Any suggestions for extra curricular activities for Non-Trad applicants?

[NATO]

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I was reading the PT acceptance thread to get an idea of what types of ECs look good on an application. I didn't look at every single post, but of the several that I did review, it looked like many ECs were derived from college activities.

Given the fact that I'm a non-traditional applicant as well as the fact that I graduated with my ungrad degree 11 years ago this May (eek!), I really don't think any of my college ECs will hold any clout. With that in mind, can you suggest any ECs that a non-trad applicant can do in order to beef off their PT application? I'm talking about ECs aside from the required PT shadowing hours.

 

[bhatiaa1]

If you do not have the opportunity to join pre-pt club at your local college/university... I recommend that you should get involved in community service (ex., local food bank, boys & girls club, ms society, etc.).

Here's a website you can check out for volunteer opportunities in your area:
http://www.volunteermatch.org/

 

[Dreamer131]

There are always intramural teams that are being played in the community. My city has softball teams you can sign up for and participate in during the spring/summer. I'm sure your city has something fun to offer that would interest you. Look at your local community center. They probably have volunteer opportunities and fun events to participate in. If a specific place interests you (I volunteered at both a Humane Society and a free Health Clinic for about 2 years) email/call them and see if they can use volunteers. I didn't participate in extracurriculars that were just through my college. There are tons of things to do!! Goodluck and I hope you find something that interests you!!

 

[johncronejr]

I am an older non-trad and here is what I did:

Vice-President of Pre-PT Club

Work with the Special Olympics every year during the regional meet, which happens to be held in my town.

During the summer, I spend one week working with a program called College Bound, which is a program for disabled high school students to stay on campus and explore what college has to offer them. It is a way to encourage them and their parents about the possibilities of college.

I did play intramural flag football this past semester and it was a BLAST! I know it didn't help my application, as I didn't even mention it, but what a load of fun it was.

There are likely tons of opportunities in your area such as Habitat for Humanity, shelters, senior citizens homes, etc....

 

[markelmarcel]

My eventual desire to become a PT stemmed from being a group fitness instructor. I've been teaching spinning (indoor cycling) for 3 years now and also played my hand at a few other group fitness classes through the YMCA/the gym I currently work for...

I also had a degree in education so I worked for a period of time as a "coordinator" of the local Boys and Girls Club (the club was just starting and they wanted someone with some type of leadership experience/education/child development degree to step into the higher roles).

When I was in college I did a TON of things, but they were also all related to education, since that was my major. I did list some things (like when I was the president of a student organization) but relaly the only EC I have is that I teach group fitness classes.

 

[Yohan]

I'm a non-traditional student as well (graduated undergrad in '01). A great place to look for extra-curricular activities is your local parks and recreation department. I volunteered for a developmentally disabled recreation program (helped out with activities for adults with disabilities), a middle school basketball coach, a track official, and joined weekend work parties for parks/trail restoration. All of those things I found by going to the local parks and rec department.

I also was an elementary school teachers aide (b/c my fiance is a teacher) and then, my favorite EC activity, I started a Youth Injury Prevention Program for the local youth leagues (it is a lot of fun and very educational).

 

[split6kik]

While I guess I would be classified as 'traditional', my suggestions would be pursue special niches within your PT hours. Becuase they may see "Inturmural team, Soup Kitchen, etc" on your resume, I never got asked about those in interviews.

They asked me about my PT experience, and when I said 'wound care' and 'hippotherapy', they became very interested. It shows depth and that you looked beyond the normal ortho outpatient experience. You dont have to look at gore or work with horses like me, but ask PTs you know about their clinical experiences, and for contacts of people they know that work in 'specialty' fields. Schools like to see youve really done your homework & know what the profession have to offer. Almost every interviewer says to me after I talk about those experiences "Wow, thats great. Most applicants dont know about the other areas a PT can work"

So find a burn center, womens health clinic, anything that stands out and spend some time there. Not only will you look good, but you really will learn what latitude you have in the field & see if its the right choice for you.

 

[shellabie]

I'm another older non-trad.

I'm a team-sponsored runner & triathlete. I'm involved in three club/community organizations: two are athletics based (I founded one of these) and one is a "wives" support group for my husband's job. I'm editor-in-chief of a club newsletter that reaches nearly 300 members and I coach (for free) a few newbie triathletes.

Non-trads take on plenty of extra-currics-- maybe even more than a traditional college aged student. We just have to think outside of the box in terms of recognizing some of the things that we do as extra-currics.

 

[graphyte]

I graduated in 2006. I'm just going to repost my stats and extracurriculars:



University: University of Washington 2006
Major: Biology (Physiology)
Minor: Political Science
Overall GPA: 3.44
Science GPA: 3.19
GRE: 610V 780Q 4.5W

Extra-Curric: EMT-Basic certified in NY/WA as well as Nationally Registered EMT-B, CPR/AED certified for health professionals. Quit full time job, moved out of apt, and bought one way flight ticket to volunteer abroad across clinics and hospitals throughout Guatemala and Honduras for 4 months, Salsa Dancing, University Orchestra, Puget Sound Basketball League.

Volunteer: EMT-B for Central Park Medical Unit, Children's Hospital (20 hrs), UW Med Ctr bone and joint (200 hrs), Young Democrats at UW, Youth Math/Reading Tutor (96 hrs), Pee Wee Basketball coach (36 hrs), Various Clinics and hospitals throughout central america (250+ hrs total)

Observation: Outpatient (100 hrs) Acute (20 Hrs), Nursing Home (8 hrs)

Work: FT Outpatient PT Aide (1500 hrs), FT Outpatient PT Tech (current job at 900+ hrs)
Diabetes Study FT Research Interviewer (2 yrs)
Diabetic Rat Lab Research Assistant (1.5 yrs in college)
Sports Camp Counselor (college summer)
People for Patty Murray (WA state senator summer internship)

 

[Architect2PT]

While I guess I would be classified as 'traditional', my suggestions would be pursue special niches within your PT hours. Becuase they may see "Inturmural team, Soup Kitchen, etc" on your resume, I never got asked about those in interviews.

They asked me about my PT experience, and when I said 'wound care' and 'hippotherapy', they became very interested. It shows depth and that you looked beyond the normal ortho outpatient experience. You dont have to look at gore or work with horses like me, but ask PTs you know about their clinical experiences, and for contacts of people they know that work in 'specialty' fields. Schools like to see youve really done your homework & know what the profession have to offer. Almost every interviewer says to me after I talk about those experiences "Wow, thats great. Most applicants dont know about the other areas a PT can work"

So find a burn center, womens health clinic, anything that stands out and spend some time there. Not only will you look good, but you really will learn what latitude you have in the field & see if its the right choice for you.

I totally agree. I would focus efforts on PT shadowing, observation, volunteering. The more involved the better.
Everyone lists their Extra-curriculurs on here,and there is a spot on the application for them, but I've never seen or heard of a school that places much or any emphasis on them.

 

[Yohan]

Although I think obtaining PT hours in a more specialized setting is very important, I also know for a fact that schools DO look at (and put emphasis on) extra-curricular activities. I have asked multiple schools what kind of things that they look for in EC activities and from what I’ve gathered, they look for quality experiences (not quantity) and for you to show initiative, leadership, ability to teach, ability to work with a diverse population, and also show that you have a well balanced life and not completely consumed in PT (for health reasons and to avoid burnout).

IMO EC activities are very important for “traditional” students (who do not yet have career work experience) because they will give them experiences to answer “classic” interview questions like “tell me about a time when you showed leadership” or “tell me about when you were in a stressful situation and how did you handle it”…etc.

I’m sure not all schools put the same emphasis on EC activities as others, just like some schools look at numbers and some look at the whole person, but in my case it was very helpful.