Should I write the corona virus essay? I’m getting this question a lot from the pre-PTs whose personal statements I’m editing.
Here’s an update for 2022 to this post.
As I first reported before PTCAS opened, there is a new COVID-related question on PTCAS this cycle. This 2500-character essay, which can be found if you go to PTCAS -> Personal Information -> Other Information (and scroll down), is:
If you feel as though your pathway to a physical therapist education program was educationally, personally, or professionally impacted by the global COVID-19 pandemic, please describe for your programs the impact you experienced. Some impacts you may want to consider when responding include:
- Educational: Did your institution move to requiring online or distance coursework? Were you able to effectively interact with your program faculty and professional staff and receive the support needed to succeed? Were you required to move to a Pass/Fail grading system? Did your GRE testing date get canceled or delayed?
- Personal: Did you unexpectedly have to change your living situation? Did you need to care for yourself or a loved one who was directly impacted? Did you seek out new volunteer opportunities that arose from the crisis
- Professional: Did you have a change in employment status, a change in available shadowing experiences, or other professional or financial changes?
There are two ways of looking at this optional question (unless your school requires you to answer it in a supplemental essay). One is that you should answer it no matter what since it is there and most people might answer it. Even if you didn’t face a lot of difficulties with COVID, it can be a chance to shine. You can say that even though you had to make significant life changes, you still managed to get good grades and a stellar GRE score.
However, I don’t think that is the way to go.
Earlier in the spring, I spoke with several PT professors for an article I wrote about COVID and its effect on PT students. They mentioned their students having a hard time in school because they had to suddenly work to support their families, or had to take care of gravely ill parents, or were living completely alone so they wouldn’t infect vulnerable family members.
I’ve also spoken to pre-PTs who have had all of their shadowing hours canceled by clinics, and couldn’t complete that aspect of their application, or who couldn’t take the GRE because testing centers are closed and they don’t have reliable internet at home.
Many physical therapists I know were furloughed from their jobs and many physical therapy businesses have closed or are struggling to stay open.
I also know many people who got sick with the virus, including members of my own family, and sadly, I know a few people who died from it.
In my opinion, these are the types of things that might influence your PT school application, and what the essay is meant for. There’s no question we were all affected by COVID, and we all have had moments of struggle. However, there’s a large difference between, “I missed being able to see my friends” and, “My depression got so bad I couldn’t get out of bed.”
Obviously, this essay is new for everyone, so no one has experience with it. Each person will look at the essay differently and might expect different things from it. At the end of the day, you have to do what feels right to you.
PS If you need extra preparation, take a look at my PT school essay course!