Taking Physics and Anatomy Senior Year?

[Questionablem]

Advertisement - Members don't see this ad

Hi everyone! So I'm going to be going into my junior year this coming fall. I've been back and forth about whether I want to pursue physical therapy but am seriously considering it. For dpt prereqs, I only still need to take physics and anatomy and so was planning on definitely trying to take one of them this coming year. Right now, I'm registered to take Physics and Organic chem for this semester but I'm seriously worried about my course load as both classes are known to be hard and are especially known to be difficult at my school. Trying to fit in physics and Orgo along with my other classes has proved challenging too. In order to even fit both in, I have to take the Orgo teacher that everyone says doesn't know how to teach and with who I apparently won't learn anything with. I also can't get into anatomy because the sections are full.

I was just wondering if anyone waited until their senior year to take both semesters of physics and anatomy? I've seen some schools say that they allow for two prereqs in progress by the spring of senior year, while others say that there should be no more than two in progress at the time the application is due. I feel like physics/anatomy are both the two most important classes to take and so am worried that I would be putting myself at a disadvantaged when it comes to getting in.

Also, I should say that I have been contemplating just taking Orgo my senior year (it's required for my major which is why I need to take it), but one of the other career paths I'm considering is going into genetics/pharmacology research, and so I kind of wanted to give myself the option of taking upper level chem classes, which I need Orgo as a prereq for.

Can anyone shed some light on the best course of action for me? I am volunteering at a PT place and I do like it so far, but I really like research too. I guess I'm just trying to figure out the best course of action for me so I can give myself an equal shot at pursuing either path once I hopefully decide what I want to do (which I will hopefully have decided by next year!)

Thanks for any insight!

 

[Tyguy1]

As with any applicant, it is best to have all your pre-reqs completed the fall prior to matriculation. Due to the academic update conducted by PTCAS, most schools take that GPA into consideration. However, that doesn't mean you can’t have pre-reqs in progress. You should definitely focus on completing physics and anatomy over organic chemistry. The fact that you are taking o-chem implies to me that you're not a health science major, for the pre-req is simply 1 year of general chemistry. I would hold off on the o-chem till the spring and stack physics with anatomy for fall. This would give you the best shot in terms of application strength.

 

[starrsgirl]

Agree, take anatomy and physics first. Consider using summer semesters too to get those pre reqs in.

 

[Questionablem]

The only thing is Organic Chem I is only offered in the fall at my school but I guess I'll contemplate just taking it my senior year. Also, I guess I'm confused about when I would even have to apply to programs. Do most people apply fall of their senior year, or should I apply in the summer before starting Senior year? Would a gap year be a bad idea?

 

[starrsgirl]

Most people (well, traditional route) will apply starting in the summer before their senior year. PTCAS opens in July so many people get their applications sent in July and August. Once you send your applications, that is all the info the schools have about you until December when you are allowed to update your application. So, if you had been planning to take a lot of pre-reqs your senior year, many schools will never "see" those pre reqs and they would go down as "incomplete" when your application is processed. Again, depends on the school and admissions dates and pre reqs.

Some people take a gap year but honestly, I would only recommend it if you can't get into school straight out of undergrad. Why not just go straight through in school if you can? It's generally cheaper and you can start working sooner. If you have to take a gap year, then you have to do it....it's not uncommon.

 

[ashnicolee43]

I was a biological sciences major on the medical track and organic chem was required at my undergrad program.

I would go ahead and take anatomy and physics as soon as you can get into them.
I took 2 semesters of inorganic, 1 semester of orgo, and 1 semester of bio-chem back to back just to get my chemistry out of the way. I took one semester of anatomy along with bio-chem, and then took a year of a cadaver anatomy course along with some physiology courses. I took physics as my very last summer class.
With that being said, I did not start my application process until the summer I graduated. That allowed for me to have almost a year off of school to save money and just work. If you want to apply while in school then you should take your pre-reqs first and worry about the other classes later.

 

[Questionablem]

Thanks everyone so much for the advice! I just have one more question (for now hehe)...So another option I've been considering is taking Orgo and Physis this semester but skipping Physics 1 lab for the summer because my real difficulty is trying to fit in the lab. Would DPT programs look down on this? Would I be okay to take Physics 2 lab before physics 1 lab?

 

[starrsgirl]

You will need to check with the school on that one. Some schools require the lab 1 to be finished before lab 2. Others don't. I would say having the labs completed at time of application isn't as big of a deal as the classes (as long as you have, say, 1 to go and it's listed as "in progress"). But some schools also require the course and lab to be taken at the same time. I've seen it both ways.

It sounds like you are still leaning towards taking Orgo this semester despite all the advice above... If you do Orgo this semester, can you still fit in A&P BEFORE application time?

 

[Questionablem]

There's no way I can take anatomy this semester, so my only option would be to take in Senior year. If I took Orgo and Physics this semester, then anatomy would be my only pre req not finished at the time of the application. I've seen that most school say that 2 is the max outstanding allowed

 

[starrsgirl]

Yes, you can have outstanding pre reqs but anatomy is a crucial course for many schools. I personally feel it's risky to apply without it. It leaves a big unknown factor about you. It's a huge piece of 1st year pt school. If you were just missing A&P II and had finished the first semester, not a big deal. But applying without it at all is glaring in my opinion. (Also just to clarify, do you understand that Physics I is one pre req, physics II would be a second pre req. From your original post I can't tell if you need both physics and both anatomies... which would be 4 outstanding pre reqs. Does that make sense?).

 

[Questionablem]

Yeah I still need to take two semesters each of Physics and Anatomy. I thoguht maybe it would be ok if I took physics this year and then start anatomy my senior year, because by the time of the app they would be seeing my grade for Anatomy 1 pretty soon. Do you think that's a problem?

 

[starrsgirl]

Yes, it's a problem. The schools won't "wait" to see your anatomy grade if they have a fall deadline. Many schools make interview decisions before December. If you are applying to a school that doesn't send interview decisions until Feb or later, great. But otherwise it will just be marked as not finished. Anatomy is an important pre req for most schools. I strongly recommend completing at least one semester by the time of your application. Remember you don't have to take it at your school. I did one course at a community college on the weekends and another as a shortened summer course. Look for other options.

 

[Questionablem]

Okay thank you! Maybe I'll think about taking it int he summer! Thanks again!