Students considering physical therapy schools were given the opportunity to hear from the voice of experience Tuesday afternoon.

ISU alum and current University of Iowa physical therapy student Charlotte Bailey presented an open forum about applying to physical therapy schools.

Bailey received this year’s American Physical Therapy Association Outstanding Physical Therapy Student award, said Mary Ellen Wishart, ISU academic adviser for health and human performance.

“Charlotte really has a lot of knowledge and personal experience that she can share with our students,” Wishart said.

Bailey said she came to Iowa State to study construction engineering. She eventually changed her major to exercise and sport science and graduated in 1995 with her bachelor’s degree and a minor in health.

After graduation, Bailey took time off to strengthen her physical therapy application. She spent time researching several medical professions.

“It is important to get to know all the health sciences to know which one you fit the best in,” Bailey said. “Always do your homework, know the current trends going on in the health sciences, make yourself as marketable in all areas of the field as possible.”

She spent 1,700 hours of community service with Americorps before she was accepted to the University of Iowa. After working in all of the medical disciplines available to her, Bailey decided physical therapy was her best fit.

Bailey said a student doesn’t have to have a 4.0 GPA to get into a professional school, but a 3.0 is the minimum the University of Iowa will consider for admission.

“The truth is, there is no one way to prepare to get into a professional school,” she said. “There is so much more that goes into it. You bring things in from all parts of your life.”

Bailey said she knows there are people in her class with better GPAs, but her experience and well-rounded knowledge make her just as confident as they are.

Bailey encouraged students to keep trying. “It is OK not to get into the professional school of your choice on your first try,” she said.

Bailey suggested students take time off to strengthen their applications and gain volunteer experience. While the number of physical therapy programs offered has grown, she said, the number of applicants has not.

“We really have more of an applicants’ market now,” she said. “Go into the application process with the knowledge of what you want. Do everything you can to be truthful and honest, but present what you have to offer in the best light you can.”

Robyn Buzzingham, junior in exercise and sport science, said Bailey’s speech was helpful.

“Charlotte told me a lot of things that the schools don’t,” she said. “It is so nice to hear the information and to get my questions answered from someone who has actually been through it.”

Emily Vickers, junior in exercise and sport science, said she felt better after listening to Bailey.

“This was just such a confidence booster,” she said. “It is so nice to know that you really can get in with a 3.0.”