I am a current senior. I am trying to narrow down my reach schools, as I have 6 reaches. I am applying for Kinesiology/Exercise Science/Human biology, and I would like to go to DPT school after undergrad.
This is my current list of reaches:
Boston College
Emory
UMich
UVA
Wake
Wash U St Louis
I do want to push myself during university, but I also want to be able to enjoy my time there. Out of these schools, which ones do you think are the best fit for me based on what I want out of university?
good student life (not just parties)
little/no grade deflation
students aren’t ALWAYS studying
school is more centered around collaboration than competition
also, if you know anything about the sizes of intro level classes ie: intro physics & chem classes please either post them here or PM me!
If you search for “ course search”, you can often find the sizes of classes. For example, at WUSTL, the two lectures of Chem 111 currently have 323 and 188 enrolled. At Emory it looks like Chem 105 is about 100 students per lecture.
@Eeyore123
Thank you for the tip, but I’m still struggling to find that data. That search led me to pages that require student logins which I obviously don’t have. Do you know how else I could find the sizes? Also, do you know if any of the 6 schools are notorious for grade deflation?
Other words you might try are [School] course finder or [school] course catalog.
Why are the schools on your list appealing? Some are quite different in terms of size, location/setting, and vibe.
Fundamentally you can fulfill the DPT school requirements at most schools, and you are right to not want a school with grade deflation because a high GPA is a must to be accepted to DPT school.
Are these schools also affordable? What can/will your family pay each year of college?
Wustl, IMO, has some grade deflation and there is a significant proportion of student who do study many hours every day. Some also believe WFU has some grade deflation as well.
All of these schools are most likely reaches as you state. Do you have an affordable safety? What are your match schools?
@jym626 yes. I am aware of the nickname. I do not mind being in a hardworking environment; in fact, I actually prefer it. I want my peers to push me; however, I do not want to be depressed because of how rigorous/competitive the school is. Based on that, do you think Wake is not a great fit for me? What do you think about the other reach schools on my list?
@Mwfan1921 Thank you! I like UVA, Emory, Wake, and UMich the best.
UVA – Location, size, & kinesiology program
Emory – Location, size, & human health program
Wake – Location, size, liberal arts edu, & exercise science major
UMich – Kinesiology program (don’t know enough about mich yet, but I am worried about the size)
My safties include Elon and Belmont. My targets include Boston University and URichmond. If you have any other suggestions, please let me know!
You said you wanted a non grind school, so I shared the nickname. None of the schools on your list have the reputation of being cutthroad, so i’d let that go and look at what seems to be a stronger preference for you- size. If you want a small to midsize school, stick with that, and jettison the large schools.
@jym626 thank you. I do like more midsize schools, but I am having trouble finding midsize schools that have human bio/pre-physiotherapy/exercise science/kinesiology programs. Do you have any suggestions (preferably in VA, NC, TN, GA)?
Really hard to give advice without unweighted GPA and if you have any stats. Ecs might help also. This might rule in /out some of your choices quickly.
@Knowsstuff I am an international student with a relatively low SAT score (1300). I will retake the SAT in August. My grades are not the best, as I started freshman year with a 3.5; however, every semester my GPA has improved. My cumulative is 3.83, and my last semester was 4.33. I have pretty strong and unique EC and have demonstrated longterm involvement/ commitment/leadership. I have taken honors courses, AP courses (scored well), and a few dual enrollment classes.
But those are weighted scores. What are your unweighted scores. Michigan as an example doesn’t look at weighted scores. So what’s your GPA now unweighted. A=4,B=3, and so on. Don’t count gym, art or study hall type classes just core classes
Not in your preferred states, but look at Regis University in Denver. It has been building its medical related programs in nursing, pharmacy, physical therapy.
My stats are pretty much the exact same as yours and BC, BU, Richmond, and Elon are on my list too. I agree with the person above, BU and Richmond are reach schools, not match schools. You should look into Clemson (I just took a virtual tour today and loved it) but I’m not sure what their program is like for your major. Clemson would probably be a high match (the acceptance rate is lower for out of state students). UGA also seems to have a good Kinesiology program but the school is very big. Good luck!
I also think that you should look into Virgina Tech. It would probably be a safety for you but it’s definitely a good idea to apply to a few safeties if you are applying to a lot of reach schools.
Have you figured out the financial aspect? PT is a very expensive program that lasts at least 3 years after undergrad. You don’t want to go into serious debt for undergrad. It might be to your advantage to look into more accelerated programs because they shave an entire year off the program. Ithaca, Duquesne and U of Sciences in Philadelphia are just a few. Good luck.