What Kind of Applicant Are You?
Every year thousands apply to physical therapy programs all around the country. You may be one of them and wondering how to stand out from the rest of the group. Most likely, you are curious as to what other people have that you don’t and what you need to work on to improve your application strength. These are common concerns that are driven by what type of applicant you are. There are four types of applicants: The Pre-Applicant, The Hard Worker, The Proven, and The Undeniable. It is important as you begin or continue this process another year that you understand what kind of applicant you are and how to progress to become the most optimal applicant you can be.
The Pre-Applicant is the first type of applicant who knows they want to apply, but doesn’t know where to apply or what to look for in a program. This applicant focuses on the basics such as having a high GPA, high GRE score, and enough observation hours. They see the minimum requirements as important, but are focused on having a 4.0 GPA and excellent GRE scores to compliment hundreds, if not thousands, of observation hours. They feel these numbers are their golden ticket to acceptance. In this frame of mind they ignore their own value through extracurricular and employment opportunities. They may have a PT aide or tech job, or be a part time personal trainer, but it’s just to have those words on their resume to fit in with the rest of the group. They have not held real responsibility at work or led a club or other group at school. This person has a lot to offer and is motivated to be great, but they need more direction by understanding where they are now in this journey and how to identify critical opportunities. If they want to advance to the next level they need to pause, take a step back from the grind, and recognize the bigger picture outside of playing the high GPA, GRE, and observation hours game that schools force you to play.
The Hard Worker is the next level of applicant. This type is well organized, knows all the steps to get into PT school, has researched a large list of schools, and has made sure to chart a clear and specific path of “To Do’s”. Being organized gives them confidence and a feeling of optimism because applying to PT school is confusing and difficult. Having a plan is a must, but following the plan is where The Hard Worker faces challenges. They do some initial research before the July 1st applications open and then burn themselves out the first week in July filling out the entire PTCAS application, emailing professors, and coordinating GRE scores and transcripts. All of these things are on their list, but they do not have to be done at the same time and some of these items (filling out basic PTCAS information, finding letters of recommendation, researching schools, and preparing for essays and interviews) can be done before July 1st to lighten the load over time. As time goes on, they are so focused on meeting these objectives on their list they start to lose track of the quality of their essays and attention to detail with other related tasks. They do a great job applying to schools where they are competitive but miss the schools they are most competitive at and spend time on other applications just to feel like they will have options. It is possible they try the “cast your net wide” approach and take it to the extreme. They feel if they apply to 10, 15, or even 20 schools, someone has to see their value. This approach is misinformed and to reach the next level of applicant this person must slow down and use a surgical approach to enhance their application.
Proven applicants may have already applied before and know the process well, they are organized, and have an understanding of what their weaknesses are. This type will apply to the schools they are competitive at and understand what makes them competitive to those programs. The Proven Applicant has clearly defined goals for all aspects of the application and their personal and professional development. This type seeks feedback early and often from mentors, co-workers, and managers. By doing this they are continuously working on improving the big and small weaknesses as well as bolstering relationships to support their application in the form of references and letters of recommendation. However, even with this proven approach, it’s possible proven applicants have applied and been rejected multiple times. While they know their weaknesses, and how to improve them into strengths, they are not effective in identifying and taking advantage of opportunities to make progress in those areas.
Type four is the Undeniable applicant. This person is the example of what it takes to be performing in the top 5%, the accepted percentage, of all DPT program applicants. It’s possible they have applied before, multiple times, and faced many rejections but this time is different. They got here by attacking their weaknesses with crucial opportunities and focusing on the most important parts of their application that will illustrate value. Another big driver of this success is seeking critical feedback from managers, mentors, and professors regularly. Taking this further, they apply the feedback early and often to improve at the next available opportunity. By doing this, the people around them see growth and development personally and professionally. This in turn builds pivotal relationships with other people who serve as writers for letters of recommendation and additional support to prepare for interviews, answer essays, and offer encouragement along the way. Lastly, the Undeniable knows each school in and out, frontwards and backwards. They have done the research, gotten involved with the school in person or virtually, and can identify multiple, very important aspects of the program that make them a great fit for the school and also satisfy their needs as a student. At this level, the Undeniable feels as though the PTCAS application process is more of a transaction rather than a shot in the dark.
So, what type of applicant are you?
Why?
How do you plan to become Undeniable?
What will you do to give DPT programs no reason to deny you?