Being average in PT school

[Average16]

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I am in the final semester of my first year in PT school and am still having trouble coming to terms with my exam grades. I've had only a couple of Cs and a number of As, but for the most part I've been getting Bs and B+s. I typically score in the "average" range for my class (they tell us the statistics on each exam). My GPA is fine but I can't help but think that these average grades means I'll be a mediocre PT. I'll also add that my lower grades are the classes most directly related to PT (assessment, treatment, etc). My practical grades are the same too. Sometimes I do well, sometimes I don't. So I feel like this is a reflection of my future as a PT. I keep hearing it doesn't matter and in the back of my mind I know average means I'm doing just as well as the people in my class. I love what I'm learning and get good feedback from my CI during my weekly clinic visit, but I'm wondering if my grades are a reality check to my future. Any advice?

 

[Azimuthal]

There are many qualities that make a good PT, GPA is not one of them. Have you seen some of the posts from the Pre-PT forum? Many are striving to have the opportunity to become a PT student, some PT students struggled through school, and a few did not make it through PT school at all. The difference is that you made it. The feeling of mediocrity is awareness, and quite honestly, you may benefit from the experience. Use this awareness to help you develop your own standards, not just for who you are now, but who you're striving to be. You are your own adversary. Do not make the mistake of comparing yourself to your peers. There is much more to learn after graduation and you may find that a mindset on collaboration is more beneficial than one on competition. Focus on your personal and professional development; continue appraising literature, be critical of new approaches, explore your interests. A wise professor once told me, "You should never be where you want to be, because if you are, you stopped setting new goals and challenging yourself." Trust me (Azi, the poster from SDN), you will be a good PT, and a great PT in your areas of specialization. Remember, it's not over just because you're handed that diploma. It just means that more doors have opened.

Also, sometimes it is knowing humility, that we humble ourselves and connect better with our patients.

 

[Average16]

Thank you for your thoughtful response. It was a different but needed perspective. It just gets disheartening when its the classes you try the hardest in, and those related to root of PT, are where you're falling short. Im not graduating this year. I still have 1.5 years of school to go, so I'm trying to assess my feelings and confidence level before my first full time rotation this summer and for future semesters.

The feeling of mediocrity is awareness, and quite honestly, you may benefit from the experience. Use this awareness to help you develop your own standards, not just for who you are now, but who you're striving to be. You are your own adversary. Do not make the mistake of comparing yourself to your peers. There is much more to learn after graduation and you may find that a mindset on collaboration is more beneficial than one on competition. Focus on your personal and professional development

I will write these words somewhere as a daily reminder, thank you.

 

[NewDPT31]

Ehh. Don't worry about it. You will have time to hone a lot of your "PT" assessment skills on your longer clinicals. PT school has so much volume that it is hard to get all A's AND have any sort of life. Better to get 1 C, 5Bs and 2 As than 7A's and 1D.

 

[noyceguy]

Grades have almost nothing to do with being a good clinician.

 

[jblil]

My school is P/F, although you can aim for a HP ("high pass"). By the second semester, I stopped caring for HPs and was perfectly happy with plain Ps. One of my classmates got a bunch of HPs in school but flunked the Board exam the first time around. And as many said above, grades don't really correlate with clinical skills.

 

[Average16]

Thank you everyone for the different perspectives. I just need to reshape my thinking when those feelings come....remember the entire picture and work on being the best me, personally and professionally, as I continue through school and beyond (as azimuthal so wonderfully put)

 

[pegasuscvc]

To be honest, a lot of those skills you're talking about that are the root of PT are honed and polished in your third year. Remember Rome wasn't built in a day. You'll get there.

 

[TravisDPT]

First day of gross anatomy (was a med school course):

"What do you call a med student that got all A's? A doctor."

"What do you call a med student that got all B's and a few C's? A doctor."

I think this definitely applies to PT school as well (although we can't get C's, in my program at least 😉). I had to adjust to not comparing myself to everyone else. Just concentrate on yourself, and get the grades that make YOU happy and confident in your abilities and knowledge.

Make sure you know what you need to know, but don't lose sleep over thinking you need to know more than everyone else in the class.

 

[NewTestament]

The important thing is to not be mediocre after you graduate when you're treating patients and consuming resources (insurance, cash) and receiving a paycheck. I'm sure some of the finest PT's out there had mediocre grades in grad school. Your patients will never ask you what your grades were in PT school. Unfortunately, many of them don't know that a PT has more than a high school education.

That fact that you are aware that you are mediocre indicate that you are not mediocre. Truly mediocre people aren't even aware that they're mediocre, or they don't care.

 

[twugal13]

just curious, what schools do you guys go to that has p/f or doesn't allow c's?