From a National Honor Society PT Student, here's what you can do to succeed academically in PT school (and what not to do).

[PROMKing]

Hello all,
It's pretty crazy, honestly, typing in this thread from the opposite end of PT school. In the spring of 2017 I was similar to many of you in that I was posting my stats in the GPA/GRE thread, talking to current PT students, and gauging my chances at getting into a PT program. Our program is set up that the first two years (6 semesters) is all classroom, with the final year being all clinical rotations. We just finished our last academic semester, with a 3.86 GPA and an induction into the National PT Honor Society (ACAPT). In undergrad I had a 3.65 cGPA, 3.7 sGPA and 302 on GRE.

I want to write this to pass on some of the things that have worked for me throughout the academic portion of PT school, and to share some of the things I saw my classmates doing that are also either helpful or detrimental so success in the classroom. Many PT school veterans will probably wrinkle their nose at this thread entirely, arguing (with a valid point), that grades don't really matter in PT school. If you tend to agree with that slant, you're probably the Type 2 student below. That's fair, but it's not criminal to want to do well, and for those that do I'd like to share some tips on how it can be done. Before I begin, I want to say that there is a wide gap in PT school performance academically. In my experience, there are three types of students in graduate school:

1. Students who work their a** to get top-level grades (3.5 and above, often 3.8 and above)
2. Students who are content with B's, maybe some C's (after all, if you pass PT school we all get the same degree)
3. Students who struggle to stay in the program

The type of student you'll be depends on

1. If grades/awards/scholarships are worth it to you (my school gives scholarships, awards, and recognition to top performing students)
2. Your success in the first couple semesters
3. Your ability to study well, handle adversity, and roll with the punches
4. The friends/study buddies you make in the program

Without further adieu, here are a couple pointers/tips that I've noticed have worked for me.

What works

1. Find a study buddy or two (no more) that strive to be Type 1 students (above). Study with these people (not all the time, but if you study alone for 3 nights, make the 4th night a group study session). Put yourself around people who want to succeed.
2. 7 Days. This is the amount of time you should give yourself to start studying for an exam, practical, competency, whatever. If your exam is on a Tuesday of one week, start preparing for the exam the Tuesday prior. No, this doesn't have to be a hardcore study session on Tuesday, but maybe start your flashcards that day, or begin reviewing the old material. 7 days, no less.
3. Quizlet/Flaschards. This is on an individual basis, it won't work for everyone. However, it was my primary means of studying through 6 semesters. I racked up over 16,000 flaschards and over 300 "sets". This would challenge me to make test questions out of the material, it would put me in the professors' mind ("If I were the professor, how would I ask this question"?). Do what works for you, but write test questions in some form or another.
4. Exams, quizzes, and practicals are tough. You will lose points on these. Assignments, participation, and attendance are easy. Never lose points on an assignment! There were classes where the exams were tough (I never got over a 90% on the exams), but the assignments were weighted heavily and I made sure to do them thoroughly, and I still got an A in the class. Assignments can be done on your own time, with your own resources. Do them well!
5. Exercise, eat well, and sleep. I don't care how bogged down you get during the semester. There is research that says 30 min of exercise a day can boost brain activity. A 60 minute bout of exercise for someone in their 20's keeps their insulin sensitivity raised for 3-4 days (your body is better at digesting foods). This is paramount. Don't skip these things. I would argue that 30 minutes of exercise and 30 minutes of studying (lump sum: 60 minutes) is more beneficial that 60 straight minutes of studying if the exercise is excluded. I also don't think I ever stayed up past 11:00 pm, no matter what.
6. Work hard, but play hard too. Nobody can sustain a school-only lifestyle. I had a few classmates try and unfortunately they're not in the program anymore. Monday-Friday is nothing but school. Most days you should be doing schoolwork from 7-8 am to 9-10 pm. As long as it's not finals week, or you have a big exam Monday morning, take some time on the weekends to things you enjoy and spend time with people you love. Mental health is no joke in grad school. Put the books down for a while. You'll be okay, I promise.
7. Never EVER be afraid to ask for help or clarification. At its roots, college is a transaction. I pay money for the professor to teach me, the end. The professors' job is to help you succeed and understand information. If something is even a little bit unclear, ask the professor to clear it up.
8. Tutoring and information sessions are not a sign of weakness in grad school. I was a tutor in several classes that I did well in, and the students often just needed the information to be explained in a different way before it would click. Seek help if you need it, even if you got a 92 on an exam and would have rather gotten a 96. One of my classmates who also got inducted into the National Honor Society was actually tutored in classes in each of the first two semesters of the program. Get help if you need it.
9. The beginning of the semester is the time to work your a** off. Do well early in the semester and you can (almost) cruise towards the finish line while your classmates are doing the opposite and clawing for grades at the end of the semester.
10. Always over study. If you think you know all of the material in the PowerPoint for the exam, go read the assigned textbook chapters too. Overstudying has never ONCE been detrimental to me.

Alright, I'm sure you get the gist of the principles of success. Now here are some things to not do, learned from both my experience and the experiences of my classmates.

1. Don't pull all nighters, don't go to karaoke with your friends if you have an exam the next day, and don't hang around the classmates who are there for the degree and nothing else. These things won't help you, and nobody in my class who did do these things did well.
2. Don't make school your whole life. If your time in grad school was on a scale out of 10, school should be 6-7 parts out of 10, with 3-4 "parts" being recreation, social activities, whatever. Once it becomes any more than that, you'll get overwhelmed.
3. There are times when you need to simply buckle down and study. This is generally around midterms, random exam weeks, and finals. The social butterflies will struggle with this, but sometimes you simply need to seclude yourself and study. You'll have to turn down invites to wedding, parties, etc and study. During crunchtime, NOTHING should come before your schooling (other than family emergencies or something of the sort.)
4. Don't neglect your health.
5. Don't try to do PT school alone. It's impossible. No, you don't need a study group of 10 students, but find one or two classmates who help round out your studying and spend some time with them.

Luckily there aren't many "DO NOT DO THESE THINGS" that I can think of at the moment. I hope this can help some of you who are preparing to begin PT school this summer/fall or are looking to apply for the next cycle.

Please feel free to comment below any questions you have, or DM me. I'll be on here live until about 3:00 pm today (EST) to answer quickly any questions you all may have.

Thank you!

---

Members don't see this ad.