Thoughts on taking Leave of Absence (LOA)?

[hermionegranger9]

So I am currently in my first semester (summer) of PT school (during a pandemic) which I am not sure was such a good idea given it's all online. I have been struggling in my anatomy classes due to multiple reasons (connectivity/ wifi issues during zoom calls, a disconnect with the topics, feeling isolated due to lack of contact with professors and peers, etc). I did alright in gross but got a C in the Physical Therapy exam class. I just did not feel motivated any more to study and did not find anything interesting. It may be due to there being absolutely no real-life way for me to practice on someone (I live alone) or connect with my prof/ peers for help, but I also fear it may just be that physical therapy isn't for me.

I don't really have any friends in my program yet and feel pretty alone in this struggle. Therefore, I have absolutely no idea if anyone else in my class feels the same/similar.

For those reasons (and maybe more), I am considering taking a LOA and returning next year. I hope that I can use the year to gather my thoughts, relearn the material and the spots were I struggled the most in, and just focus on my mental health. Also, the whole COVID situation is really concerning me as my school will be going back to in-person learning this fall but I have lung problems, so I am scared something would happen.

I have looked for threads on here of LOA for physical therapy and couldn't find any. Does anyone have any experience with them? If so, here are my questions:

1-How did it affect what you had learned previously? (did you forget things, was it harder to adjust when you went back)
2-Since I would be going back and joining another group of students, was it weird for you to talk to them/ make friends since they had already known each other from the summer semester?
3-Did you feel in any way behind on anything?
4-How did scholarships/ financial aid change for you (if you received any prior?
5-Is this looked down upon by professors/ peers? Will I be judged for taking a year off?

Highkey I feel like a loser but hoping this is the best choice I can make. If I could go back, I think I would have postponed to starting next year from the beginning instead of beginning this in the middle of a pandemic but I don't have a time machine so

Thank you! Anything helps 🙂

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[ya1]

I did not take a LOA myself, but had several classmates who did or who ended up in my cohort after their LOA.

2-Since I would be going back and joining another group of students, was it weird for you to talk to them/ make friends since they had already known each other from the summer semester?
No. People are friendly and you quickly become a part of the group. Labs are a huge help since you must work with each other, do hands-on practice, etc.

3-Did you feel in any way behind on anything?
It didn't look like those people were behind. They knew more thing in one area and less things in other area - just like all of us.

4-How did scholarships/ financial aid change for you (if you received any prior?
I believe your tuition may increase because schools usually increase tuition every year. So it will be adjusted to the tuition of the cohort you are going to continue with.

5-Is this looked down upon by professors/ peers? Will I be judged for taking a year off?
NO!!! Why would they??? There are plenty of circumstances why people take time off.

There is no reason for you to feel like a looser. You did not sign up for the type of learning you ended up with. It does sound like a good idea for you to take time off, put yourself together, take care of your health, and come back when you are ready.

 

[chdom02]

A friend of mine in another program took a leave of absence for mental health reasons as well, she came back stronger than ever, and our professors said most students who take a leave of absence come back stronger students. I know she did review some material a few months leading up to her return, which she said helped.

Don't feel like a loser, I can't imagine beginning PT school during all of this through online learning. I'm sure 99% of your class feels the same way, you should be proud of yourself for completing a semester during a pandemic though

 

[ashbot]

I considered taking LOA this past summer bc of pandemic online learning. What a miserable way to enter PT school! So isolating. In Fall, we have 2 labs in person with many distancing procedures in place and the rest online. I'm still struggling with feeling separate from my classmates and unmotivated by the online material. This is not ideal by far.

If you were to take an LOA, it would be understandable. Heck, it's understandable under normal circumstances. If not for the the immediate loan repayment of what I've taken out already and unemployment being so high, I would have taken an LOA.

 

[throwaway19]

Person who took a LOA after first semester of PT school checking in:
1- It didn't for me. I feel as though when I study, I genuinely learn things (not memorize) so it all came back fairly easy. In fact, one of my exams, after I came back, had 3 questions from an older class (so one I had taken over a year ago) and I got them all correct! Personally, I didn't think it was harder to adjust...I actually kind of missed studying haha
2- A little, but not really. I actually like my new class 100000% better than my old class.
3- Nope.
4- Left off where I started; however, I was lucky enough to pay back all my loans on my year off and have a fresh start upon returning.
5- I don't think so, and if it is, then that's on them. I still have one of the highest GPAs in the class and perform well above average on most things. You might be judged for taking a year off, but that's on the person not you. It actually worked out better for me since now me and my SO will graduate the same year!
Feel free to PM for any questions/concerns you have!