Did I Get Ghosted By Physical Therapy School?

Ghosted

When someone suddenly stops speaking to you and ignores all your messages.
– Urban Dictionary

BOO! Nah just kidding! The Dysfunctional Anatomy team has been asked a lot by students waiting to hear back from schools, “I haven’t heard back from this school in months. Do you think that means that they just ghosted me?”. Or we will see on Reddit, the student doctor, or other forums “anyone hear back from [Insert PT School Here]?”.

We had the same questions when we were applying to schools. I promise, it is a totally normal feeling. However, our answer to this question is almost ALWAYS “no”! It is uncommon to be completely ghosted by a program.

Many schools that Haley and I were accepted to didn’t get back to us until a few days before their classes started after not hearing from them for months after submitting our applications.

Schools often utilize a rolling admissions process. This means that the school reviews applicants each month and accepts applicants out of a pool. If you are not selected that month, then your application is reviewed again the next month, until the school has a full class.

Other schools may review applications in batches and may do so months after the application deadline. These schools get thousands of applications, so don’t sweat if you don’t hear back right away.

But What If I Actually Was Rejected?

Ill be honest with you, its possible. I know it sucks to hear, but the possibility is still there that this is the case. So they may also not let you know that you were rejected until months after the application deadline. In my case, I had schools forget that they rejected me and sent me another rejection email 3 days later. But schools almost always email you eventually one way or another.

Regardless, take a step back, take a deep breath, and try not to stress too much. You have done the hard work, now its just a waiting game. Enjoy this time (easier said than done, I know) and relax a little. If you’re coming out of undergrad, enjoy your last year of college. If you’re coming off of gap year(s), take care of yourself, keep doing you, and enjoy this time as much as you can before PT School takes over your schedule!