Will I hurt my chances of getting into PT program if...

[NATO]

...I have 2 prereqs left at the time of application submission?

I have another year until I apply for the Fall 2012 program. I plan to enter my information into PTCAS as of July 1, 2011 (a.k.a. the start date for 2011-2012 applications). By that time, I will have all my prereqs completed except for Physics I and Physics II. I can take Physics I and II at the local community college in the summer of 2011, but I fear that I will not perform well given the fact that Physics I and Physics II will be 6 weeks each. I would rather take Physics I for Fall 2011 and Physics II for Spring 2012. I just wonder if I'm screwing myself over for doing that instead of craming both sessions in during Summer 2011....just in time for PTCAS applications to begin.

Has anyone on here taking a 6 week course in Physics I and then a 6 week course in Physics II during 1 summer session? Did you perform well or not so well? Did it help or hurt your chances of getting into a PT program?

Any thoughts about taking 6 week science classes during the summer is greatly appreciated. This Fall semester, I am enrolled for CHM 101 and BIO 142 (aka Human Ant&Phy Part I). I have a feeling that CHM 101 is going to be a breeze, but not Human A&P. The overachiever in me wants to take Physics I this coming semester....but I'm not sure if that's bitting off more than I can chew. Three (3) major science classes while working part-time (24 work hours/week)...the advantage in doing that is having all prereqs done by the end of May 2011 and then just focusing on getting PT shadow hours and taking the GREs. What should I do?

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[NATO]

Please let me clarify the previous post. I read on college/univesity PT websites that all prereqs need to be complete by the time the PT program starts. The program that I am interested in states that up to 12 outstanding credit hours is allowed at the time of the application submission. I just have a feeling that an applicant who has all his/her prereqs completed at the time of application submission would be more competitive than me if I head off on taking PHY I and II in Fall 2011 and Spring 2012 respectively. I know PT shadowing hours and GREs will also play a role. I guess I can focus more on GREs this fall if I do not take 3 science classes. Any thoughts?

 

[vapt]

Only having 2 outstanding pre-req's shouldn't hurt your application at all. Schools should be able to tell what kind of student you are from the rest of your courses. I still had to take physics I and II, A&P II, and Chem II when I applied, and I got in 2 of the schools I applied to. Regarding summer courses, I did chem I in an excelerated one, and it was tough but doable. I'm not a math whiz, so it took up the majority of my time (luckily I wasn't working, so 4.5 hours in class a day + tutor/homework took all of my time). If you're decent at math, it shouldn't be too bad. One thing about your post, you stated you were taking chem 101- make sure this is the right chem, b/c we have bio 141/142 as well (though 142 is A&P II, not I as you speak of), so it sounds like our classes are labeled somewhat the same, so the chem you have to take might be 111 and 112. I know here in VA at CC, chem 101 isn't the same as college level chemistry, which is required by pt schools.

 

[DancerFutureDPT]

I had only half my prereqs done when I applied (I still had to take Chem II, Bio I, Bio II, Physiology, Physics II, and Calculus),and I got into and/or offered interviews at every school I applied to. It shouldn't be the deciding factor, as long as your GRE, essays, volunteer experience, and GPA are good.

I left calculus until the end because only 2 of the programs I applied to required it, and I didn't want to take it if I didn't have to (even though it ended up being the easiest class out of all of my prereqs I think).

Some programs require you to have almost everything done, but as long as your program allows outstanding credits, then you're fine. If the school you're applying to allows 12 credits outstanding, then they shouldn't hold it against you. I didn't apply to Univ. of Minnesota because they required all but 8 credits be done at the time of application...that was definitely not my case. Had I not already been accepted to a program by January (after I had my fall grades), I would have applied to U of MN at that time...which is another option for you: you can always add more schools after you get your fall grades. Plus, there is an academic update period so if a school isn't sure and wants to see your fall grades, they may wait until after you update your fall grades to make a decision. There's no problem with submitting your application before then, though, as long as the school doesn't care that you're not 100% finished. I think most people aren't completely done, either....anyone who is applying as a senior in college probably has at least one class left to take.

The schools will also in effect see your entire college schedule, so the reason your prereqs aren't done should be a good one...in my case, I had an entirely different undergraduate major/minor/concentration and didn't decide until October of my senior year to do PT, so I couldn't have gotten all the prereqs done at my university. Instead, I took what I could in the spring without interfering with finishing my degree, and started prereqs elsewhere by taking physics I at a local community college. I'd like to think that the PT programs I applied to saw that I was taking an overload of classes every quarter to complete all the requirements for my degree, so it's not like I just didn't finish the prereqs because I was slacking off and procrastinating. When it came time to take the prereqs, I took 3 in summer school right after graduation, 5 in the fall (at 3 different schools, all about an hour away from each other, while working 20+ hours/week), and 2 classes in the spring.

It sounds to me like you're in a similar situation as I was...Do not take physics I and II in 2 6 week sections...it will be quite challenging if it's your first time taking physics. Physics I maybe, but not physics II. For me, physics II was by far the hardest class I've ever taken, and if it was not the last class I had to take to complete the prereqs, I probably would have quit.

I took Chem I in 4 weeks, and it was supposed to be a 7 week class (I frantically emailed the professor when I saw how chaotic my summer would be with the schedule I had planned and begged him to let me in the class even though it had already been going on for 3 weeks)...surprisingly it wasn't bad. But, I had also taken 3 weeks of Chem I with the same professor 4 years earlier (and quit after I decided I didn't want to be pre-med anymore). I had to play a lot of catch up, but some things came back to me, even though it had been 4 years.

Taking 3 science classes at a time is fine...I took 5, but some of them were independent study, and/or cake classes (like when I took general bio 110 at the same time as microbiology...bio 110 was a prereq for micro, but somehow I cheated the system and got in to micro without it. I took both at the same time, and while micro was a little bit harder because I didn't have the background knowledge, I could still get away with it. Bio 110 was ridiculously easy, because anything he covered in that class was already done in micro. I just had to show up).

Do you have your math/stats and psych requirements done already? Make sure you don't forget about those...those are the "easy" ones. You may even be able to do those as an online/telecourse if necessary.

That was long, but hopefully it helps? Good luck!

 

[NATO]

so the chem you have to take might be 111 and 112. I know here in VA at CC, chem 101 isn't the same as college level chemistry, which is required by pt schools.

Thank you SO much vapt! You just saved me from making a HUGE mistake. I was enrolled this fall semester for CHM 101. I just changed it to CHM 111 after reading your post. Yes, I live in Virginia and I've been taking my PT prereqs through the a couple of the community colleges up in Northern VA.

I thought CHM 101 was acceptable because it's labled as "General Chemistry". Both VCU and ODU show a choice between General and College Chemistry, so I figured General Chemistry (CHM 101) was acceptable. Thanks again!

 

[NATO]

Do you have your math/stats and psych requirements done already? Make sure you don't forget about those...those are the "easy" ones. You may even be able to do those as an online/telecourse if necessary.

That was long, but hopefully it helps? Good luck!

Thanks for all that useful information Dancer! Yes, I already took all the "easy" courses (i.e. statistics and psycho classes). I'm out of taking easy course and now have the not so easy ones to knock out. Bio101 has already been taken care of this summer. Here is what I plan to do:

Fall 2010: Chem I and A&P I
Spring 2011: Chem II and A&P II
Summer 2011: Take the GREs - Submit my application through PTCAS in July
Fall 2011: Physics I
Spring 2012: Physics II

Summer 2012: Start PT school!

 

[Sceneofcrime]

Hey NATO, forgive me for chiming in, but can I ask, did you or do you ever plan to take organic chemistry? I feel like a slacker if I don't, but since most PT programs don't require it I feel like I shouldn't...

And what year are you? I'm going into my third year at university and I still have to take Anatomy and Physiology + Physics.