Go Abroad or Finish Science Prereqs

[ariiiibar1021]

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Hi,

I want to go abroad my spring semester junior year (next spring). I want to travel through Australia, Southeast Asia, and New Zealand. I will not be taking any prereq courses abroad.

If I do this, there is absolutely no way I will fit in Physics II before applying to PT school. Also, one of my schools (Midwestern in IL) does not accept the anatomy from the kinesiology department, so if I get in here I will be taking both Physics II and another anatomy course as a senior. This means for Midwestern, I'd have both Anatomy and Physics II not completed when I applied. I got an A+ in the other anatomy, I don't know if they'd use this to speak to my abilities. I'm worried that not having these 2 significant courses completed will hurt my application. I called every school and they said not having physics done shouldn't be an issue, but what about these 2 courses? And in general, what about for other schools that I haven't considered applying to yet (outside of IL-haven't looked into these yet but I will).

I could also postpone going abroad until second semester senior year, but do some schools conduct interviews through January and February? I don't know if this time period would be too hectic to go abroad.

Advice, tips, personal experiences appreciated!

Also, this summer I'm taking stats in 3 weeks, then doing 7 weeks of chem. With no stats background, how likely is it that I will succeed and get an A? (I've had calc, got a 4 on the AP test...but math isn't my favorite subject).

 

[Kuhdaytee]

I don't have any advice for the pre-req situation other than to contact the school directly, if you are worried about it. I feel like it would be a huge detriment if your GPA was low and you needed those classes to pick up your grades a bit, but I'm guessing that your grades are alright, so I wouldn't worry about only missing 1/2 courses per school. It's definitely best to have as many completed as possible, so the schools don't have to guess what your final GPA is.

I went to an interview in January, and one in October. The schools with earlier deadlines will generally have earlier interviews, and those with rolling admissions will have interviews before the hard-deadline. Basically it depends on each school, but many do have interviews in Jan/Feb.

Calc is very different from stats, in that stats was more about logic than trying to solve an equation. I got a 1 on AP Calc but a B+ in college, and B+/A- in stats (don't remember which grade I actually got). Stats in 3 weeks shouldn't be too terrible. I thought it was one of the easier courses because there isn't much to memorize - you just need to understand how things work.

 

[starrsgirl]

Is Midwestern a top choice for you or sone where down the list? Do all your other schools accept your anatomy?

One option is take both classes next summer and wait to apply until after grades are posted.

 

[ariiiibar1021]

Is Midwestern a top choice for you or sone where down the list? Do all your other schools accept your anatomy?

One option is take both classes next summer and wait to apply until after grades are posted.

Midwestern is #2 or 3 for me. So yes. I'm already taking chem 2 next summer. Chem 1 and stats this summer. Will applying after grades are posted lower my chances for rolling admission schools?

 

[starrsgirl]

^^not enough to warrant applying with that many classes outstanding IMO. That's quite a few considering Chem 2 as well. You should still be able to apply in late August which is still early. Remember if you apply before the Summer grades, your schools will just show incomplete for all those classes until December. Many interview decisions are made by then. I would consider at least doubling up next summer and maybe looking into an extra class (even at a community college) for this fall in order to preserve your study abroad but remain competitive.

 

[starrsgirl]

Simply put, on your current plan you would apply to Midwestwern lacking 4 pre reqs (Chem 2, A&P x 2, and physics 2). That will result in a likely rejection from most schools unless you rework this. Let's see what others say but at a minimum I reconmend no more than 2 outstanding pre reqs not of the same sequence. You at least need to get one of those A and Ps done.

 

[ariiiibar1021]

Simply put, on your current plan you would apply to Midwestwern lacking 4 pre reqs (Chem 2, A&P x 2, and physics 2). That will result in a likely rejection from most schools unless you rework this. Let's see what others say but at a minimum I reconmend no more than 2 outstanding pre reqs not of the same sequence. You at least need to get one of those A and Ps done.

Just anatomy. My physiology counted because it was in the bio department. But I do see what you mean. Sounds like it'd be much safer to apply after summer grades came out.

 

[MCWills]

Go abroad! When will you ever have a chance like this again in your life? Traveling abroad before settling down with my life has had such a fabulous impact on who I am today. If it means you have to take a year off between undergrad and grad school I still think it's worth it. I actually recommend taking some time off between school. In my opinion my classmates who have had at least a little bit of life experience outside of undergrad do a lot better with the clinical/practical side of PT school anyway.

 

[Ctinct]

Am I understanding that you'll only have two outstanding prereq courses at the time you will be applying at the end of summer? Do you have a decent gpa, and do you think you will do well on the GRE? I would just check with all the schools you will be potentially be applying to to see if the missing anatomy will be an issue. If everything is a go, then my vote is to definitely go abroad! It will be a life changing experience for you, and as someone else mentioned when will you ever have the opportunity to do something like this again?

I can tell you about my daughter's experience. She went abroad fall of her junior year, and when she applied, she was missing three prereqs: physics I and II and a psych course. She applied to five schools. She was accepted at three and offered interviews at the other two, but turned the interviews done due to already having acceptances at her top three schools. The only caveat was that her acceptance at at least one school was conditional on her getting a "B" or better in those classes. It's definitely possible to get accepted with three outstanding prereqs; but, as I said, just check on the anatomy, because that's an important one. Since you have already taken anatomy through the kinesiology department, it may be a non-issue at some places. Good luck!

 

[Mr. Dunkle]

I definitely agree with @MCWills you should go abroad! I don't think taking a year off between undergrad and grad school is a death sentence. If anything, it can help you strengthen your application that much more for the next application cycle. I actually traveled abroad to New Zealand and loved it. You'll love it too. During one of my interviews for school the interviewer was very interested in the fact that I studied abroad and even verbally told me it was a very attractive attribute in a candidate's application. So even by traveling abroad, the life experience you'll gain can be explained in future interviews.