Need your advice on the order I am taking my PT pre-reqs

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NATO

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I need your input on a few things. I took BIO 101 and BIO 102 way back in 1998 and got an 'A' and 'B' respectively. Unfortunately, I missed the 10 year pre-req mark and will most likely have to re-take those 2 classes again in order to apply to PT school. I still have to contact the PT schools to ask and see how strict they are with this rule. I would assume that they are strict about it.

I work full time as an analyst for Corporate America and I cannot quit my job in order to focus all my attention to PT re-reqs due to having a mortgage. I am currently taking Hum Ant & Phys 101 at the local community college. Here is my current game plan for PT pre-reqs at the local community college:

Spring 2010: Hum Ant & Phy 101 (16 weeks)

Summer 2010: Physics 201 (1st 6 weeks); Physics 202 (2nd 6 weeks); BIO 101 (12 weeks)

Fall 2010: Chemistry 101 (16 weeks); Hum Ant & Phy 102 (16 weeks)

Spring 2011: Chemistry 102 (16 weeks); Biology 102 (16 weeks)


I would like to submit my application for the entering class in 2011; however, not at the expense of a lower GPA and poor performance at my job (I don't want to get fired...especially in this crappy economy). :oops:

I need advice on the following:

1) Is it ''insane'' to take a very fast-paced 6 week Physics class in conjunction with any other science class? I didn't take physics in high school and college. I took biology and chemistry in high school and just biology in college, so I have a good idea on what to expect in those classses....but in physics? Yeah, not so much.

2) There is a 16 week online BIO 101 class that will start at the local community college starting 3/1. Is it better to take this class along with Human Ant & Phy 101? Or should I take the in-class BIO 101 for 12 weeks this summer along with the 6 weeks of Physics part 1 and then Physics part 2?

3) Should I just take things slower and apply for entry to a PT program in 2012 instead of 2011?

I just want to get in and get out so to speak. PT is going to be my 2nd career and I'm going to be 32 years old very soon. People on this board have told me that I'm still a baby in terms of having all this time, but PT school is going to put my life ''on hold'', so to speak, for 3 years. I have personal goals that I would like to reach (i.e., finding someone, getting married, etc.) and that is why I feel like PT school needs to get done as quickly as possible. I realize it is just a one year difference, but time is ticking and I'm not getting any younger.

Any advice would be greately appreciated! Thanks!

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I don't think it is "insane" to take with other classes, but it all depends on how much time a day you have to study those classes. Sometime the class can be easier to take at the community college compare to college class. So you might be able to do two classes. When I was taking my pre req, i had exercise physiology and physics at the same time and it was doable for me at college level. Are you pretty good with math? if you are, you might be able to do physics with other courses. If you struggle, then don't take it with other courses.

I think in my experience, there is some overlap information between biology and physiology course. I don't know which part of biol 101 you will start with becasue you learn about plant, animal, and cells. Cells and physiology will have some overlap infomation. So it might be a good idea if you take it together so that the material might be review for u.

In my opinion, i think you should take a combination of classes that you feel comfortable and know that you will do well on. I wouldn't pair a difficult class together with another difficult class. I would also recommend take it at pace that you feel comfortable that u do well. I wouldn't recommend going too fast so you can apply becasue if you don't do well, you might have to retake the class and that can prevent you from getting to PT school early.

Also, i don't know what PT school you are applying, u might need statistics course as pre req.

Good luck with your classes. hope this help a little bit.
 
First off...take a deep breath! :) I'm in my mid-30s and was in your situation. I work full-time and couldn't quit work or reduce my hours and had difficulty trying to get my coursework into 2 years... So here's a few recommendations...

I was able to swing 2 science or math classes along with working FT and maintain just under a 4.0, in addition to a plethora of extracurricular stuff. Exhausting. But doable. The only class I didn't have to retake was Chem (solely because I didn't apply or withdrew my application if the school wouldn't take my chem coursework from 9-10 years ago), otherwise I'd be doing my prereqs for 3 years instead of 2!

Your schedule looks doable except the summer, IMHO... Unless you are going to reduce your hours at work or quit. Personally, I would not take Physics I & II in the same summer while working FT. I'd say talk to the professors or department this semester to find out what is expected of you (i.e., do you have to write and turn in daily lab reports?), so you can determine if it is manageable. Doing Biology in addition? Personally, I wouldn't do that either, but you'd need to determine for yourself if you can handle that really intense course load while working FT. This is essentially, tripling your Spring 2010 course load. Also, Physics will be accelerated, so you'll have 1/2 the time to absorb the information... Just something to think about. I would recommend doing a course you had before in high school during the summer instead...

Physics...when did you take precalc? If it was recently and you did very well, then you are in good shape for possibly taking it in the summer. Everyone learns differently, so Physics could be a breeze for you or not... If you did not take precalc, it is a prereq and you need to take that first. This is a good course to take during the summer, if you need it, then do Physics during the regular school year.

Check with all the schools you are applying to. Many schools won't take online pre-req science courses! So you don't want to register for an online Bio course if it won't be accepted by the schools you are applying to. Science courses usually need a lab component, too. FYI, bio is usually a prereq for A&P and I recommend having Bio I (membrane potential, chemical messengers, neurotransmitters, etc) done at least prior to going into the heavy physiology part of A&P, which usually is in A&P II.

You know what your strengths and weaknesses are, we don't. Plan accordingly. Remember, it is better to go slower and to get those As and Bs then to go faster and not keep up the GPA. One year is nothing. It will go by so fast! Also, keep in mind that you'll also have to cram in your volunteer hours & GREs (if you don't already have them done); in addition to, applying to programs. It is time consuming trying to get those LORs, clinical sheets filled out, various essays, etc. to PTCAS and directly to the non-PTCAS schools. I personally would take the 2 years to make sure I'm really learning the subject matter and retaining as much as I can: your first year of PT school is all based on these pre-reqs! You are still young. :) So, take a deep breath and relax! Talk to the professors and decide what makes the most sense for you as a learner. Maybe you can swing that summer work load, but only you'll know that!

:luck: Good luck! I know you'll do great!
 
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First, I don't think every school has 10 year mark for pre-req. All schools (more than 10) I talked with took my physics, chemistry, statistics I took in mid 90' except two. What they really care is if you can do it well when you do. One course they might be picky on is anatomy and physiology which they want to see you take in recent years. My background is different from yours, so you might want to check it out with individual school. Through the application process, it was interesting to find out every school has its own style of accepting pre-reqs and different taste in terms of selecting student. So you might want to apply to as many as you can to get the best chance.
As for taking prerequisites, I suggest you not sacrifice quality for speed. 1 year late is not a big deal at all especially thinking this will be a career in your next 30 years or so. The thing is if you rush too much and don't get most A and B, it will hurt your application and eventually take more time. No matter you take in university or community college, getting A takes much more time than getting B or C, which you should take into acount when you schedule things.
 
I'm in agreement with not sacrificing quality for quantity. Of course it depends on how good you are at math for those difficult courses, but especially the excelerated one's can be tricky. I'm not very good at math, and took a five week chemistry course last summer that overlapped for a couple of weeks with an 8 hr sat A&P course (wasn't working, just shadowing some) and it was extremely hard for me- usually spent 4.5 hours in class a day, 3-4 hours a day on hw b/c we had exams every week, and saw a tutor to keep my grades up (god that sounds exaggerated but it isn't:). Just keep these things in mind; another year isn't too bad. I'm 31 now, so I understand wanting to get things going, but as someone else stated, if you do bad in those courses, you'd have to retake them anyways. Only you know what you can handle best. Good luck!
 
First, I don't think every school has 10 year mark for pre-req. All schools (more than 10) I talked with took my physics, chemistry, statistics I took in mid 90' except two. What they really care is if you can do it well when you do. One course they might be picky on is anatomy and physiology which they want to see you take in recent years. My background is different from yours, so you might want to check it out with individual school. Through the application process, it was interesting to find out every school has its own style of accepting pre-reqs and different taste in terms of selecting student.

You are completely correct. Some schools have a 10 or 5 year limit on prereqs, some don't. Being an older student, I gauged who I applied to based on who had that limit and who didn't. I highly recommend the OP contact each program to determine what is acceptable coursework!

Again, it is better to take less and do well then take on too much and not do well! :)
 
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