Clarification needed please!

[Fortiores]

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Hello all, brand new here.

I was wondering, is the undergrad institution a pre-physical therapy student goes to a factor into admissions for DPT programs?
For example, an applicant from CSUN as opposed to an applicant from UCLA?

Also, for the physics pre-req's, none of the DPT schools specify if its calculus-based physics or non-mathematical physics, so I'm rather confused on that as well!

and last but not least! does the undergrad major play a factor as well? I am considering going to CSUN as a kinesiology major.

Thank you for all help and advice, and I apologize if what I am asking is redundant, but I have used the search feature and did not find anything 🙁

 

[nicolej5]

Hello all, brand new here.

I was wondering, is the undergrad institution a pre-physical therapy student goes to a factor into admissions for DPT programs?
For example, an applicant from CSUN as opposed to an applicant from UCLA?

Also, for the physics pre-req's, none of the DPT schools specify if its calculus-based physics or non-mathematical physics, so I'm rather confused on that as well!

and last but not least! does the undergrad major play a factor as well? I am considering going to CSUN as a kinesiology major.

Thank you for all help and advice, and I apologize if what I am asking is redundant, but I have used the search feature and did not find anything 🙁

This has been answered a lot on here. It doesn't matter where you go for undergrad. It doesn't matter what you major in for undergrad. As long as you take care of your pre reqs. Don't take calculus based physics you will hate your life. If you go on to major in pre-pt you have no advantage over someone who majored in english in the eyes of admissions people. All they care about are pre req grades, among other things.

 

[adh28]

This process is all about fulfilling and exceeding the requirements set forth by your prospective DPT programs. Get involved, do well in everything you do, and the rest will take care of itself. When you apply in the future, they care about you and not where you went to fulfill pre-reqs. Best of luck

 

[cali122]

I actually emailed a lot of programs with some of those same questions when I was deciding where to go for my undergrad. All of them said that the major did not make a difference but some did say that your institution played a small role in their decision. Some said that it did not. I got a few answers back stating that it plays a small role now but as programs become increasingly competitive the calibre of institution may start to play a role in their decision process.

 

[dddpt]

Hello all, brand new here.

I was wondering, is the undergrad institution a pre-physical therapy student goes to a factor into admissions for DPT programs?
For example, an applicant from CSUN as opposed to an applicant from UCLA?

Also, for the physics pre-req's, none of the DPT schools specify if its calculus-based physics or non-mathematical physics, so I'm rather confused on that as well!

and last but not least! does the undergrad major play a factor as well? I am considering going to CSUN as a kinesiology major.

Thank you for all help and advice, and I apologize if what I am asking is redundant, but I have used the search feature and did not find anything 🙁

Hey! I currently go to CSUN as an undergrad I will be graduating this semester with my BS in kinesiology! If you have any questions PM me!

 

[okramango]

Regarding physics: Most programs seem to require the trig/algebra-based physics rather than the calculus based physics, though I did see one or two programs that required the calculus-based. Don't take a non-math "survey" physics class, though, as I don't think any programs would accept that.

 

[cali122]

Just thought I'd post an answer to some of your questions from a programs department head. I asked similar questions and this is the answer "straight from the horses mouth".
Also this was an answer from about two years ago...

"Thank you for the email inquiry. Your questions are excellent and represent topics for discussion that our admissions committee have quite often.
At this point in time, we look to overall GPA and GRE performance more so than the institution granting the degree. However, over the next several years, this may change. While we will always view the GPA and GRE scores highly, I do anticipate that we will give greater attention to:
1) The pattern of enrollment (meaning, was the student earning grades via full time status or was the student earning grades one course at a time, etc).
2) The rigor of the instution wherein courses were taken (community college vs. 4 year institution, etc.).

It is always great to see an abundance of A's coming from full-time matriculated students at a top-notch institution. As for major, I do not see that a Physiology major would have an advantage over a kinesiology major (or vice versa). The major is really not the important factor. We look to performance in our core pre-requisities to help ascertain student success in our program."

I really think that the more prestigious DPT programs will start to look for higher grades from more prestigious institutions within the next few years (if they haven't already). In my opinion though, excellent grades from CSUN will give you a better shot at most schools than average grades from UCLA.

 

[NewTestament]

1) The pattern of enrollment (meaning, was the student earning grades via full time status or was the student earning grades one course at a time, etc).
2) The rigor of the institution wherein courses were taken (community college vs. 4 year institution, etc.)

More reasons why I'm glad I got accepted as a non-trad student last year. If I applied in five years, I doubt I would get in. I was the classic non-trad student: worked for a few years, and then took a couple classes each semester. I have to admit, getting good grades while only taking two or three classes at a time is easier than taking 15-18 credits, but I was working and I had other obligations too. I'm surprised they even look at students who take only 4-12 credits each semester.

The institution shouldn't matter. The material is the same wherever you go, and I didn't feel the classes were any easier at the community college than they were at the university level. The university just had bigger classes, TA's teaching the lab, and more busy work.

Kevin