Hi! I am currently deciding between Cal Poly SLO, UCLA, and UC Berkeley. My goal is to go to physical therapy school (basically graduate school) and I want to go to the school that will make me the most competitive candidate to get into a good grad school. I’m having a tough time deciding if the prestige of Berkeley/UCLA will pay off in that admissions process, knowing that my GPA may be lower at those schools. I’d be happy at any of the schools, I would just love your opinions on which would best prepare me to be into grad school. BTW, a typical PT school application requires the GRE, rec letters, and volunteer/clinical experience. I would appreciate ANY help and advice you have (especially if you went/go to these schools and have applied to grad school)
Since PT schools are so competitive, you will want a High GPA, Competitive GRE schools, good LOR’s and PT experience. Prestige will not get you into a PT school, so go to the school where you have the best chance for a High GPA and there are numerous opportunities for acquiring PT experience such as volunteering/internships/jobs.
your performance in school, the experience you gain and your test scores are all WAY more important to grad school admission than is the ‘prestige’ of the school you attend for your BS/BA. If you know your GPA will be lower at LA and B than at CPSLO - your path seems clear.