Relocation to PT school...and Life

[itsideal]

Advertisement - Members don't see this ad

Hello everyone. Just wanted to ask a all around consensus on the topic of aspiring Pre PT students working their tails off in undergrad. I'll tell you my story:

I'm a male in NYC. Attending Comm College taking the pre requisites for pt school. I messed up upon entering college straight out of hs in 2009. It was terrible. I was discouraged since I had no idea on what to do with my life. I returned 3 years later and now I'm fixing my mess by retaking those courses and starting Bio & Statistics. I definitely want this. More than anything in the world. I wake up I sleep and I go throughout the day envisioning myself as a PT. With a successful position at a place where I genuinely improve someone's life. This is what I envision and it is a far cry from the 19 yr old me who had no idea on what to do. I definitely now know what to do.

Reading through this website is amazing. Absolutely love reading everyone's statistics and threads on the PT topic. But I have to admit it can also trigger many insecurities and worry you to no end. I guess what I'm trying to ask is, we are all humans and have our lives. Some of us have relationships we value as well. Taking all of these variables into account, how do you all feel when applying to schools? When applying to schools outside your state? Potentially having to leave behind many things, friends, family and relationships for PT school? Potentially applying to your own state and not getting in, resulting in a lost year of your life?

How do I deal with the stresses of not having control of where I'll end up after my bachelors? It is so stressing it's all I think about...

Anyone whose had to think through those things when applying or has even ended up relocating... I'd love your input.

Thank You

 

[DPTHopeful2012]

I think you have to think about your chances of getting accepted to PT school. I have a low GPA and applied to schools all over the country because I wanted to prepare myself in case an in-state school didn't accept me. I knew there was a chance I would have to relocate to a different state and I was okay with it. After undergrad, I moved to a different state after I graduated and I've always been very open to moving anywhere for a career, school, whatever. If I didn't get accepted to a PT school in-state, then it would've been very hard to leave all my friends, SO, etc., but if PT school is something you want bad enough, then you should be willing to relocate anywhere.

Also, it helps to have a very supportive SO who understands that you may have to relocate. Me & my SO talked about it years in advance and we knew we'd have to be long-distance if need be. We were both stressed and sad at the fact that I might be moving somewhere else, but we were willing to make it work, if need be. If you have a SO who isn't 100% supportive of your choices, then you have some personal things to rethink, IMO.

Luckily, I got accepted to a local PT school, so I won't be relocating, but yes it is very stressful not knowing where you will end up. I may or may not have had a minor breakdown a couple months ago because of the stress.

Apply to in-state schools with hope that at least one will accept you. And apply to some out of state schools where you'd be willing to live if you end up having to relocate. Research out of state tuition, how to become a resident to get in-state tuition, and research cost of living. PM me if you want to chat. Good luck!

 

[itsideal]

Thanks for the posting Hopeful. I believe you are correct about SO's in general. She is very supportive so I believe it's something I personally need to come to terms with. And make sure I am willing to do it. Also the main thing is finding a way to deal with the uncertainties. It is mind boggling how people with high GPA's and scores get rejected and others don't. Almost like a game of chance with your own future. Maybe it's an incorrect mindset that I have. I'll definitely shoot you a PM.

Any other opinions are welcome...

 

[schnell8]

Thanks for the posting Hopeful. I believe you are correct about SO's in general. She is very supportive so I believe it's something I personally need to come to terms with. And make sure I am willing to do it. Also the main thing is finding a way to deal with the uncertainties. It is mind boggling how people with high GPA's and scores get rejected and others don't. Almost like a game of chance with your own future. Maybe it's an incorrect mindset that I have. I'll definitely shoot you a PM.

Any other opinions are welcome...

You sound exactly like me...Just keep plugging away at what needs to be done. You wanna know why people with high GPA's and scores get rejected? It is because of all of the extra stuff...I'm talking volunteer experiences, LoR..etc. My GPA both overall and pre-req was around a 3.2. Not exactly great...My GRE was around a 1080 combined (the old GRE). Also not too great. I already knew in my Junior year that my grades weren't going to be that great so I focused like crazy on external things. (I didnt give up on my studies though obviously...lol). However, I was fortunate enough to have a 240 hour inpatient internship among my hours in other various settings.

Also keep in mind when volunteering. 100 combined hours of inpatient, outpatient, and nursing home experiences is MUCH BETTER than 300 hours in outpatient only. Schools are looking for a lot of hours of course but they want those hours among several different settings.

Another thing that I did was spend some time volunteering for a research group at my University. I can't tell people enough how important research is and how it can put you over the edge in an application sometimes. It also can get you a prestigious LoR which also helps a ton...Plus I had 40 hours of volunteering with Habitat for Humanity which won't do too much but if you and another student had matching stats and you had some community service under you belt when the other student didn't, it would probably make you the winner IMHO.

Finally, when it comes time for you to apply, write your essays and take them to a university writing center. Meet with someone who specializes in Grad school personal statements/essays. Meet with them 3-4 times if you have to. Make sure there are no flaws in your essay and make it stand out in some way than your generic run of the mill "I'm a good person" speech.

Chances are you might already know this stuff...but I promise you that these are all things that can add up. Yes, GPA is a big factor. But all this stuff when combined is pretty dang close to being equivalent in terms of importance. One school advisor broke it down and admitted to me that GPA for them accounts for 40%. GRE accounts for 20% for them. Well, what is the other 40%? This stuff right here. ^

Alright, if you made it this far then here's my story. With my GPA and GRE scores, my advisor told me that she doubts I'll get in anywhere in Michigan (my state) because Michigan has gotten extremely tough. She was a bit tough but realistic. She did say that I do have a lot of extra stuff that might actually get me in somewhere if I am lucky. I took probably too much a gamble than I should have and only applied to Northwestern University as my only out of state choice...I ended up getting wait-listed there. The next 4 emails were all denial letters. I then got a call for interview and nailed the interview at Andrews University. I was fortunately accepted. However, its a private school that is 3 hours away from my family and 4 hours from my friends. Still quite a hike with almost double the tuition. I had one school left to hear from...which was my top choice and is very close to home which was UM - Flint. And then I got the phone call that I was accepted...My gf has been extremely supportive of me and she has had to commute long distances in the past for her job. Now, she finally got a job in Lansing close to home. Flint is still an hour from Lansing. I know its not exactly recommended but we had some give and take in our relationship and decided to live in a central location right between Lansing and Flint. I figured a half hour drive shouldn't be TOO horrible even though its not recommended...lol (We also got lucky and my gf got a second job as the apartment manager which will slash our living costs in half...we just happened to look at these apartments the day after the manager retired...lol) Sometimes, we do have to make sacrifices. PT school is important, but having the love of my life is just as important to me too (sorry to sound sappy here! haha). She was ready to quit her job and leave her friends behind though when I got accepted to Andrews. UM - Flint thankfully saved her from having to do that...So in my situation, I rolled the dice a bit and got lucky..But the point of this novel that I am writing here is to tell you that it IS possible no matter what your situation may be and don't forget about that other 40%! It DOES make a difference! 😀

 

[itsideal]

Thank you so much for your response schnell! I honestly appreciate that you took the time to share your story. It's mightily encouraging and also reminds me of the other aspects aside from GPA that can give me leverage. The part of you receiving the call to UM Flint is pretty awesome lol. That is one of those things that you really gotta be thankful for.... I'm glad it worked out with your GF and it's not sappy lol, Support from a relationship can be a vital anchor in life. I'm glad everything aside from GPA that you did, was worth it. You're right, I'll keep pushing my way with good grades & volunteer work. Thanks again man! And I pray I have the same fate in this circumstance! 🙂

It's always interesting to hear about the life decisions someone has to make in this process. Especially when it's so similar to yours!

 

[cashew2013]

I know exactly what you are going through with all the worries and stress about not knowing where you are going to end up. I felt that for a year before I applied and to be honest it gets even more stressful once you have applied. Since I submitted my application in August I started stressing. I wished I could have found a way to come to terms with the stress but sadly I did not. I just took it one day at a time and kept trying to convince myself it will all work out.

I applied to 10 schools and only two of them were in state (although one is private, new, pretty expensive and I wasn't super impressed with their program) and I wanted so badly to get into the cheaper of the instate schools. I only applied to out of state schools that were still somewhat close to home because I knew I didn't want to be too far away from family, friends, and my boyfriend. That helped a lot with the stress of possibly moving away. Although I was scared to go to the out of state schools I knew that I was dedicated to it so I was willing to have to move if I had to. But the stress never went away. Eventually the stress got to me and I had a complete breakdown when I found out that I got rejected from the instate school I wanted to go to. . . I was down on myself for days and even considered taking a year off and then reapplying to that school. But I realized that there could be a chance that I didn't make it in next year either and I was lucky enough to be accepted into quite a few other schools and waitlisted at some, so I knew that I had to make my decision and start school this year. To be honest there are days when I still think that I may have made the wrong decision. Although I did get into the expensive instate school very close to where my boyfriend of two years and my family lives. I chose to turn it down and go to a school 5 hours away. . . After talking to my boyfriend and family, we all decided that I needed to go to the school that was the best fit for me and gave me the most potential for my career, not to mention save me over 30,000 in loans. I am not going to lie and say that is something that is easy to deal with. And it is still not easy 3 weeks later, but I just have to keep reminding myself of how much I want to be a PT and how it is only 3 years, and at my school the last year is clinicals so I am going to try to arrange those close to home. Although it is stressful just keep telling yourself that everything will work out. It may not be the perfect situation but you have to make it work. I start school in June and am scared to death about leaving everyone that I truly care about to move from a small town to a very large city in a completely different state. I guess is what I am saying is that there is not really a way to completely get over the stress of not knowing where you are going to end up. It is something that comes along with it all, you just take it one day at a time and find the best way to deal with whatever happens. Talk about it with the people that you care about, most likely they are going to be supportive and that makes it so much easier to deal with. I know my family and my boyfriend are very supportive of my decision. My boyfriend and I have already talked about me moving and we are going to do what ever it takes to make it work. We know it will be hard but it will all be worth it in the end. If you really want to do this, when the time comes you will face it head on and do whatever it takes. I know the stress is bad but don't worry it will all work out somehow! Sorry that it is kind of long and I don't know if that is the kind of response that you are looking for or if it even helped any, but I figured it was worth a shot.

 

[itsideal]

No Cashew, your response Is valuable as well. Thank you. That of course maybe something that I go through, verbatim. Who knows? I'm glad you have a positive mindset now tho. And it is true, support is awesome. I hope it all works out! Debt is a huge factor. I feel like we all tend to look past it and disregard it, but it really comes crashing down on you eventually. 30 grand less is worth it.

 

[469738]

Another perspective on this situation. I am not to the point of applying to PT school yet (next year), but as a non-traditional student I have dealt with this uncertainty before when searching for new jobs all over the country. It is very hard not to feel like you have control over where you will be for schooling or for a job. The control you had was where you applied. but who offers you admission is not up to you. It is an uneasy feeling, but the best thing I do to deal with the uncertainty, is take a few minutse to think about "what if" I end here or there. And plan out what you can. It helped me to "know" what I would do in each scenerio. Then you have to just sit back and wait.

You will likely face this scenerio more than once in your life, if you find a partner with a career that might require you to relocate. It is very difficult to manage two careers, but it is very common these days. Keep yourself busy doing other things. At least with PT school, you know you will get an answer if you are admitted or not.

 

[Litlwarrior08]

I applied to in state and 8 others in surrounding states, some I was more willing to attend than others. Accepted out of state, more bucks, ...4-5 hrs from home... but adjusting very well to the town, school and program. I get home during the long breaks if we get a week or more and catch up with friends and family. It is a growing / leaning experience for me since I was at home for undergrad. I do still have a lot of support from home if needed.............but I also have a lot of support from my classmates. Thanks Guys.
But yes it is a crap shot unless you have multiple offers. I was glad to have the offer I did.
Not having a significant other makes things easier.
Recommend you apply to more than just your in state schools the first time around........there are people on this forum that have applied to their instate school 2 or 3 yrs in a row waitlisted some years/ nothing other years...........For me I wanted to get started w/ PT right away and didn't want to wait another year to try for instate. The field is very competitive.
You will have to weigh all your personal options / feelings including $$$$ and program fit, then make a decision.
Oh ...and it is the waiting that is the hardest. The hard work starts once you"re in...and a whole different kind of stress...........a purposeful stress!