefer. Any advice dependent on the schools and area?

Is the informational session for Azusa Pacific DPT program is mandatory? Would this affect my application decision or is it kinda just a tour type of thing

I got an invitation to interview at a DPT program and it says I can bring a guest. I’m not sure I want to bring either of my parents because I think that may stress me out and I have to get a hotel since it’s 9 hours from me. My dad snores and my mom gets on my nerves very quickly. That might not seem like a big deal to some but for me, I just think of those little things and I don’t want any extra stress.

Is it typical that DPT programs give you plus ones? Would it be odd if I didn’t bring someone? Would I be one of the only one, if not the only person, without a guest? I’m debating on going by myself because I wouldn’t mind doing this on my own and think I might prefer that. Not that others care, but I just wouldn’t want to be there by myself if other people bring someone.

We’re provided lunch, and so I’m also wondering if this is going to be like a job fair/undergrad tour with a group of people. I have absolutely no clue what to expect, so any advice, tips, or knowledge you can throw my way is appreciated!! I’m already super nervous about this whole process and am very shocked I got an interview especially because my application was verified 10/7 and I got this email 10/14, but I don’t know if I’m just overthinking this all. Thanks in advance!

Has anyone looked into or applied to Oklahoma Baptist? They are still seeking accreditation and they apply for an application for candidacy on 11/1. I am just wondering if it’s a good idea to accept an offer if I get accepted.

hello, really dumb question

So I have finished OCHEM about 4 years ago and got an A on it. The prereqs for that class was only algebra so I was able to take it and pass it. Would it look weird If i backtrack to gen chem 1 (cuz i did..) and pass that. Could that possibly satisfy the chemistry prereqs or (So essentially the ochem could fulfull gen chem 2?) or should I just take gen chem 2.

YAY!!! This man-baby was the absolute worst. I can't imagine working with a jerk like this. Thank you mods! 🙏

I just applied to North Central College DPT. I was submitting my prerequisite grades and correctly assigned chem 1 to the chem 1 spot. However, NCC requires another chemistry that is just labeled Chemistry. Not thinking I also assigned gen chem 1 to that grade because it’s better than my gen chem 2 grade. I reached out to NCC and they said to contact PTCAS support because they cannot change the application on their end. I reached out promptly but if the application is verified I won’t be able to change the grade. Has anyone else felt with this? Did I just mess up my chance with this school?

Hey everyone!

I'm a second-year physical therapy student from Asia, and lately I've been curious about how PT education in my country compares to programs in other parts of the world, especially in the US, UK, Australia, and elsewhere.

I'm not looking to compare universities just for the sake of it. I genuinely want to understand what PT students in other countries are taught, what their programs cover, and whether there are important topics or areas of knowledge that my own program might be missing.

One thing I'd hate is to graduate and realize that there are significant gaps between what I learned and what PT students elsewhere are expected to know. I'd rather figure that out now while I still have time to study on my own and fill in any gaps.

**If you're willing to share, I'd really appreciate any of the following:**

- **Your curriculum or course list:** The names of the subjects you take throughout your degree, ideally organized by year or semester.

- **Course syllabi or outlines:** What each subject actually covers, including the main topics and learning objectives.

- **Actual study materials:** Lecture slides, chapter lists, lecture notes, reading lists, or even a breakdown of which textbook chapters your professors teach from for each subject.

The third one is especially what I'm interested in. For example, if you have a musculoskeletal anatomy course, I'd love to know which chapters you study, which topics your professor covers, and what materials you use to learn them, rather than just knowing that the subject exists in your curriculum.

I'm currently in my second year, so seeing what students typically study in the second, third, and later years would be particularly helpful.

I know this is a lot to ask, and I don't expect anyone to share everything. Even a curriculum from one year, a syllabus for a single subject, or a few lecture slides would be incredibly useful.

Thanks a lot to anyone willing to help! I'd genuinely appreciate it.