Mistakes to Avoid in Your 2024-2025 PTCAS Application Essay

Over a year into the current personal statement prompt – I’ve edited a ton of PTCAS essays and seen a lot of both great and not-so-great personal statements.

The prompt for the PTCAS personal statement essay for the 2024-25 cycle is: “Every applicant is unique in their own way, possessing individual qualities, abilities, and backgrounds. What unique traits will you bring to the physical therapy profession that will help you to be successful?“

It is a slightly reworded version of the 2023 prompt: “Every person has a background, an identity, interests, or talents which they feel their application would be incomplete without having mentioned. Describe the traits or experiences that make you unique and explain how they will help you be a successful physical therapist.”

PTCAS has confirmed that they consider the prompt to be the same, just edited for clarity.

Here are the top things to avoid in order to get off to a great start:

  1. Don’t answer an old prompt. I personally thought the previous prompt was boring – most people’s stories about what has confirmed PT for them aren’t that interesting and they’re all pretty similar. I was incredibly excited to see a new prompt, and I imagine most PT admissions committees are too. So don’t write as if the old prompt is still in effect! I’ve read a lot of essays that still revolve around how you decided PT was for you, and by the end, I haven’t really learned much about you. I’ve worked with several applicants reapplying to PT school who were told after the first time that part of why they were rejected was not answering the essay’s prompt well. Don’t let this be you!
  2. Don’t only talk about sports or working out. Being an athlete might have helped you stand out in high school or college, but it’s not going to separate you from the crowd applying to PT school. PT tends to attract athletic people, and almost all your classmates will have played high school sports and a significant percentage will have played in college too. They will also tend to be people who run or lift weights. If you dig hard, you can probably find another hobby or interest to write about. I’ve read great essays about people who have family game nights or rock climb – try to focus on something a little less common if possible.
  3. Don’t write a ton about being a patient in PT. Most people discover the field by getting hurt and attending PT or accompanying a loved one to their sessions. Not only is this not unique, but it’s likely not going to tell the reader a lot about you. This is especially true if you write about a family member’s time in PT. Instead, focus on other things about yourself.
  4. Don’t say too much about your observation hours. They confirmed PT for you, but they don’t tell us much about who you are. They’ll also appear elsewhere in your application, including the spots where PTCAS makes you list them. If you have to include your PT experiences, make sure you’re an active participant in the story and that the reader is learning something about who you are from what you include. Along these lines, I recommend not telling a patient’s whole story in this essay. There just isn’t room to talk about someone else in an essay meant to be teaching the reader about you. Think about why you’re including the story – is it because the patient meant something special to you, or is it because you did something special in the story for the patient? The latter is the type of story you want to include.
  5. Don’t neglect your background. The essay is directly asking you about your identity, and most if (if not all) PT programs are trying to increase the diversity of their classes to increase diversity within the profession. If you belong to a minority or underrepresented group, and feel comfortable sharing, consider writing about this.
  6. Don’t overdo the flowery language. “The wind whipped through my hair on the bright windy day while I walked quickly to the clinic.” I’ve read sentences like these in most essays I edit, and while they would be right at home in a novel, they might not make sense in a relatively short essay. You probably don’t have room for this level of description. If you absolutely have to describe something in detail, make sure you’re describing something more important than your commute to the clinic.
  7. Reconsider writing about your mental health struggles. I’ll admit I’ve heard mixed opinions on this, and I’ve read some great essays about applicants overcoming depression, anxiety, and eating disorders. Sometimes these stories must be shared to explain who you are, but with the current prompt, is this really the most unique or interesting thing about you? Is it one of the first (and only) things you want someone to know about you? Also, you never know how the admissions committee will respond. Will they question if you’re able to handle PT school? When reading your application, this is one of the main things PT programs look for, so don’t give them a reason to doubt you.

If you’d like to work with me to brainstorm your essay topic or edit your essay once it’s written, reach out, and if you need extra preparation, take a look at my PT school essay course! Good luck!