Traditional route vs 6 year programs, bio major vs exercise science major

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So I was talking to my physical therapist today, and I hope I can get more opinions from you guys here.

So I asked him about going the traditional route (4 yrs undergrad + 3 yrs PT school) vs going into 5 year or 6 year programs and he recommended me going the traditional route, since it isn't info all jammed packed in, and it allows the student to have time to grow in the 4 years of college. Also he said that the 6 year programs are usually lower ranked schools. Attending a higher ranked school does matter, since students will learn more at the higher ranked school (for example, rank 3 vs rank 37, not like rank 3 vs rank 5). Any opinions?

Also this is just a question of mine, I do not want to major in bio since I'm not interested in plants, ecology, etc. Basically I am interested in exercise science and kinesiology. Since I live in CA, I think financially it makes the most sense to attend a UC, but they do not offer exercise science or kinesiology as a major; closest thing is UC Davis with exericse biology, but seems like it's just biology with more of a focus on exercise stuff. I also want to go to a big school (parents want me to stay in CA), so USC came into mind, with it's kinesiology major. But is it worth it to go more into debt for a major that I want, rather than going to a cheaper school and kind of suffering through some courses in my major? Also where would it be easier to get high grades, a UC like Davis or San Diego, or a private like USC?

And kind of random, but how much of a time commitment is an AT major and how much help would it be to one who hopes to pursue the orthopedics side of PT, hopefully with a focus (or at least several cases) or sports medicine?

 

[atstudent]

And kind of random, but how much of a time commitment is an AT major and how much help would it be to one who hopes to pursue the orthopedics side of PT, hopefully with a focus (or at least several cases) or sports medicine?

Athletic Training Students spend A LOT of time outside of the classroom. Most programs require 15-20 hours per week in a clinical setting (with a sports team normally). You are at many practices and games and may even be expected to travel.

That said, I absolutely love athletic training. I have no intention of going to PT school, PA school, etc.

Athletic Training is an excellent option for a pre-PT student. It's hard work with the exercise physiology, evaluation classes, kinesiology, modalities, etc. I would imagine you'd get a great head start on PT school by doing athletic training.

 

[Marcus Brody]

I was in a similar situation deciding between AT and ES my first year of college, while knowing I was ultimately headed to med school. And I have to say the two majors are very different. AT is more vocational- after about 2 semesters of hard sciences you will start learning to tape ankles and bandage blisters. It took only a couple weeks of hauling around the water cooler at 6 AM football practices and saran-wrapping icepacks to peoples' shins to realize there were better ways to spend my time in undergrad. So I switched to exercise science, which as one might expect put greater emphasis on science, and was more generalized than AT. Because of that I see ES as a good platform for going on to different things. People I graduated with went to grad school for medicine, nursing, and PT, while others stayed with ES and became strength coaches, personal trainers, etc. The ATs by contrast pretty much all stayed in the AT field.

 

[kcgregor]

If you're interested in sports rehab then I would go with the AT degree. If not, go with the exercise science degree. Also, I wouldn't look around for the easiest program. Try and find somewhere with a reasonably difficult program. UC Davis has a very good exercise science program that will prepare you better for PT school (from what I've heard). Don't forget about the CSUs either!!! At CSULB, you can take the first year's classes while you're an undergrad and then start PT school in the 2nd year. Even if you choose not to go to PT school there, by taking some of the PT classes it shows that you have a good understanding of what you're getting yourself. Also, if you do well (because most of those classes are not easy), it will show to the admissions committees that you are very committed and have the capability to do well in a PT program. I have a friend who just got accepted to USC's PT program after taking a lot of the PT classes at CSULB.