kin2pt2020

Current U of A PT student here. The GPA >3.6 is still accurate, I was accepted this year with a 3.7. That being said, the average admission GPA will vary each year based on the application pool. They didn't do a MMI this past spring because of COVID and it is undecided whether or not it will be hosted for this cycle as well, so I have no idea what the MMI average score is, and this usually isn't released. This year they used the CASPer test instead. I would say that the interview, in whatever format, is definitely important, because I know people that had GPAs 3.8+ that got waitlisted, meanwhile I had a 3.7 and was accepted and felt strong about my CASPer test.

I have been lurking on this thread for months now, but since it is said and done as of tonight I figured I would throw in my results. Applied + (PT or OT?): PT at U of A, McMaster, U of T, Western, McGill (QY), Dal Accepted: U of A, McMaster, McGill, Western Waitlisted: Western (middle third) Rejected: U of T, Dal GPA: ok so I accidentally froze my ORPAS for 24 hours hahaha but I think they were both around 3.6 - 3.65. I had a 3.9/4.33 for Dal and a 3.65 - 3.7 ish for U of A. Perceived strength of essays/interviews/references: My primary reference was one of my professors, who I took 3 classes with and worked with on projects within our faculty. He had discussed taking me on as a master's student if PT didn't work out, and he knows me not just as a student but as a human being and understood how badly I wanted to go into PT. My second was a PT I did a practicum with, he is such an amazing mentor of mine and he got to see how I worked in the clinic, picked up skills and applied the textbook knowledge to clinical settings, and he gave me a lot of independence in my role as a kinesiologist/PT assistant. I had a second academic reference for the Dal application, which was another professor of mine who I also worked extensively with outside of the classroom on different projects within our faculty. He also wrote me a reference for my semester abroad. I think my personal statements were well written, and I have a variety of experiences I was able to speak on, including volunteering as a fitness attendant for people with disabilities, coaching youth soccer, being an executive for my kinesiology student society for 2 years at my undergrad university, attending 2 conferences, doing a semester abroad in Australia (I also did some volunteer work at my exchange university), work and practicum experience in physiotherapy clinics, and practicum experience as a media assistant for my undergrad school's varsity teams. My experiences are not all directly PT related but involve lots of leadership and self-direction. I had some friends from all different academic backgrounds read through my written components and offer suggestions, including some master's students and PT students. I felt confident in my Kira Talent for Mac. It was my first time writing CASPer, but I thought I did alright; not amazing and not horrible. I got lots of interview tips from friends and my PT referee, so I felt good about any interview components. Plus, I just generally like talking with people and genuinely enjoy interviews. I am honestly shocked to have received multiple offers, let alone one offer, considering my GPA is not stellar. I do think I might have made up for it with the CASPer/Kira Talent. I am debating between U of A and Mac, leaning towards U of A but still not entirely sure! Congrats to everyone who got offers! (Ended up going with U of A!)