Student-Athlete and Grad. PT school?

[BreNanaBear]

I am currently a sophomore in college, and a student-athlete running cross country, indoor and outdoor track (meaning the only time we aren't "in season" is the summer). I will graduate on time, and I will have one more year of sports eligibility. I am currently a full-ride athlete (and by full-ride, I mean rent, food, gas, books, and tuition all paid for...as many hours as I want to take...well up to 18). I am unclear on the schedule of a grad. pt student, but I know running a 5th year would give me athletic money. Is it possible to do while attending grad. school? Our practice times are the same year round (about 6 in the morning to about 9). We are gone less often than other athletes...for example, in the fall (or cross country season) we are only gone 6 or 7 weekends. My more hectic schedule is in the spring. I just want an honest opinion from anyone or other options as far as paying tuition goes...thank you

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[One More Rep]

Are you sure the scholarship will cover graduate school and not just undergraduate? I am assuming you are looking into the PT program at the same institution. Also, have you taken all of the prerequisites for PT school? Most PT programs are on a full-time, rigorous schedule. The schools I have interviewed at generally meet 4-5 days a week starting at 8 am and run until 4 or 5. Naturally, this will vary depending on the school.

I would hesitate to be so committed to something other than PT education since it might interfere with your performance. However, that is a personal decision you would have to make based on your motivations and ability to keep a tough schedule. As far as other ways to pay tuition, most people take Stafford Loans and Grad PLUS loans. http://www.staffordloan.com/stafford-loan-info/graduate-stafford-loan.php

If you can get free money and make the schedule work, I say go for it!

 

[BreNanaBear]

No..the current school I am attending does not offer a grad. program in PT. My family lives near an institution with a program...I was hoping to do accepted into that program so I could live from home.

What most coaches do is give an athlete a "set amount" of money for what that coach thinks they are worth athletically. All the money first goes toward tuition...then books...if you still have more money, it goes toward housing/food. Honestly, this school probably wouldn't offer a full ride, but some money would help. Also, some schools allow athletes to start practice earlier (instead of 6, maybe start at 5 to practice ends at 8....or start even earlier).

However, I will only be making money from undergrad. work because I literally put $800 dollars a month into my pocket because of my scholarship money...so I have no debt. =)

 

[jesspt]

You will need to check with the school you are hoping to attend, but I think you'll have a difficult time making this schedule work. Typically, the PT class schedule is set for everyone, meaning that you don't have options to take pathophysiology at 8:00AM or 3:30PM. The school usually offers it at one time for everyone.

I went to school 13 years ago, but we had 8:00AM classes for most of the semesters I was there. So, if your cross-country schedule remains the same, you'll miss that class several times a week. Our attendance was expected, and if frequent absences were noticed, the student ususally found themselves in the Chair of the PT Dept.'s office for a fairly stern warning.

Some current students may be able to shed some more light on a what a typical schedule is, and how flexible it is or isn't, but if I were you, I would be contacting the school I wanted to attend sometime next semester and get a more concrete answer.