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How Do I Write My PTCAS Essay (Personal Statement)?

The PT School application process is challenging, to say the least. But, it’s incredibly rewarding, because at the end of this process you’ll be on your way to starting your career and getting your dream job as a physical therapist.

One of the most important parts of the PT School application process is the personal statement , or the essay . Each year, the Physical Therapy Centralized Application Service ( PTCAS ) sets a specific prompt for the personal statement. This personal statement is submitted to every school to which you apply. In short, it’s a chance for you to set yourself apart from the other applicants. So, how do you write your PTCAS essay ? Let’s dive in to learn more about this part of the application process, and learn more about our services to help you with your personal statement here !

What is a Personal Statement?

A Personal Statement is an essay that explains your background and allows you to describe yourself. It’s a common requirement for graduate schools and jobs, so it’s especially important for you to use the personal statement to explain why you want to pursue this opportunity.

A Personal Statement can be a general description of yourself or it can answer a specific prompt . It’s common for graduate schools to ask specific questions for the Personal Statement.¹ In this case, the Personal Statement is a chance for you to show the admissions committee who you are beyond the data in your application . In an essay format, you can expand upon your character, goals, and background, allowing the admissions committee to get to know you.

What Should I Know About a Physical Therapy Personal Statement?

PTCAS Personal Statement prompts can vary in topics, but ultimately they touch on the physical therapy profession. It’s important that you answer the PTCAS question in your essay. But you should also view this as an opportunity to describe yourself to the admissions committees. Keep in mind that these committees are reviewing hundreds, or even thousands, of applications each year. Use this opportunity to set yourself apart .

In your essay, you should explain why you want to become a physical therapist, but try to avoid using a common reason such as “I want to help people.” Show the admissions committee your passion for physical therapy and prove to them why you belong in physical therapy school and why you’re going to become a great physical therapist.

Above all, remember that through the 4,500 characters in your essay, you’re not just telling the admissions committees who you are… you’re showing them.

Contact us today with any questions or for help with your PT school personal statement!

Lab P. The Personal Statement // Purdue Writing Lab. Purdue Writing Lab. https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/job_search_writing/preparing_an_application/writing_the_personal_statement/index.html. Published 2020. Accessed July 26, 2020.

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Sharing clinical sprinkles about physical therapy.

Ptcas personal statement prompt 2021-2022.

If you're applying for a Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) Program for the 2021-2022 cycle, you're in the right place.

This year's prompt matches last year's prompt which is:

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 experience with physical therapy, and share the deeper story that has confirmed your decision to specifically pursue physical therapy as your career.

This is an elaborate way of asking... Why physical therapy? Why PT above all other health professions?

If your answer is simply, "because I want to help people," I'm going to be the one to tell you that you're going to need to dig a lot deeper than that. The prompt literally asks for a deeper story.

You don't have to have been a patient in PT to want to apply to PT school. I hadn't been a patient myself before I applied to school. Through observation hours and more, I found my calling in PT. I share my "PT why" in my personal statement for the 2013-2014 cycle here .

If you're finding yourself scrambled on how to write your essay or even how to start, a coaching call may be the best option for you. I've helped several pre-PT, pre-OT, pre-PA, and pre-med, students with their personal statements, and they've successfully been accepted. I specialize in finding the deeper WHY and making sure the writer is showing, not telling. 

If you've already have what you think is a close-to-final draft, I also provide consults to go over the essay with an unbiased view and help you bring in an emotional touch to your story to captivate the reader. I had a less than ideal application and I believe my personal statement helped me stand out. Read more about my less-than-ideal application here .

Good luck to all of those applying! And follow @clinicalsprinkles on Instagram for more application tips and learning about the life of an outpatient ortho PT.

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PTCAS Personal Statement Examples

The American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) first launched the Physical Therapist Centralized Application Service (PTCAS) on August 1, 2008, in an attempt to simplify the registration process for prospective physical therapist (PT) students and to make the interview process for professional PT educational programs easier.

PTCAS enables people to apply to numerous PT programs using a single web-based application and one set of materials. The American Physical Therapy Association administers PTCAS is a service of Liaison International, a Watertown, Massachusetts-based education information technology firm.

Best Practices To Communicate Your Determination In PTCAS Essay

1. communication.

This is the first and most crucial element a student must grasp before the beginning of actual writing. It is also the most important for your future education. Examine your manuscripts and ask yourself the following questions:

• Is my vocabulary large enough to convey all of the information and details I need to the reader?
• Are both my written and spoken talents near-perfect enough to persuade the reader to support you?
• Is it possible for me to adequately communicate how good a communicator I am?

Some of these may appear strange at first glance. But, keep in mind that communication is the most crucial factor in establishing patient-therapist relationships and achieving the best results.

It’s Good To Know: Physical Therapy Personal Statement Examples

Only after getting a professional license, a physical therapist can practice. Keep in mind that, to avoid numerous uncomfortable circumstances, every professional should follow business ethics.

You will be able to obey all of the rules and regulations once you have learned everything. The admissions committee will be confident that you will always want to advocate for your patients in the future, no matter what.

3. Maturity

As a therapist, you must demonstrate that you can function well in every stressful setting. This will ensure that you can face the most unexpected and extreme situations with a cool head.

From the standpoint of social, physical, and emotional well-being, you can determine your maturity level. There’s nothing wrong with being vulnerable to others. But, the capacity to control one’s emotions is more important for a future physical therapist. You can familiarise yourself with one of the applicable PTCAS personal statement samples if you’re looking for one.

4. Responsibility

As a student, you should take responsibility for your education; therefore, if you accept the challenge, you must demonstrate that you can not only obtain the incoming material but also locate extra sources. 

The best thing you could do is join a study group. You can create a training timetable, and work with your lecturer to increase your knowledge and learning skills. This demonstrates your commitment to your education and excitement for it. If you don’t hold yourself accountable, your future patients may suffer as a result.

Common Avoidable Mistakes In PTCAS Essay Prompt

If you identified all of the main themes to include in advance, writing the PTCAS essay and supporting physical therapy personal statements should come as no surprise to you. If you answer the query correctly and include various examples to demonstrate all of the positive qualities of your personality, the results will undoubtedly brighten you up. 

There’s nothing like hiring a personal statement writer to acquire an excellent personal statement that puts your story in context and illustrates your strong desire to become a skilled physical therapist.

• Avoid unnecessary words and tough word constructs, and don’t treat them as fiction.
• Remember not to capitalize the practice’s title or name, whether it’s a physiotherapist or a physician consultant, from an excellent PTCAS statement example.
• Ensure there’s no vagueness or space for a double perception of your phrases in your statements, and prevent underestimating and overestimating them.
• Don’t exaggerate the field in your phrases; pay attention to your syntax, and don’t add facts that the board knows but has nothing to do with you. If you believe that as a Physiotherapist, you will excel at athletics therapy, you may be wrong. They may also allocate you to the burns healing unit, infection control center, stroke rehabilitation, or prosthetics.
• Generalizations and clichés should be avoided. The following are the most common clichés for personal statements: 
• “I am very enthusiastic about…
• “I have always sought to be a PT…
• “The world we’re living in… ” 
• “I’ve always been captivated by… 
• “I enjoy dealing with students… “I’ve always been impressed by…

What should I Write In PTCAS Personal Statement

• What has shaped who you are as a result of your life experiences?
• What kind of observational experiences do you have?
• Are there any patients who have had an impact on you?
• How has a personal experience influenced your desire to practice physical therapy?
• Who are the people who have the most influence in your life?
• When did you realize you wanted to pursue a career as a physical therapist?
• When was the last time you worked in a group or on a team? How was working in a group better than working alone?
• What direction do you see physical therapy taking, and how do you see yourself fitting into that picture?
• What kind of physical therapist do you want to be?
• What would you do if you were in charge of future patients?
• What personality attributes are necessary for a physical therapist?
• What events have helped you enhance those traits, or what traits are you working on now?
• How has your experience as a patient influenced your decision to become a physical therapist?
• Why do you think you’ll be useful in this field?
• Do you want to teach or conduct research?
• Owning a business, traveling, and working for a non-profit organization are all options. or doing voluntary work in a different country?

PTCAS Essay Examples

When I shattered my arm at the age of 12, I was afraid but also ecstatic. Finally, I’d be able to put on a cast and have all of my friends sign it, as well as relate the stories about breaking my arm while falling from a tree.

The recovery was difficult and unpleasant, as well as painful. But, I eagerly anticipated the day when I could remove the cast and resume my normal daily routines. Whenever the cast came off, it surprised me. I started staring over my left arm in disbelief, unsure why it’s so much shorter than my right because it was that difficult to do things with it. 

And that is when the doctor told me that my ordeal wasn’t finished yet. He told me that I’d have to go through months of physical therapy before I could play basketball or throw a football. I was upset at first, but after a few weeks, I found a new passion in the procedures that I had to practice regularly. 

I was interested in learning more about the muscles and tendons they were working on, as well as why they were so effective. This passion has remained with me for many years. That is why, I’ve decided to get a degree in physical therapy.

At the age of 12, my physical therapist pushed me to pursue a career as a physical therapist. I see a future in which I can collaborate closely with my patients to develop a therapy plan based on their hobbies and interests, and then follow them on their path to complete recovery and beyond. 

With a physical therapy degree, I will be able to use the most up-to-date research and techniques to provide the most effective treatment regimen for my patients, speeding up their recovery and allowing for more complete healing.

As a physical therapy student, I see professionalism as a way to keep learning about rehabilitation, improving my ability to connect with patients and coworkers, and following a set of standards that are both fair and ethical. 

I feel that a commitment to the aforementioned responsibilities will undoubtedly impact what my future holds as a graduate student working as a rehabilitation professional.

Without a doubt, there is no growth without information.

 A person who is unfamiliar with old-fashioned or traditional medical procedures will assist in the treatment of patients. As someone interested in pursuing a profession in this field, I am excited to learn about new ways to treat a patient who is in pain. 

It will always be my belief but there is no such thing as plenty of learning because circumstances and scenarios change daily. As a result, I am a firm believer in customized treatment.

As humans, we are subject to new sets of laws and norms that are put in place to prevent anarchy while also providing protection. Being a Physical Therapy student is nothing out of the ordinary. 

We are even required to adhere to the standards to a greater extent because we are dealing with people who have to deal with chronic pain daily. During my internship, I had the opportunity to deal with patients, counseling them, and clarifying conditions to them that they should be aware of. 

Even though it was difficult, I believe it was an invaluable learning experience for me since I realized the significance of communicating.

https://www.ingentaconnect.com/contentone/asahp/jah/2022/00000051/00000002/art00009

https://synapse.koreamed.org/articles/1148913

https://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1524&context=honorsprojects

Author & Editor Team: : Adila Zakir, Alexa Smith

Our review panel has been working in academic and non-academic writing for more than 1 decade.

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10 Application Essay Questions Answered by PT School Admission Committee Members

Spending weeks of writing and editing your application essays can easily leave you feeling emotionally and mentally drained. I’ve been in the same boat of working tirelessly through what seems like constant writer’s block. Unfortunately, I repeatedly asked myself the same question: “Is my essay what the admissions committee is looking for?”

I had the pleasure of speaking with 4 individuals involved with the admissions process through their respective physical therapy programs. While each program will have differing opinions on each of the following questions, overall each of the 4 individuals wrote similar answers for each question. The following answers are direct quotes (with minimal editing).

I truly hope that this post helps guide you through this stressful time, and I wish you the best of luck with completing your essays!

1. What are qualities that you typically look for in an essay?

• Make sure you answer the question or theme the essay is requesting.
• Your essay is another way for the admissions committee to learn about you, your personality, and your thought process. So make the essay personable and not stiff.
• It should convey a personal touch without  being  overly casual or assuming a personal relationship with the reader.
• It should, in some way, stand out. Realize that whomever reads the essay has probably read many others before yours and has many more to read after, so finding a way to be unique is always a plus. 
• We look for evidence of maturity and learning within the content.
• It should concisely and clearly  tell whatever story the applicant wants to share.
• I encourage genuine vulnerability. Every single person has a pretty cool story to tell and it just has to be told with honesty.
• A demonstration of resilience. This often can come out in an essay (assuming the essay is read) but usually so much better in an in-person conversation. One typically needs at least a fair amount of resilience to be successful, not only during PT school, but also in professional life. Students who easily break when things get hard, or who cannot get beyond a poor grade or even a failed performance – those students are the ones who tend to struggle the most. So, hearing about failures or life crises or getting knocked down…then hearing how the student recovered, grew, and moved on – that can be powerful.

Be okay with revealing failures, fears, anxieties, or emotional pain. Those are not weaknesses, they are reality. In fact, I’ve found that students who have NOT really experienced such things are the ones who will struggle living this profession. They have a lot of trouble empathizing with patients. They often (not always) judge.

2. What advice do you have to improve how well an essay is written?

• Focus on spelling, punctuation, grammar, logical thought processes, concepts flow together, nice organization. 
• Sometimes it’s the small grammar errors that are the most distracting (for example, using “their” vs “they’re” or “there”)
• Be succinct and do not ramble.
• The essay should start strong and finish strong.
• The first 2-3 sentences are very important , re-work these many times over.  They should “grab” the reader’s attention.
• Make sure to include transition sentences to flow from one paragraph to the next.
• The last paragraph should tie everything together. 

Pro-tip: Personally, I find the Grammarly add-on (or website) valuable and it’s free!

3. Do you have a preferred essay format, such as the typical 5 paragraph essay?

• Not really. As long as it addresses the question and flows nicely, that matters more than structure or format.
• We do not have a required format or amount of paragraphs. Everyone has their own writing style, however, we suggest an introductory paragraph, followed by the body of the essay, and then wrapping up the essay with a conclusion type paragraph seems to read best.
• In full disclosure, when an applicant uploads their essay to PTCAS, all of the formatting is removed.  The essay shows up as one big paragraph regardless of how the applicant has formatted it.  Basically like the TextEdit program (Mac). I believe the intention of this is to standardize the applications, but I don’t think any applicants realize this. They might change this for the upcoming cycles, I’m not sure, but as of this past cycle, the way that PTCAS displays the essays are all in one big box of text.

4. What are some things to avoid when writing an essay?

• Going off on tangents that distract from what you want the admissions committee to learn.
• Tell us your own thoughts and beliefs but do not sound opinionated.
• We want to learn about you from your writing. Avoid talking too much about yourself without answering the essay question.
• Avoid humor, because one person’s style of humor may be offensive to another person.
• Avoid shallow or superficial answers.
• Avoid abbreviations that aren’t first spelled out (including common texting abbreviations – yes, I’ve seen them be used).
• Avoid sounding overly dramatic or embellishing reality.
• If you want to specialize in sports PT, you should do your homework and acknowledge how limited those opportunities are.
• If you want to work with pediatric patients, you should go beyond explaining that you really like working with kids (caring for children and managing their care for any given condition are two VERY different things).

Avoid slang or cliches such as  “I want to help people”,  “Physical therapy is my passion”, and  “I had ____ and physical therapy changed my life.” While all those things could be true, none of those statements matter to me unless I know the “why” attached to those statements . Those of us who read essays have heard these phrases (and many others) many times. Applicants need to make it personal. They need to convince me by getting real and describe the depth of meaning attached to their experiences.

5. Is there anything that could cause a student to be immediately rejected?

• Not for our program. The essay is just one of many components to determining acceptance or rejection.
• If the student doesn’t answer the question or if the response is longer than the guideline (e.g., one page or a certain word count) we may reject outright for not following directions.
• While it’s fine to point out some example of issues observed that may not have been good/ideal experiences, saying things like, “I don’t know why any patient would want to be seen by that PT,” or ” That PT was just lazy and didn’t really care what his patients were doing in the gym,” or “The PT was so old school that none of the other PTs in the clinic had any respect for her,” is not cool.

Being critical or assuming of other profession is not appropriate.  For example, “All the nurses want is for PTs to do the work with patients so they don’t have to,” or “Doctors are pretty ignorant about what PTs can really do.” Again, direct quotes, and those are not acceptable or appropriate.

6. Does your program weigh the PTCAS essay and the program-specific essay differently?

• We have the PTCAS essay and our own program essay. We weight them equally.
• We use the standard PTCAS essay question and typically ask an additional question, so 1 or 2 essays are required.  They are not weighed differently.
• We have a holistic admissions process, meaning that we look broadly at applicants and value/weight life experience and life story so that we admit a diverse group of students.  To the extent that essay answers tell the applicant’s story and that story is interesting, diverse, and revealing, the essays impact our admission decision.
• The weighting of essays is very program dependent. Our program doesn’t formally weight (score) the essay at all and, to be honest, it is likely not read unless the applicant is granted an interview. Rating of the quality of an essay, particularly its message, can be highly subjective, and programs need to show CAPTE that the application process is as objective as possible.

7. Do you have any specific feedback regarding this year’s PTCAS essay?

• The particular essay topic for this year may seem quite vague to students attempting to write it, but honestly, that affords a lot of options. It gives an applicant greater opportunity to stand out or appear unique while allowing (in fact, requiring, a personal touch). Thus, there’s no right or wrong about its content.

What is written is likely less important than how it is written. No matter what the content, if the essay contains many spelling or grammatical errors, is poorly organized, does not connect thoughts or concepts well, or demonstrates tendencies toward either arrogance or passivity, it will probably not make a good impression on the reader.

8. How do you successfully answer “Does your academic record accurately reflect your capabilities?”

• When answering the essay on academic record, be honest and open. There are many reasons why even the best students have a bad semester or perform poorly in a class/subject. But always include what you have done to become a better student and prevent the recurrence of the issue.
• Applicants can use this question to tell their story, which is important.  I suggest that applicants be honest about what was going on in their life that may have caused their grades to be lower.  The ability to thrive during hardship situations is an important quality of a professional and we would look for this ability in our applicants, even if it resulted in lower grades.
• Be absolutely honest and own things that didn’t go at planned (without making excuses) . More importantly, indicate how reflecting on less-than-optimal outcomes led to a change in behavior, thought,  perspective ,  or approach. It is incredibly rare that students make it through PT school without some type of stumbling block – faculty really want to know that an applicant is able to recognize when things are not going well, reflect on why, then do something to turn it around (usually a component of this involves asking for help – which an astounding number of students are reluctant to do).

Honesty is always the best policy.  All applicants should “tell their story” and it’s what makes each applicant different.  Overall, I think that persistence is recognized and repeatedly getting up after being knocked down is a statement of the applicant’s character.  We all have a story, tell it!

9. What advice do you have for re-applicants?

• Re-applicant essays should not submit the same essay. Many programs keep the prior application for reference and to see what has been done to improve their application. The essay may have been one of the areas that needed improving.
• For re-applicants, I suggest they ask programs to which they applied for feedback on their essays for the purpose of improving them .  We provide this type of feedback regularly to applicants who plan to re-apply.

10. Do essays often come up during interviews?

• Prior to interviews, faculty read the full application including the essays. Frequently the essays come up during the interview many times as a starting point and sometimes for clarification of a comment for you to expound upon.
• Essay answers may come up in an interview , but there is no guarantee that they will.
• For our program, the essay will be read by faculty who will conduct interview of the applicants granted one. Those faculty may certainly bring things up from the essay and ask the applicants to expand upon topics that werewritten, or weave content of the essay into interview questions. For those programs who do not opt to use interviews, the essay may be the only personal aspect of the entire application and could be a decision-making factor between two applicants who have the same scores for GPA, GRE, and the like.
• We do to some extent. During our applicant interviews (which will be onsite) we will also ask each applicant to do some type of writing with pencil and paper , probably just a paragraph on a random topic. The purpose will be to see if the applicant can construct this paragraph (with all the writing qualities stated above) without the help of a word processor. Our reason for doing so is that faculty are increasingly finding that numerous students struggle with basic writing (accuracy, structure, and concept), having learned to rely on electronic programs for correction of errors. At the doctoral level, it’s tough to consider that acceptable.

A high-performing student with excellent numbers is attractive, but I’ve met a number of students who are incredibly book smart who either have no life experience outside of school and studying (and thus are very ill prepared for the life experiences of a profession like PT) or who have considerable difficulty with human interaction (interaction with books/notes is easy). That’s just one reason our program has implemented interviews – so we can hope to tease a bit of that out with personal interactions.

Were you surprised by anything that you read, or do you have any of your own advice to share with other students? Comment below!

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Thank you very much for these blogs. I’ve been looking at your website recently, and it has helped me A LOT to prepare for my future applications.

You’re so welcome! I’m glad to help. 🙂

PTCAS Applicant Responsibilities

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PTCAS applicants to physical therapist programs agree to abide by certain rules and requirements.

ACAPT Admission Traffic Rules

The American Council of Academic Physical Therapy (ACAPT) has approved a set of admission traffic rules for PT education programs and applicants. The rules became effective in the 2016-2017 admissions cycle, were revised in October 2020, and are available to the public on the ACAPT website at https://acapt.org/resources/admissions . While DPT education programs and applicants are expected to abide by these rules, they are not a product of APTA or PTCAS, and neither can comment on, or enforce them. Please contact ACAPT directly with questions about these rules at [email protected] .

Professional Behavior

Applicants are expected to act professionally in all of their dealings with PTCAS and the physical therapist education programs. Applicants are expected to properly follow instructions and meet deadlines. Responsibility, respect, good judgment, and cooperation are qualities valued by the physical therapist profession; applicants are expected to demonstrate these qualities beginning with the application process.

Additional Applicant Responsibilities

• Act with honesty and integrity throughout the admissions process.
• Communicate professionally and promptly to PTCAS and programs.
• Be responsible and accountable for actions.
• Research the admission prerequisites for each selected program before applying.
• Create only one PTCAS application account during the admissions cycle.
• Abide by all deadlines.
• Enter accurate and comprehensive data into the application.
• Compose a personal essay without assistance from others.
• Arrange for PTCAS to receive official transcripts from every United States and English-Canadian institution attended, using the PTCAS Transcript Request Form.
• Pay the correct PTCAS application fee(s) online with a credit card.
• Arrange for materials to be sent to PTCAS or directly to the program, as required.
• Print a copy of the completed application for your records before submitting it to PTCAS.
• Frequently check status of materials and file by logging onto the application.
• Frequently check for notifications from PTCAS.
• Promptly enter any changes in contact information and notify selected programs.
• Log off the application after each session to protect against unauthorized access.