MUST DO 3 STEPS before you apply to physical therapy school

Summary

In this video, Dr. Justin Lee, a PT admission expert, offers crucial advice to aspiring physical therapists. He emphasizes the importance of planning ahead to avoid application delays. His three-step guide includes researching top PT schools, listing their unique requirements, and strategically planning prerequisite courses to meet credit conversions and course level standards. This proactive approach helps students prepare effectively and avoid the common pitfalls that lead to application rejection or delay.

Takeaways

• 😀 Start by making a list of the top 10 PT schools you want to apply to, prioritizing those in your state for potential tuition cost savings.
• 📝 Compile a list of all the requirements for each of the 10 programs, as they will likely have different prerequisites, GPA minimums, and other criteria.
• 🔍 Focus on prerequisite courses, which can take the longest to complete and require careful planning to ensure your timeline is on track.
• 🔢 Pay close attention to credit unit conversions, ensuring that your quarter or semester credits meet the requirements of PT programs.
• 🔬 Be aware of the class level for prerequisites like biochemistry and physics; ensure you're taking the higher level courses that PT schools require.
• 🏫 Check the department offering the prerequisite courses, as lower level classes may not fulfill the requirements even if they are four-unit classes.
• 📚 Plan your course schedule to accommodate consecutive classes like biology or chemistry, which may be offered in different semesters.
• 📉 Avoid the common mistake of assuming you meet all requirements without verifying them, which can lead to delays and heartache.
• 💔 The speaker has encountered many students who have been delayed in their application process due to not preparing their applications adequately.
• 👨‍🏫 Dr. Justin Lee, the PT admission expert, offers personalized coaching to help students navigate the application process and avoid mistakes.
• ✉️ Interested students can reach out to Dr. Lee for one-on-one coaching via email to get personalized support for their PT school applications.

Q & A

What is the main concern the speaker addresses in the video?

The speaker addresses the concern of students being unprepared when they are ready to apply for PT (Physical Therapy) school, which can result in delays of one to three years.

What are the three steps the speaker suggests to avoid application mistakes?

The three steps are: 1) Make a list of the top 10 PT schools you want to apply to, 2) Make a list of all the requirements for each program, and 3) Focus on the prerequisite courses and ensure your timeline is on track.

Why does the speaker recommend starting with programs in your state?

The speaker recommends starting with programs in your state because public school education has lower tuition costs compared to private schools.

What is the importance of understanding the different requirements for each PT program?

Understanding the different requirements is crucial because each program may have unique prerequisites, GPA minimums, GRE requirements, and other criteria that must be met for admission.

Why are prerequisite courses highlighted as a focus area in the script?

Prerequisite courses are highlighted because they often take the longest to complete, and proper planning is needed to ensure they fit into the student's timeline.

What is the significance of converting quarter units to semester credits for PT school applications?

The conversion is significant because PT programs require semester credits, and understanding the conversion helps ensure that students meet the credit requirements for admission.

How does the speaker suggest converting quarter units to semester units?

The speaker suggests dividing the total quarter units by 1.5 to get the equivalent semester units.

Why is it important to ensure the level of the prerequisite classes meets the PT school requirements?

It is important because lower-level classes may satisfy general education requirements but not the specific prerequisites required by PT schools.

What should a student do if they need personalized help with their PT school application?

The student can reach out to the speaker for one-on-one coaching by emailing [email protected].

How can students get in contact with the speaker for personalized application support?

Students can email the speaker at [email protected] to discuss personalized coaching options.

What is the speaker's role, and how does he aim to help students?

The speaker is a PT admission expert who helps students get accepted into PT school on their first attempt by providing advice and personalized coaching.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Preparing for PT School Application

Dr. Justin Lee, a physical therapist and PT admission expert, emphasizes the importance of early preparation for physical therapy school applications to avoid last-minute realizations of missing requirements. He shares his experience of students who have faced delays due to unpreparedness and offers a three-step guide to help prospective students. The steps include making a list of top PT schools, identifying all program requirements, and focusing on prerequisite courses, which are time-consuming and need careful planning. Dr. Lee also highlights the importance of understanding credit conversions between semester and quarter units and ensuring that the prerequisite courses taken are at the required level to meet PT school standards.

05:00

🔍 Ensuring Course Requirements for PT School

In the second paragraph, Dr. Lee continues his guidance by discussing the pitfalls of taking lower-level courses that do not meet the prerequisite requirements for PT schools. He explains that while these lower-level courses may satisfy general education requirements, they often do not fulfill the prerequisites for PT programs. He urges students to verify the level of the courses they take, particularly in subjects like biochemistry and physics, to ensure they are the higher-level versions needed for PT school admission. Dr. Lee offers personalized one-on-one coaching for those who need help navigating the application process and encourages students to reach out to him for support. He concludes by asking viewers if the video was helpful and invites feedback to create more informative content.

Keywords

💡PT school

PT school refers to a physical therapy educational program that prepares students to become licensed physical therapists. In the video, the main theme revolves around preparing for and applying to PT school, with the speaker emphasizing the importance of meeting all the requirements to avoid delays in application.

💡Application

The term 'application' in this context refers to the process of submitting paperwork and meeting prerequisites to be considered for admission into a physical therapy program. The video script discusses the importance of preparing applications to avoid disappointment and delays, as exemplified by the speaker's anecdote about students who did not prepare adequately.

💡Pre-requisite courses

Pre-requisite courses are classes that must be completed before enrolling in more advanced courses, and in the context of PT school, they are necessary to meet the admission requirements. The script mentions that planning for these courses is crucial, as they often take the longest to complete and have specific sequencing.

💡GPA

GPA stands for Grade Point Average, which is a numerical measure of a student's academic performance. The video emphasizes the importance of maintaining a competitive GPA for admission into PT school, as it is often a minimum requirement for many programs.

💡GRE

The GRE, or Graduate Record Examinations, is a standardized test that is an admissions requirement for many graduate programs in the United States. The script mentions GRE minimums as part of the varying requirements for different PT schools.

💡Letters of recommendation

Letters of recommendation are documents written by individuals who can speak to a student's qualifications and character, often required as part of an application to a PT program. The video script notes the importance of meeting minimum requirements for these letters.

💡Observation hours

Observation hours refer to the time spent shadowing or observing physical therapists in a clinical setting, which is often a requirement for PT school applications. The script mentions making a list of these requirements for different programs.

💡Credit conversion

Credit conversion is the process of translating the number of credits earned in one system (e.g., quarter units) to another (e.g., semester units), which is important when applying to PT schools with specific credit requirements. The video provides a rule of thumb for converting quarter units to semester units.

💡Level of class

The level of class refers to the depth and difficulty of a course, with higher-level classes typically being more advanced. The video script warns against taking lower-level classes that may not satisfy the prerequisite requirements for PT school admission.

💡One-on-one coaching

One-on-one coaching in this context refers to personalized guidance and support provided by the speaker to help students with their PT school applications. The video offers this service as a means to avoid common mistakes and improve the chances of admission.

💡Eligibility

Eligibility in the context of the video means meeting all the necessary qualifications and requirements to apply for and be considered for admission into a PT program. The script stresses the importance of understanding and meeting these criteria to ensure a successful application.

Highlights

The importance of early preparation for PT school applications to avoid delays.

Dr. Justin Lee, a physical therapist and PT admission expert, provides guidance on the application process.

Three key steps to prevent heartache when applying to PT school.

The necessity of making a list of the top 10 PT schools of interest.

Advantages of starting with in-state PT programs for lower tuition costs.

The requirement to list all the prerequisites for each of the top 10 PT programs.

Different requirements across programs, including GPA, GRE scores, and letters of recommendation.

The significance of planning prerequisite courses that take the longest to complete.

The potential issue of taking lower-level classes that do not meet PT school prerequisites.

The importance of ensuring that credits are in semester units as required by PT programs.

Conversion of quarter units to semester units for eligibility in PT programs.

The distinction between lower and higher-level biochemistry and physics classes.

Ensuring that higher-level prerequisite courses are taken for PT school applications.

The role of department-specific classes in fulfilling prerequisite requirements.

Offering personalized one-on-one coaching for PT school applicants.

Invitation for feedback on the video's helpfulness and its impact on the application process.

The goal of helping students avoid common mistakes that lead to application rejection or delay.

Transcripts

the last thing you want is to think that

you're on track for PT school and when

you're ready to apply you go online and

you realize holy crap I don't have

everything that's required and not

delayed a year two years three years

because you did not put in the work

right now to prepare your applications

breaks my heart because I have talked to

so many students who have gone through

this situation and if they had listened

to my advice or watched this video they

could avoid that heartache so I'm making

a video to make sure that you don't make

the same mistakes that they do so in

this video we're going to talk about the

three things steps one two and three

that you need to do that's gonna help

prevent that heartache of getting to

that point of

that feeling of when your heart just

sinks down what's up everyone my name is

Dr Justin Lee physical therapist I'm the

PT admission expert and I help students

get accepted into physical therapy

school the first time so in this video

we're going to talk about those three

steps to make sure you avoid that

mistake so you can best prepare your

application so whether you're three

years out two years out one year out or

you're going to apply this year make

sure you do this because I the people

who don't plan and think they have it

all under control are the ones who I'm

talking about here all right so we're

gonna Jump Right In These are pretty

simple things but very important things

so pay attention step one make a list of

the top 10 PT schools that you want to

apply to I recommend Pro starting out

with programs that are in your state

because you can get public school

education tuition costs which is a lot

cheaper than private school but if you

can't do that then expand your horizons

okay step number two make a list of all

the requirements that they require to

get into that program for all 10 of

those programs they're most likely going

to be all different they're going to

have different requirements and minimums

for gpas prerequisite and overall GPA

and minimums for GRE if they require

that minimums for their letters of

recommendation minimums for their

observation hours so you have to make a

list of all of those things all right

now step number three more specifically

let's hone in on the prerequisite

courses now the prerequisite courses are

the things that are going to take you

the longest amount of time right because

if you got bio one you're gonna take

that in the fall and then bio two you're

gonna take that in the spring that's

usually how these uh these consecutive

classes work for like biochemistry

physics Anatomy physiology that kind of

stuff so you got to plan that right so

if you're trying to take physics one in

the spring most likely that class is not

going to be offered so you've got to

start planning these things and making

sure your timeline is on track

now one big thing to focus on with the

prerequisites is to make sure that your

credits are the same

PT programs will require

semester credits so if your program your

undergrad program or Community College

goes by quarter units then you need to

convert that over general rule of thumb

quarter units you need to take three

quarter classes to satisfy a full Year's

worth of a program so chemistry one and

two if you are a order system then

you're probably going to have to take

chem one two and three or chem a b and c

but if we're looking at numbers as a

rule of thumb for the amount of quarter

units you divide that by 1.5 and that

equals the semester units now one

semester of a course most programs

require four units so if it's a full

year that's eight units right of

semester credits but if you do the

opposite and times that by 1.5 for

quarter units that's going to be 12

order units so pretty much a full year

so please make sure you're paying

attention to the conversions and those

units and those credits because that's

going to be imperative to make sure

you're eligible and qualified to apply

to PT school now the second thing I want

to stress is the level of the class now

usually this is for biochem and physics

but there is a lower level biochem in

physics and a higher level of biochem

and physics most programs most colleges

will put you in that lower level class

because that satisfies the general

education requirement however it does

not satisfy the prerequisite requirement

and is this frustrates me so much

because when students I'm talking to

students and we're going there over

their application and their courses and

I see that this class they take in they

thought that it satisfied it because

it's a four unit class right and it's

like I took bio I did a whole year of

that I did Cam I took a whole year of

that but it wasn't the higher level

class that PT schools were requiring so

you you definitely have to make sure you

are looking at that and satisfied that

requirement so you might have like a

foundational or fundamental biology

class but then you have your general

biology class right and these higher

level requirement courses biochem and

physics are usually offered by the

department so biology Department take

their bio class chemistry Department

take their chem class physics department

take their physics class these lower

level classes they might not be in that

department they might be in another

department so double check that if

you're looking like hey you know what I

need somebody to help me through this

whole thing someone personalized someone

who can help personalize my application

I can definitely help you out with some

one-on-one coaching if you're interested

in one-on-one coaching feel free to

email me at

pt.admissionexpert gmail.com and we can

get in contact and figure out how I can

best support you so question for you was

this video helpful was learning steps

one two and three something that you did

not know and something that you're gonna

start applying I'd love to hear from you

if this was valuable let me know in the

comments so I can make more videos like

this to help you avoid harmful mistakes

that's going to delay your application

and get you rejected the first time that

you apply we're trying not to do that

I'm the PT admission expert and I help

students get accepted into PT school the

first time all right I'll see you in the

next one have a great one you guys