What is a a PT Student's Week Like?

[1027453812]

Hey DPT students!!

I am looking forward to starting PT school in the summer, and I wanted to ask some of you as to how your 'typical week' is typically run.

I know this is a generic question and everyone has their own time management skills and tricks, but I just wanted to know a general breakdown of how your week and/or day goes.

How much time do you find yourself studying?
Do you find yourself devoting much more time to school as an exam approaches?
How much sleep do you typically get? (I tend to not function very well with <6 hours of sleep so this is important to me lol)
How much free time do you allot out of your week to relax, socialize, exercise, etc.?
As soon as your done with classes for the day, do you find yourself immediately following up with lecture material and studying?
Are clinicals any different?

I anticipate that being a PT student will require an immense amount of studying considering that all schools suggest that students do not take up a job, even a part-time job.

I would love to hear from your experiences, being a first-generation graduate student I am all ears 🙂

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[noyceguy]

Hey DPT students!!

I am looking forward to starting PT school in the summer, and I wanted to ask some of you as to how your 'typical week' is typically run.

I know this is a generic question and everyone has their own time management skills and tricks, but I just wanted to know a general breakdown of how your week and/or day goes.

How much time do you find yourself studying?
Do you find yourself devoting much more time to school as an exam approaches?
How much sleep do you typically get? (I tend to not function very well with <6 hours of sleep so this is important to me lol)
How much free time do you allot out of your week to relax, socialize, exercise, etc.?
As soon as your done with classes for the day, do you find yourself immediately following up with lecture material and studying?
Are clinicals any different?

I anticipate that being a PT student will require an immense amount of studying considering that all schools suggest that students do not take up a job, even a part-time job.

I would love to hear from your experiences, being a first-generation graduate student I am all ears 🙂

Class from 9-4, go home and eat and workout/walk the dog/waste time until 7:30, then study until 9 or so. Eat dinner and relax until 11. Rinse and repeat. I usually take Saturday off and study a bit on Sunday. Friday is usually a half day.

 

[jdaniels360]

Noyceguy, that really doesn't sound too bad! Anyone else want to chime in?

 

[SeaPT]

This is a great thread (especially since I'm hoping to start next summer/fall) hope to see more experiences!

 

[bnwj89]

Hey DPT students!!

I am looking forward to starting PT school in the summer, and I wanted to ask some of you as to how your 'typical week' is typically run.

I know this is a generic question and everyone has their own time management skills and tricks, but I just wanted to know a general breakdown of how your week and/or day goes.

How much time do you find yourself studying?
Do you find yourself devoting much more time to school as an exam approaches?
How much sleep do you typically get? (I tend to not function very well with <6 hours of sleep so this is important to me lol)
How much free time do you allot out of your week to relax, socialize, exercise, etc.?
As soon as your done with classes for the day, do you find yourself immediately following up with lecture material and studying?
Are clinicals any different?

I anticipate that being a PT student will require an immense amount of studying considering that all schools suggest that students ~

Hey DPT students!!

I am looking forward to starting PT school in the summer, and I wanted to ask some of you as to how your 'typical week' is typically run.

I know this is a generic question and everyone has their own time management skills and tricks, but I just wanted to know a general breakdown of how your week and/or day goes.

How much time do you find yourself studying?
Do you find yourself devoting much more time to school as an exam approaches?
How much sleep do you typically get? (I tend to not function very well with <6 hours of sleep so this is important to me lol)
How much free time do you allot out of your week to relax, socialize, exercise, etc.?
As soon as your done with classes for the day, do you find yourself immediately following up with lecture material and studying?
Are clinicals any different?

I anticipate that being a PT student will require an immense amount of studying considering that all schools suggest that students do not take up a job, even a part-time job.

I would love to hear from your experiences, being a first-generation graduate student I am all ears 🙂

Monday- Class 8-12, 3-5. I spend the 12-3 break studying/practicing lab stuff
Tuesday- Class 8-12, then study/practice/palpate/finish lab assignments until 5 or 6
Wednesday-Class 8-3, Then study for a few more hours until about 6
Thursday- Class 8-10, then 1-3. I use the break to study
Friday- Class 8-10, but usually stay at school til about 12 working on assignments/studying, then go home and try to study for a couple more hours, finishing at 2 or 3.
Saturday- I usually study for about 4 hours on Saturday morning, then take the rest of the day off
Sunday- I study for about 3 or 4 hours in the evening

I have recently started exercising regularly, and I think it helps a lot with stress and stuff. Usually about 45 minutes/day (ususally from 6-7)

Definitely more studying as exams come up. I just had midterms for 2 weeks, and there was probably a total of 2 hours/day that I wasnt studying

All of this will vary a lot considering your studying style and how you learn. With the above schedule, I am generally an A student. I have classmates that tell me they rarely do any schoolwork on the weekends.

I am in my 2nd semester

 

[Berzerkernuts]

When I was in school I had class 3-6 hours a day Monday-Thursday. I usually took Friday and Saturday off from school work (unless I had an upcoming practical and needed to go in to school to practice, or had a bunch of imminent exams). When I stared school I studied all of the time and had no social life, but by the end of the second semester I realized that I could do just as well studying half as much. Throughout the rest of the academic portion of school I always felt that I had plenty of time to study, have fun, and get a good night's sleep. Of course there will be periods where you have a bunch of tests and practicals in the same week or several projects to complete, and you will have to devote most of your time to that stuff, but thats just the nature of grad school. When I was in clinic I worked 35-45 hours per week and had to spend some time at home researching diagnoses and treatments, but I loved the work so much that it didn't bother me.
Really time management depends on you and the program that you choose. Are you efficient when it comes to studying? Do you retain information well? How are your test taking skills? Are you able to manage stress? Are you looking at programs that require extra work such as getting your CSCS cert or have a community service requirement?
Don't immediately write off the possibility of having a part time job either. When I was in school I worked as a grad assistant in exchange for part of my tuition. Several of my classmates worked as trainers, caregivers, PT aides, etc. and had no problem. Again, its a personal call based on your time management skills and study needs, but PT school is expensive, so anything that you can do to incur less debt will make your future self happy.

 

[amaliahirsch]

I'm in the first semester of my first year. I commute an hour to school each way and classes start 8am so I'm up super early. Class Monday/Wednesday 8-12pm Tuesday/Thursday 8-12pm 1-4pm. Go to bed by 11pm latest. I study ALOT when I get home but as long as you stay organized and plan everything out you should be able to find time to relax. Takes time to adjust…first month of school I felt like I never saw the light of day and I also developed serious back pain from all the sitting (driving, sitting in class, studying). Don't forget that your physical health is just as important. I also hear some programs spend more time in class than others, so I guess it depends!

 

[blewis15]

Each week and each term is different. My first term I had a lot of free time. I still studied more than I did during undergrad, but it was relatively easy and not as time consuming. I'm in my third term, and these past two terms have been more intense. Staying on campus for 10-14 hours was not uncommon during busy weeks/months. Granted, not all those hours were spent studying or in class(eating/working out/chatting between classes). To the outsider, yes it is very intense and we are crazy and have no life sometimes. But on the inside it's just what we do. When you become a PT student, the transformation takes place at some point, and it just becomes your lifestyle. The good thing about it is that you have a cohort that goes though the process with you. These are the people that you can lean on when times get hectic because they are going through the same things and they know exactly how frustrated/stressed you are.

In summary: The weeks at the beginning of the term and a few sprinkled randomly in the middle of the term = go home after classes, maybe do an assignment or two, relaxing, procrastinating any studying until getting a week or two within the next test. The rest of the weeks when tests are spread out only a couple days apart = get to campus at 8 or 9, sit through class, study during breaks, eat lunch, class, study, dinner, practice manual skills, work on assignment/project, workout, leave campus at 10pm, get home, shower, eat, gather supplies for the next day, wind down, bed by 12 or 1?

You'll make it work. Everyone is different. I thoroughly enjoy my life and PT school.

 

[1027453812]

Thanks for the feedback all. It seems that it can be manageable but such a schedule is prone to procrastination (As with everything else in life). It seems that it should be doable considering currently I am in my last semester of my undergrad and I am on campus for roughly 6-10 hours per day mon-fri.

My second question is about housing. In anticipation of looking for a place to stay, do you feel that it would be a huge benefit to room with classmates? I ask this because I am currently deciding between moving in with a group of friends who are attending UNLV (non-PT students) versus asking people sometime later in the year if they wish to grab a place together. Based on your experiences, do you think that students are willing to study and collaborate together in spite of the fact that they may not be living together?

 

[NewDPT31]

My second question is about housing. In anticipation of looking for a place to stay, do you feel that it would be a huge benefit to room with classmates? I ask this because I am currently deciding between moving in with a group of friends who are attending UNLV (non-PT students) versus asking people sometime later in the year if they wish to grab a place together. Based on your experiences, do you think that students are willing to study and collaborate together in spite of the fact that they may not be living together?

Personally I thought it was very beneficial to live with classmates. You feel more accountable. Like if my roommate went studying for the test friday, and I was eating cheetos on the couch...it made me think...you need to study sir. Also we split books(aka i didn't buy books but on the RARE chance I needed to see something from it, there was always a copy there. Same works for note-taking. But I also had classmates that lived with their spouses or other friends, and they did just fine too.

 

[1027453812]

Personally I thought it was very beneficial to live with classmates. You feel more accountable. Like if my roommate went studying for the test friday, and I was eating cheetos on the couch...it made me think...you need to study sir. Also we split books(aka i didn't buy books but on the RARE chance I needed to see something from it, there was always a copy there. Same works for note-taking. But I also had classmates that lived with their spouses or other friends, and they did just fine too.

Thanks for the feedback!

If I were to hypothethically live with non-DPT students, do you feel that DPT students are willing to visit houses, coffee shops, spend time on campus, etc. in order to study for exams and practicals?

 

[skitd103]

A lot of us go to our campus library or to our lab room to study. Sometimes classmates will go to each others' houses. It all depends on where you live. Students that make a 30 minute commute to class everyday probably won't hit up the campus library to study unless there is an open lab to review lab material.

 

[1027453812]

Awesome. From what I have been hearing from other friends who are 1st year DPT students that the cohort is just one happy family 😀 and are willing to help each other out

 

[NewTestament]

Most people get along well. I haven't experienced any rancor between any of my classmates. There are minor disagreements here and there, but school isn't a soap opera either and there's not a lot of drama.

When you start you'll soon find people who you can study with. You'll spend most of your time with a few classmates. It's impossible to study and to get to know everyone on a personal basis. You'll know everyone's name, where they live, and where they're from.

Students often do activities together and become best friends. It's hard not to become friends, or at least good acquaintances, when you're together so much and you're studying the same thing. It's similar to the camaraderie troops experience in combat.

As for my daily schedule, I'm usually doing some sort of school work between 7am-5pm Mon-Fri, either at home or at school, but that's just me. I also try to study 5-6 hours both on Saturday and on Sunday. I have no other obligations so why not? I try to make it seem like a full-time job as much as possible. You're going to be in the clinic 8-9 hours a day when you're a PT, so you might as well get used to it.

I have a 15-min commute so I'm lucky. I recommend you minimize your commute. If you have a long commute, you can't go home to retrieve something, and you're less likely to stay after school to practice clinical skills.

Kevin

 

[markelmarcel]

My weeks varied with each semester just like everyone else. All my semesters but one we had Friday's off. (And the semester we had class on Friday I was in the early group and was done at 2:30). I would say I roughly had 25ish hours of class per week. As far as outside of classwork, I had PBL twice a week and spent a couple hours doing it for each meeting, so 4 hours extra... then, studying for tests I would try to start early and do a little at a time, but that usually didn't happen so about a week before I would start and study. Practicals and finals always took up more time, but I also had plenty of free time too.

I had to laugh at whoever said "school is not a soap opera" because my class definitely is! Lots of drama (people dating each other and breaking up... what a mess!) But, I had a very nice group of friends and you find who you study well with and who likes to study in the same manner. We used to stay after school or go to Panera or something.

I honestly don't think I could have lived with a classmate. Every time clinical experiences have come around I have been very happy to see the majority of my classmates go away for awhile. Don't get me wrong, we had a lot of fun together, but after awhile of seeing the same people day in/day out, you'll be ready for a break. I don't even think the majority of us said goodbye to each other before heading out for the last clinical. Haha!

 

[Berzerkernuts]

I agree with the previous post, living with classmates may be a bit much. Personally I didn't even consider it for a variety of reasons. I did have classmates who lived together and, of course, drama ensued. You are going to spend a LOT of time with your classmates in class, studying, practicing, working on projects, and going out to have fun so you may just want a break from them when you get home.

 

[SeaPT]

I just want to thank everyone for sharing, you have given us all some great advice and insight on what to expect! Hope to hear some good news soon and join in on the fun!

 

[jdaniels360]

Can any other PT's chime in here?

 

[1027453812]

Hey SDN!

Definitely a good idea to bump this thread.

From the feedback I have been hearing from 1st year DPT students they have been saying that an 8-5 schedule of Mon-Fri devoted to strictly PT school will suffice. Now of course all of us will probably need to devote much more time, but it is good to know that we can devote a fraction of our day for ourselves, family, and significant others. As for the weekend I did not ask that as I would assume that everyone uses their weekend differently.

Thank you all for your feedback!

 

[NewDPT31]

I just want to chime back in and say that the good thing about PT school(or most of them), is that you aren't cut throat like say, business school. If you are at business school, you need the BEST GRADES and THE HIGHEST yatta yatta because you will be competing for a limited amount of jobs when you graduate. PT school was more like we were a big team. Yes, of course you had the people who were going to work like crazy and getting straight A's was important to them(especially if they wanted a residency), but most people just want to survive and see their classmates survive, so no sabotaging(horror stories you hear about B school). There are plenty of PT jobs, and nobody cares A)where you went to school and B)what your grades were BECAUSE C)you are a respectable human being and D) you have a license.
also I lived 10 mins away from campus with 2 other PT students. I always studied at library because I can't deal with distractions at home.. But it was nice to have PT's with you if you freak out at midnight before a test. But certainly you can be successful living with other people. Just be careful about living with people who work at night(bartenders, waiters, etc)...Different lifestyles at this point in life. Now that I work I would live with one, but I don't have important tests all the time and my future no longer rides on testing. I just put on my pants and go to work now.Just a thought.

 

[jdaniels360]

Much appreciated!

 

[1027453812]

I just want to chime back in and say that the good thing about PT school(or most of them), is that you aren't cut throat like say, business school. If you are at business school, you need the BEST GRADES and THE HIGHEST yatta yatta because you will be competing for a limited amount of jobs when you graduate. PT school was more like we were a big team. Yes, of course you had the people who were going to work like crazy and getting straight A's was important to them(especially if they wanted a residency), but most people just want to survive and see their classmates survive, so no sabotaging(horror stories you hear about B school). There are plenty of PT jobs, and nobody cares A)where you went to school and B)what your grades were BECAUSE C)you are a respectable human being and D) you have a license.
also I lived 10 mins away from campus with 2 other PT students. I always studied at library because I can't deal with distractions at home.. But it was nice to have PT's with you if you freak out at midnight before a test. But certainly you can be successful living with other people. Just be careful about living with people who work at night(bartenders, waiters, etc)...Different lifestyles at this point in life. Now that I work I would live with one, but I don't have important tests all the time and my future no longer rides on testing. I just put on my pants and go to work now.Just a thought.

Hey NewDPT31,

I am very much so interested in residency, this may be a short digression to the forum topic but how do grades help students to be placed in residencies/fellowships?

 

[skitd103]

Hey NewDPT31,

I am very much so interested in residency, this may be a short digression to the forum topic but how do grades help students to be placed in residencies/fellowships?

NewDPT31 may know more than me, but I would just assume its because there are a very limited amount of residency spots so you will be applying and competing for them just like you did to get into PT school. Residencies are usually done right after you graduate from DPT school. Fellowships, from what I understand, are more for the PT that is already skilled (ie. has been working) but is looking to further specialize.

 

[okramango]

Can any other PT's chime in here?

I think a lot of us PT students are too busy to be able to post on this thread :LOL:
My program keeps us a bit busier than what other posters have described above. I'm in my first semester, and we have six courses. We're in class pretty much 8-4 Mon-Fri, with occasional afternoons off, or sometimes class at 10am instead of 8am. Studying happens in the evening, and for me it's usually 3-5 hours, depending on whether an exam is coming up. A lot of my classmates go to cadaver lab at school to study on Saturdays, too (I usually don't). On weekends, I'll study anywhere from 4-8 hours each day, again depending on whether an exam is coming up. There's a little time to have a life outside of school, but not a whole lot of it. That said, I'm noticing that I'm studying less than I did during the first 4-6 weeks of school and am still doing well, because I'm getting more used to the pace of things now. The beginning was definitely the hardest part.

 

[NewDPT31]

NewDPT31 may know more than me, but I would just assume its because there are a very limited amount of residency spots so you will be applying and competing for them just like you did to get into PT school. Residencies are usually done right after you graduate from DPT school. Fellowships, from what I understand, are more for the PT that is already skilled (ie. has been working) but is looking to further specialize.

Cosign. Fellowships are beyond residencies

 

[Pancakekid]

I am a brand new licensed PT, but I would still like to add. First year is definitely the most demanding as far as academics are concerned. Usually 8-3 or 4 Monday-Thursday and 8-10am on Friday. I usually did not attend fridays since it was cadaver lab and such. I would work instead. I was able to hold down a job and get plenty of exercise during PT school. I would work about 15-25 hours a week, much less when exams were coming up. Exam weeks are much more tolerable if you study in a group. I cannot sit down to study by myself and being with a group held me accountable, therefore I preferred it. I liked my class too, so that helped. Feels so good to be DONE!!!!!!

 

[TheMission]

bump

 

[PTMattI]

How much time do you find yourself studying? 1-2 hours most nights
Do you find yourself devoting much more time to school as an exam approaches? towards the end of 2nd year and big comps, yes
How much sleep do you typically get? (I tend to not function very well with <6 hours of sleep so this is important to me lol) 6-7
How much free time do you allot out of your week to relax, socialize, exercise, etc.? we generally dont have class on wednesday so tuesday nights, friday and saturday nights
As soon as your done with classes for the day, do you find yourself immediately following up with lecture material and studying? noooooo gym time
Are clinicals any different? yes, much more relaxed. dont take any work home with me usually, im lucky