I was wondering for those that have completed DPT school or are currently going; how hard was/is it? Was it harder than you thought, easier than you thought, or just about what you thought it was going to be? Do/did you have free time outside of class and studying do do things such as working out, hobbies, etc? What was the hardest part?
How hard was/is DPT school?
- Thread starter leon24
- Start date
Leon,
I am currently in my 2nd year of my DPT program and will try to answer some of your questions:
How hard is it?
This question is very subjective, so I am not sure I can answer it. I will say that any PT program is intense. My program expects us to be at a graduate level and that is reflected in the workload. I wouldn't really call it "hard", and I feel that anyone can do it if they put their mind and effort into it, but there are definitely moments you wish it would slow down a little
Do you have free time outside of class and studying do do things?
This all depends on the type of person you are. As for me, I always make time for myself. Always. Yes, during weeks of high workload/tests, you may have to adjust your schedule or routine, but you can fit in whatever is important to you as long as you make room for it. To give an example, class starts at 8 and lasts till 5. At 5 I usually head home and eat dinner, and then head to the gym around 6 or 7. When I get home I work on schoolwork until 11 or so and then wind-down with some tv or reading before bed. Again, it all depends on your workload and your motivation to do things outside of class. Dont let people scare you into thinking you wont have a life in PT school. You will, as long as you make time for yourself!
What was the hardest part?
For me, the hardest part thus far in my program is trying to stay on top of things all the time. I remember back to undergrad where I would have 3 weeks of leisure time, then a week of exams, then 3 or so more weeks of just relaxing until the next exams. PT school is not like that. The past 2 semesters, it seems as if each week either had an exam, a group project due, presentation, homework due, etc. I will admit that at times I do feel a sense of "burn-out", but you just have to try your best to stay afloat and keep on pushing.
I am currently in my 2nd year of my DPT program and will try to answer some of your questions:
How hard is it?
This question is very subjective, so I am not sure I can answer it. I will say that any PT program is intense. My program expects us to be at a graduate level and that is reflected in the workload. I wouldn't really call it "hard", and I feel that anyone can do it if they put their mind and effort into it, but there are definitely moments you wish it would slow down a little
Do you have free time outside of class and studying do do things?
This all depends on the type of person you are. As for me, I always make time for myself. Always. Yes, during weeks of high workload/tests, you may have to adjust your schedule or routine, but you can fit in whatever is important to you as long as you make room for it. To give an example, class starts at 8 and lasts till 5. At 5 I usually head home and eat dinner, and then head to the gym around 6 or 7. When I get home I work on schoolwork until 11 or so and then wind-down with some tv or reading before bed. Again, it all depends on your workload and your motivation to do things outside of class. Dont let people scare you into thinking you wont have a life in PT school. You will, as long as you make time for yourself!
What was the hardest part?
For me, the hardest part thus far in my program is trying to stay on top of things all the time. I remember back to undergrad where I would have 3 weeks of leisure time, then a week of exams, then 3 or so more weeks of just relaxing until the next exams. PT school is not like that. The past 2 semesters, it seems as if each week either had an exam, a group project due, presentation, homework due, etc. I will admit that at times I do feel a sense of "burn-out", but you just have to try your best to stay afloat and keep on pushing.
I'm only in my second semester of PT school, but we were all told that this would be the toughest one! We have 17 credit hours plus a part time internship that we have to go to at least once a week. I can already tell that it's going to be very demanding. All the classes have write ups, labs, etc. in addition to midterms and finals. So, there's really no down time, once you finish something you have to get started on the next thing.
On terms of difficulty, I think if you stay on top of your material, it's not so bad. Last semester (we started in the summer), I made it a habit to go through all of the lecture material once I got home. On weekends I would go through everything we learned in the week. The next weekend, review the material for that week, as well as the week before...and so on. The classes you have are not meant for cramming! I think the work load is fair and pretty much what I was expecting.
I'm the type of person that has to take breaks in order to effectively study. Also, not working out for more than a day really gets me into a slum. I do have time to go to the gym, and go out here and there. But, sometimes you are just going to have to accept that you will be studying on Friday and Saturday nights haha.
The hardest part for me is the pace. You go through so much information in any given day. It was also really hard for me to stay on top of my reading before class. I'm trying to be better about that this semester.
Overall though, if you really like PT...you should enjoy learning the material. It's ALL relevant now and it makes the stress worth while.
On terms of difficulty, I think if you stay on top of your material, it's not so bad. Last semester (we started in the summer), I made it a habit to go through all of the lecture material once I got home. On weekends I would go through everything we learned in the week. The next weekend, review the material for that week, as well as the week before...and so on. The classes you have are not meant for cramming! I think the work load is fair and pretty much what I was expecting.
I'm the type of person that has to take breaks in order to effectively study. Also, not working out for more than a day really gets me into a slum. I do have time to go to the gym, and go out here and there. But, sometimes you are just going to have to accept that you will be studying on Friday and Saturday nights haha.
The hardest part for me is the pace. You go through so much information in any given day. It was also really hard for me to stay on top of my reading before class. I'm trying to be better about that this semester.
Overall though, if you really like PT...you should enjoy learning the material. It's ALL relevant now and it makes the stress worth while.