physical therapy graduate school essay sample

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The Curly Clinician - Physical Therapy + Lifestyle

PTCAS Essay 2020-2021/2021-2022/2022-2023: Initial Thoughts + 5 Tips

June 25, 2020 Physical Therapy , Pre-PT , PTCAS & Planning

Hi friends! Long time no personal statement post! PTCAS updated their essay for the 2020-2021 cycle, so I figured I’d give you guys my initial thoughts on the essay prompt and share a few tips to help you get started on crafting a winning essay!

PTCAS Essay Prompt : Every person has a story that has led them to a career. Since there are a variety of health professions that “help” others, please go beyond your initial interaction or experiences with physical therapy, and share the deeper story that has confirmed your decision to specifically pursue physical therapy as your career.

In my opinion, I think this is a great essay prompt! It is way better than the one I had to answer when I applied in my opinion: “What is professionalism in the context of being a student in a doctor of physical therapy program?”…yea bleh. This prompt isn’t too vague; it’s just specific enough so that you know exactly what admissions committees are looking for, but you still have free range to make it personal and add your own flare.

1. Answer the prompt, period.

I know this may seem obvious, but I have edited many essays for pre-PT students, and have come across essays that didn’t even answer the prompt. This is a sure-fire way to stop someone from reading your essay, so follow directions, and try not to deviate too far from the prompt.

2. Wanting to “help others” is not enough.

Almost everyone wants to be a physical therapist because they want to help people, or because they had an awesome physical therapist when they were injured. While this is great, admissions committees want to hear why you want to become a physical therapist (which is why they explicitly included this in the prompt) as opposed to an MD/DO, a PA, an OT. Really think about WHY you want to help people. What are your passions? Pull from your life experiences (healthcare and/or non-healthcare related) to make your essay more personal.

3. What is your s tory?

Everyone has a story. Like the prompt requires, you must go beyond your initial experiences with physical therapy. Did you have a really impactful patient? A family tie? A childhood experience? Whatever it is, tell it! Your story will always be enough. This may require a bit of brainstorming (and deep thought), and that’s fine. Remember that admissions committees aren’t looking for this extravagant story though, they just want to know you and why physical therapy is the right fit. This is your personal statement…make it PERSONAL!

For example, my “PT story” includes the lack of representation for Black women in academia in general, but especially in the physical therapy profession. I began my essay discussing my first real experience with representation: receiving a Holiday Barbie doll that was Black every year for Christmas as a child. This was a piece of my story, and I used it to explain why physical therapy was the career choice for me, and how it made me a great applicant.

4. Make sure your essay has structure.

You need to have an introduction (with a captivating opener to engage the reader), and a conclusion to bring your essay full circle. I began my essay with a childhood memory (as mentioned earlier), but you could begin with a quote (kinda cliché, but you could make it work), a question, a general idea, or something else. You want to grab the reader’s attention immediately !

5. Show, don’t tell!

Use lots of examples. Show your story, don’t just tell it. The reader must be able to visualize your words, so that your story can come to life. You can achieve this by having a “theme” that you incorporate into your essay.

Alright guys, I hope this was helpful, and is a good start to helping you craft an awesome essay. Remember that I am available for editing (this essay, supplemental essays, and resumes), so click here if that is something you are interested in! Also feel free to check out this post for more tips on writing your essay(s)!

Special thanks to my sweet friend Yusra . She wrote a post like this on a past PTCAS prompt, and it inspired me to write one with my thoughts for this year’s prompt!

Reader Interactions

July 2, 2020 at 1:10 pm

Hi, thank you so much for these helpful tips! Do you think it best to discuss one personal experience when writing the personal statement or is it okay to talk about more than one?

July 5, 2020 at 3:53 pm

You’re so welcome! And I think it is okay to discuss more than one, just not too many!

July 22, 2020 at 10:20 pm

Hello, I was wondering if you could just glance over my essay and let me know if the structure is fine?

July 25, 2020 at 12:36 pm

Hi, I offer editing services under my “shop/services” page!

July 25, 2020 at 11:38 am

Wonderful insight! These tips gave me some great ideas for my essay after weeks of being lost with this prompt. Thank you so much!

July 25, 2020 at 12:38 pm

You’re so welcome, good luck with everything!

August 18, 2020 at 10:33 pm

Awesome thank you!

September 13, 2020 at 11:56 pm

What do you think is an appropriate length for the essay. The maximum word limit is 4500 but I’m afraid of writing too much that it might loose the interest of the reader and too little that the reader may not see my personality/experience detail.

September 15, 2020 at 7:42 pm

You should definitely try your hardest to hit the 4500 CHARACTER limit!

September 24, 2020 at 11:24 am

Hello, I am having the hardest time starting on my personal essay. I know exactly what I want to say, I just do not have right words at the moment. When I first read your tips, I had the perfect flow going but now I am stuck.

September 24, 2020 at 3:40 pm

Hi Alicia! My biggest piece of advice for when you are stuck is to take a break. Coming back to your essay later with a fresh pair of eyes can be a game changer. I hope this helps!

January 5, 2021 at 4:20 pm

Hey girly! Thank you so much for all the info! It’s been really helpful exploring your blog! I’m a little confused on the how often the prompts change for the personal statements. Is it every two years that a new prompt gets put out?

January 5, 2021 at 5:41 pm

You’re so welcome! And yes typically they change every 2 years!

July 28, 2022 at 10:40 am

Thank you so much for all this info! It’s been super helpful as my college also did not have a Pre-PT club. When writing the PTCAS essay, is it okay to use “PT” instead of physical therapy or things like “PT school”? I am right over the 4500 character limit and am trying to cut some things out! Thank you for all of your help!

August 18, 2022 at 10:36 pm

You’re so welcome Sarah! Yes, that is totally fine!

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• Grad School
• Sample Essays
• The Public Health Student

What if people lived healthier lives, practiced preventive medicine, and took precautions against illness and disease? My days in the physical therapy department often made me think about the prevention of injuries as well as the injuries themselves. I was already doubting my future career choice as a physical therapist. Although I loved the science of it and helping people, the lack of variety within the field and its limited options for growth bothered me. I needed a career that helped a large number of people, emphasized prevention and primary care rather than tertiary care, and would continually challenge and motivate me to improve. Knowing that I really did not want to pursue physical therapy as I had originally planned, my thoughts wandered to the area of public health, particularly health management.

My first true introduction to the public health arena came in a class offered through the Big U School of Public Health. As I listened to experts speak about contemporary health issues, I was intrigued. The world of "capitation," "rationing of care," and Medicaid fascinated me as I saw the range of problems that public health professionals were trying to solve in innovative ways. This one semester class provided me with a basic but thorough understanding of the issues faced in health care today. In the last two years I have continued to learn about public health both through coursework and work in the field.

Because field experience is such a valuable learning tool, I searched for a research assistant position that would allow me to view public health at a different level. I worked on a project at a county health clinic in Englewood, a low-income, minority community. The program attempted to increase treatment compliance rates for adolescents diagnosed with tuberculosis who must complete a six-month medical program. Working for the county exposed me to a different side of health care that I had previously seen. Service and organization were not assets of the county and yet its role in the public health "ecosystem" was and is critical. Its job of immunizing thousands and interacting with all members of the community is often forgotten, but is important for keeping an entire community healthy.

My work at the county health clinic as well as my knowledge of some areas of public health led me to accept an internship in Washington D.C. this past summer. The internship provided me with a greater understanding of a federal public health agency’s operations and allowed me to contribute in a variety of ways to the XYZ Department in which I worked. Most importantly I worked on "policy issues" which involved identifying and summarizing problems that were out of the ordinary as well as documenting resolved issues in order to establish protocols to increase the department’s efficiency. In addition I served on a scientific review panel which was responsible for editing a seventy-page proposed regulation before its submission.

Along with my duties at XYZ, I attended seminars and met with public health leaders at different functions and events. All these activities confirmed my growing interest in preventive medicine, outcomes and effectiveness, and quality of care, particularly within the private/managed care sector. These are my strongest interests because I believe they are fundamental to our nation’s health. We must achieve efficiency and access without sacrificing quality.

The University of ____ would help me achieve my goals of furthering my public health education through the specialized coursework offered as part of its health administration program. [The client provides specifics here about the program’s specific appeal and strengths]

Since rejecting physical therapy as a career possibility my interest in public health has only grown. I welcome the challenge of serving a large community and participating in such a dynamic and challenging field. What if an aspirin a day could prevent heart attacks? What if abandoning unnecessary procedures saved thousands of dollars, which then allowed a hospital to treat other patients needing care? What if every person was guaranteed care and that care was good? I would like to find answers for these questions during my career as a public health graduate student and professional.

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