Interview #2 Shenandoah

Well, let's see.  My interview at Shenandoah was completely different than Drexel.  First of all, Shenandoah told me to expect to be there between 4-5 hours.  My interview was at 8 am, which made for a very long day (I had to work 4-midnight at the library, and its a 3 hour car trip home...).  Anyway, there were about 50 people in my interview.  Shenandoah was bringing in 4 groups of interviewees over a 2 day period, which by my calculations means they interviewed approximately 200 people. 

The way Shenandoah accepts students is, they offer acceptance to 40 people, and then have a maybe group, and finally a no group.  The "maybe group" is ranked in the order in which Shenandoah wants to accept them.  We were told this is always changing, as grades come in and they find out more about us.  Once a student receives an acceptance letter, he or she has 30 days to either accept or decline the offer of admission.  If a student decides to decline the invitation, Shenandoah then goes to the next person on their "maybe" list.  This continues until they get 40 people who accept admission.  As I was talking with some of the students, I found out that this can go up until a week before school starts.  This seems crazy to me, but it does make sense in some ways.  The school can control exactly the caliber of student they offer admission to and also make sure they get the number of people they want, no more, no less. 

Ok, now the interview.  This interview was a lot tougher than the Drexel interview.  I was in the group with the first interviewees at 9am.  (Interviews were 25 minutes long with a 5 minute break for the interviewer to make notes) I had one professor and one student in my interview.  They took turns asking (firing) questions.  I could definitely tell that the interviewers were looking for answers at some points.  Some of the questions they asked...

How would you handle a group situation?
What would you do if a person was clearly not doing their share in the group?
How would you handle a patient who is clearly not doing their home exercise program?
What would you do if a patient came to you with a prescription from a doctor for PT, but you believed that the patient may be injured somehow due to treatment?

In typical interview fashion, I was allowed to ask questions at the end.  This is always my weakness, because I'm more apt to ask questions during the actual interview, than to save all my questions for the end. 

After the interview was over, we were led back to the room with the rest of the interviewees.  It really felt like a holding pen for livestock.  The tension in the room was palpable, but I was relieved to be done with my actual interview.  During the waiting time, we were given a tour of the facility by students, and had a time to ask questions to both current students and prospective students.  I really had a good time during this because there was no more pressure on me, and I could ask whatever I wanted.  However, I was always aware that the interview could actually still be going on.  There could have been someone planted in the room just to look and see what we were up to, and how we were handling ourselves in a big group of people.  I was pretty excited when it was all over.  If they had offered me a spot right then, I probably would have taken it. 

Now, I have to take sometime to think about this decision, and weigh my options.  I'm not sure exactly how I'm going to do it, but I'll be updating this blog as I move forward in my process...

First Inverview- Drexel

Ok, let's see what I can remember from my interview at Drexel...

First of all, here is some statistics from the visit.  Drexel has a rolling admissions process.  As soon as the admissions committee identifies you as a person they would like to interview, they will send an interview invitation.  All the interviews were done on Fridays throughout the month.  We were told there were approximately 1000 applicants for 50 spots.  Personally, when I signed up, I was number 76 I believe.  I'm not sure how many interviews they granted. 

In my particular interview, there were about 10 of us.  The interview was scheduled to last 2 hours, mine went over, so plan on more than 2 hours for your interview.  The first hour was the Program Director talking to us about the different aspects of Drexel's DPT Program, and what we could expect throughout our education.  The second half of the interview was a half an hour interview with a faculty member and a half an hour tour of the facilities.  Everything was very relaxed.  The actual interview was more of a conversation.  I was even asked if there was anything I wanted the interviewer to know. 

I left this interview thinking, there is no way I did not do a good job.  I was very confident going in and even more confident when I left.  A lot of this confidence is credited to the two people I had for a practice interview.  Both are professors where I work/go to school, and both of them did a great job firing questions at me and preparing me for this interview. 

I found out about a week and a half later that I got in.  They sent me an email, and a letter of acceptance withing 2 days of each other.  It was a huge relief to know that I actually got in somewhere, when all I had heard was how competitive it was, and how hard it was to get in. 

I'll be going into detail later about what I learned during the information session, and how that compares to Shenandoah.  But for now, this is it. Goodnight...

Acceptance # 2

I got into Shenandoah today!!!  I received the email while I was at work this afternoon.  In the next few days, I should be getting an acceptance letter in the mail.  According to Shenandoah, I have to respond and either accept or decline their offer.  So, In the next few weeks, I'll be posting how I'm actually going to make this decision.  Pros and cons of each school, comparisons of the programs... etc.

There was a small part of me that was hoping that I wouldn't get accepted to Shenandoah.  It would have made the decision a lot easier.  But, in reality, the more I think about it, I am glad that I have to make this decision.  It will allow me to really search through the schools and find which one is going to fit me the best.

I know I said I was going to start comparing the interviews at Drexel and Shenandoah today, but I've been at work for 10 hours so far, and I still have an hour and a half left.  We had a party and I came in early.  On the bright side, I got to make a Mayan Temple today for a display.  Haha... It took me about 6 hours to complete, using old card catalog cards. I got a little lazy at the end with the steps, but it still looks pretty sweet Haha. ... well that's all for tonight.  I'll write more tomorrow hopefully.

New Year... New Drive...

Alright, well I've been extremely lazy when it comes to writing in this blog.  Once again, I plan on updating this more often.  So, since I last wrote, a lot has happened!  Overall, I've applied to four schools, Drexel, Shenandoah, Arcadia, and Franklin Pierce. I have heard back from and had interviews at two (Drexel and Shenandoah). 

Good news! I got in to Drexel!!  I'm supposed to hear back from Shenandoah in the next couple of days.  I plan on writing again tomorrow and going over the two interviews I had and what it was like.  Both interviews were exhausting, but in different ways. I'm sure I'll get a great education, regardless of where I go, but both schools seem to offer completely different things.  But I want to hold off until tomorrow. 

An update on Climb Up So Kids Can Grow Up... I'm not going to be doing it this year.  There was no way I could come up with the money.  I am however looking forward to doing this someday when I do have the money and a chance to make a difference!

Until tomorrow (hopefully)...

Climb Up So Kids Can Grow Up

Well, not much has happened since I last posted.  I'm still waiting for PTCAS to send my application to Drexel.  However, Shenandoah has received my application.  To tell you the truth, I'm not sure where I left off explaining my process for choosing a PT school.  I'll pick that up next time, I hope.

However, on a separate note, I found a charity I am going to try and raise money for.  The organization is called Climb Up So Kids Can Grow Up.   The foundation is located in Harrisburg, PA.  After I raise/donate money, I'm going to complete a climb up Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.   This is all to support the fight against childhood AIDS in Africa.  The goal is to raise $8,000 for this organization.  I'm not sure how I'm going to raise the money, but my goal is to do it before I start PT school next year.  (I know, lots of big plans between now and then!).  If anyone reading this blog would like to support me, let me know, and I can post the link when I get set up.  Right now, I'm in the process of trying to figure out how much support I may be able to get.  If I feel like I will get enough support, I"m definitely going to do it!

I'll hopefully update my progress on both of these soon.  Don't forget, let me know if you're interested in supporting me with this.

Long Time

I know it has been a long time since I last posted.  I've been really busy.  I'm taking two classes, working full time, and trying to get applications in on time.  I've successfully applied to two schools so far, Shenandoah, and Drexel.  I know I wanted to stay away from big cities, but I'm kinda seeing the benefits of being about 3 hours away from my parents.  It is nice to have them come down and visit once and a while, or know it isn't a 5 hour drive home for a holiday.

Not much is going on right now for me other than class and work.  It would be nice if my teachers wouldn't schedule tests on the same day.  It isn't awful, but having a test at 9am and then 10:15am is a little challenging.  I guess I should get used to it though.  PT school is not going to be easy, no matter where I end up going.

Hopefully I'll be hearing back sometime about an interview.  I'm going to try and update this more often.  We will see how it goes.  Next time I plan on continuing the explanation of the process I've been going through with PT school.  This is not only for myself, but for anyone else who may be looking to go to school.

PTCAS Application

OK.  Time to talk about the Application.  Most PT schools participate in the Physical Therapy Centralized Application System (PTCAS).  While some of the stuff they ask you to fill out is kind of a pain, I'd hate to have to fill something like this out for multiple schools.  The application is divided into 3 sections; Applicant Information, Academic History, and Additional Information.

The first section, Applicant Information is fairly easy to complete.  It consists of filling in your contact information (e.g. where you live and how you can' be reached by schools), personal information (where you were born, country of citizenship etc.) and background information (basically asks legal (potentially disqualifying) questions, like have you had your license revoked, does your transcript accurately reflect your capabilities, any academic or conduct violations, etc.).  I guess if I was to give advice on this one, just be honest with yourself and the school.  If you lie, they will find out.  That will be worse than just telling the truth and letting them make a decision with all the facts.

The second section is Academic History.  This section was a pain for me.  In this section, you enter in where you went to school (could be multiple locations), and all your grades and test scores.  Yes, I said all your grades, and they have to be entered manually.  TAKE YOUR TIME.  Start early.  It doesn't take forever, but try not to rush it.  It will make the reviewer's job easier.  I'd suggest getting a copy of your transcript sent to you so you will see exactly the same thing as the PTCAS reviewer. 

A friendly suggestion for those of you still in school, take 300 and 400 level classes.  During my undergrad, we only had one 400 level class we could take.  I figured 200 levels were upper level classes.  They weren't intro classes, and the classes required you to have taken an intro class, so I figured they were appropriate to take junior and senior year as well.  My school didn't care.  I fulfilled all my graduation requirements.  Unfortunately, during this process I found out the majority of my classes were "lower level" (freshman/sophomore) classes.  Oh well, there isn't anything I can do about it now.  I will be taking an upper level Biology class in the spring to help bolster my application.

The last section is Additional Information.  This is were you enter your observation hours, extra curricular activities, work history, honors, and your licenses if you have any.  Some schools will require over 100 hours of observation, so start early!! 

I guess this is another section.  After all this information is entered, you can enter information for your References, write your Essay, and designate your programs.  There is also a section for certifying and declaring who you are and everything you entered was correct. 

A fast note on your essay.  The topic hasn't changed in the last 2 years.  I signed up last year, just because I was impatient and wanted to see what the application looked like.  The essay for the last two years is:

          Which personal characteristics and motivating factors have led you to pursue the profession of Physical Therapy?

I am still working on my essay.  For me it is the hardest part.  Good luck to anyone who is working on it as well. 

Hope this helps!

G