Senior in high school looking for some advice

[Dinger]

Hello,

This is my first time on the forums and I was wondering if there is anything I should set my mind for before and during college. So far, I like physiology and anatomy; however, I don't know what I should major for physical therapy. I am also curious if I should start shadowing a physical therapist to get some experience. Any advice is appreciated .

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[MisplacedLondoner]

You can major in whatever you want! That's the great thing about a lot of professional programs- as long as you have the right pre-requisite courses, schools don't care what your major is. You'll find a lot of Pre-PT students major in Exercise and sports science, or some variation in that, because it tends to be the major with the most relevance to PT, but totally up to you. That was my major and A&P were by far my favorite courses in college. You could also consider biology if you like A&P. Whatever you choose, just make sure you'll have time to finish your major AND all the pre-reqs, which can be challenging if you choose a non-science major. Take some time to look through the program requirements on PTCAS.org and see what kind of classes grad schools are looking for. Normally it's some combination of a year of A&P, year of Bio, year of chem, year of physics, up to a year of psych, semester of stat, and then some english, some math and so on.

As for shadowing- definitely go for it to see if PT is the career for you, but be aware that I'm 90% sure anything done in high school CAN'T be listed on your graduate school application, so don't go crazy with your hours, only to discover you can't list them. That being said, it'll still be a valuable experience to help you decide if you're on the right path

Good for you though, planning ahead! If I'd known I was going to apply to PT school when I was still in high school I would've done my first year of college verryyyy differently. Good luck in your senior year!

 

[georgia2009]

Hello,

This is my first time on the forums and I was wondering if there is anything I should set my mind for before and during college. So far, I like physiology and anatomy; however, I don't know what I should major for physical therapy. I am also curious if I should start shadowing a physical therapist to get some experience. Any advice is appreciated .

I would recommend that you major in kinesiology, exercise or sports science, or something similar to make sure you will have the necessary pre-reqs without having to take the extra time to do so and because these majors are most relevent to PT. One thing I wish I had known about college and choosing a career is school after the undergraduate degree. I can admit that you're already a step ahead of most, with inquiring about what things you should do in undergrad to prepare for graduate school. Make sure you maximize your potential in ALL of your classes, and not just pre-reqs. This would prevent you from having to retake classes for higher grades and GPA.

I would definitely recommend that you shadow a physical therapy first to make sure that it's something you could see yourself doing. While I'm not sure that these hours would count on the applications, it will be a great opportunity to gain experience. Wait a little later into undergraduate and thoroughly prepare and study for the GRE. Build relationships with your professors and try networking as well. Be involved on campus don't be afraid to stand out! I think you're aleady starting off in the right direction... GOOD LUCK!

 

[DesertPT]

Many people on the forum , including myself, will recommend that you not major in kinesiology or exercise science. These degrees are unfortunately worth almost nothing if PT school doesn't work out or you have to take a break from school and look for a job. Biology degrees are a little better in that department but still not great. However I personally believe biology degrees prepare you better for graduate level study as the classes tend to be tougher than kinesio or ex sci degrees. That's just one person's opinion with not a lot of evidence to back it up though. I did have a PT school faculty tell me the other day that the some of the students who have struggled and even failed first semester kinesiology in PT school have been kinesio majors in undergrad. Just because kinesio or ex sci major sound more "relevant" to PT than other degrees (which is a questionable assumption) don't think they will "get you ahead" in PT school.

In the end though what you major in will not affect your PT school admissions. Good grades are what counts, not the degree you get them in.

Search the forums for threads about your questions, there have been literally hundreds of them. All the information you need is out there. And like someone else said, don't kill yourself with shadowing and extracurriculars while you're still in high school because you won't be able to list them anyway.

 

[Prophecy60]

Hello,

This is my first time on the forums and I was wondering if there is anything I should set my mind for before and during college. So far, I like physiology and anatomy; however, I don't know what I should major for physical therapy. I am also curious if I should start shadowing a physical therapist to get some experience. Any advice is appreciated .

Hey, I'm currently a first year PT student at USF and I would say try to challenge yourself as much as you can in undergrad to prepare yourself. My major back in undergrad was Kinesiology while taking pre-med classes. Looking back now, I wished I would have taken neuroscience and as much anatomy based classes as possible. So far neuroscience has been a very challenging course and I know many of my classmates are struggling in it. It wouldn't hurt to get familiar with those courses and get a head start to know your anatomy. From now on when you enter PT school, you will need to retain the information you learn and not just to memorize it and forget after a test. It really doesn't matter what major you decide but it would be nice to take supplemental challenging classes that would make PT school easier. While in school you should try to immerse yourself as much as possible in various activities to increase your chances of acceptance. Try to get as many hours shadowing, volunteering, or working for PTs since many schools require a certain amount and in the end you can get build a good relationship with a PT and ask for a recommendation letter. Try to also do some research while your in school, whether helping a professor or starting your own because it would definitely make you stand out. Join various organizations and clubs and take leadership positions to become active and maybe study abroad. Basically, anything that would make you diverse and add experience would help along with maintaining your GPA. I apologize for the length but I hope this helps. If you have any questions, you can pm me.