Katie Woosley

The PTCAS application opens next week, (June 15th) so I thought it would be a great time to talk a little bit about the application process. Applying to physical therapy school can be overwhelming, but luckily most programs now use a centralized application service called PTCAS. This helps keep all of your application information in one place and prevents you from having to do a full separate application for each school you apply to. I will go more in depth about some of the larger portions of the application such as the GRE, personal statement, recommendation letters, and observation hours in future posts. Today, I just wanted to provide an overview, break down the PTCAS application process, and share a little bit about my experience!

To start off, you need to create an account with PTCAS. I applied during the 2020-2021 cycle, so I started the application process in the summer of 2020. Yes, it was right in the middle of COVID, which made many aspects more difficult. However, on a more positive note, it gave me more free time to work on my application. You can create an account and start working on parts of the application before the cycle even begins. I highly recommend doing this, especially if programs you want to apply to have early deadlines. Once you make an account, you will see a dashboard with four sections: personal information, academic history, supporting information, and program materials.

Personal Information:

This section is just what it sounds like. It’s where you enter biographic information, contact information, etc. This is an easy one to knock out!

Academic History:

This is where you enter the colleges you attended, transcripts, and test scores. It is super important to request an official transcript early because the process can take a while, and your application cannot be processed until the transcript is received and verified. I ordered mine electronically through National Student ClearingHouse, but different colleges use different services. If your institution does not use any of the electronic delivery services PTCAS supports, then you can send it by mail.

You will also need to enter all of your coursework as it is listed on your official transcript. This part of the application was a little overwhelming at first glance, but I promise it isn’t as bad as it looks! PTCAS does offer a service (for a fee) that will enter this information for you, but I didn’t find it necessary. You will enter the course code, course title, subject, credit, and grade for every single course you have on your transcript…yes, it takes a while! I found the subject part to be the most difficult because I had several no-credit seminar courses that were part of a student organization on my transcript, and I didn’t know which subject to select for them. However, your application will be verified by a team, and it can be fixed if needed, so just take your best guess if you are unsure! The key in this section is to check and recheck that everything is entered correctly!

As for test scores, many schools have now made the GRE optional, but if you do have GRE scores you enter them in this section. Make sure you have also sent each school that requires it your official scores from the GRE website. Stay tuned for a post about how I prepped for the GRE soon!

Supporting Information:

This is the bulk of your application and where you will spend the most time. Let’s break down each section a little more in depth:

References – This is something you should also do well in advance! I contacted my evaluators a couple months before I wanted to submit my application to see if they would be willing to to write a letter for me. Most schools have specific reference requirements, so make sure you check what your schools require before requesting references. For example, the schools I applied to all required 3 references, one of which had to be from a licensed PT and one from a professor (preferably within my program). You cannot pick which references go to each school, so keep this is mind as you are choosing them. I chose a physical therapist I shadowed, a professor/my advisor, and my supervisor for an on-campus job. Choose people who know you well and can speak to different qualities! As far as requesting the recommendation in PTCAS, the process is pretty simple. Once the cycle opens, you just provide the name and email address of each person, and PTCAS will send them an email with instructions. I did this as soon as the application opened to give my evaluators plenty of time to write a strong letter. Before I requested it, I emailed each person to let them know they should be receiving an email soon with directions from PTCAS. I also attached a copy of my resume and a rough draft of my personal statement in case they wanted to reference it.

Observation Hours – Entering observation hours is a simple process as well. First, you fill out information about each observation experience (dates, facility, setting, PT/PTA who supervised you, etc.) Then, you will want to verify your hours. You can either request a signature electronically or upload a signed form. I had all of mine verified electronically. Just as with the recommendation letters, I informed the PT they should be getting an email from PTCAS soon, and I also attached the logs I kept while shadowing them in case they wanted to reference it. You can also put planned hours into PTCAS and have them verified. I completed an internship at a clinic my senior year, and my supervisor was more than happy to go ahead and verify planned hours for me. The key to the observation hours section comes well before applying. It is so important to keep up with your hours while shadowing and make sure you either have contact information of the PT you worked with or have them sign a hourly log before you leave. This way, you are able to get your hours verified when you apply. If you stay organized from the beginning, it will make the process so much easier!

Experiences, Achievements, Licenses and Certifications – I thought these 3 sections were the easiest part of supporting information. Although they can be a little lengthy, they are straightforward. For experiences, you will list things such as extracurriculars, jobs, and volunteer work. You will need to provide a supervisor’s contact information for each one. Achievements is where you will list out scholarships and awards you have received (ex: Dean’s list). For licenses and certifications, all I included were my CPR and First Aid certifications, but you could also include certifications such as CPT if that applies to you.

Essay/Personal Statement – Personally, I think this is one of the most important parts of your application! I spent so much time working on my personal statement, so I recommend starting it as early as possible. The personal statement is your chance to tell your story and show why you are passionate about PT. It is your chance to stand out from the crowd! Everyone has the same prompt, and it changes every two years, so there will likely be a new one this year. The essay has a 4500 character limit (about one page) and mine was just under this. I believe I had 4-5 drafts before I was satisfied. I had my essay professionally edited by Jasmine Marcus, who is a physical therapist and a writer. I could not recommend her enough! She gives great feedback and definitely helped me bring my essay to the next level.

Program Materials:

Once you make it to this section, you are almost done! This includes materials for each individual program you are applying to. There may be a few questions you have to answer or supplemental essays. This is also where you will select your pre-requisites for each school you are applying to. Before you can do this, you have to complete the transcript entry and review. Make sure to double check these to ensure everything is matched correctly!

Time to Submit!

Once you have completed all of the required materials, you are ready to submit! To do this, go to the “Submit Application” tab, and you will see a list of all the programs you have added (to add more programs, go to the “Add Programs” tab). The applications that are complete will have a green check. Next, click “Submit” under the desired application and follow the instructions to pay. If you are anything like me, you will stare at the submit button for a long time, terrified to click it, but once you do it is such a relief! Once you submit and pay, if you go to the “Check Program Status” tab, it should say “complete.” You should also receive an email from PTCAS informing you that your application has been received and will now go through verification. It is so, so important to submit applications early because verification can take anywhere from a day to 2 weeks, depending on the volume of applications. I submitted 1 application at the beginning of August and it only took a day to be verified. However, I submitted 2 others in September and it took several days. This is not a situation where you want to wait until the last minute!

Goodness, that was a lot! Let’s sum it all up with some general tips:

• Start early – I cannot say this enough! This will help reduce stress and allows you to take your time when completing your application.
• Request transcripts and letters of recommendation first – You can start these two processes early on and then work on other aspects while you are waiting.
• Put a lot of time and energy into your personal statement – Once again, I think this is probably one of the most important parts of the application! Tell your story, why you are passionate about PT, and showcase attributes that will make you a good PT!
• Stay Organized – I created a folder (with multiple subfolders) on my computer specifically for PT school applications because the paperwork quickly piles up!
• Check your email for updates – These could be from PTCAS or from programs you have applied to!
• Review program requirements on their website before beginning applications – One program I applied to required an additional application through their graduate school once they received the PTCAS application. These can be easy to forget about so make sure to double check program requirements so you don’t miss anything.
• Take things one step at a time – I liked to make goals each week for which parts of my application I was going to complete. If you look at everything at once, it can be overwhelming, so I like breaking it down!