A few questions regarding PT school, please advise!

[jbny525]

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I am currently enrolled in a "Fitness Specialist" associates program at SUNY Suffolk Community College in NY. This program enables me to go for pre-physical therapy at Stony Brook University. My questions are:

1) Do you need for doctorates or just a masters to work as a PT

2) I am 25 yrs old and only in my 2nd semester, I will need to move out soon, can a person work full time and be a full time student to obtain his/her degree in PT school

Thanks for any input!

 

[MinnDasota]

1. You can have either, but most programs are DPT now.

2. Honestly, this is not possible. PT school can be pretty intense and the schedule won't allow for full time work. Part time, maybe. Full time, no. In PT school, you'll spend half your "out-of-class" time studying or working on projects/research or just keeping yourself sane

 

[DancerFutureDPT]

1) Do you need for doctorates or just a masters to work as a PT

At this point there really aren't many Master's programs anymore...the entry level degree is a doctorate.

2) I am 25 yrs old and only in my 2nd semester, I will need to move out soon, can a person work full time and be a full time student to obtain his/her degree in PT school

Yes and no...it is not possible to work full-time while in PT school (although I believe there is one program someone mentioned on here awhile back that's weekends-only, but I really don't know anything about it). Almost every program is an 8 or 9am-4 or 5pm five days/week program, which leaves very little time for working.

But, it's totally possible to work your way through undergrad and save up money, and then work part time while in PT school.

Hope that helps. Good luck!

 

[MuscleHead]

At this point there really aren't many Master's programs anymore...the entry level degree is a doctorate.



Yes and no...it is not possible to work full-time while in PT school (although I believe there is one program someone mentioned on here awhile back that's weekends-only, but I really don't know anything about it). Almost every program is an 8 or 9am-4 or 5pm five days/week program, which leaves very little time for working.

But, it's totally possible to work your way through undergrad and save up money, and then work part time while in PT school.

Hope that helps. Good luck!

the weekend only program is at neumann college in philadelphia. there may be another but thats the only one i know of. i assume most people at that program work full or halftime

 

[ctk668]

1.) There are only a handful of masters programs out there. The only one i know of on the eastern side of the US is Western Carolina in North carolina. There one in Illinois i think. And the rest are pretty much in Cali.


2.)There are a couple of weekend programs that i know of that are geared towards people who want to pursue PT but still have to work full time(career changers). the schedule is something like 8am to 6PM classes every Sat and Sun.

Off the top of my head: neumann university in philly, and Mercy college in Dobbs ferry, NY

Dominican college of blauvelt in NY used to be a weekend DPT program but they lost their Accreditation and are no longer accepting applicants😱.

With that said, while i suppose those two options do allow you to work full time. I would seriosuly question the quality of education that you get at a weekend program. IMO, its just too much info to cram in for just 2 days a week of all day classes.

 

[MinnDasota]

1.) There are only a handful of masters programs out there. The only one i know of on the eastern side of the US is Western Carolina in North carolina. There one in Illinois i think. And the rest are pretty much in Cali.


2.)There are a couple of weekend programs that i know of that are geared towards people who want to pursue PT but still have to work full time(career changers). the schedule is something like 8am to 6PM classes every Sat and Sun.

Off the top of my head: neumann university in philly, and Mercy college in Dobbs ferry, NY

Dominican college of blauvelt in NY used to be a weekend DPT program but they lost their Accreditation and are no longer accepting applicants😱.

With that said, while i suppose those two options do allow you to work full time. I would seriosuly question the quality of education that you get at a weekend program. IMO, its just too much info to cram in for just 2 days a week of all day classes.

I agree and wonder how clinicals are tied into the curriculum.

 

[DPTinFL]

I agree and wonder how clinicals are tied into the curriculum.

They expect you to give up your full-time job in order to do clinicals. Also you are required to do the same amount of clinicals as regular students.

 

[jbny525]

Thank you all for your replies...

I am 25yrs only in my 2nd semester of this new degree (1st one was in IT) After working as a PT aide I knew I would love to become a PT. Maybe my goals are not obtainable at this stage of my life. I will need to move out soon and support myself. After looking at Stony Brook University's DPT program I can see how this would be nearly impossible once you include study time. I may have to look into other options. Why on God's earth did I go into computers right out of high school lol.

 

[lee9786]

There is loans. I know it sucks but what can you do. Most PT students have to borrow extra loans for living expenses. It won't get any easier to do all of this later when you've committed yourself to a home, family, etc.

 

[MuscleHead]

Thank you all for your replies...

I am 25yrs only in my 2nd semester of this new degree (1st one was in IT) After working as a PT aide I knew I would love to become a PT. Maybe my goals are not obtainable at this stage of my life. I will need to move out soon and support myself. After looking at Stony Brook University's DPT program I can see how this would be nearly impossible once you include study time. I may have to look into other options. Why on God's earth did I go into computers right out of high school lol.

i'm 26 and im doing it now. youre gonna be working for the rest of your life, so may as well struggle for a few years so you can enjoy the rest of your life. beginning grad school at the age of 25 is a pretty normal age, if not, young. even if you started right out of college you would be taking the same, if not more in loans to cover expenses. just suck it up and realize thats part of the process of becoming a professional...law school, med school, vet school, pt school whatever you choose...its what u need to do.

 

[jbny525]

i'm 26 and im doing it now. youre gonna be working for the rest of your life, so may as well struggle for a few years so you can enjoy the rest of your life. beginning grad school at the age of 25 is a pretty normal age, if not, young. even if you started right out of college you would be taking the same, if not more in loans to cover expenses. just suck it up and realize thats part of the process of becoming a professional...law school, med school, vet school, pt school whatever you choose...its what u need to do.

Very true man, I wouldn't be starting grad school at 25 though due to the extreme change in majors only 16 credits transferred over. So it will take me another 3 yrs after this semester to finish my undergrad. I will however sit down with several counselors before I make my decision. I do agree with everything you just said.

 

[MuscleHead]

Very true man, I wouldn't be starting grad school at 25 though due to the extreme change in majors only 16 credits transferred over. So it will take me another 3 yrs after this semester to finish my undergrad. I will however sit down with several counselors before I make my decision. I do agree with everything you just said.

i also did the same thing. dont get me wrong it is a major decision and will most definitely take some sacrifice. i had none of the pre-reqs done. took me 1.5 years just to do them. i applied this past fall and will be starting the DPT next fall.

 

[Danae00]

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[BrighterFuture]

I am just wondering does anyone know my chances of getting in to PT School?

Science GPA: 2.3
Cumulative GPA: 2.73

I have a few D's on my transcript but I have repeated them all and I have worked very hard to pull my GPA up, and I am still working hard to pull it up. I will be applying in 2011 fall...

I plan on applying to Touro, St. Augustine, Langston, UCSF, Clarkson, and Duke just to name a few. Are my aspirations actually realistic or should I just stop now???

-Brighter Future

 

[PTballer]

I am just wondering does anyone know my chances of getting in to PT School?

Science GPA: 2.3
Cumulative GPA: 2.73

I have a few D's on my transcript but I have repeated them all and I have worked very hard to pull my GPA up, and I am still working hard to pull it up. I will be applying in 2011 fall...

I plan on applying to Touro, St. Augustine, Langston, UCSF, Clarkson, and Duke just to name a few. Are my aspirations actually realistic or should I just stop now???

-Brighter Future

I think duke and ucsf have pretty high gpa requirements but if u have the funds to apply then go for it!

 

[BrighterFuture]

PTBaller: My strategy for acceptance was basically applying to the schools that had the LOWEST GPA requirements. But being a firm believer in God (Jesus freak all the way!😀) A friend of mines encouraged me to always "Leave room for God" and apply to at least 1 dream school because you never know. I'm not so sure I will apply to duke but I'm definately wanting to add ucsf to the list.

-Brighter Future

 

[truthseeker]

I am just wondering does anyone know my chances of getting in to PT School?

Science GPA: 2.3
Cumulative GPA: 2.73

I have a few D's on my transcript but I have repeated them all and I have worked very hard to pull my GPA up, and I am still working hard to pull it up. I will be applying in 2011 fall...

I plan on applying to Touro, St. Augustine, Langston, UCSF, Clarkson, and Duke just to name a few. Are my aspirations actually realistic or should I just stop now???



-Brighter Future

As I have said on many threads before: Your chances are poor. I think you probably knew that though.

 

[dwr2018]

I am just wondering does anyone know my chances of getting in to PT School?

Science GPA: 2.3
Cumulative GPA: 2.73

I have a few D's on my transcript but I have repeated them all and I have worked very hard to pull my GPA up, and I am still working hard to pull it up. I will be applying in 2011 fall...

I plan on applying to Touro, St. Augustine, Langston, UCSF, Clarkson, and Duke just to name a few. Are my aspirations actually realistic or should I just stop now???

-Brighter Future

I had a 3.0 overall gpa and around 3.1 science gpa, and I got in to University of Miami and got an interview at St. Augustine that I had to decline due to Miami's acceptance. My advice, start volunteering now. Get as much experience as you possibly can in all fields. Do outpatient, rehab, acute, ortho, neuro, everything! I also had good GRE scores (1370), so study up for that. It's gonna be tough, but not impossible

 

[BrighterFuture]

Truthseeker: I have seen your harsh remarks on other threads before and they always make me laugh. Now when it comes to my situation however, I respect your opinion or even "fact" if you choose to call it so. But I still plan on applying when I get accepted in 2 years I'll make sure you're notified 😉, I appreciate the honesty though.

Dwr2018: Thanks for the heads up. I have a little over a year to pull my GPA up. So I hope I can. Realistically, I feel like a 3.0 cum and 2.7 science is achievable for me by that time...hopefully I can get there, and I've been interning but not in so many different arenas I'll definately take your advice. Thanks again.

 

[PTballer]

Truthseeker: I have seen your harsh remarks on other threads before and they always make me laugh. Now when it comes to my situation however, I respect your opinion or even "fact" if you choose to call it so. But I still plan on applying when I get accepted in 2 years I'll make sure you're notified 😉, I appreciate the honesty though.

Dwr2018: Thanks for the heads up. I have a little over a year to pull my GPA up. So I hope I can. Realistically, I feel like a 3.0 cum and 2.7 science is achievable for me by that time...hopefully I can get there, and I've been interning but not in so many different arenas I'll definately take your advice. Thanks again.

Yeah apply wherever u can and I was kinda in your situation. 3.1 gpa but I got into univ of the pacific, western, st augustine, and other schools that I declined. So all is not lost. Start volunteering and get a good gre scor
e

 

[BrighterFuture]

Yeah apply wherever u can and I was kinda in your situation. 3.1 gpa but I got into univ of the pacific, western, st augustine, and other schools that I declined. So all is not lost. Start volunteering and get a good gre scor
e

I will try my best to do all those things...was your GPA as low as mines though, like, the year before you applied?