Other NonTrad PT-hopefuls?

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rpflash100

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I am a non-trad student, I'll be 33 years old by the time I start PT school...

I did a search and I did not see a Non-trad thread here (only the pre-med forum). Any other old folks around?

I am 31 now and finishing my undergrad work in International Health and Movement. I spent a little under 10 years in the military, then worked in corporate America for a while. Now I'm going back to school, and starting down this path. I have two daughters that don't live with me and I currently work in a Running Specialty Store.

Rich

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Right there with ya man. I'm 31 as well with two boys but I'm starting in June at Lynchburg College. Keep up the work you'll be in it before you know it.
 
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Thanks jbil. I wanted to start a thread for us all to talk together. Old, is never too old...

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Hi! I am 32 and will be 33 when I start. I am an attorney but was unhappy practicing so have been pursuing PT prereqs for the past 2 years and have a few interviews coming up.

What is your background?
 
I was a communication guy in the military, then a Systems Engineer. I've been working at a running specialty store since the summer. A huge 180*.

Rich P.
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I'm a non-trad PT hopeful. I used to be a teacher, but am switching gears a bit. Good luck!
 
I'm also a non-trad. I got my bachelors degree 15 years ago, spent the last year taking prereqs and the GRE, and I'll be 40 when I graduate from PT school. I'm starting next August and am super excited for this change!
 
How have you all found the process? I am still early enough in the process that I'm still stressing over getting good grades on my pre-reqs and debating schools.

Rich P.
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Adding my name to this list. I'm 27, got a lib arts degree, then worked in law for 2 years after graduating. I was pretty unhappy doing that line of work but always knew I wanted to work in a field where I was directly interacting with/helping people. I was pretty idealistic, thinking that a law degree would help me help others. Instead, after a year in SSDI and then Bankruptcy I started going home every night wanting to eat my feelings and was pretty much ready to give up my faith in humanity.

I decided not to go to law school and instead went back to do my pre-reqs at 24 (almost 25) and just applied to several programs this cycle. I have some scheduled interviews coming up and I'm really pumped to actually get started on this career path!
 
I'm with you! I'm 28..have my Masters in Physical Education and worked in the field a bit but never loved what I was doing.. plus the job market for teachers is awful. Started my prereqs in June, going full-time and I have 2 left to take for the Spring. I have been accepted into 3 schools so far but I am almost definitely going to end up at Nova Southeastern University in Ft. Lauderdale. Good luck to everyone!
 
I'm 30 and will not start PT school until Fall 2014. I finished a business degree in accounting over 7 years ago and then worked in legal until last May (thought I wanted to be a lawyer). I started taking pre-reqs in the fall and am having a blast with it. I cannot wait to apply next year. Good luck, all!
 
I will be 29 when I start PT school this summer. I've been married for six years and have been going to school part time and working full time in a molecular pathology lab for the past six years. I decided three years ago that I needed to be working with real people, not just their specimens! I will be finishing my BSc this spring and I'm excited to go to school full time without working. I'm glad to hear that most programs have a nice mix of non-trads and younger people.
 
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I'll be 28 when I start PT school next year. PT is also my second career and I don't think anyone is too old to start a new career. I've met people in their 50s who went to med school/ PT school so no one is too old, in my opinion.

I've met people in their 30s and 40s who say to me, "I wish I would've gone back to school to end up in a career I really would enjoy, but I feel too old..." And my first thought is always, why not go back to school? The time will pass regardless if you work in a field you hate or if you go back to school to pursue a career you would enjoy more, so why not go ahead and take the leap? Life is too short to be unhappy and not pursue your goals. Sounds trite, I know, but so true.
 
How have you all found the process? I am still early enough in the process that I'm still stressing over getting good grades on my pre-reqs and debating schools.

For me the process feels like it's taking forever. My first semester taking prereqs, I was really concerned about what kind of grades I would earn, but quickly learned that my life and work experience made me a much more focused student than many of my classmates. I ended up having no problem earning the grades I wanted. Now that I am finished with prereqs and have all my applications in, this extra year of simply waiting to start the PT program seems to drag on. I can't wait to get going with this process!

I've met people in their 30s and 40s who say to me, "I wish I would've gone back to school to end up in a career I really would enjoy, but I feel too old..." And my first thought is always, why not go back to school? The time will pass regardless if you work in a field you hate or if you go back to school to pursue a career you would enjoy more, so why not go ahead and take the leap? Life is too short to be unhappy and not pursue your goals. Sounds trite, I know, but so true.

I absolutely agree with this! In my early thirties I thought about going into PT but kept thinking I was too old to do something that would take so long. Finally, at 35, I realized that I would either be 40 with a PT degree, or 40 without a PT degree, and the choice was clear. Now at 37, I couldn't be happier with my decision! :D
 
For me, it was less about being too old, and more about changing my lifestyle. Going from a 100k/yr job, to being a student was a big transition. I was laid off in May, and that turned out to be a huge blessing. It gave me the time and chance to go back to school. I could not have fit classes into my old life, and been successful.

As it is now, I will have attended four colleges enroute to my undergrad degree.

Rich P.
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Okra, I like that outlook. I never looked at it that way.

Rich P.
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For me, it was less about being too old, and more about changing my lifestyle. Going from a 100k/yr job, to being a student was a big transition. I was laid off in May, and that turned out to be a huge blessing. It gave me the time and chance to go back to school. I could not have fit classes into my old life, and been successful.

As it is now, I will have attended four colleges enroute to my undergrad degree.

Rich P.
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Yes, taking home less pay has been the hardest part for me during this process. I make less than half of what I made in my old career (I work as an aide now), but it's still worth it to me. The experience I've gained has been invaluable and I know it will benefit me greatly in PT school. Like okramango said, your life experience will make you stand out against other applicants. You've already been in the corporate world and you know what you want to do with your life. That kind of maturity isn't seen in many people who apply to PT school while they're still in undergrad, in my opinion, so you're (we're) definitely in a good place. Just study hard and try all you can to make your application look good and stay positive. Good luck!
 
I will be 32 when I start a program next year. I have been taking pre-reqs for almost two years and that part has felt pretty slow. I agree that the worst part is going from a full time job to having no money, plus with my job I was able to do ll the fun things I wanted to do and now I can't afford it and/or I have to study on the evenings and weekends. I thought about going slower so that I could work and take one to two classes a week but now that I am pretty much done and getting interviews for school I'm glad I pushed it to be done faster. I think I'll be happier and enjoy school more once I am in a program.
 
Glad i found this thread, Im 33 years old now and probably won't start PT school until Im 34. Been doing prereq's since last year, taking one class at time starting with BIO I.

Graduated with a sociology degree ten years ago, floated around and worked as a paralegal for a couple of years...blah. got into local law schools but I declined. Starting working as an aide 6 months ago in the chicago area, working full time only allows me to take one class. Still have to take the GRE. Any advice???

Couple of the PTs I work with were career changers themselves, one was a high school biology teacher and another a geologist. But I am fortunate to have landed at a very supportive environment, tution reimbursement, and all the anatomy study aides and tutors I can ask for.
 
For me, it was less about being too old, and more about changing my lifestyle. Going from a 100k/yr job, to being a student was a big transition. I was laid off in May, and that turned out to be a huge blessing. It gave me the time and chance to go back to school. I could not have fit classes into my old life, and been successful.

Yes, I agree that it was very difficult to stop working full time in order to be a student again. I've been very lucky to have a husband who works hard to support us so that I can do it. Otherwise, I really don't know how I could have financially gone through this process. Still, we have definitely had to change our lifestyle and tighten our belts in many ways in order to make it happen. I know it will all be worth it, though.
 
I'm probably the, ah, most mature DPT student to post on this board. I just finished my first semester of DPT school so FWIW here's my experience:
- DPT school is hard, and there is a lot (too much, IMO) of memorization required. My previous degrees were in engineering and business. In engineering, you only need to remember a couple of basic formulas and then you derive the rest. In business, there isn't much to memorize because business problems usually have an infinite number of solutions, even though only a few would be optimal. I was taken aback, and somewhat unprepared, for the amount of rote memorization I had to do. So be ready to memorize and regurgitate lots of things (esp. in anatomy), most of which you will probably forget as soon as the semester is over. A good and enjoyable book to help you remember things is "Moonwalking with Einstein." It helped me tremendously.

- Join a study group. You'll be able to bounce ideas off one another and by doing so you'll get a better understanding of the material. I found a group of 3 or 4 people to be the ideal size. Find folks who can pull their own weight though, as a freeloader can drag everyone down. The good news is that DPT school is quite selective -at least for most schools- so I think everyone who gets in is well-qualified.

- Above all, compete with yourself. You'll be in class with folks whose undergrad degree was in Kinesiology or Exercise Science, and the material that you struggle to understand would be elementary for them. Some of your classmates may also have near-photographic memories and be able to remember stuff after glancing at it just once. Don't let that discourage you. According to many professors and PTs I talked to, performance in the classroom and performance in clinical rotations are two different animals. I trust that us non-trads have enough maturity and life experience to shine in our rotations.

- I found all of my classmates to be wonderful and fun. No age discrimination whatsoever, even though I am easily double their age.

- Giving up a good salary was hard, but I have no regrets as the job I had was well-paid but soul-sucking. At least as a PT, I would make somebody feel better and hopefully increase his/her quality of life. But do go into this field with your eyes wide open. Some of you may have seen the salary thread I started:
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=931151
If you haven't read it, by all means do so. I think it would convince you to go to a state university instead of piling up on loans and attending a private one.

That's all I can think of, for now. If you have questions, post them and I'll be happy to answer them if I can.
 
Thanks for that. I'm really struggling on the acjool-picking front. I do have two pretty good schools (I think) nearby and in-state. But there are really good schools in other places. I know the answer should be easy, but it isn't yet.

Rich P.
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Oh, and awesome graph. The salary disparity is of interest to me. I really appreciate the work you did.

Salary is not as important, but I think there are other ways to increase our pay.

Rich P.
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Finally, at 35, I realized that I would either be 40 with a PT degree, or 40 without a PT degree, and the choice was clear.

Exactly my experience as well! I dragged my feet in my late 20's and early 30's, thinking I was too old, until I had the same realization. I remember feeling old when I was 26, which seems ridiculous to me now :)

I was a music major but got burnt out my senior year at a conservatory--so competitive! I spent a year working at a bookstore, hanging out with artists and philosophizing about life. But I'm the productive type, so I started teaching myself how to do web design, starting with graphics then going into front-end development. I got a job doing this (and then lost all my artsy friends because I "sold out" to the tech industry). While working as a web-designer, I expanded my experience to back-end development languages.

I worked in the tech industry for almost 10 years doing both front and back-end dev. I always enjoyed the problem solving, but knew it wasn't the career for me. The paycheck was nice, but not fulfilling.

The difficulties I've had as a non-trad:
1. Hard to coordinate vacations with my partner. Summers and winter breaks have been spent trying to cram in classes and GRE studying (although we just got back from a 2-week vacation in Europe! Yay!)

2. Because I was trying to finish all my classes as quickly as possible, plus getting volunteer experience, I didn't do a lot of formal "extra-curricular" activities. I think this was a major issue in my applications.

3. Also concerning extra-curricular: I go to schools with some very bright, dedicated, and interesting colleagues, yet I also need to spend time with people my own age. My motivation to join school clubs was lacking because of this. I participated completely when needed, but it is easy to feel out of place with people 1/2 your age.

4. Undergrad is like being spoon fed, but I want to integrate what I learn with real life practice! This is where my excitement for grad school comes in. I work well when immersed. Or so I think :)

Thanks, also, to jblil! You offered some good pointers, especially about memorization. I used to be one of those near-photographic-memory types, but at 37, I am definitely seeing a decline in the ease of memorization. Other areas of problem solving and learning have improved, so it's a give and take.
 
I used to be one of those near-photographic-memory types, but at 37, I am definitely seeing a decline in the ease of memorization. Other areas of problem solving and learning have improved, so it's a give and take.

Monkeykat - have you applied to any school yet? Play up your non-trad background in your essay, as most schools want to see a mix of experiences in their student population. I emphasized my life experience to the hilt (I have a rather unusual background anyway) and got into all the schools I applied for. Look at your "nontrad-ness" as a strength.

For improving your memory, I can't recommend enough the "Moonwalking with Einstein" book. It's extremely useful and also hilarious.

BTW, I put the info in the starting salary survey into these charts for ease of visualization:
http://dptfinances.wordpress.com/2012/12/30/dec-2012-update/
I will continue to update it as I am curious to see how the class of 2013 will be faring.
 
Monkeykat - have you applied to any school yet? Play up your non-trad background in your essay, as most schools want to see a mix of experiences in their student population. I emphasized my life experience to the hilt (I have a rather unusual background anyway) and got into all the schools I applied for. Look at your "nontrad-ness" as a strength.

For improving your memory, I can't recommend enough the "Moonwalking with Einstein" book. It's extremely useful and also hilarious.

I have applied, and I did what I could as far as playing up my "nontrad-ness."

Thanks for the book recommendation. With apps done, I actually get to have leisure reading this break! Almost done with Moby Dick :)
 
I'm curious, how would someone play up the non-tradNess? Any examples?

Rich P.
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I'm curious, how would someone play up the non-tradNess? Any examples?

One way would be to bring up how your past careers could help you in the PT field, be it through life experience or complementary skills. For ex., I was an engineer in my previous life; I talked about a couple of things I implemented to help rehab a family member who had a stroke. Those things will help set you apart from the folks who apply straight from undergrad.
 
I incorporated it into my main PTCAS essay. I spun my work experience and time off between undergrad and graduate school into a positive narrative about taking time to explore my options (thus implying my decision to pursue PT was not impetuous), allowing time to mature as an adult and a student, etc. I was a sociology major and also talked about some skills I picked up from that coursework that will help me effectively communicate with others. I think you can also bring some of those things up during your interview if asked certain questions.
 
That makes sense. I need to take another look at the generic application. I have mainly been in PTCAS & APTA to do research for schools and the job, not too much into the application process.

Rich P.
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I am also a non-trad student-hopeful. I got my undergrad in Kinesiology in 2004. My original plan was to go on to PT school, but I finished my undergrad in 3 years, and my brain was burned out. So, I took time off....got married, have two young sons, worked full time as fitness center manager... now, nearly 9 years later, I am ready to get back into it.

I am getting ready to start getting the rest of my prereqs this semester, and I plan to start PT school Fall 2014. I'll be 31.

Thanks for starting this thread! I'm looking forward to learning from everyone else's experiences!
 
I'm curious, how would someone play up the non-tradNess? Any examples?

Rich P.
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I wrote about it in my personal statement and I've been talking about it in interviews. I talked about how my previous career and undergrad major contributed to me discovering PT. I used to work in healthcare and pharma research, so I went into how that helped me get into PT. And I've mentioned that I've already tried a career and know what I don't want to do for the rest of my life and I know PT is what I want to do. A student going straight from undergrad to grad school doesn't have that kind of experience, so I talked about that.
 
So, this makes me wonder. Are interviews and essay about selling yourself or competing against the other candidates? I was under the impression that the point of this was to sell ourselves?
Personally, I would approach it completely differently if I'm selling myself or trying to beat all other applicants.
 
Are interviews and essay about selling yourself or competing against the other candidates?

It's about selling yourself. But to make an impression on the Adcom, it'd be to your advantage to differentiate yourself from -rather than compete against- the other applicants.
 
I would say the point is to sell yourself. However, if you know that you have certain qualities that other, younger, candidates would not have you should certainly highlight those as a way of selling yourself.
 
I started DPT school at the age of 34. I am now just starting my last year of clinicals (11 months left!!!!!!!!). It has been very hard with 2 kids at home and a wife that works full time. I will be very glad when this is over, but I am also very glad that I did it.
 
So, this makes me wonder. Are interviews and essay about selling yourself or competing against the other candidates? I was under the impression that the point of this was to sell ourselves?
Personally, I would approach it completely differently if I'm selling myself or trying to beat all other applicants.

The other applicants are your future cohorts so its not about beating anybody or competing against them. It's all about selling yourself and highlighting your experiences that brought you to PT as a possible career.
 
I am going crazy over the break. I can't wait to start school again on the 14th.

Last semester I pulled off a 4.0, but this semester I am taking my first slew of sciences and maths. I'm fairly nervous. I have a good number of credits, but no degree. Now, I'm pursuing a whole different track than before.

I'm taking:
Arabic 1
Psychology 1
A&P 1
Statistics 1
Math for Liberal Arts majors (I can't remember why...)

How about you all? What ya got this semester?

Rich P.
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How about you all? What ya got this semester?

Rich P.
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I just finished all my pre-reqs so I'm glad I have more time to relax and do other things now. Took me 2 years to take them all & I made all A's in them, so I'm glad. I bet you are anxious to start the semester, I remember feeling that way. You're taking a lot of classes. Will you be working at the same time? The one thing I always did before every semester is that I told myself to strive for A's and nothing less. I put a lot of pressure on myself, but that's because I have a low GPA and I wanted to try my best to raise it. I'd say time management is what really helped also. Stay organized. Good luck :)
 
I work at a running specialty store, so it can be pretty fluid. I'm blessed that I have a flexible job and little need to work, because of the GI Bill. My goal is As, so work can go, if needed. I have to start shadowing soon.

What will you do in the interim time?

Rich P.
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I'm taking the second of three installments of A&P, Chemistry, and Physics. We operate under a quarter system here in Oregon, so the full sequence of each of these courses is broken up into three separate terms (fall, winter, spring). Taking these three courses concurrently is extremely challenging, but I was able to pull of a 4.0 last term. I hope to continue that trend this term. It helps that I have no other obligations but school and observation. My wife brings home the bacon. What are guys doing/have you done for observation? I managed 36 hours over break (2 outpatient clinics, home health, rehab, acute care, and SNF). I'm doing direct observation at a SNF currently. I've expressed my interest in accumulating as many hours of observation as possible and then perhaps volunteering; however, I still want to do observation in other settings. There are so many.
 
I work at a running specialty store, so it can be pretty fluid. I'm blessed that I have a flexible job and little need to work, because of the GI Bill. My goal is As, so work can go, if needed. I have to start shadowing soon.

What will you do in the interim time?

Rich P.
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I'm so exhausted from working full time and taking 2-3 classes each semester for the past 2 years, so I'm going to spend the time from now until PT school just relaxing and working to save $. I've always wanted to learn Spanish since I can never communicate w/Spanish speaking patients as an aide, so I think I'll learn that in the next few months. Plus I know that'll be useful when I'm a PT.

I might find a job to work on the weekends so I can save up more $. We'll see if I feel like it. I want to relax before PT school, so we'll see.
 
I totally second that notion. I have legitimately gone non-stop between work, GRE, shadowing, volunteering, and prereqs over the last 2 years. I suddenly have all of this free time until PT school starts, I almost don't even know what to do with myself. Weekends? What the hell are THESE? Three seasons of Walking Dead have happened? I can read a book.. for fun?! I feel like a caged animal running free.
 
Don't run to fast and hit a wall...

Congrats guys, it's nice to hear. I know 'we'll exist, but it is still nice to *meet* the other old folks...

Rich P.
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I totally second that notion. I have legitimately gone non-stop between work, GRE, shadowing, volunteering, and prereqs over the last 2 years. I suddenly have all of this free time until PT school starts, I almost don't even know what to do with myself. Weekends? What the hell are THESE? Three seasons of Walking Dead have happened? I can read a book.. for fun?! I feel like a caged animal running free.

Ha Ha! I was exactly in this spot last September after finishing all my full-time prereqs, observation, GRE, and application process. I think it took me a month or so to readjust to being a normal person again. Come August, it starts all over again!
 
love this thread!!! great to hear from everyone who's in a similar position i am. Just started a second job this week(only for a couple of months) along with my full time aide position. then school starts end of this month.

Going to keep pushing through.
 
Great thread! I will be 30 when I finally apply (and hopefully get accepted first round!). I have had a long dark road to get here. To start with, I finished highschool as a teen mom. I then took an academic break in between highschool and college to raise my daughter. When I finally did enroll in college at 22, I was an accounting major (for all the wrong reasons!). I realized after a few semesters and taking a job in an accounting firm that accounting was not the career path I wanted to take. Sadly, my GPA was hit hard because of it too, I finished my last semester of accounting classes with a 1.2 and on academic probation! Since 24 years old, I have been taking classes part-time working towards a kinesiology degree, and have been happy ever since. As of last semester, I was able to leave my fulltime job and focus solely on school so I have about 4 crammed-full semesters left to complete my undergrad degree and apply. I have certainly not taken the traditional route! But it is important to me that I do this so my daughter sees it and she DOES take the traditional route.
 
Sorry this is kind of random, but just wondering since most of you guys have been out of schools for awhile how do you guys get recommendations from professors and such for your application?
 
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