How to Stand Out During the Application Cycle

With the number of students applying to PT programs increasing each year, seats are becoming more and more competitive. It can be hard to stand out in a sea of applicants, so I have brainstormed FIVE ways to set yourself apart during the application cycle!

1. Shadow alumni of the program

This will give you the opportunity to learn more about the program from a past student (no matter how long ago they graduated), and if you end up building a relationship with them, they may even write you a letter of recommendation. This ended up happening to me twice; in outpatient pediatrics and in inpatient rehab! Having recommendation letters from Duke graduates made me more “credible”. Of course, every program values the opinions of its past students, so it was a good move to have two alums recommending me for Duke’s program.

2. Shadow at the connected hospital system/clinics

Even if it is only for a few hours, this will definitely give you a leg up in the application process. To set myself apart, my mentor recommended that I shadow at a physical therapy clinic within the Duke University Health System. Not every student has the opportunity to do this, so I was grateful that I lived in NC. At the time, I lived about an hour away from Durham, so I contacted Duke’s pediatric clinic to see if I could set up a one-day shadowing experience. Luckily, they actually had an observation program for pre-PT students. I drove to Durham every Tuesday to shadow for four hours (accumulated 48 hours total), and while there I networked with current Duke DPT students, a DPT faculty member, and other DPT alumni. I bonded with one DPT alumna in particular, and she ended up offering to write me a recommendation letter (as I mentioned above)!

3. Be vocal during interviews/visits

Remember to ask questions, introduce yourself, and speak up whenever possible. You want the faculty and students to remember you, so you have to make yourself known. Duke didn’t conduct interviews when I applied (they now do), so I unfortunately don’t have any experience with this process. I did attend their information session though, and my mentor (bless that woman!) suggested that I treat the session as if it were an interview. Taking her advice, I decided to dress professionally, and network as much as I could while there. I was one of the only students who dressed up, so I definitely stood out (in a good way). My mentor also advised that I bring copies of my resume (which I did), but I unfortunately was too afraid to actually give them out. Instead, I introduced myself to whoever I could, just to get my name out there. If you are comfortable handing out your resume (when appropriate), this is a great option. Lastly, remember to follow up with thank you notes after your visit/interviews (bonus points if it is handwritten)!

4. Shadow in a not so common setting

Settings like women’s health/pelvic floor, wound care, cardiopulmonary, and oncology are great options! Most applicants only shadow in outpatient orthopedics and the hospital setting which is fine, but you want to experience as many settings as possible before applying. I shadowed in a retirement community that consisted of SNF/home-health/extended-care, and this was a unique setting that not many students get to experience.

5. List the types of patients, injuries, and interventions you observe while shadowing on your resume

That way, programs will know the types of things you saw while shadowing. Not every student thinks to do this, so this is a great way to stand out! Another great tip from my awesome mentor.

I hope this was helpful friends! Now go out there and crush that application cycle!