Fluff. Well you have to not think about it as fluff, and dig deep to try to find other supporting ideas. You gotta play the game. Imagine if you went to a job interview and they asked why you wanted the job…“The money” you answer. Well, of course everyone wants money for a job. But you gotta come up with the other reasons. It’s like that for your whole life.
I don 't think it’s a game- your D has to give the reader some nugget which suggests that PT is a better fit than being a forensic accountant, a biostatistician, or an actuary- all fields which potentially have the same “regular paycheck but good work/life balance” advantages. Otherwise- why admit her vs. someone else?
Geez, from what I’ve heard, some PT programs are pretty competitive to get into. Don’t give them a reason to reject.
Even if the real reasons “are really cut and dry,” she needs to be able to reach deeper, show them this is a true interest-- not that money and security are so important that, as blossom notes, she may switch to accounting or computer science, just for that. And that points back to the injuries, the early introduction to what PT does, how she explored what a PT does and matched it to her strengths and interests.
Sometimes, you have to sit a kid down and tell them to breathe and think.