Non-health related undergrad good enough for PT

[superball]

Hey guys,

I wanted to know if anyone out there is in my situation or has done this before.

I'm work full time and I'm 27. I plan on going back to school part time to finish my undergrad and apply for PT school.

I know it is advantageous to get a degree in a health related field when applying to PT school, but was curious if it is possible to have a buisness degree and still get in, as long as I have a good science GPA and GRE?

I'm thinking about taking an accelerated undergrad program to finish my undergrad (which can be done in about 1 1/2 years) and then finishing my science pre-reqs which would take about another year.

I was thinking of going this route because if I went to community college and then a 4 year university (traditional slow route), it would take me close to 4 years to finish my undergrad and pre-reqs.

Has anyone done this and got into PT school? Any comments/suggestions? Thanks so much.

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[PTtoBe]

As a history major who took my science prereqs years after graduation and got into both PT schools I applied to, I can assure you that taking a non-science major won't put you at much--if any--of a disadvantage so long as you do great on the science classes, get experience across a variety of settings, and do well on your GRE and references.

It took me a little under 2 years to get through the prereqs and get into grad school (taking 2 classes per quarter, taking a summer off, and performing well on the Accuplacer so I could leapfrog over math prereqs and straight into chemistry and physics). I think you have a good idea staying in college to finish your science prereqs. Just beware of the accelerated programs in case you have a hard time keeping up...the most important thing is that you score very good grades, even if it costs you an extra year.

Just my 2 cents. Good luck!

 

[DancerFutureDPT]

I agree with PTtoBe...I was a communications/dance major in college, took a year to take prereqs, and I got in/got interviews everywhere I applied.

As long as you take the prereqs and get good grades, do well on the GRE, and have the observation hours, you're major can be underwater basket weaving and you'd still have a chance at getting in...I don't think any PT school wants every entering student to be a bio/chem/kines/physio major...that'd be an incredibly boring/homogeneous class...variety makes it more interesting/more opportunity to learn for everyone. Having a business background could be very useful, especially for management/running your own clinic, etc.

 

[callmecrazy]

I'm work full time and I'm 27. I plan on going back to school part time to finish my undergrad and apply for PT school.

I know it is advantageous to get a degree in a health related field when applying to PT school, but was curious if it is possible to have a buisness degree and still get in, as long as I have a good science GPA and GRE?

Most schools like diverse backgrounds AND non-traditional students, so I think you'll do just fine as long as your GPA and GRE are good. There is a lot of "business" behind the scenes in every PT setting; I think it will actually be to your advantage in the future to have that background. Good luck!

 

[broetmitchell]

I was a business major, who took all my pre-reqs after graduating. The schools I interviewed with were encouraged by my business background. Most schools generally prefer to have a few unique students from different backgrounds.

 

[MIDPT2012]

I also had a business degree and took my pre-reqs 7 years after I got my BA. In my experience, it's been very beneficial to have the business background in PT school.

Only one of my classmates also had a non-health related major, and it does give us a bit of a leg up when discussing practice management and healthcare. One thing I think PT school lacks is any business course in the curriculum. Yes, it's important to understand our A&P, manual therapy, modalities, etc...however we really need to understand business principles too, especially when dealing with hospital administrators, healthcare companies, and potentially managing our own practices.