If you’re considering applying to UF’s Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program, keep reading! Amy Ladendorf, Associate Director of Education for the program, shared valuable insights to help you have a stand-out application. Check out her answers to my questions below about how students can be better candidates:
General Tips
Q: What makes an applicant a strong candidate for the UF Doctor of Physical Therapy program?
A: While grades are important for our program, we place a large emphasis on the qualitative parts of the application. The qualitative portion of the application includes two personal statements, letters of recommendation, and a resume.
We require three recommendations. Required recommendations should come from someone who can speak to the applicant’s ability to succeed academically, potential as a physical therapist, and embodiment of UF DPT values. When selecting references, applicants should ask someone who will take the time to write a detailed letter.
An applicant’s resume is also important. We like to see an applicant’s work history, service and club participation, awards received, leadership roles, etc. The resume can showcase an applicant’s well-roundedness and versatility, which are qualities important to a career in PT.
We have 10 prerequisite courses that all applicants are required to take. A 3.0 or higher GPA is required to be eligible for acceptance to our program. A bachelor’s degree is also required for all applicants, and all majors are welcome. To see the complete requirements for admission to UF’s DPT program, visit our website.
Valuable Experiences
Q: What kinds of experiences are important for candidates to have?
A: Applicants need to have experience observing PTs in various clinical settings. One of our admission requirements includes a minimum of 40 hours of observation of at least three different types of physical therapy. Additional hours are encouraged! Observing individuals practicing PT provides applicants with highly valuable practical knowledge and will help applicants decide if PT is the right career for them.
Personal Statements
Q: What makes a strong personal statement? What are the things applicants should avoid in their personal statements?
A: There are several things applicants can do to write a great statement. Using personal stories to respond to statement prompts can be compelling. However, we get a lot of statements with stories about applicants whose interest in PT resulted from an injury. These statements can be strong if the applicant can make a compelling case for their own experience, but keep in mind that essays of this type are very common.
We also like to see applicants who understand and can discuss the challenges of working with people. We often see this through applicant experiences like working in hospitality, healthcare, or other service industries. Finally, we like to hear about applicants’ interests outside of academics and PT. This is important because it can make an applicant more relatable when working with patients and gives them the ability to meet their patients where they are.
Avoid using AI to write your statements. These essays are easy to identify due to word choices and lack of authenticity.
Additional Advice
Q: Is there anything else that you would like potential applicants to the program to know?
A: We encourage prospective DPT students to attend one of our open houses or information sessions to learn more about our program. Both are offered in-person and virtually. It’s also a good idea to explore several DPT programs before applying to determine if the program is a good fit.
Prospective students should check out the financial fact sheet and student outcomes like licensure pass rates, graduation rates, and employment rates for every program they are considering. All accredited DPT programs are required to publish this information on their websites, and it can be helpful when deciding on which DPT programs to apply to.
