how to write a pt school essay

The Ultimate Guide to Writing PT School Application Essays

Here are some pointers for writing essays when you apply to physical therapy school. Please know that there isn’t a single best way to write your essays and everyone will answer each prompt differently, so do what works for you!

Essays are challenging to write, especially without any guidance. I had about 10 revisions of each of the 7 essays I wrote, had several people read them each time, and still had trouble writing some of them.

How to Start Writing Your Essay

1. Organize Your Thoughts

Write down the essay prompt, either on a computer or by hand. Read it a couple times, even out loud, until you have a good idea of what it is asking.

Then write down any thoughts that came to mind. They can be related to the prompt, or you can just write down what you like about the physical therapy profession or any specific experiences that stand out to you.

It doesn’t matter if you’ll actually end up writing about them. Don’t worry about your grammar or if it is written well. Just write down all of your thoughts into bullet points, or just a few words or a sentence for each idea.

If you are having trouble coming up with ideas, there is a section at the end of this post just for you. There are a lot of questions that may help you come up with ideas for your essay, so go check them out!

2. Turn your ideas into paragraphs

Write more about each point that you wrote down. Try to form a paragraph and relate it back to the prompt. If you’re struggling on writing more than a sentence or two about the bullet point, then maybe one of your other ideas will be better to include in your essay.

3. Choose 2-3 things to talk about

Now that you’ve written as much as you can about each bullet point, you should start to see a general direction to keep writing your essay. What are your favorite topics? What ideas can relate to each other to make a cohesive essay? What ideas answer the prompt the best?

4. Form a Complete Essay

Now that you’ve chosen your favorite paragraphs, format them into one essay. Now you can add an introduction paragraph that briefly mentions these paragraphs and your overall topic. Then you can add a conclusion.

5. Edit Your Essay

Now that you have a complete essay, you can read it from beginning to end. If it doesn’t flow well between each paragraph, add some transition sentences. If you don’t answer the prompt very well, rewrite some sentences. Keep editing and rewording until the essay is finished.

How Do You Format Your Essay?

You can format your essay however you like! I recommend that you have an introduction, some body paragraphs, and a conclusion. However, you don’t need your typical “5 paragraph” essay. Some supplemental essays may also have a shorter length, so you might only write two paragraphs.

You can indent each new paragraph, or just put a space between paragraphs instead of indenting, unless the school states that there is a specific way they want you to format your essay.

General Tips for PT School Essays

I know that writing your essays is not as simple as those 5 steps. It can take weeks and be mentally exhausting. However, I’ve included a bunch of tips to help guide you to writing a great essay.

• Be careful what you write about patients. If you choose to write about a patient, don’t include any specific personal information like their name, ethnicity, or occupation, or you will be violating HIPAA. Describing their general age, condition, gender, what setting you observed in, general occupation if it relates to your story, and what interventions were used is perfectly fine.
• Don’t use contractions.  I just did, but that’s besides the point! Contractions are too casual, so avoid them if possible.
• First-person speech.  It’s ok to say “I” and talk in first person. You’re writing about yourself, after all! Just make sure that you vary your sentence structure so that you don’t begin every sentence with “I”. There is never any reason to say “I think” in any sentence. It sounds unprofessional, so just delete it.
• Focus on the positives.  If you had any negative experiences, setbacks, or mistakes, don’t spend too much time writing about them. Explain yourself in a couple sentences, but focus on what you learned and how you’ve bettered yourself. Don’t dwell on the past, but try to focus on the positive results.
• Try to avoid clichés.  Almost everyone can write about how they want to be a physical therapist because they love to help people, or because they got injured and need physical therapy. You can briefly write these things, but you need to have other, more personal experiences that you can write about. Be sure to set yourself apart from others.
• Why have you chosen each school?  For supplemental essays for a specific school, make sure to mention why you want to go to their school, if it fits into the prompt. It’s good to show that you’ve done your research and are excited to attend their program for specific reasons.
• Answer the question.  It’s self-explanatory, but it’s so easy to get caught up in what you’re writing and go in a direction that doesn’t answer the original prompt. Make sure everything that appears in the essay helps to answer the prompt in some way.
• Have others read and edit your essay. Family members, friends, classmates, college writing center, or people on the Student Doctor Network Forums can all help your essay. It’s so beneficial to have an outside perspective on essays, especially because the admissions committee reading your essay won’t read it in the same way that you do. Try to have as many people critique your essay as possible.
• If you ask for help online, don’t post your entire essay for everyone on the internet to read. Make a new thread or comment on a current essay thread, and send an email directly to the person willing to read your essay. There are people that might steal your essay and use it as their own, so be careful who you send it to.
• Take a break from writing. Constantly thinking about your essay, rewriting, and editing is exhausting. It’s helpful to take a few days from working on your essay, and then come back to it with a fresh start.
• Try writing in different environments. I wrote mostly at home, but found that I got stuck with my writing. I started to write at coffee shops, which helped me be more productive. Try working at a library, outside, at a friend’s house, or in a different room in your own house.
• Essays can take weeks to write.  Make sure you start early enough so you aren’t stressed out from trying to meet an upcoming deadline. Start working on your essays as soon as possible.
• Be careful when writing multiple essays.  The PTCAS essay is sent to every school, so don’t copy and paste the same paragraphs into any supplemental essays. However, if two different schools have an essay prompt that is similar, then feel free to similar paragraphs.
• Essays are weighed differently by each school.  Some might not even read the PTCAS essay, others care more about their supplemental essays, or some schools do not care much about a well-written essay.
• Maximum character length.  You don’t have to write 4498 out of 4450 characters for your essay to be great.  Shorter is fine if you can get your point across. Aim for the character maximum, but it’s fine to have several hundred less than that.
• What if you wrote too much?  Worry about the essay length after you have written your thoughts down. When you are finalizing your essay, remove the repetitive information and anything that does not support the prompt, for starters. Then you can try rewording your sentences so they get straight to your point.

Tips for Specific Essays

If you’re stuck with writing your essays, see if you can answer these questions. You don’t need to answer all of them or any of them to write a great essay. A lot of these questions will overlap and be useful on other prompts, so make sure to read through everything if you need help.

Hopefully these questions will get you out of any writers block you may have.

PTCAS Essay

You can find the essay prompt on the PTCAS Essay page , or on their Facebook page once it is released. When I applied in 2014, the essay prompt was released in early June, and the PTCAS application opened in early July. This gave me an entire month to write my essay before I could even start my PTCAS application.

The essay prompt changes every year or every several years, so I can’t give great advice for this. These are some tips from past essays, so hopefully they help.

• How have your life experiences shaped who you are?
• What observation experiences can you talk about?
• Are there any patients that have influenced you?
• How has an experience impacted how you want to want to practice physical therapy?
• Who are the most influential people in your life?
• When did you know that you wanted to be a physical therapist?
• When have you been on a team or worked in a group? How was the team approach better than working by yourself?
• Where do you see the field of physical therapy going, and how do you fit into that picture?
• What sort of physical therapist to you see yourself being?
• How would you treat your future patients?
• What dream goals do you have?
• What character traits are important to have as a physical therapist
• What experiences have strengthened those traits for you, or what traits are you currently working on?
• How has your time spent as a patient affected how you will be a physical therapist?
• Are there any specific therapists that you wish to be like, or any therapists that you don’t want to become?
• Why will you be valuable to this profession?
• Are you interested in teaching, research, owning your own business, traveling, working for a nonprofit, or volunteering in another country?

Autobiography Essay

• What challenges have you overcome in your life?
• What are some of your major accomplishments?
• Why do you want to be a physical therapist?
• What things have you done that helped you grow as an individual
• What activities have you participated in?
• Who are some influential people on your life?
• How have your family, friends, or peers shaped who you are today?
• How would other people describe you?
• What 5 words describe you the best?
• What character traits are important for a physical therapist to have? Do you have these traits, or how are you improving them?
• What is important to you?
• How will your experiences make you a successful physical therapy student/physical therapist?
• How did your upbringing shape your personality, and how will that make you a better physical therapist?
• How have your experiences led you to the physical therapy career instead of other health care careers?
• Is there a central theme about your life experiences?
• How can you contribute to the field of physical therapy and your future patients?

Diversity Essay

• Describe your life experience as it is related to your culture.
• Is it hard to understand others who are from a different culture?
• Do you have a culturally different perspective than your peers?
• Does your culture have a different set of health care beliefs, or have you encountered another culture with different beliefs?
• Have you had an experience in life where you felt like your culture created a barrier for you?
• Have you volunteered for an economically disadvantaged population?
• Do you have trouble relating to higher socioeconomic classes?
• Have your experiences helped you relate better to certain people?
• Have you witnessed any social, cultural, or economic barriers when observing in a health care setting?
• How have you learned from any of these experiences?
• How does recognizing, understanding, or appreciating diversity make you a better physical therapist?
• Have you worked with individuals with disabilities?
• How do these experiences support that you will be able to work with diverse patients when you are a physical therapist?

Reapplicant Essay

• Have you retaken any classes?
• Did you retake the GRE?
• Do you have additional observation experiences?
• Did you observe in any new settings or see a different patient population?
• Did you have any additional work experience?
• Where you involved in any groups or team sports?
• Did you volunteer?
• How are you more prepared to be a successful student?
• Have you improved any personal skills?
• Have you worked with individuals that are different or gave you a unique perspective?
• What have you learned and how have you improved?
• How did these new experiences change your perspective, improve your application, change your personality, taught you something new, made you grow, or support your desire to become a physical therapist?

Does Your Academic Record Accurately Reflect Your Capabilities?

Most people say that you should only answer this section if something major happened in your life that was out of your control, like an illness, personal injury, family emergency, death of a loved one, etc.

Don’t use this area to write a list of excuses for why your grades weren’t as good as you wished. Examples of excuses: Explaining that you weren’t mature enough, didn’t study hard enough, partied too much, took too many difficult classes, or went to a challenging university. Those are excuses because you were responsible and they could have been avoided or handled better. If you are eager to explain yourself, you can try to add a sentence or two into your PTCAS essay.

A lot of people had lower grades at the beginning of their college career, so if your grades improved over time and your transcript shows that, you don’t need to write an essay to explain yourself.  It takes a while to learn how to succeed in college, and admissions committees understand that.

Additional Resources

Unfortunately there isn’t much information about physical therapy school essays. I found these resources for general essay writing, grad school essays, and med school essays, but they’re mostly applicable to physical therapy school too!

PTCAS Essay Prompt Essay Workshop 101 Writing the Personal Statement Personal Statement Before You Write Your Personal Statement, Read This Writing Your Medical School Personal Statement: Tips and Myths Writing the Personal Statement for Medical School

Student Doctor Network Forums:

Supplemental Essays character limit   PTCAS Essay question for 2015-2016 application cycle! Essay   This year’s personal statement prompt? Should I or should I not write about this in my essay? Re-applicant essay Does your personal statement have to be 4500 characters? 

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Pingback: PTCAS: Personal Statement/Essays

The link you set for the reapplicant essay doesn’t lead to that blog post. I wanted to ask if you know if reapplicants should submit the same essays if the essay question is the same this year?

Sorry for taking so long to reply! I just saw your comment this morning.

Thank you for letting me know about the link. Occasionally blogs are taken down, so I’ll have to go through and make sure to remove all the links to that site.

That’s a tough question, and I don’t think there is really a correct answer. If you read the Student Doctor Network forums , you can find others who have run into the same situation. Do you know why you were not accepted the first time around? If you didn’t meet the GPA or GRE requirements, your application may have been automatically disqualified and your essays might have never been read. You can choose to use the same exact essay, but hopefully they haven’t been read by the same program already. You can also choose to edit your essays a little bit, and maybe add any new experiences that you’ve had since you last applied.

Best of luck this application cycle! 🙂

Hi Katie! I’ve been reading your blog for a while now and I really appreciate it!!! I’m just wandering if you know any PT personal essay editing service?

Hey Lauren! Sorry for the delay in my response, and I hope it isn’t too late.

When I was applying to schools, I sent my essays to 3-4 of my friends (including an English major), so I got tons of feedback from them. There’s also the Student Doctor Network forums, and there are DPT students and PTs that offer up their spare time to edit essays! Just be cautious when sending your essay to strangers on the forum – make sure that they have a decent number of posts on that site.

I’m not sure if there is an essay editing service online, specific towards PT admissions essays.

If you need any last minute help, feel free to email me your essay and I can give some comments! Best of luck with getting into schools! 🙂

I’m almost finished with my PTCAS application process and I found this. Super helpful, I’m making some edits to my essay now. Thank you!

You’re welcome! I’m glad I could help! Good luck with applying and everything.

Thank you, that was so helpful!

You’re welcome! Thanks for the nice comment 🙂 glad I was able to help!

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PT School Personal Statement Examples: a Quick Guide

Table of Contents

Your statement is your chance to “sell” yourself to the admissions committee. We have great PT school personal statement examples to inspire you in crafting your statement.

We hope they provide a wealth of insights into the personal statement process and help you achieve admission to your dream PT school.

What Is a PT Personal Statement?

Personal statements for physiotherapy programs are creative writing assignments required for the UCAS application. It helps the admissions committee decide if you’re a good fit for their class and institution .

When applying to an undergraduate or graduate program, you’ll need to highlight your talents, achievements, and goals in your statement.

If you’re anything like most applicants, the mere thought of writing a personal statement makes you break out in a cold sweat. However, we have made it easy by detailing what to include in a PT personal statement.

How to Write an Outstanding PT Personal Statement

Writing a PT personal statement can be nerve-wracking. However, these steps will help you write an impressive personal statement that brings it all together in one successful, polished piece.

• Begin with a few phrases on an experience that ignited your interest in the field.
• Highlight your interest in physiotherapy by discussing pertinent aspects of your work experience, reading, hobbies, or anything else you find interesting.
• Share what you’ve learned about physiotherapy and what you find most interesting about the field. Tutors in charge of admissions want to see that you have done your homework and are prepared for the program’s challenges.
• You’ll need great people skills, the ability to work well in a team, and patience to succeed as a physiotherapist. Keep these talents in mind while you write the rest of your statement.

PT School Personal Statement Examples

Remember, your statement is only a small part of the application process and should be manageable. These INK examples detail what to write and how to write it, so it impacts the admission board.

I have always been passionate about the art of physical therapy. I also have a long-standing interest in human anatomy and kinesiology that was further stoked during my undergraduate studies. In particular, I found myself captivated by musculoskeletal injury prevention and management. I want to explore novel ways to enhance biomechanical efficiency through various stretching and movement exercises. My curiosity quickly translated into tangible accomplishments, such as designing several clinical interventions for athletes suffering from injuries or chronic conditions.

I believe PT school will provide me with the necessary skill set to embark on a meaningful career in helping people. As such, I am eager to hone my knowledge and develop effective strategies to rehabilitate clients. By utilizing evidence-based practices, I aspire to use my creativity to find innovative solutions tailored to each individual’s needs. Additionally, providing compassionate care is critical in helping patients reach their goals and regaining quality of life.

Pursuing physical therapy would allow me to make a lasting difference in the lives of those around me. With this in mind, I look forward to combining my enthusiasm and expertise with the invaluable experience offered by your esteemed program. It will help me become a highly competent practitioner and leader in this field.

I have long aspired to attend physical therapy school to hone my natural talents and knowledge of the human body. I possess a unique combination of practical skills and expertise that will make me an asset at any educational institution.

I’ve always had a passion for health and wellness, honed through years of recreational and professional experience. As a volunteer ambulance driver with a rural hospital, I regularly saw firsthand how physical therapy could dramatically improve lives. Further, my work as a strength trainer has provided me with invaluable insight into effective patient rehabilitation and injury prevention. In short, I am intimately familiar with therapeutic techniques designed to restore mobility, correct alignment issues, and reduce pain.

Moreover, I understand the emotional component of healing. Having endured numerous sports injuries myself, I relate deeply to those struggling with their conditions. This empathy allows me to create personalized treatment plans tailored to meet each client’s individual needs. My goal is not just to treat ailments but also to alleviate suffering, providing holistic care and gentle guidance every step of the way.

My diverse skill set and compassionate nature would be a perfect fit for physical therapy school. Therefore, I request that you consider me as an applicant.

Yours truly,

Final Words

These PT school personal statement examples above outline how to present your skills clearly and set yourself apart from competitors . It uses specific details to convey unique qualities.

Review these sample personal statements to learn more about what makes a persuasive personal statement. They also make great comparison points when building your PT school personal statement.

Abir Ghenaiet

Abir is a data analyst and researcher. Among her interests are artificial intelligence, machine learning, and natural language processing. As a humanitarian and educator, she actively supports women in tech and promotes diversity.

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Sharing clinical sprinkles about physical therapy.

Ptcas personal statement prompt 2021-2022.

If you're applying for a Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) Program for the 2021-2022 cycle, you're in the right place.

This year's prompt matches last year's prompt which is:

Every person has a story that has led them to a career. Since there are a variety of health professions that “help” others, please go beyond your initial interaction or experience with physical therapy, and share the deeper story that has confirmed your decision to specifically pursue physical therapy as your career.

This is an elaborate way of asking... Why physical therapy? Why PT above all other health professions?

If your answer is simply, "because I want to help people," I'm going to be the one to tell you that you're going to need to dig a lot deeper than that. The prompt literally asks for a deeper story.

You don't have to have been a patient in PT to want to apply to PT school. I hadn't been a patient myself before I applied to school. Through observation hours and more, I found my calling in PT. I share my "PT why" in my personal statement for the 2013-2014 cycle here .

If you're finding yourself scrambled on how to write your essay or even how to start, a coaching call may be the best option for you. I've helped several pre-PT, pre-OT, pre-PA, and pre-med, students with their personal statements, and they've successfully been accepted. I specialize in finding the deeper WHY and making sure the writer is showing, not telling. 

If you've already have what you think is a close-to-final draft, I also provide consults to go over the essay with an unbiased view and help you bring in an emotional touch to your story to captivate the reader. I had a less than ideal application and I believe my personal statement helped me stand out. Read more about my less-than-ideal application here .

Good luck to all of those applying! And follow @clinicalsprinkles on Instagram for more application tips and learning about the life of an outpatient ortho PT.

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PT School Consulting

Mentoring Services for the Life Cycle of the PT Student

PERSONAL STATEMENT (ESSAY)

The Personal Statement (Essay) Service is a set of three one hour online video conferences and/or phone discussions that will target the PT school personal statement (essay).

Our first session will focus on brainstorming ideas for your PT school personal statement and outlining the essay. The next two sessions will focus on editing the essay to perfection. We will review how to make yourself stand out and convey that unspoken key to getting your personal statement read by the admissions committee. 

$450 (3 sessions included)

What is a Personal Statement?

The Personal Statement is a chance for you to show the admissions committee who you are beyond the data in your application. In an essay format, you can expand upon your character, goals, and background, allowing the admissions committee to get to know you.

Each year, the Physical Therapy Centralized Application Service (PTCAS) provides a different prompt for the personal statement. The Personal Statement is submitted to every school to which you apply, so it gives you the opportunity to set yourself apart from the other applicants.

You’re given about one page, or 4,500 characters, to answer the PTCAS prompt. Through these 4,500 characters, you’re not just telling the admissions committees who you are… you’re showing them.

How PT School Consulting Works

1. brainstorm.

Our first session will help you brainstorm ideas for your essay.

Our next two sessions will involve editing your essay until it is perfect.

3. Strategies

We will discuss key ways to get your essay read by the admissions committee.

Contact us if you would like to purchase the Personal Statement (Essay) Edits service. We will respond to your message with a secure link to purchase this service using PayPal.

Why is the PT School Personal Statement Application Essay So Important?

When you apply to PT school, you’re applying with hundreds or thousands of other applicants who are similar to you. Every other applicant – or at the least the ones who will be considered – has similar grades, took the same prerequisite courses, had comparable physical therapy experiences, and has matching letters of recommendations.

No doubt there is something that sets you apart from the crowd, but what is it? Maybe it is something that will show up as an extracurricular or another item in your resume. Or maybe it’s something that won’t be apparent from your application at all.

Maybe you’ve changed majors or even changed careers before discovering physical therapy. Maybe you’re the first in your family to go to college. Something about you can set you apart from all the other applicants.

The essay is one of your only chances to do so.

Furthermore, the essay should highlight aspects of yourself that show what a great DPT student and physical therapist you will be. This is the chance to show how hardworking you are, how empathetic you can be, how you can overcome difficult situations, and work well with others. These traits are hard to convey in a list of activities, so the things you do in your essay should convey these or other positive characteristics.

The essay is especially important if there are parts of your application you’re less than proud of. Maybe your freshman year grades don’t show your full potential, or your GRE scores are hovering near the minimum threshold. Perhaps you weren’t able to get observation hours beyond those required.

If you’re worried that your stats or resume don’t paint the full picture of what a stellar applicant you are, the essay becomes even more important. It is your chance to shine.

PTCAS gives you 4500 characters. Make them count!

PS If you need extra preparation, take a look at my PT school essay course !

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The Curly Clinician - Physical Therapy + Lifestyle

PTCAS Essay 2020-2021/2021-2022/2022-2023: Initial Thoughts + 5 Tips

June 25, 2020 Physical Therapy , Pre-PT , PTCAS & Planning

Hi friends! Long time no personal statement post! PTCAS updated their essay for the 2020-2021 cycle, so I figured I’d give you guys my initial thoughts on the essay prompt and share a few tips to help you get started on crafting a winning essay!

PTCAS Essay Prompt : Every person has a story that has led them to a career. Since there are a variety of health professions that “help” others, please go beyond your initial interaction or experiences with physical therapy, and share the deeper story that has confirmed your decision to specifically pursue physical therapy as your career.

In my opinion, I think this is a great essay prompt! It is way better than the one I had to answer when I applied in my opinion: “What is professionalism in the context of being a student in a doctor of physical therapy program?”…yea bleh. This prompt isn’t too vague; it’s just specific enough so that you know exactly what admissions committees are looking for, but you still have free range to make it personal and add your own flare.

1. Answer the prompt, period.

I know this may seem obvious, but I have edited many essays for pre-PT students, and have come across essays that didn’t even answer the prompt. This is a sure-fire way to stop someone from reading your essay, so follow directions, and try not to deviate too far from the prompt.

2. Wanting to “help others” is not enough.

Almost everyone wants to be a physical therapist because they want to help people, or because they had an awesome physical therapist when they were injured. While this is great, admissions committees want to hear why you want to become a physical therapist (which is why they explicitly included this in the prompt) as opposed to an MD/DO, a PA, an OT. Really think about WHY you want to help people. What are your passions? Pull from your life experiences (healthcare and/or non-healthcare related) to make your essay more personal.

3. What is your s tory?

Everyone has a story. Like the prompt requires, you must go beyond your initial experiences with physical therapy. Did you have a really impactful patient? A family tie? A childhood experience? Whatever it is, tell it! Your story will always be enough. This may require a bit of brainstorming (and deep thought), and that’s fine. Remember that admissions committees aren’t looking for this extravagant story though, they just want to know you and why physical therapy is the right fit. This is your personal statement…make it PERSONAL!

For example, my “PT story” includes the lack of representation for Black women in academia in general, but especially in the physical therapy profession. I began my essay discussing my first real experience with representation: receiving a Holiday Barbie doll that was Black every year for Christmas as a child. This was a piece of my story, and I used it to explain why physical therapy was the career choice for me, and how it made me a great applicant.

4. Make sure your essay has structure.

You need to have an introduction (with a captivating opener to engage the reader), and a conclusion to bring your essay full circle. I began my essay with a childhood memory (as mentioned earlier), but you could begin with a quote (kinda cliché, but you could make it work), a question, a general idea, or something else. You want to grab the reader’s attention immediately !

5. Show, don’t tell!

Use lots of examples. Show your story, don’t just tell it. The reader must be able to visualize your words, so that your story can come to life. You can achieve this by having a “theme” that you incorporate into your essay.

Alright guys, I hope this was helpful, and is a good start to helping you craft an awesome essay. Remember that I am available for editing (this essay, supplemental essays, and resumes), so click here if that is something you are interested in! Also feel free to check out this post for more tips on writing your essay(s)!

Special thanks to my sweet friend Yusra . She wrote a post like this on a past PTCAS prompt, and it inspired me to write one with my thoughts for this year’s prompt!

Reader Interactions

July 2, 2020 at 1:10 pm

Hi, thank you so much for these helpful tips! Do you think it best to discuss one personal experience when writing the personal statement or is it okay to talk about more than one?

July 5, 2020 at 3:53 pm

You’re so welcome! And I think it is okay to discuss more than one, just not too many!

July 22, 2020 at 10:20 pm

Hello, I was wondering if you could just glance over my essay and let me know if the structure is fine?

July 25, 2020 at 12:36 pm

Hi, I offer editing services under my “shop/services” page!

July 25, 2020 at 11:38 am

Wonderful insight! These tips gave me some great ideas for my essay after weeks of being lost with this prompt. Thank you so much!

July 25, 2020 at 12:38 pm

You’re so welcome, good luck with everything!

August 18, 2020 at 10:33 pm

Awesome thank you!

September 13, 2020 at 11:56 pm

What do you think is an appropriate length for the essay. The maximum word limit is 4500 but I’m afraid of writing too much that it might loose the interest of the reader and too little that the reader may not see my personality/experience detail.

September 15, 2020 at 7:42 pm

You should definitely try your hardest to hit the 4500 CHARACTER limit!

September 24, 2020 at 11:24 am

Hello, I am having the hardest time starting on my personal essay. I know exactly what I want to say, I just do not have right words at the moment. When I first read your tips, I had the perfect flow going but now I am stuck.

September 24, 2020 at 3:40 pm

Hi Alicia! My biggest piece of advice for when you are stuck is to take a break. Coming back to your essay later with a fresh pair of eyes can be a game changer. I hope this helps!

January 5, 2021 at 4:20 pm

Hey girly! Thank you so much for all the info! It’s been really helpful exploring your blog! I’m a little confused on the how often the prompts change for the personal statements. Is it every two years that a new prompt gets put out?

January 5, 2021 at 5:41 pm

You’re so welcome! And yes typically they change every 2 years!

July 28, 2022 at 10:40 am

Thank you so much for all this info! It’s been super helpful as my college also did not have a Pre-PT club. When writing the PTCAS essay, is it okay to use “PT” instead of physical therapy or things like “PT school”? I am right over the 4500 character limit and am trying to cut some things out! Thank you for all of your help!

August 18, 2022 at 10:36 pm

You’re so welcome Sarah! Yes, that is totally fine!

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How to write your physical therapy personal essay

by tkaprowy | Mar 22, 2021 | Uncategorized

I’m a little bit in love with this year’s physical therapy personal essay prompt. I’ll admit it’s a strange thing to be in love with and, thinking on it, maybe I’m really just in love with the person who composed it. Either way, there is serious sass living between the lines of this thing.

If you haven’t already seen it, the prompt for the PTCAS 2020-21 cycle reads as follows:

“ Every person has a story that has led them to a career. Since there are a variety of health professions that “help” others, please go beyond your initial interaction or experience with physical therapy, and share the deeper story that has confirmed your decision to specifically pursue physical therapy as your career .”

What I love about this is someone has clearly gotten fed up. It’s likely physical therapy schools were receiving versions of the same personal statements again and again and … again. Ones in which applicants wrote about how they knew they wanted to be a physical therapist:

• because they want to help people.
• after they received physical therapy themselves.

And this person? The one who wrote this prompt? Was tired. Was unimpressed. And that’s understandable.

DON’T BE GENERIC

Why so? Well, first, saying you want to help people doesn’t really answer why you want to be a physical therapist . Physical therapists, after all, are not the only people who help. Everyone does in healthcare, a). And, b), helping isn’t unique to the healthcare field. Teachers help. Police officers and flight attendants do, too. So using that as the basis of your answer for why you want to be a physical therapist is like building the foundation of your house on publicly-owned land; it’s not yours to claim.

Second, you have to wonder how many times poor admissions officers have read about people discovering they want to be a physical therapist after they received P.T. for the first time and were wowed by their own progress. I think it’s safe to assume it’s as common as answering the question, “Why do you want to be a doctor?” by describing how you liked to “heal” your stuffed animals when you were a kid. Or saying you knew you wanted to be an engineer because you’ve always had an affinity for Legos.

Those stories have been so over-told that they have become cliché . It does not matter how well you write these stories, you will not make inroads with your reader because your reader will be asleep.

So. What does this physical therapy prompt want out of you? Happily, it’s very clear: you should be writing about a moment of confirmation.

WHAT IS A MOMENT OF CONFIRMATION?

These are moments where everything, in a flash, comes together. Something happens, something changes, something begins. And you realize something important.

Maybe it’s the moment you realize that you want to be a physical therapist. Maybe it’s the moment you realize you have what it takes to be a physical therapist. Or, perhaps it’s the moment where you realize, holy crap, I don’t want to be a rodeo clown at all, I want to be a physical therapist instead.

The great thing about these moments — and the reason why the writers of this prompt are probably asking to read about them — i s they may or may not have to do with P.T. It could be the moment when someone is panicking in the library before an exam and you suddenly know exactly what to say to help them. It could be the moment when you park on the side of the road so you can help a turtle get across it so it doesn’t get splooshed. It could be the moment when someone plays their turn at Scrabble after a 16,000-hour mull and you realize you’ve been silently rooting for them (and actually interested in what they’ll spell).

All you need to do is outline the moment when you realized, wow, this is it. This is where it’s been heading all along. I know this for the first time right now .

DO STORY TELL, DON’T ESSAY WRITE

Whatever moment you choose, the prompt is asking you to get specific and dig deep by telling a story. This is actually great news for you. Telling a story is far, far more interesting than writing an essay. We’re also, in general, far, far more skilled at telling stories than we are at churning out boring essays.

That the word “specifically” is also in your prompt is also great news. Asking you to be specific is just another way of asking you to be detailed. And details are the funnest part about personal statements.

First, details help your moment/story come alive for your reader . To do so, you should address what was happening to every one of your senses at that time. So if you were on the side of the road with the turtle, what did you feel? See? Hear? Smell? Taste? Did you notice a cinnamon Trident gum pack in the ditch? Were you headed to karate practice? Did you consider not stopping for a second? Did you turn back? Was it spring? Were birds chirping? Were you afraid the turtle was going to bite you? Were you afraid it was going to be slimy? Or stinky?

Second, details show your reader how open and honest you’re being because you just can’t make them up . They help prove your story is true. That’s important for your reader to know in order to become invested.

FOLLOW IT UP

After you’ve described your life-changing moment, you then get to explain specifically why this steered you toward physical therapy. Which means you get to explain what was going on in your head at that time. This generally invites paragraphs that start with, “This is the moment I realized …” And then you explain what you realized.

So, again with the turtle, what did you realize? That you feel compelled in every fiber of your being to assist reptiles (and people) make safe progress?

If you’re describing the kid freaking out in the library, did you realize you have the ability to break down tough things for people so they’re digestible?

If you’re describing the Scrabble game, did you realize you have an inordinate amount of patience?

All of these qualities are both yours and belong to the best physical therapists. So this is a big part of your answer. After all, you can convincingly answer why you want a specific career if you can prove to your reader that your personality is actually built for it .

DON’T STOP WITH THE TURTLE

Because a moment of confirmation is when several pieces come together and click, you should feel free to weave in other parts of your life story in your essay after you’ve established your opening moment. So you should feel comfortable saying, “Standing beside this poor turtle, I realized I had felt this way when I …” Then you can fill in the blank. Was it when you shadowed a physical therapist? Or when coaching color guard? Or when you’ve been with your grandmother?

These examples shore up your answer and, although they might be more standard, together they all demonstrate (prove!) that you’re on the right career path. They also help you demonstrate other parts of your personality, background, education and/or goals.

I look forward to working with students to help answer this interesting prompt. If you’re looking for another example of how you can answer why you want a career in healthcare (without actually writing about healthcare), click here and skip down to the python runs into a poodle section. If you need any more guidance, don’t hesitate to contact me at [email protected]

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Daily Writing Tips

How to write an essay for a scholarship: a step-by-step guide.

Crafting an essay for a scholarship is your chance to show why you’re a worthy investment. It’s not just another essay; it’s a personal narrative that embodies your aspirations and showcases your potential.

In this step-by-step guide, we’ll lead you through each part of the scholarship essay process: understanding the prompt, outlining your thoughts, engaging introductions, strong body paragraphs, impactful conclusions, and essential revisions. Plus, we’ll touch on those final checks before you hit submit.

Ready to turn your educational dreams into a compelling story? Let’s begin the journey of writing an essay that might just change the course of your future.

What Is a Scholarship Essay and Why Is It Important?

A scholarship essay is a written piece you submit as part of your college or university scholarship application. It’s your opportunity to demonstrate to the scholarship committee why you are the best candidate for the award.

The scholarship essay is important because it allows the committee to get to know you beyond your grades and test scores. It lets you share your personal story, accomplishments, and future plans.

What Are Scholarship Essay Prompts Asking For?

Scholarship essay prompts typically ask you to discuss your academic achievements, extracurricular activities, community service, leadership roles, or any challenges you’ve overcome. The prompt will guide you in showcasing your unique qualifications. For example, a prompt might ask you to describe a time when you demonstrated leadership or to explain how a particular experience has shaped your academic and career goals.

How Can You Plan Your Scholarship Essay Effectively?

Effective planning is the key to writing a strong scholarship essay. Here are the steps to follow:

1. Read the prompt carefully: Start by thoroughly reviewing to understand the requirements and instructions of the essay prompt. Make sure you know exactly what the prompt is asking you to do.

2. Brainstorm experiences and accomplishments: Reflect on your academic, extracurricular, and personal experiences that might help explain the prompt. Think about your achievements, the challenges you’ve overcome, and how you’ve made a difference in your community.

3. Develop a thesis or central theme: Based on your brainstorming, determine a thesis or central theme that will help focus your essay. This statement should explain the main point you want the scholarship committee to understand.

4. Create an outline: Organize your essay by making an outline. Include an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. This will help you write a structured and coherent essay.

5. Do additional research: Depending on the prompt, you may need to research relevant information to support your essay. For example, if the prompt asks you to discuss a social issue, you may need to research facts and statistics to support your points.

6. Allow time for writing and revising: Don’t wait until the last minute to write your essay. Give yourself enough time to write a draft, get feedback, and make revisions . Rushing through the process can result in a weaker essay.

How Do You Create a Compelling Introduction for Your Scholarship Essay?

The introduction is the first thing the scholarship committee will read, so making a strong impression is important. Here are the steps to create a compelling introduction:

1. Hook the reader: Start your introduction with a captivating hook , such as a quote, anecdote, or intriguing statement. This will immediately engage the reader and make them want to continue reading.

2. Provide context: Offer relevant background information to give the reader context about who you are and your experiences. This could include details about your academic background, extracurricular activities, or personal interests.

3. State your central thesis : Clearly articulate your essay’s main point or argument, aligning it with the scholarship prompt. This thesis statement should be a concise and clear statement of the key idea you will explore in your essay.

4. Outline your approach: Give the reader a sense of how you will develop your essay’s central theme throughout the body paragraphs. This can be a brief overview of the main points you will cover.

5. Express your passion: Convey your enthusiasm, motivation, and personal investment in the topic and your pursuit of the scholarship. This will help the committee understand why this scholarship is important to you.

6. Keep it concise: Aim for 3-5 engaging sentences that introduce your essay in a manner that is easy to understand and compelling. The introduction should be long enough to capture the reader’s attention but not so long that it becomes overwhelming.

What Makes a Strong Body for Your Scholarship Essay?

The body of your scholarship essay is where you will expand on your central theme and provide evidence to support your points. Provide specific examples and evidence from your experiences to support your arguments. This could include details about your academic achievements, extracurricular involvement, community service, or personal challenges you’ve overcome.

Use the body paragraphs to showcase your unique qualities and how they make you a strong candidate for the scholarship. This could include your leadership skills, problem-solving abilities, creativity, or dedication to your studies. Keep your essay logically organized and focused on the main point you want to make, with each paragraph building on the previous one and contributing to the overall argument you’re making.

Vary your sentence structure to keep your writing engaging and easy to read. Alternate between shorter and longer sentences, and help guide the reader through your essay. Back up your claims and arguments with relevant facts, statistics, or expert opinions to strengthen the credibility of your essay.

How Should You Conclude Your Scholarship Essay?

The conclusion of your scholarship essay is your final opportunity to make an impression on the committee. In the conclusion, restate your thesis or central theme in a clear and understandable way. This will remind the reader of the main point you’ve been focused on throughout your essay.

Briefly summarize the key points and arguments you made in the body of your essay. This will help reinforce your main ideas and leave a lasting impression on the reader. Explain why the scholarship is important to you and how it will help you achieve your academic and career goals. Demonstrate your passion and commitment to making the most of the scholarship opportunity.

Conclude your essay with a strong, memorable statement that leaves the reader with a positive impression of you as a candidate. This could be a call to action, an inspirational quote, or a final reflection on the significance of the scholarship.

How Can You Revise Your Scholarship Essay for Maximum Impact?

After you’ve written your first draft, it’s important to revise and edit your essay so it’s as strong as it can be. Carefully read through your essay to catch any spelling, grammar, or punctuation errors. Even small mistakes can ruin the overall quality of your essay.

Ask someone you trust, such as a teacher, mentor, or family member, to review your essay and provide feedback. They may be able to locate areas for improvement or offer a fresh perspective. Ask them to review your essay’s organization to ensure your introduction, body, and conclusion flow logically. Don’t be afraid to rearrange or add/remove paragraphs to strengthen the overall structure.

Examine your essay’s central arguments and claims. Are they supported with sufficient evidence and examples? Look for ways to develop your points further. Review your writing style and make adjustments to improve clarity, concision, and engagement. This could involve varying sentence structure, eliminating unnecessary words, or using more vivid and descriptive language.

Double-check that your essay fully addresses the scholarship prompt and showcases your qualifications in a way that aligns with the committee’s expectations. Don’t be afraid to make multiple rounds of revisions. The more you refine your essay, the stronger it will be.

What Are the Final Steps Before Submitting Your Scholarship Essay?

Once you’ve completed your revisions, there are a few final steps to take before submitting your scholarship essay. Take advantage of sources that provide essay and paper help to add to and ensure the quality you have written is up to the scholarship committee’s standards. Also, always be sure to review everything 

1. Follow instructions: Carefully review the scholarship guidelines and instructions to ensure you’ve followed all the requirements, including formatting, length, and submission procedures.

2. Double-check formatting: Ensure your essay is properly formatted according to the scholarship guidelines, including margins, font size, and spacing.

3. Proofread again : Do one final proofread to catch any lingering errors or typos. It’s easy to miss mistakes when you’ve been working on the essay for a long time.

4. Submit before the deadline: Don’t wait until the last minute to submit your essay. Allow plenty of time to complete the application process and submit your materials before the deadline. 5. Make copies: Keep a copy of your final essay for your records. This can be helpful if you need to refer back to it or make adjustments for future scholarship applications.

Here are some dos and don’ts for effective scholarship essay writing

• Understand the Prompt: Carefully read and analyze the scholarship prompt to ensure your essay directly addresses the requested topic or criteria.
• Showcase Your Unique Qualities: Use the essay as an opportunity to highlight your distinctive experiences, skills, goals, and passions that make you a standout candidate.
• Organize Your Essay Logically: Craft a clear and well-structured essay with an engaging introduction, cohesive body paragraphs, and a compelling conclusion.
• Support Your Claims: Back up your key points and arguments with specific examples, anecdotes, and evidence from your experiences.
• Maintain a Positive and Enthusiastic Tone**: Convey your enthusiasm for the scholarship and your commitment to making the most of the opportunity.
• Proofread and Edit Carefully: Review your essay multiple times to catch any grammar, spelling, or punctuation errors.
• Follow All Formatting Requirements: Adhere to the prescribed page limits, font sizes, and other formatting guidelines specified by the scholarship provider.

Don’ts

• Don’t Repeat the Prompt: Avoid simply restating the prompt in your essay. Instead, use your unique voice and perspective.
• Don’t Make Broad, Unsupported Statements: Avoid making claims or generalizations without providing concrete evidence or examples to support them.
• Don’t Use Clichés or Overly Formal Language: Steer clear of overused phrases and maintain a natural, conversational tone throughout your essay.
• Don’t Exaggerate or Embellish: Be honest and authentic in your writing . Avoid making claims that you cannot substantiate.
• Don’t Neglect the Conclusion: Don’t treat the conclusion as an afterthought. Use it to leave a lasting, positive impression on the reader.
• Don’t Miss Deadlines or Requirements: Ensure you submit your essay by the specified deadline and adhere to all other requirements outlined by the scholarship provider.
• Don’t Plagiarize: Ensure that your essay is entirely your own work and that you properly cite any external sources you use.

Following these dos and don’ts can help you craft a compelling scholarship essay that stands out from the competition.

Writing a good scholarship essay is important to get the funding you need for your education and career goals. By following the steps in this guide – understanding the prompt, brainstorming your experiences, writing a strong introduction and body, and leaving a lasting conclusion – you can create an essay that makes you stand out as an excellent candidate.

The essay is not just about listing your accomplishments – it’s about showing who you are as a person and why you are the ideal recipient. Infuse it with enthusiasm, personal stories, and a vision for your future. This will help you craft an essay that leaves a lasting impression.

As you prepare to submit your scholarship essay, be proud of your work and confident that you’ve presented your best self.

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How to Write an Essay in MLA Format | For Students

Starting from when I entered high school, the importance of submitting assignments in a particular format became a top priority. I quickly realized the significance of adhering to these guidelines, as they remained essential throughout my academic journey. You never know when the need for proper formatting will arise. At first, it may seem overwhelming, but in this simple guide, I'll show you how to write an essay in MLA format [For Students].

When is MLA format used?

MLA format is created by the Modern Language Association which is a standardized way to format academic papers and cite sources. It’s mainly used for subjects in the humanities, like literature, philosophy, and the arts. Unlike APA or Chicago formats, which are used for social sciences and history, MLA puts a strong emphasis on the authorship of sources.

Most students will need to use MLA format at some point, especially in humanities courses. It’s essential for essays, research papers, and other assignments in these subjects.

General Guidelines/ Rules of MLA Formatting

The first step to learning how to write an essay in MLA format for students is to get familiar with the general guidelines. It's all about following the rules to get your paper formatted in the MLA style:

Margins and Font:

Set 1-inch margins on all sides.

Choose a readable font such as Times New Roman, 12-point size.

Double-space the entire document, including block quotes (quotes longer than four lines), notes, and the works cited page.

Paragraph Indentation:

Indent the first line of each paragraph by 0.5 inches (press Tab key once).

Punctuation:

Utilize standard punctuation marks and maintain consistency with punctuation, italics, and quotation marks throughout your paper.

Quotations:

Use double quotation marks (" ") for direct quotes.

For quotes longer than four lines, format as a block quote: start on a new line, indent 0.5 inches from the left margin (without quotation marks), and keep double-spacing.

Here is an essay MLA format template for your reference:

How to Set up MLA Format Essay [Step-by-Step]

So we have seen the general guidelines in the above example and also saw an essay MLA format example/sample showing what our final MLA format will look like. However, going through guidelines is not enough when you're learning how to write an essay in MLA format in Word or PDF format. You need a professional writing software that not only provides the tools but also allows you to use them easily.

Therefore, I will be using WPS Writer as my partner in writing an essay in MLA format, and I would recommend students to download WPS Writer from their website so that you can easily follow this guide. And yes, it is completely free. So let's begin formatting an essay to MLA format in WPS Writer:

1. Page Margins

So the first step is to ensure that our page margins are set to 1 inch on every side. Setting the margins first would help you avoid any formatting errors if you do this at a later stage. To set page margins in WPS Writer:

Step 1: Open WPS Writer and visit the “Page Layout” tab in the toolbar.

Step 2: Find the Page Margin options on the far left of the Page Layout ribbon.

Step 3: Set all the margin fields—top, bottom, left, and right—to 1 inch.

2. Line Spacing

Next, we need to ensure that the line spacing is set to double spacing . This helps improve readability and ensures your paper meets MLA formatting standards. To set double line spacing in WPS Writer:

Step 1: In WPS Writer, go to the “Home” tab in the toolbar.

Step 2: Find and click the “Line Spacing” option in the Home ribbon.

Step 3: In the Line Spacing drop-down, click on More.

Step 4: The Paragraph window will pop up. Visit the Spacing section and in the Line Spacing field, select “Double”.

Step 5: After that, click on OK to exit the Paragraph window.

Note: We can also use the keyboard shortcut CTRL + 2 to quickly change the line spacing to double.

3. Header- In the Upper-Left Corner

After setting the page settings, let's move on to the content of the essay, starting with the header in the following order:

Student's Name

Professor's Name

Course and Course Code

Due Date in the format DD Month, Year

Step 1: Follow the order to enter the header into your essay.

Step 2: To make the Header left aligned, visit the Home tab and then click on the “Align Text Left” icon.

Step 3: After entering the header, make sure the Font is set to "Times New Roman" in the Fonts field in the Home ribbon.

Step 4: After the font, the font size should also be set to "12." Therefore, make the change in the "Font Size" field in the Home ribbon.

4. Last Name & Page Numbers- In the Upper-Right Corner

MLA Format requires a running header that includes your last name along with the page number on the top right corner of every page. Let's see how we can create our running header for the MLA Format:

Step 1: Double-click on the Header area to open the Header/Footer in WPS Writer.

Step 2: Now type your last name and set its alignment to right by clicking on the “Align Text Right” icon in the Home ribbon.

Step 3: To add the page number, click on the "Page Number" option in the Header/Footer ribbon and select the "Header right" option to insert a page number in the right corner.

Once the running header has been added, it is important to set the font size of the running header to 12 and the font to "Times New Roman".

Step 4: Simply select your running header and click on the Home tab.

Step 5: In the Home tab, change the Font to "Times New Roman" in the Fonts field.

Step 6: To change the font size, in the Home ribbon, enter "12" in the Font size field.

The last setting for the running header is to set the header margin to "0.5 inches":

Step 7: Head over to the Header/Footer tab.

Step 8: In the Header/Footer ribbon, enter "0.5 in" in the “Header Height” field to set the header margin to 0.5 inches.

5. Title of Essay- On the Line Below the Date

After the header and running header, let's begin our essay with the title of our essay. Remember the rules:

The title should be center aligned.

The title should not be bolded, italicized, or placed in quotation marks unless it includes the title of a source (e.g., a book or movie title).

Step 1: Insert the title right below the header and visit the Home tab.

Step 2: In the Home ribbon, click on the “Center” icon to center align the title.

6. Headings and Subheadings- Into Sections

Headings and subheadings are important as they give reference to the reader. There are no hard and fast rules for their formatting, except that they need to be center aligned. You can set the font style to bold to help the reader distinguish them.

Step 1: Enter your heading below the title of the essay and visit the Home tab.

Step 2: In the Home ribbon, click on “Center” to align the heading to the center.

Step 3: To change the font style to bold, in the Home ribbon, click on the “Bold” icon right below the font field.

7. In-text Citation

In MLA format, in-text citations use parenthetical references to indicate quotes or ideas from another author. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to do in-text citations:

Step 1: When you quote or paraphrase from a source, use the author's last name and the page number where the information is found.

Step 2:  After the quote or paraphrase, place the citation in parentheses. The citation should include the author's last name followed by the page number without a comma between them.

Step 3: The parenthetical citation should be placed before the period at the end of the sentence.

8. Works Cited Page

Finally, you will need to cite all the sources you took assistance from in writing your paper. Follow the following steps to understand how to cite your work in MLA format.

Step 1: Use a page break to start a fresh new page with the title "Works Cited." The heading "Works Cited" will follow similar heading guidelines as before.

Step 2: Double-space all entries and do not add extra spaces between entries.

Step 3: Use a hanging indent for each entry. The first line of each citation is flush with the left margin, and subsequent lines are indented by 0.5 inches simply using the “Tab” key..

Step 4: List entries in alphabetical order by the author's last name. If a work has no author, alphabetize it by the first significant word in the title.

Step 5: Format your sources as mentioned below for respective source medium:

Books Format: Author's Last Name, First Name. Title of Book. Publisher, Year of Publication.

Articles in Journals Format: Author's Last Name, First Name. "Title of Article." Title of Journal, vol. number, no. number, Year, pages.

Websites Format: Author's Last Name, First Name (if available). "Title of Webpage." Title of Website, Publisher, Date of Publication, URL.

Bonus Tips: How to Convert Word to PDF without losing Format

Once you finish writing your essay, the next challenge is converting it from Microsoft Word to PDF without losing formatting. This can be frustrating because sometimes the formatting doesn't stay the same.

To avoid this issue, use WPS Office . It offers strong PDF features and keeps APA and MLA formatting intact. On the other hand, Microsoft Word 365, though widely used, may occasionally struggle to keep formatting consistent when converting to PDF. It's important to choose tools that prioritize preserving the look and structure of your academic work.

Here is how you can use WPS PDF to convert your essay documents to PDF without compromising on the quality:

Step 1: On WPS Writer, click on the Menu button on the top left corner of the screen.

Step 2: Now simply click on the “Export to PDF” option in the Menu.

Step 3: The Export to PDF window will open. Here, you can alter a few settings such as the output path. After going through the settings, simply click on Export to PDF to save the essay document as a PDF.

FAQs about writing an essay in MLA format

1. how to cite an image in mla.

To cite an image in MLA style, you need to format the citation based on where the image was viewed. For online images, the citation should follow this structure:

MLA format:

Creator’s last name, First name. “Image Title” or Description of the image. Website Name in italics, Day Month Year, URL.

MLA Works Cited entry:

Smith, Jamie. “Vintage Cars.” Travel With Us, 15 Mar. 2023, www.travelwithus.com/vintage-cars.

MLA in-text citation:

(Smith) Note: If you discover an image through a search engine such as Google, ensure that you credit and link to the website that hosts the image, rather than the search engine.

2. Do I need to include a title page in my MLA essay?

In most instances, an MLA-formatted essay does not necessitate a separate title page unless instructed otherwise by your instructor. Instead, begin your essay with a header and center the title on the subsequent line.

3. How to Cite a Website in MLA?

To cite a website in MLA style, you should include the author’s name (if known), the title of the page in quotation marks, the name of the website in italics, the publication date, and the URL without "https://". If the identity of the author is not known, start with the title of the page. If the publication date is unavailable or if there's a possibility of content modifications, include an access date at the end.

Author’s last name, First name. “Title of Page.” Website Name, Day Month Year, URL.

Adams, John. "Explore with us." Random Discoveries, 15 Sept. 2023, www.randomdiscoveries.com/explore-with-us.

Write Your Essays in Comfort With WPS Office

It’s so easy! The great thing about MLA format is that it’s not vastly different from APA and Chicago formats. There are only a few distinctions, and once you learn how to write an essay in MLA format [For Students], everything will become much easier for your academic life. Also, WPS Office is an incredibly handy tool for students. Not only can you format comfortably, but it’s also designed to be student-friendly, avoiding complex procedures. Simple yet advanced, and best of all, free. Get WPS Office today and write essays with ease and comfort!

• 1. How to Make MLA Format Heading and Header in WPS Office (Step-by-Step)
• 2. How to Double Space in Word for Your Essay: A Guide for Students
• 3. How to Remove Page Breaks in Word for Your Essay? [For Students]
• 4. How to Use Track Changes in Word for Your Essay? [For Students]
• 5. Top 10 Best Introduce Yourself Essay Sample Words
• 6. How to Do Hanging Indent in Word for Your Essay? [For Students]

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PTCAS Essay Prompt

Experts Call for “Reimagining” Public Health in the United States

The public health system in the United States needs an immediate “transformation,” two of the nation’s leading health experts write in a new appeal for change driven by the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, and the politicization of public health.

The essay is the lead article in “Reimagining Public Health,” a new  special issue  of  Health Affairs , one of the nation’s foremost health policy journals. The authors are Ross C. Brownson , the Steven H. and Susan U. Lipstein Distinguished Professor at the Brown School and founder of the Prevention Research Center ; and Jonathan Samet , a professor and the former dean of the Colorado School of Public Health.

“No matter what label we attach to this effort, the past several years have made one thing clear: Transformation of the US public health system is needed, and needed now,” the authors conclude in their essay,  “Reimagining Public Health: Mapping a Path Forward.”   Brownson and Samet were co-authors four years ago of a missive in the  American Journal of Public Health  that called for public health change as the nation grappled with the pandemic. The current version builds on their thinking and provides more specifics, said Brownson, who hosted a  podcast  on the subject.

“COVID demonstrated not only the value of public health, but also how it has been politicized, and the need for focused change,” he said. He and Samet talked with nine public health leaders about their ideas on the path forward.  Brownson said they were encouraged by the positive views of those leaders, even in states where criticism of public health has been substantial.  “One of the things we found inspiring was how optimistic they are,” he said. “That gave us reassurance this thing can be done with focused effort, political will, leadership, and funding incentives.”

In their essay, Brownson and Samet note that the decentralized public health system in the U.S. is administrated and distributed across approximately 3,000 state and local health departments, encompassing governmental public health; community-based organizations; the health care sector; and the education, training, and research of academic public health and medical enterprises. While that far-flung group offers opportunities for using local data in policy and practice, it also can result in an uneven allocation of resources and decision-making.

Public-health experts had been calling for a revamping of the American system even before COVID, but the pandemic “laid bare the deficiencies of the existing public health system and heightened the politicization of public health along partisan lines to an unworkable level in some jurisdictions,” the authors wrote, and highlighted the need for global collaboration.

The essay makes recommendations in seven areas of focus to guide public health transformation:

• Accountability:  Provide as much transparency as possible in government actions, and share decisionmaking, budgeting and communication with community members.
• Politicization and polarization:  Identify areas where there is consensus/common ground, make better use of local data and messengers, and establish legal protections from violence against public health workers.
• Climate change:  Make climate change a core priority, develop ways to track its effects, and advocate for policies to address the root causes.
• Equity:  Make health equity a core value of public health agencies, build skills among staff, fully engage the public and policymakers and address health and social needs in marginalized populations.
• Data sciences:  Support the harmonization of data sets and repositories, enhance capacity, engage communities and develop real-time surveillance system to detect and monitor threats to public health.
• Workforce:  Develop training in new areas, including resilience, communication, systems thinking and entrepreneurship.
• Communication:   Identify distinct audiences, create messages that are positive and show benefits, translate evidence into easily understood stories, and identify “superspreaders” of misinformation.

Fall 2024 Semester

Undergraduate courses.

Composition courses that offer many sections (ENGL 101, 201, 277 and 379) are not listed on this schedule unless they are tailored to specific thematic content or particularly appropriate for specific programs and majors.

• 100-200 level

ENGL 151.S01: Introduction to English Studies

Tuesday and Thursday, 11 a.m.-12:15 p.m.

Sharon Smith

ENGL 151 serves as an introduction to both the English major and the discipline of English studies. In this class, you will develop the thinking, reading, writing and research practices that define both the major and the discipline. Much of the semester will be devoted to honing your literary analysis skills, and we will study and discuss texts from several different genres—poetry, short fiction, the novel, drama and film—as well as some literary criticism. As we do so, we will explore the language of the discipline, and you will learn a variety of key literary terms and concepts. In addition, you will develop your skills as both a writer and researcher within the discipline of English.

ENGL 201.ST1 Composition II: The Mind/Body Connection

In this section of English 201, students will use research and writing to learn more about problems that are important to them and articulate ways to address those problems. The course will focus specifically on issues related to the mind, the body and the relationship between them. The topics we will discuss during the course will include the correlation between social media and body image; the efficacy of sex education programs; the degree to which beliefs about race and gender influence school dress codes; and the unique mental and physical challenges faced by college students today. In this course, you will be learning about different approaches to argumentation, analyzing the arguments of others and constructing your own arguments. At the same time, you will be honing your skills as a researcher and developing your abilities as a persuasive and effective writer.

ENGL 201.S10 Composition II: Environmental Writing   

Monday/Wednesday/Friday 1-1:50 p.m.

Gwen Horsley

English 201 will help students develop the ability to think critically and analytically and to write effectively for other university courses and careers. This course will provide opportunities to develop analytical skills that will help students become critical readers and effective writers. Specifically, in this class, students will:

• Focus on the relationships between world environments, land, animals and humankind.
• Read various essays by environmental, conservational and regional authors.
• Produce student writings. 

Students will improve their writing skills by reading essays and applying techniques they witness in others’ work and those learned in class. This class is also a course in logical and creative thought. Students will write about humankind’s place in the world and our influence on the land and animals, places that hold special meaning to them or have influenced their lives and stories of their own families and their places and passions in the world. Students will practice writing in an informed and persuasive manner, in language that engages and enlivens readers by using vivid verbs and avoiding unnecessary passives, nominalizations and expletive constructions.

Students will prepare writing assignments based on readings and discussions of essays included in "Literature and the Environment " and other sources. They may use "The St. Martin’s Handbook," as well as other sources, to review grammar, punctuation, mechanics and usage as needed.

ENGL 201.13 Composition II: Writing the Environment

Tuesday and Thursday 9:30-10:45 a.m.

Paul Baggett

For generations, environmentalists have relied on the power of prose to change the minds and habits of their contemporaries. In the wake of fires, floods, storms and droughts, environmental writing has gained a new sense of urgency, with authors joining activists in their efforts to educate the public about the grim realities of climate change. But do they make a difference? Have reports of present and future disasters so saturated our airwaves that we no longer hear them? How do writers make us care about the planet amidst all the noise? In this course, students will examine the various rhetorical strategies employed by some of today’s leading environmental writers and filmmakers. And while analyzing their different arguments, students also will strengthen their own strategies of argumentation as they research and develop essays that explore a range of environmental concerns.

ENGL 201 Composition II: Food Writing

S17 Tuesday and Thursday 12:30-1:45 p.m.

S18 Tuesday and Thursday 2-3:15 p.m.

Jodi Andrews

In this composition class, students will critically analyze essays about food, food systems and environments, food cultures, the intersections of personal choice, market forces and policy and the values underneath these forces. Students will learn to better read like writers, noting authors’ purpose, audience organizational moves, sentence-level punctuation and diction. We will read a variety of essays including research-intensive arguments and personal narratives which intersect with one of our most primal needs as humans: food consumption. Students will rhetorically analyze texts, conduct advanced research, reflect on the writing process and write essays utilizing intentional rhetorical strategies. Through doing this work, students will practice the writing moves valued in every discipline: argument, evidence, concision, engaging prose and the essential research skills for the 21st century.

ENGL 221.S01 British Literature I

Michael S. Nagy

English 221 is a survey of early British literature from its inception in the Old English period with works such as "Beowulf" and the “Battle of Maldon,” through the Middle Ages and the incomparable writings of Geoffrey Chaucer and the Gawain - poet, to the Renaissance and beyond. Students will explore the historical and cultural contexts in which all assigned reading materials were written, and they will bring that information to bear on class discussion. Likely themes that this class will cover include heroism, humor, honor, religion, heresy and moral relativity. Students will write one research paper in this class and sit for two formal exams: a midterm covering everything up to that point in the semester, and a comprehensive final. Probable texts include the following:

• The Norton Anthology of English Literature: The Middle Ages. Ed. Alfred David, M. H. Abrams, and Stephen Greenblatt. 9th ed. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2012.
• The Norton Anthology of English Literature: The Sixteenth Century and Early Seventeenth Century. Ed. George M. Logan, Stephen Greenblatt, Barbara K Lewalski, and M. H. Abrams. 9th ed. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2012.
• The Norton Anthology of English Literature: The Restoration and the Eighteenth Century. Ed. George M. Logan, Stephen Greenblatt, Barbara K Lewalski, and M. H. Abrams. 9th ed. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2012.
• Gibaldi, Joseph. The MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 6th ed. New York: The Modern Language Association of America, 2003.
• Any Standard College Dictionary.

ENGL 240.S01 Juvenile Literature Elementary-5th Grade

Monday, Wednesday and Friday noon-12:50 p.m.

April Myrick

A survey of the history of literature written for children and adolescents, and a consideration of the various types of juvenile literature. Text selection will focus on the themes of imagination and breaking boundaries.

ENGL 240.ST1 Juvenile Literature Elementary-5th Grade

Randi Anderson

In English 240 students will develop the skills to interpret and evaluate various genres of literature for juvenile readers. This particular section will focus on various works of literature at approximately the K-5 grade level. We will read a large range of works that fall into this category, as well as information on the history, development and genre of juvenile literature.

Readings for this course include classical works such as "Hatchet," "Little Women", "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" and "Brown Girl Dreaming," as well as newer works like "Storm in the Barn," "Anne Frank’s Diary: A Graphic Adaptation," "Lumberjanes," and a variety of picture books. These readings will be paired with chapters from "Reading Children’s Literature: A Critical Introduction " to help develop understanding of various genres, themes and concepts that are both related to juvenile literature and also present in our readings.

In addition to exposing students to various genres of writing (poetry, historical fiction, non-fiction, fantasy, picture books, graphic novels, etc.) this course will also allow students to engage in a discussion of larger themes present in these works such as censorship, race and gender. Students’ understanding of these works and concepts will be developed through readings, research, discussion posts, exams and writing assignments designed to get students to practice analyzing poetry, picture books, informational books and transitional/easy readers.

ENGL 241.S01: American Literature I

Tuesday and Thursday 12:30-1:45 p.m.

This course provides a broad, historical survey of American literature from the early colonial period to the Civil War. Ranging across historical periods and literary genres—including early accounts of contact and discovery, narratives of captivity and slavery, poetry of revolution, essays on gender equality and stories of industrial exploitation—this class examines how subjects such as colonialism, nationhood, religion, slavery, westward expansion, race, gender and democracy continue to influence how Americans see themselves and their society.

Required Texts

• The Norton Anthology of American Literature: Package 1, Volumes A and B Beginnings to 1865, Ninth Edition. (ISBN 978-0-393-26454-8)

ENGL 283.S01 Introduction to Creative Writing

Steven Wingate

Students will explore the various forms of creative writing (fiction, nonfiction and poetry) not one at a time in a survey format—as if there were decisive walls of separation between then—but as intensely related genres that share much of their creative DNA. Through close reading and work on personal texts, students will address the decisions that writers in any genre must face on voice, rhetorical position, relationship to audience, etc. Students will produce and revise portfolios of original creative work developed from prompts and research. This course fulfills the same SGR #2 requirements ENGL 201; note that the course will involve a research project. Successful completion of ENGL 101 (including by test or dual credit) is a prerequisite.

ENGL 283.S02 Introduction to Creative Writing

Jodilyn Andrews

This course introduces students to the craft of writing, with readings and practice in at least two genres (including fiction, poetry and drama).

ENGL 283.ST1 Introduction to Creative Writing

Amber Jensen, M.A., M.F.A.

This course explores creative writing as a way of encountering the world, research as a component of the creative writing process, elements of craft and their rhetorical effect and drafting, workshop and revision as integral parts of writing polished literary creative work. Student writers will engage in the research practices that inform the writing of literature and in the composing strategies and writing process writers use to create literary texts. Through their reading and writing of fiction, poetry and creative nonfiction, students will learn about craft elements, find examples of those craft elements in published works and apply these elements in their own creative work, developed through weekly writing activities, small group and large group workshop and conferences with the instructor. Work will be submitted, along with a learning reflection and revision plan in each genre and will then be revised and submitted as a final portfolio at the end of the semester to demonstrate continued growth in the creation of polished literary writing.

• 300-400 level

ENGL 424.S01 Language Arts Methods grades 7-12  

Tuesday 6-8:50 p.m.

Danielle Harms

Techniques, materials and resources for teaching English language and literature to middle and secondary school students. Required of students in the English education option.

AIS/ENGL 447.S01: American Indian Literature of the Present 

Thursdays 3-6 p.m.

This course introduces students to contemporary works by authors from various Indigenous nations. Students examine these works to enhance their historical understanding of Indigenous peoples, discover the variety of literary forms used by those who identify as Indigenous writers, and consider the cultural and political significance of these varieties of expression. Topics and questions to be explored include:

• Genre: What makes Indigenous literature indigenous?
• Political and Cultural Sovereignty: Why have an emphasis on tribal specificity and calls for “literary separatism” emerged in recent decades, and what are some of the critical conversations surrounding such particularized perspectives?
• Gender and Sexuality: What are the intersecting concerns of Indigenous Studies and Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies, and how might these research fields inform one another?
• Trans-Indigeneity: What might we learn by comparing works across different Indigenous traditions, and what challenges do such comparisons present?
• Aesthetics: How do Indigenous writers understand the dynamics between tradition and creativity?
• Visual Forms: What questions or concerns do visual representations (television and film) by or about Indigenous peoples present?

Possible Texts

• Akiwenzie-Damm, Kateri and Josie Douglas (eds), Skins: Contemporary Indigenous Writing. IAD Press, 2000. (978-1864650327)
• Erdrich, Louise, The Sentence. Harper, 2021 (978-0062671127)
• Harjo, Joy, Poet Warrior: A Memoir. Norton, 2021 (978-0393248524)
• Harjo, Sterlin and Taika Waititi, Reservation Dogs (selected episodes)
• Talty, Morgan. Night of the Living Rez, 2022, Tin House (978-1953534187)
• Wall Kimmerer, Robin. Braiding Sweet Grass, Milkweed Editions (978-1571313560)
• Wilson, Diane. The Seed Keeper: A Novel. Milkweed Editions (978-1571311375)
• Critical essays by Alexie, Allen, Cohen, Cox, King, Kroeber, Ortiz, Piatote, Ross and Sexton, Smith, Taylor, Teuton, Treuer, Vizenor, and Womack.

ENGL 472.S01: Film Criticism

Tuesdays 2-4:50 p.m.

Jason McEntee

Do you have an appreciation for, and enjoy watching, movies? Do you want to study movies in a genre-oriented format (such as those we typically call the Western, the screwball comedy, the science fiction or the crime/gangster, to name a few)? Do you want to explore the different critical approaches for talking and writing about movies (such as auteur, feminist, genre or reception)?

In this class, you will examine movies through viewing and defining different genres while, at the same time, studying and utilizing different styles of film criticism. You will share your discoveries in both class discussions and short writings. The final project will be a formal written piece of film criticism based on our work throughout the semester. The course satisfies requirements and electives for all English majors and minors, including both the Film Studies and Professional Writing minors. (Note: Viewing of movies outside of class required and may require rental and/or streaming service fees.)

ENGL 476.ST1: Fiction

In this workshop-based creative writing course, students will develop original fiction based on strong attention to the fundamentals of literary storytelling: full-bodied characters, robust story lines, palpable environments and unique voices. We will pay particular attention to process awareness, to the integrity of the sentence, and to authors' commitments to their characters and the places in which their stories unfold. Some workshop experience is helpful, as student peer critique will be an important element of the class.

ENGL 479.01 Capstone: The Gothic

Wednesday 3-5:50 p.m.

With the publication of Horace Walpole’s "The Castle of Otranto " in 1764, the Gothic officially came into being. Dark tales of physical violence and psychological terror, the Gothic incorporates elements such as distressed heroes and heroines pursued by tyrannical villains; gloomy estates with dark corridors, secret passageways and mysterious chambers; haunting dreams, troubling prophecies and disturbing premonitions; abduction, imprisonment and murder; and a varied assortment of corpses, apparitions and “monsters.” In this course, we will trace the development of Gothic literature—and some film—from the eighteenth-century to the present time. As we do so, we will consider how the Gothic engages philosophical beliefs about the beautiful and sublime; shapes psychological understandings of human beings’ encounters with horror, terror, the fantastic and the uncanny; and intervenes in the social and historical contexts in which it was written. We’ll consider, for example, how the Gothic undermines ideals related to domesticity and marriage through representations of domestic abuse, toxicity and gaslighting. In addition, we’ll discuss Gothic texts that center the injustices of slavery and racism. As many Gothic texts suggest, the true horrors of human existence often have less to do with inexplicable supernatural phenomena than with the realities of the world in which we live. 

ENGL 485.S01: Undergraduate Writing Center Learning Assistants 

Flexible Scheduling

Nathan Serfling

Since their beginnings in the 1920s and 30s, writing centers have come to serve numerous functions: as hubs for writing across the curriculum initiatives, sites to develop and deliver workshops and resource centers for faculty as well as students, among other functions. But the primary function of writing centers has necessarily and rightfully remained the tutoring of student writers. This course will immerse you in that function in two parts. During the first four weeks, you will explore writing center praxis—that is, the dialogic interplay of theory and practice related to writing center work. This part of the course will orient you to writing center history, key theoretical tenets and practical aspects of writing center tutoring. Once we have developed and practiced this foundation, you will begin work in the writing center as a tutor, responsible for assisting a wide variety of student clients with numerous writing tasks. Through this work, you will learn to actively engage with student clients in the revision of a text, respond to different student needs and abilities, work with a variety of writing tasks and rhetorical situations, and develop a richer sense of writing as a complex and negotiated social process.

Graduate Courses

Engl 572.s01: film criticism, engl 576.st1 fiction.

In this workshop-based creative writing course, students will develop original fiction based on strong attention to the fundamentals of literary storytelling: full-bodied characters, robust story lines, palpable environments and unique voices. We will pay particular attention to process awareness, to the integrity of the sentence and to authors' commitments to their characters and the places in which their stories unfold. Some workshop experience is helpful, as student peer critique will be an important element of the class.

ENGL 605.S01 Seminar in Teaching Composition

Thursdays 1-3:50 p.m.

This course will provide you with a foundation in the pedagogies and theories (and their attendant histories) of writing instruction, a foundation that will prepare you to teach your own writing courses at SDSU and elsewhere. As you will discover through our course, though, writing instruction does not come with any prescribed set of “best” practices. Rather, writing pedagogies stem from and continue to evolve because of various and largely unsettled conversations about what constitutes effective writing and effective writing instruction. Part of becoming a practicing writing instructor, then, is studying these conversations to develop a sense of what “good writing” and “effective writing instruction” might mean for you in our particular program and how you might adapt that understanding to different programs and contexts.

As we read about, discuss and research writing instruction, we will address a variety of practical and theoretical topics. The practical focus will allow us to attend to topics relevant to your immediate classroom practices: designing a curriculum and various types of assignments, delivering the course content and assessing student work, among others. Our theoretical topics will begin to reveal the underpinnings of these various practical matters, including their historical, rhetorical, social and political contexts. In other words, we will investigate the praxis—the dialogic interaction of practice and theory—of writing pedagogy. As a result, this course aims to prepare you not only as a writing teacher but also as a nascent writing studies/writing pedagogy scholar.

At the end of this course, you should be able to engage effectively in the classroom practices described above and participate in academic conversations about writing pedagogy, both orally and in writing. Assessment of these outcomes will be based primarily on the various writing assignments you submit and to a smaller degree on your participation in class discussions and activities.

ENGL 726.S01: The New Woman, 1880–1900s 

Thursdays 3–5:50 p.m.

Katherine Malone

This course explores the rise of the New Woman at the end of the nineteenth century. The label New Woman referred to independent women who rebelled against social conventions. Often depicted riding bicycles, smoking cigarettes and wearing masculine clothing, these early feminists challenged gender roles and sought broader opportunities for women’s employment and self-determination. We will read provocative fiction and nonfiction by New Women writers and their critics, including authors such as Sarah Grand, Mona Caird, George Egerton, Amy Levy, Ella Hepworth Dixon, Grant Allen and George Gissing. We will analyze these exciting texts through a range of critical lenses and within the historical context of imperialism, scientific and technological innovation, the growth of the periodical press and discourse about race, class and gender. In addition to writing an argumentative seminar paper, students will complete short research assignments and lead discussion.

ENGL 792.ST1 Women in War: Female Authors and Characters in Contemporary War Lit

In this course, we will explore the voices of female authors and characters in contemporary literature of war. Drawing from various literary theories, our readings and discussion will explore the contributions of these voices to the evolving literature of war through archetypal and feminist criticism. We will read a variety of short works (both theoretical and creative) and complete works such as (selections subject to change): "Eyes Right" by Tracy Crow, "Plenty of Time When We Get Home" by Kayla Williams, "You Know When the Men are Gone" by Siobhan Fallon, "Still, Come Home" by Katie Schultz and "The Fine Art of Camouflage" by Lauren Johnson.

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