What can I do to explain a year-long break from studies

[Myze]

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I'm thinking of taking a year or two off after I finish up my prerequisites and get my college degree. Problem is, I'll be 24 when that happens (In Spring 2013), and by the time I come back in Fall 2014, I'll be 25.

I know that the average age of applicants in PT school is around 26, but I'm still worried that the longer I wait, the harder it'll get for me to get in. Like medical school, getting into a PT program is becoming more and more competitive, and I'm worried that my 3.5 just won't cut it by then anymore. (planning to apply to CSUN, SFSU, CSUF, and SDSU when it's program comes back up)

And then there's the issue of what I'll be doing during that year. I know it'll sound lame, but I'd love to just to get myself lost: go out, travel, or perhaps teach English in Asia. I'm not even sure, I just don't really want to end up finishing grad school and thinking to myself "Oh dear, I have a full time job, I can't take 3 months off to have fun while I'm still in my 20s".

Do you think they'll look down on that lack of PT-based activity? Is there something I could do while I'm traveling or working in a foreign country that could strengthen my application? Should I even do it?

Thanks so much 🙂

 

[TheOx777]

If you already have a 3.5 and excel in your remainder pre-req courses you may be looking at an even higher GPA. This can only serve your case as a strong/competitive student. BTW, a 3.5 is nothing to sneeze at either. I do not, at all, foresee it being a problem for you to take a year or two off to do other things before applying to school. In fact, it may serve as the springboard for more success in PT school and other endeavors.

I finished undergrad(at 21) and took a couple of years off before going back to school(M.S. in Exercise/Health Science)(age 23) then I applied to DPT programs when I was 25. I will be 26 when my program starts this fall. I had a number of life experience, work experience, and extracurricular activities to speak of on my PTCAS application. I would recommend getting some observation/shadowing hours in while you are deciding to apply to PT school in the future.

 

[Yohan]

PT schools understand that people have lives outside of PT and also incourage you to have a well balanced life because they don't want you to burn out. As long as your not just sitting on the couch in front of the TV for a year, taking time off should not hurt you. If anything it could/will help you. For instance, going to Asia to teach english would be extremely helpful on your application for many reasons. I know a lot of the schools I applied to focused heavily on abilities such as: leadership, working with a diverse population/cultures other than yours, and teaching. If you decide not to go to Asia or travel than I would recomend volunteering in your community and of course getting more shadowing hours if need be. Life experiences (other than school or PT) are of great value to your application.

btw... don't focus on age too much. I'll be 33 when I start in the fall and I know of more than a few other on this site that are in their 30's and 40's.

 

[noyceguy]

You don't have to explain yourself to anyone. Live your life, and when you are ready, apply.

 

[o2bapt]

Not counting taking some prereqs at the comminunity college, I will have been out of school for appx a decade if I get accepted my target year.... so yea take a year and enjoy yourself. haha

 

[CJonesrun]

No worries...I took ten years between my BA and Masters...another 5 years to do my DPT...and remember, it's against the law to discriminate against age. It's not like at 26 you have one foot in the grave! Most schools recognize that "older" students are more likely to succeed, to mentor their younger classmates and to put in the time, attention and effort that is required for the program. Go, travel, work, have fun!

 

[DancerFutureDPT]

Not counting taking some prereqs at the comminunity college, I will have been out of school for appx a decade if I get accepted my target year.... so yea take a year and enjoy yourself. haha

you said you're taking prereqs, so that's good, but for anyone else reading this who hasn't yet applied and hasn't taken class in awhile, be aware that most schools won't accept prereqs older than 5 years...so if you have a 4.0 from your undergrad bio major, but have been working for 5 or more years, you'll most likely have to retake most, if not all, of the prereqs to apply to school. But, that varies by school.

But I agree...one year out of school doing something else is fine. There's a girl in my PT class who took a year off to go coach lacrosse at a college in London, England...when else in your life can you do something like that? I don't think any PT school will hold that against you. Just be careful not to get out of the education mindset too much, because a lot of times people don't end up going back to school even if they intended to.