Welcome to my new series: Accepted!

I remember stalking the Student Doctor Network forums (specifically the “GPA’s, GRE’s, XTRA’s, ACCEPTANCES” thread under the pre-PT section) religiously as a pre-PT student. Although I often found myself comparing my individual situation to a random stranger’s on the internet (tip: don’t do this lol), it was helpful to see the types of students that were actually being accepted and what they did to prepare. Since most people don’t go into too much detail within that thread (and it is very long), I’d like to create a space on the blog for pre-PTs to share their experiences, and help + motivate other pre-PTs along the way!

Let’s meet our first future PT rockstar, Gabby Mace!

I am super excited to share Gabby’s stats and experience with you guys! Gabby will be starting PT school at High Point University at the end of May. You can find her on Instagram @gabsthespt, where she shares her passion for health and wellness, and her PT journey!

Age and Gender: Female, 23

University and Major: College of Charleston, Exercise Science

Overall Cumulative GPA: 3.61

Pre-req GPA: 3.40

GRE: Quantitative-149, Verbal- 150 Writing: 4.0 (took GRE twice)

Extracurriculars: Club soccer team, occupational physical therapy alliance (OPTA), Alpha Epsilon Delta (AED), FitCatZ- program for children with disabilities      

Observation Hours: Inpatient Rehabilitation Hospital- 100 hours, Pediatrics- 65 hours, Outpatient Clinic- 1000 hours

Letters of Recommendation: 2 physical therapists, 2 professors in my major

How many cycles did you apply? 1

How many programs did you apply to? 3

How many interviews did you receive and what were the outcomes? 1 interview at High Point University and a letter of acceptance to their program. Attending May 2018

Weakest and strongest points of your application? Weakest: I took the GRE twice. However, I could have taken it a third time to get a better score. My pre-req GPA also could have been a little higher. Strongest: observation hours, essay, and letters of recommendation.

Most challenging thing about your pre-PT journey or the application process? The most challenging part of my pre-PT journey was my first 2 years of college when I had to take Biology and Chemistry. I actually passed Chemistry I, but decided to take it over to make an A. Getting all of my transcripts in was the most challenging part of the application process.

What is one thing that you have learned from this experience? I have learned that if you do your absolute best and have passion for this profession, you will succeed. I also learned that having confidence in yourself and in your abilities is so important when applying to PT school.

What were your favorite resources (blogs, apps, books, websites, people, etc.) throughout your pre-PT journey? Pre-PT grind platform, Pre-Doctor of Physical Therapy page, Greg Todd’s youtube videos/podcast/facebook lives, and TheDPTDiaries.

Any other advice or tips for pre-PT students? Shadow in a variety of settings for your observation hours. Schools are looking for a well-rounded applicant and want you to shadow in different settings. Find mentors in your major or on social media that will motivate you during times when you are taking those challenging pre-reqs. Believe in yourself because you will get into PT school with hard work, dedication, and passion!

If you’ve recently been accepted into PT school and would like to be featured in this series, please shoot an email to thecurlyclinician@gmail.com! I can’t wait to hear from you guys, and continue sharing your stories!

(A special shoutout to Savanna over at The Pa Platform! She has a series like this on her website for pre-PA students, which inspired me to do something similar for pre-PTs.)