PT school dropout

[wanderingspt123]

Hey guys,

To be super frank, I failed 2 of the five classes during my first semester of PT school. I worked extremely hard to get into PT school and am obviously crushed right now. This semester was almost entirely online and needless to say, I struggled. My mental health really declined throughout the whole semester, and I pretty much just felt like a failure the entire time. I have dealt with self harm issues in the past, and these crept up to me again during the semester.
Because I failed 2 courses, I will most likely be dismissed from my program. (My programs allows C's, but if you receive any D's you have to retake the course. And if you get two D's you are dismissed from the program). Throughout the semester, I reached out to professors and my TAs but still performed very poorly on exams.
I am really reconsidering whether this profession is for me at all, and I have been looking into nursing programs and I think this path may be a better fit for me.
Any input anyone has on the position I am in right now would be greatly appreciated!
I have thought about reapplying next year to PT programs and seeing if I can find a school that would be a better fit for me. Has anyone out there done this??

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[JenDPT2024]

I’m not in PT school yet but I was in a similar situation.

Remember that everyone has a different learning curve. Don’t beat yourself up about struggling through courses. It does suck to do poorly after all that effort to get into school, but it might just be that particular program wasn’t a good fit for you. Before reapplying anywhere, rethink why you wanted to get into PT. More often that not, people tend to lose motivation and lose sight of why they’re putting themselves through all these hardships. I almost changed my whole career path all because I got a D in physics 1 and thought I won’t be able to get a higher score even if I retook the class. But after 2 years of deterring, I proved myself wrong and got a B+. I realized the professors method of teaching didn’t work for me and that wasn’t my fault.

Look into program statistics and the curriculums carefully. Consider the graduation rate, program length, and how many credits per semester is feasible for you to handle. It may be better to take a long program with all the credits spread out. PTA is also an option if you still want to be in that field but with less course load. And if you decide to pursue PT again after that, there’s transition programs and by then you’ll have knowledge of the field and it may be easier from there on.

 

[wanderingspt123]

I’m not in PT school yet but I was in a similar situation.

Remember that everyone has a different learning curve. Don’t beat yourself up about struggling through courses. It does suck to do poorly after all that effort to get into school, but it might just be that particular program wasn’t a good fit for you. Before reapplying anywhere, rethink why you wanted to get into PT. More often that not, people tend to lose motivation and lose sight of why they’re putting themselves through all these hardships. I almost changed my whole career path all because I got a D in physics 1 and thought I won’t be able to get a higher score even if I retook the class. But after 2 years of deterring, I proved myself wrong and got a B+. I realized the professors method of teaching didn’t work for me and that wasn’t my fault.

Look into program statistics and the curriculums carefully. Consider the graduation rate, program length, and how many credits per semester is feasible for you to handle. It may be better to take a long program with all the credits spread out. PTA is also an option if you still want to be in that field but with less course load. And if you decide to pursue PT again after that, there’s transition programs and by then you’ll have knowledge of the field and it may be easier from there on.

Thank you for your reply!! These are all great things to consider. I am really trying to tell myself that it was the program that I am in although I of course I ultimately take the blame. I appreciate you insight and best of luck to you on your journey!

 

[JenDPT2024]

I feel like there’s always the dilemma of whether of not the student is at fault. We’re always quick to judge ourselves. But I think environment places a big role in our ability to succeed. The amount of resources available, faculty support, program standards, etc. It may be you, it may be the program, or it could be both. It’s never 100% your fault unless you actively did nothing lol you gave it your best shot and it didn’t work out, but don’t give up! Good luck!

 

[wanderingspt123]

I feel like there’s always the dilemma of whether of not the student is at fault. We’re always quick to judge ourselves. But I think environment places a big role in our ability to succeed. The amount of resources available, faculty support, program standards, etc. It may be you, it may be the program, or it could be both. It’s never 100% your fault unless you actively did nothing lol you gave it your best shot and it didn’t work out, but don’t give up! Good luck!

Thank you!! Yes, I believe it was a combination of both lol. What I will take from this experience it that environment is definitely linked to success! One professor I talked to even said that she apologized she hadn't reached out to me sooner... after she did not reply to my emails for a few weeks.

 

[JenDPT2024]

Thank you!! Yes, I believe it was a combination of both lol. What I will take from this experience it that environment is definitely linked to success! One professor I talked to even said that she apologized she hadn't reached out to me sooner... after she did not reply to my emails for a few weeks.

Smh lol hold them accountable!✊

 

[ya1]

Hey guys,

To be super frank, I failed 2 of the five classes during my first semester of PT school. I worked extremely hard to get into PT school and am obviously crushed right now. This semester was almost entirely online and needless to say, I struggled. My mental health really declined throughout the whole semester, and I pretty much just felt like a failure the entire time. I have dealt with self harm issues in the past, and these crept up to me again during the semester.
Because I failed 2 courses, I will most likely be dismissed from my program. (My programs allows C's, but if you receive any D's you have to retake the course. And if you get two D's you are dismissed from the program). Throughout the semester, I reached out to professors and my TAs but still performed very poorly on exams.
I am really reconsidering whether this profession is for me at all, and I have been looking into nursing programs and I think this path may be a better fit for me.
Any input anyone has on the position I am in right now would be greatly appreciated!
I have thought about reapplying next year to PT programs and seeing if I can find a school that would be a better fit for me. Has anyone out there done this??

If you re-apply, consider longer programs. I did a 4-year program in University of St Augustine. We had 10-12 units per semester, so you will have less classes and more time to study.

 

[Awee9044]

If you re-apply, consider longer programs. I did a 4-year program in University of St Augustine. We had 10-12 units per semester, so you will have less classes and more time to study.

The previous post is referring to the FLEX program, which is for part-time students that only have class on the weekends. If you would like to be a full-time student you're usually taking 18 credits (6-7 classes) until you're doing clinicals. I'm going to be completely honest and say that my cohort and I came out of the 2nd term burned out and completely humbled. I wouldn't recommend applying to St. Augustine because we only go to campus 6x during the whole trimester (on account of COVID-19), and that really affects our performance on practical courses like Musculoskeletal, Soft Tissue Interventions, and Movement Science. You could definitely find a program with lower tuition and a more manageable course load.

 

[wanderingspt123]

If you re-apply, consider longer programs. I did a 4-year program in University of St Augustine. We had 10-12 units per semester, so you will have less classes and more time to study.

How did you like/dislike this program? Did you enjoy the online format or did you think that it lacked anything?
I have actually been thinking about this exact program!! thanks for your comment.

 

[wanderingspt123]

The previous post is referring to the FLEX program, which is for part-time students that only have class on the weekends. If you would like to be a full-time student you're usually taking 18 credits (6-7 classes) until you're doing clinicals. I'm going to be completely honest and say that my cohort and I came out of the 2nd term burned out and completely humbled. I wouldn't recommend applying to St. Augustine because we only go to campus 6x during the whole trimester (on account of COVID-19), and that really affects our performance on practical courses like Musculoskeletal, Soft Tissue Interventions, and Movement Science. You could definitely find a program with lower tuition and a more manageable course load.

Thank you for your honesty!! I appreciate it. Good for you for getting through it!!

 

[DrNotaDr]

Hey guys,

To be super frank, I failed 2 of the five classes during my first semester of PT school. I worked extremely hard to get into PT school and am obviously crushed right now. This semester was almost entirely online and needless to say, I struggled. My mental health really declined throughout the whole semester, and I pretty much just felt like a failure the entire time. I have dealt with self harm issues in the past, and these crept up to me again during the semester.
Because I failed 2 courses, I will most likely be dismissed from my program. (My programs allows C's, but if you receive any D's you have to retake the course. And if you get two D's you are dismissed from the program). Throughout the semester, I reached out to professors and my TAs but still performed very poorly on exams.
I am really reconsidering whether this profession is for me at all, and I have been looking into nursing programs and I think this path may be a better fit for me.
Any input anyone has on the position I am in right now would be greatly appreciated!
I have thought about reapplying next year to PT programs and seeing if I can find a school that would be a better fit for me. Has anyone out there done this??

Nursing education isn’t easy. Do you really want to be a nurse or does it seem convenient?

 

[wanderingspt123]

Nursing education isn’t easy. Do you really want to be a nurse or does it seem convenient?

This is a totally valid point! During undergrad, I was between nursing and PT but ultimately I chose PT. Nursing is definitely a very challenging career (and education!) so I am definitely not naive to this. I have been trying to see if I can shadow a nurse but unfortunately that is difficult to do during covid :/

 

[DrNotaDr]

This is a totally valid point! During undergrad, I was between nursing and PT but ultimately I chose PT. Nursing is definitely a very challenging career (and education!) so I am definitely not naive to this. I have been trying to see if I can shadow a nurse but unfortunately that is difficult to do during covid :/

You need to fix the issue that caused you to fail PT school, whether it’s mental health, study habits, etc. If you don’t, you’ll probably fail nursing school too, I don’t think it’s any easier. Hope you get it figured out.

 

[TheDancingWriter]

At my school you'd just be put on academic probation. We had a student join my cohort's GroupMe chat, and she revealed she was retaking Applied Anatomy I and GA I, so just keep that in mind that every school is different about what they do with failed classes. I did really well my first term, but I will say mental-health wise, I struggled as well. I have an anxiety disorder, and it had truly peaked and was the worst it had ever been. The only difference is I have self-awareness about it, something I lacked when I was a teen. Numerous times, and I'm still thinking about it, I kept trying to decide if I should also seek out a diagnosis for ADHD because my study habits are actually garbage--among numerous other reasons. I just started self-medicating with caffeine, and that's what ultimately helped me. So I've stocked up on caffeine to be consumed only during tests (not practicals because my anxiety automatically peaks and caffeine makes it worse). Like one poster, I go to St. Augustine, and it sucked so bad because we only went to campus 2x because of COVID. So it was a lot of teaching myself how to do goni of the hand or do this or that and that made everything so much worse. I am very good at teaching myself, but some things are just hard to do on your own. All this to say that even though you did not do as well as you had hoped, what you're feeling is normal. It's just fixing how you react to it.

 

[ya1]

How did you like/dislike this program? Did you enjoy the online format or did you think that it lacked anything?
I have actually been thinking about this exact program!! thanks for your comment.

It was a perfect fit for me because I had enough time to study and live my out-of-school life. I am honestly not sure if I had made it in a full-time program. Online classes are better than classroom classes for me because I could study whenever and wherever was the most convenient\comfortable for me instead of being stuck in the classroom all day. I could also make my own schedule vs following the classroom schedule. The school provides enough online material (no extra fee) to prepare you for all exams. All you need is self-discipline to follow deadlines and complete assignments/readings on time. It is also enough to prepare you for the board exam.

 

[bebee1]

Hey guys,

To be super frank, I failed 2 of the five classes during my first semester of PT school. I worked extremely hard to get into PT school and am obviously crushed right now. This semester was almost entirely online and needless to say, I struggled. My mental health really declined throughout the whole semester, and I pretty much just felt like a failure the entire time. I have dealt with self harm issues in the past, and these crept up to me again during the semester.
Because I failed 2 courses, I will most likely be dismissed from my program. (My programs allows C's, but if you receive any D's you have to retake the course. And if you get two D's you are dismissed from the program). Throughout the semester, I reached out to professors and my TAs but still performed very poorly on exams.
I am really reconsidering whether this profession is for me at all, and I have been looking into nursing programs and I think this path may be a better fit for me.
Any input anyone has on the position I am in right now would be greatly appreciated!
I have thought about reapplying next year to PT programs and seeing if I can find a school that would be a better fit for me. Has anyone out there done this??

Maybe it wasn't you... sounds like the program failed YOU... not the other way around.

 

[Smash Atoms]

I would speak with administration and seek guidance, possibly moving above professors and sit with your department chair. Be humble, and be accountable. Review missteps that may have occurred, where and why you struggled, and propose a game plan to reconcile and improve. Your program may allow you to sit out for a few months and start over with the next cohort next year.

DPT school is hard. Hard AF. It always cracks me up when I speak to the physician students at campus because it freaks them out when they see the kind of material we have to cover, "I never knew you guys had to know so much!".

I am about to graduate in May, but I have said numerous times to classmates how happy I am that I did not have to start during covid. It was hard enough doing it on campus in a room and having the support of all of the other wide eyed students who felt the same stress and strain I did. Being distant takes away a critical life line, the ability to effectively group study, and to have real and present support network. I suspect by next start classes should be transitioning back to in person, and its completely different. I made it through my program with a 4.0 and when we switched online I botched a few courses that I should have easily done well in and got a few Bs that should have been As (I was also teaching my kid kindergarten at the same time, but full accountability I just suck at paying attention to zoom lectures and was WAY unmotivated).

Good luck, I know its gotta be a tough situation to be in, but keep your chin up, keep working, and one way or another thing will work out. Even if it ends up its the wrong fit, its not the end of the world. I changed careers at 30 and now at damn near 40 I am finally starting back up.

 

[Snippybiscuit]

Hey guys,

To be super frank, I failed 2 of the five classes during my first semester of PT school. I worked extremely hard to get into PT school and am obviously crushed right now. This semester was almost entirely online and needless to say, I struggled. My mental health really declined throughout the whole semester, and I pretty much just felt like a failure the entire time. I have dealt with self harm issues in the past, and these crept up to me again during the semester.
Because I failed 2 courses, I will most likely be dismissed from my program. (My programs allows C's, but if you receive any D's you have to retake the course. And if you get two D's you are dismissed from the program). Throughout the semester, I reached out to professors and my TAs but still performed very poorly on exams.
I am really reconsidering whether this profession is for me at all, and I have been looking into nursing programs and I think this path may be a better fit for me.
Any input anyone has on the position I am in right now would be greatly appreciated!
I have thought about reapplying next year to PT programs and seeing if I can find a school that would be a better fit for me. Has anyone out there done this??

What school ?