Am I too late?

[Valley Tiger]

Hey everyone! So I have been thinking a lot lately and finally decided it is time for a career change. I am in sales and can't stand it. Physical therapy is something I have always wanted to do but was scared of coming out of high school because of all the science. Now that I am two years removed with a psych degree I am going to go back and take my science classes that I never took in college.

So that is where my question comes. I know you need about 6 to 8 pre req classes so I will start them in summer and can take two hopefully three. Why I'm worried is that will I be put to the bottom of the list because I am still taking six pre req classes? I will have no problem taking the GRE and getting everything else done, I just don't want to get pushed back a full year because I am still taking classes. Your thoughts?

On a side note, does anyone know how good Northern Arizona or and of the Illinois schools are?

Thank you!

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[markelmarcel]

I know you need about 6 to 8 pre req classes so I will start them in summer and can take two hopefully three. Why I'm worried is that will I be put to the bottom of the list because I am still taking six pre req classes? I will have no problem taking the GRE and getting everything else done, I just don't want to get pushed back a full year because I am still taking classes. Your thoughts?

Most of the Summer 2011 and Fall 2011 schools deadlines have already passed, although there are a FEW out there, but starting this late for a 2011 start, in my opinion, is impossible. Even if you take 2-3 classes this summer that still leaves you 2-3 (or more) short to have all the pre-requisites.

In my opinion you're going to have to wait for the 2012 cycle to begin, and in the meantime you can pick up the courses and observation hours, GRE, etc so that when July 1st rolls around you can immediately start the application process!

 

[Valley Tiger]

Oh wow I should have stated that better. I am looking for fall of 2012. Now I did have a low overall gpa. Just under a 3.0 (a 2.0 freshman yer will do that to you). But if I am able to get A's and B's in my pre reqs along with a GRE around 1100 or higher I should be OK? I notice you Markel had a non science major as well so that shouldn't hurt me too much right?

As far as observation hours. Would being part time in some sort of clinic or being a grad assistant at the university be more beneficial?

Thank you again!

 

[neb19]

How many prereqs do you have left? I think if you can take a few prereqs this spring, and maybe 2 over summer, you should be fine as far as classes go. It seems most schools allow you to have 2 outstanding prereqs when you apply so as long as you only have 2 left and can take them in the fall....you should be set.

Schools don't really care what major you had as long as you've completed the prereqs. A related major, such as kinesiology or exercise science would be beneficial, but it's not required.

And as far as hours go, they should involve patient interaction, so going to clinic/hospital/etc would be your best bet. Being a grad assistant would be beneficial as far as extra experience/extracurriculars go though. Would it be for something relevant to PT? For example, last spring I volunteered to be the student assistant in the anatomy lab.

 

[Liquidrats]

Valley Tiger,

I'm doing what you're talking about. I graduated in 05 with a degree in Foreign Languages. Last summer I started taking pre-reqs at a community college. I applied this (last) fall and I have some interviews lined up this month.
Check out the orientation meetings at a nearby program, they can give you some direction to start with. I talked to the presenter there who told me they like career changers because they have a better understanding of what they want. I mean, if you're willing to do a year of pre-reqs just for the chance to apply - you're serious!

 

[ptootles]

On a side note, does anyone know how good Northern Arizona or and of the Illinois schools are?

If you believe the rankings, NAU is in the top 30 of all DPT programs in the U.S. and I have no reason to doubt that. I applied to them last year for the 2010 class and was interviewed (there were about 100 interviewed out of 700+ applicants) but unfortunately was not among the final 48 offered admission. I'm trying again this year and hopefully will get another chance via the interview. I don't know if NAU is more competitive than other programs but 48 new students out of over 700 applicants seems competitive to me so it just reinforces my feelings that it's a really very good program... something I felt during my interview last year.

 

[Valley Tiger]

Thanks for the replys guys! Unfortunately I will have to wait until summer to start classes I'm still working and haven't applied for school. I also don't mind saving up the money as well. But I don't want them to see the pre reqs all outstanding. I don't know how many I have. I guess it depends on the school... I basically need all bio, Chem, anatomy/physiology and whatever physics I should take.

As far as hours. If I were a grad assistant it would be with athletics. I have some connection and may be able to get in on the medical side. If not I have a friend who works at a practice and could hopefully get me a spot in there.

Thanks for all your help again. (sorry if this is messy I'm on my phone!)

 

[Liquidrats]

Generally you need to have 80% of your pre-reqs done at the time of your application. Some places, like Fresno (grrr), want them all done by Fall the year before you start. So, Fall 2011 if you want to enter 2012. More specifically, you want to have Anatomy and Physio done when you apply because those are pretty important, and arguably the hardest. If you want to enter in 2012, you need to start taking something this semester, even if it's online (psych or stats are good).

I would go for a clinic over a grad assistant unless you're more interested in academic/research. The point of the observation hours is to make sure you know what you're getting into for your future career.

 

[Valley Tiger]

I do like the idea of the online classes (even though I don't do as well in them) but I don't think I can take any of those classes on line. I have all the psychology and statistics done so it really is just the hard sciences. Which maybe means I have half done...?

 

[meliffy18]

I have all the psychology and statistics done so it really is just the hard sciences.

I'm in the exact same boat! I was a marketing major (hated working in the field and always have been interested in PT so I decided to go for it) and I'm starting my prereqs this semester. You said you didn't apply to any schools yet for prereqs; did you check to see if the DPT programs you're applying to accept community college credits? All of mine do so I'm taking all my sciences there. It's less costly and you can pretty much apply right before the start of the semester so it might not be too late to get a class or 2 in for SP'11.

 

[Valley Tiger]

I heard that community college credits are not accepted everywhere. I have ASU right down the street from me so I am just going to go there. I am going to hope for NAU or an Illinois school. Also, personal opinion here, I only want to goto a state school or private school. I will not goto a school that is for profit. I worked in one for a little while and am very turned off from them.

I practically grew up at Northwestern and that would be a dream but I'm going to be realistic about my chances and say it's slim to no chance. I would love to get into UIC as well... Anyone have background on any schools in Illinois? I know the post before says NAU is great.

 

[markelmarcel]

Oh wow I should have stated that better. I am looking for fall of 2012. Now I did have a low overall gpa. Just under a 3.0 (a 2.0 freshman yer will do that to you). But if I am able to get A's and B's in my pre reqs along with a GRE around 1100 or higher I should be OK? I notice you Markel had a non science major as well so that shouldn't hurt me too much right?

Haha, ok! 2012 is much more manageable! I would say if you get 2-3 out of the way in the summer, you'd have a whole year to get the other few-- I think it'd be enough to apply, especially if you get a good GRE score. (That test sucks.)

And, I got accepted to 2 of my schools and waitlisted at one, so I would say having an unrelated degree doesn't hurt-- however, I have been lucky that I feel my teaching degree will help substantially with "teaching" patients what they need to do/being able to deal with different "learners" and so-on.

 

[Valley Tiger]

Hahah no much easier. From what I have seen UIC has the most extensive pre req requirements and you need anatomy & physiology (or a year of both), general bio with lab, two chem with lab, and two physics with lab. It also says a calc class that's not pre calc... Which seems a little odd to me for some reason. Being a psych major i have all my psych and stat out of the way. My only concern is not getting enough of them in so I eligible for acceptance next fall (2012).

Great to hear of your success!

 

[adh28]

I hope my question is relevant enough here. I will be applying in the upcoming summer/fall for Fall 2012 admissions and will not have all my pre-reqs completed by the time my application is submitted. This Fall at the time of my application I will be taking 2 or 3 of the science pre-reqs and my final spring of undergrad. I will be taking one more Physics and one more Bio. Will I have enough to really apply if some schools want 80 percent of pre-reqs done at the time of application?

 

[DPTforme2]

You need to figure out where you are applying and then you will know if you can apply. Most schools simply say they want to see a "reasonable plan for completion prior to enrollment in DPT program" when I checked with my schools thats what about 10 of them said to me. I did have one school that said you can only have 2 outstanding pre-reqs though. I would say for most schools 2 or 3 outstanding pre-reqs is not a big deal you could definitely apply but as I said you should really check with each program to be sure. Just call the admissions office at the schools you are looking at they are very helpful.

I hope my question is relevant enough here. I will be applying in the upcoming summer/fall for Fall 2012 admissions and will not have all my pre-reqs completed by the time my application is submitted. This Fall at the time of my application I will be taking 2 or 3 of the science pre-reqs and my final spring of undergrad. I will be taking one more Physics and one more Bio. Will I have enough to really apply if some schools want 80 percent of pre-reqs done at the time of application?

 

[Valley Tiger]

So does outstanding classes count as classes being taken in fall? My hopes were to take two classes in summer, four in fall, and two in spring with maybe a calc class. Does this mean six (or more) classes would be outstanding? If that's the case my hopes for 2012 fall would be pretty doubtful correct? I have my GRE done although I will take it again in summer/fall and will start observation in summer as well so I have a lot of hours. But I'm still worried about the amount of classes that will be "outstanding".

 

[adh28]

I am also worried about the outstanding classes and will be taking 3 or 4 pre-reqs in Fall 2011 and 2 or 3 in Spring of 2012. Hopefully this will not ruin my chances of getting into Fall 2012 PT school. It sucks because I really would have liked to try getting into UCSF/SFSU but they say you must have 80 percent of pre-reqs done at the time of applying! Samuel Merritt, Chapman, and USA- San Diego are the other schools I would love to attend and don't seem to have a problem with having classes left to complete in the Spring of 2012. I have started observation hours already and will be taking the GRE in a couple months and if needed again in summer.

 

[pumpkinpatch]

Since you asked about Illinois Schools:

Northwestern obviously has an excellent reputation. UIC, I think, is equally well respected and costs about 2/3 to 1/2 the tuition of Northwestern. Midwestern University in Downers Grove may not be as well known as those schools, but it is actually more competitive, according to the admissions counselor: they receive more applications through PTCAS than any other school (about 900, and they have spots for 48 students). It's a beautiful campus and has a great program, but it costs about as much as Northwestern. And there's NIU, which you can see below is the school I've decided to go to next year; although it may not have the reputation that those other schools do, the first time pass rate of NPTE is in the 90s (overall pass rate is 100%) and job placement is 100%. Since I live close enough to commute there, it's cheaper than any of those schools by a very significant degree. It gets the job done, and I'll be done paying off loans a decade sooner.

The other schools in Illinois are Governors State, Bradley University and Rosalind Franklin University. I don't know much about them.

The APTA website has a great list with info on all PT programs in the country, listed by state, here: http://www.apta.org/AM/Template.cfm...ggedPageDisplay.cfm&TPLID=277&ContentID=31099

 

[Jollybg]

Valley Tiger - I'm in the same boat as you. B.S. in Finance in 2007. It comes easy for me, but not fulfilling at all. Decided on a change of career, being a part-time caregiver and working with plenty of home health PTs played a huge factor in deciding what career will be advantageous in utilizing my past degree and help me find something that is fulfilling. I started taking my science prerequisites this past fall. All I have left is Physiology and sequenced Chemistry, Physics, Biology (I'm registered to take Microbiology this Spring, not too sure how strict schools, requiring sequenced Biology courses, are and how it will affect acceptances). I plan on applying for 2012. Budgets cuts here in the state of CA will, without a doubt, hinder my progress. Therefore, I'm projecting I'll have 2-3 important? science prerequisites left that I plan on satisfying by Spring 2012. I have a 2.91 undergrad (all because of one D in Ethnic Women Studies, in which the female, super feminist, professor did not let me drop. Me, being the only guy in the class). Sorry, that's neither here or there. Nonetheless, I made the Dean's List this past Fall, finishing with 4.0, that's including Anatomy. I plan on satisfying my observation hours before Summer and the GRE shouldn't be a problem.


Does anyone know if schools are that strict with sequenced Biology courses? Current PT students, input? I've posted in other threads.. but to no avail..

 

[PrayingforDPT]

Valley Tiger,

I'm doing what you're talking about. I graduated in 05 with a degree in Foreign Languages. Last summer I started taking pre-reqs at a community college. I applied this (last) fall and I have some interviews lined up this month.
Check out the orientation meetings at a nearby program, they can give you some direction to start with. I talked to the presenter there who told me they like career changers because they have a better understanding of what they want. I mean, if you're willing to do a year of pre-reqs just for the chance to apply - you're serious!

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Hi! I had to comment because I'm pretty much in the same situation you were in: graduated with a degree in Spanish Language and Literature and now knocking out my last few prereqs at community college. May I ask what schools you applied to? Please and thanks

 

[Litlwarrior08]

When your transcripts are sent for fall admissions (PTCAS) your transcripts should reflect everything up to sp 2011 and your planned fall classes should be posted w/o a grade if you have already registered for them (make sure you have). This will show admin that part of the plan, in Dec/Jan when you update stats on PTCAS I believe we send the transcripts in again showing grades for fall 2011 and plan for spring sem. (shows your classes if registered before current sem grades are due). That last sem of grades (sp2012)you are responsible for getting trans. to the school directly.
There is already a lot of info you can access on PTCAS regarding schools (last years 2010-11 rotation info is still up but on for entering 2012. Still good info. Also instructions can be accessed. I found this little diddy to be very helpful I was able to see what the universities see ----- of course there are anticipated changes for 2011-12 cycle.
admin program manual for 2010-11
http://www.apta.org/uploadedFiles/A..._Resources/APTA/PTCAS/PTCAS_ProgramManual.pdf