What is the application process like? Plus some more questions

[mathlegend]

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Hey all, I'm a high school junior looking into colleges. I have a great interest in physical therapy. What was the application for physical therapy like? Is it easier or harder than the college application process? Is it worth going to those 6 yr guarantee programs, if it means I may not have the major/location of my choice?

 

[dny22]

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[vapt]

Hi mathlegend. One thing you might want to also check into is if any schools either near you or one's that you have in mind overall have any sort of articulation agreements (perhaps that's what you're alluding to with the 6 year thing; I'm not too familiar with those). At the school I just got my BS at (VCU), they had an Honors College which had a guaranteed admittance program if you graduated from the Honors College itself. I was a member, but since I was a transfer student, it didn't apply to me, but it sure was nice for students to know they had a spot w/o even going through the rigorous app. process (fees are waived, and I believe the GRE as well), plus you're in better classes with students who are very serious about their education. Hope this helps.

 

[Lizarde]

If would seriously consider doing the 6 year route if you find a program you like. It makes sense to save the year if you already know what you want to do. ANd you can always change your mind in the process and still have a good foundation for other health/science majors.

 

[mathlegend]

Im planning to major in Athletic Training or Exercise Science

I checked on some, I'm from CA, but there's not many here, except University of Pacific's. Other programs I'm looking into are Boston University (I would be interested in attending here), University of Pittsburgh (interested too), Northeastern University (maybe?) and Ithaca College (maybe?).

 

[lee9786]

I recommend going for the ATC over kinesiology. Reason being you'd have a more marketable degree with your BS.

 

[JeeDot]

Physical therapy is essentially applied kinesiology. PT schools are generally more worried about your grades and GPAs than your actual major itself (as long as it's health science-oriented), so pick your major based on what interests you the most rather than what you think is more marketable. The more interested you are in your major, the more you'll enjoy your classes, and the better your grades will be.

If you know for sure that physical therapy is what you want to do for the rest of your life, then I would definitely recommend looking into 3+3 programs. It will save you both time and money. However, if there is any doubt in your mind about your future career, then I would avoid this option.

As far as the application process goes, it is definitely harder than college applications. The Physical Therapy Centralized Application System (PTCAS) definitely makes life a little bit easier, but so far only about 50% of all PT schools use it. As I mentioned before, the most important thing is your grades, but you'll want to focus on other areas as well in order to make you more competitive.
-Get a lot of volunteer/experience hours at a variety of clinics in different settings.
-Develop a good relationship with a college professor (when you get there) so they can write you a good letter of recommendation. I did this by doing research for one.
-Develop a good relationship with 2 physical therapists for the same reason as mentioned above. The best way to do this is work hard and go the extra mile when you're volunteering/working for them.
-Get involved in extracurricular activities. If you're in an organization, try to attain a leadership role within it. I was in a fraternity and managed to become president.
-Work on your interpersonal skills. Identify your weaknesses when dealing with other people and make a conscious effort to try to turn those weaknesses into strengths.
-Finally, stay determined and motivated. Becoming a PT isn't easy and you may get discouraged at times. You have to have a genuine love for what you are doing or else it will be very difficult.

Good luck!

 

[mathlegend]

I recommend going for the ATC over kinesiology. Reason being you'd have a more marketable degree with your BS.

Thanks, I'll keep that in mind.

Physical therapy is essentially applied kinesiology. PT schools are generally more worried about your grades and GPAs than your actual major itself (as long as it's health science-oriented), so pick your major based on what interests you the most rather than what you think is more marketable. The more interested you are in your major, the more you'll enjoy your classes, and the better your grades will be.

If you know for sure that physical therapy is what you want to do for the rest of your life, then I would definitely recommend looking into 3+3 programs. It will save you both time and money. However, if there is any doubt in your mind about your future career, then I would avoid this option.

As far as the application process goes, it is definitely harder than college applications. The Physical Therapy Centralized Application System (PTCAS) definitely makes life a little bit easier, but so far only about 50% of all PT schools use it. As I mentioned before, the most important thing is your grades, but you'll want to focus on other areas as well in order to make you more competitive.
-Get a lot of volunteer/experience hours at a variety of clinics in different settings.
-Develop a good relationship with a college professor (when you get there) so they can write you a good letter of recommendation. I did this by doing research for one.
-Develop a good relationship with 2 physical therapists for the same reason as mentioned above. The best way to do this is work hard and go the extra mile when you're volunteering/working for them.
-Get involved in extracurricular activities. If you're in an organization, try to attain a leadership role within it. I was in a fraternity and managed to become president.
-Work on your interpersonal skills. Identify your weaknesses when dealing with other people and make a conscious effort to try to turn those weaknesses into strengths.
-Finally, stay determined and motivated. Becoming a PT isn't easy and you may get discouraged at times. You have to have a genuine love for what you are doing or else it will be very difficult.

Good luck!

I am interested in both exercise and AT, not sure which one more though! Does it really matter where you attend PT school? (except perhaps pride?) I'm already not looking forward to college apps...oh boy. How is the GRE?

 

[vapt]

How is the GRE?[/QUOTE]

Nothing but a glorified SAT (as opposed to the MCAT's, yikes). Some schools don't even require it, but nonetheless, they're not too bad. I actually think that nothing on there is above high-school level, especially the math section (which pt schools look at more than verbal).

 

[JeeDot]

Thanks, I'll keep that in mind.
I am interested in both exercise and AT, not sure which one more though! Does it really matter where you attend PT school? (except perhaps pride?) I'm already not looking forward to college apps...oh boy. How is the GRE?

If you're interested in both then you can't go wrong either way. Just pick what you think you'll enjoy more.

As far as where you go to PT school, most PT's around the country know about the best PT schools that are at the top of the U.S. News and World Report list, and if you get into one of them I would definitely recommend going, but it really is more about who you are as a person rather than where you go to school. If you have to choose between the number 44 school and the number 50 school (I don't know what they are), then you're not going to go wrong either way -- pick the place that you think will give you the best experience. 3 years is a long time.

The GRE is basically the SAT on steroids. Don't waste hundreds of dollars on prep courses though. I went to Barnes and Noble and bought a book on it, studied for a week and a half, and did fine. Just make sure the book or another available resource has practice tests so you get an idea of how much time you have while you're actually taking the test. Writing (analytical section) isn't that hard. Just follow the exact format for answering questions that the books teach you and you'll be fine. Math is just algebra and geometry mostly. Be able to manipulate equations for circles/triangles/etc. (for example, what would you do if they asked you to find the area of a quarter of a circle?) Verbal I had a tough time with. The hardest parts were antonyms and analogies, because if you don't know a word then you're S.O.L. I would suggest studying common word prefixes and suffixes to best prepare for this. Just don't panic when you're taking the GRE -- put it in perspective. It's not like other exams that you can only take once a year. If you do poorly, you can always do it again.

When I was a high school junior I had no idea what I wanted to do in life. The fact that you already know what questions you should be asking is a good indicator that you're on the right path. Stay determined, grow as a person/individual, and enjoy what you learn.

 

[DPT13]

As far as AT vs. Kinesiology or Exercise Science goes, I was an Athletic Training major myself for undergrad, and we took a lot of the same classes as Exercise Science majors, but we had the opportunity for way more hands-on work with the athletes as well. As an AT student, you learn injury evaluation, treatment, care and prevention. You also typically have the opportunity for at least one clinical rotation as an AT student in a PT facility (I planned it out so I could have 2 in my program).

Exercise Science and Kinesiology majors tend to focus more on the hard science of exercise (biomechanics, nutrition, physiology), without learning patient applications early on. They are also (I believe) a little more research oriented, in that you may be able to work in a professor's lab or participate in case studies and research projects. I do know that at my university, Exercise Science majors did have one clinical internship during their 4th year which may be working as a personal trainer, something in health promotion, cardiac rehab, or an aide type role in a PT clinic (to name a few).

I would highly recommend choosing Athletic Training if you are planning on going for DPT. The skills and experience that I gained in my undergrad will certainly help as I begin my studies as a DPT student this fall. I have spoken to current DPT students who were also fellow AT's undergrad and they felt the AT background prepared them tremendously for grad school, stating that some parts of their PT coursework was review from undergrad. Also, as was mentioned before, AT gives you a marketable degree when you graduate in 4 years so that you could get a job if you had to.

** I will caution though that athletic training involves a LOT of man hours as a student athletic trainer, typically with the university's varsity athletes and perhaps area high schools as well. To apply to PT school you have to take some more rigorous science classes than what are required for the AT degree (although they fit in the 4-year timeline), so you will be very busy during some of your "tough" semesters of study.

 

[mathlegend]

The SAT reading/writing parts sucked...still awaiting my score though. Doesn't sound good if they're on roids...What does S.O.L. mean? AT does sound like a better major, more hands on (which is what I want). Now I will have to ask, is it worth going to a "lower ranked" PT school such as Boston University, Ithaca College, or Northeastern University but not have to go through all the apps and be basically guaranteed a spot, or to apply normally to see if I can get in a top school? BU's program seems great to me, seems like if you are accepted into BU as a freshman, I'll be set for PT school. According to their website "Once admitted as a freshman through Boston University's regular admissions process, you're admitted into the program with no separate application required. Then, if you continue to meet the program requirements, you'll matriculate directly into the physical therapy graduate program the summer after your junior year without re-applying." And its great that their program is with a degree in AT. And they have a great submission grappling club 🙂

I think I'm getting too far ahead of myself, perhaps I should see if I get accepted by BU first XD

And would you guys recommend me doing anything right now to prepare for the future?

 

[JeeDot]

The SAT reading/writing parts sucked...still awaiting my score though. Doesn't sound good if they're on roids...What does S.O.L. mean? AT does sound like a better major, more hands on (which is what I want). Now I will have to ask, is it worth going to a "lower ranked" PT school such as Boston University, Ithaca College, or Northeastern University but not have to go through all the apps and be basically guaranteed a spot, or to apply normally to see if I can get in a top school? BU's program seems great to me, seems like if you are accepted into BU as a freshman, I'll be set for PT school. According to their website "Once admitted as a freshman through Boston University’s regular admissions process, you’re admitted into the program with no separate application required. Then, if you continue to meet the program requirements, you’ll matriculate directly into the physical therapy graduate program the summer after your junior year without re-applying." And its great that their program is with a degree in AT. And they have a great submission grappling club 🙂

I think I'm getting too far ahead of myself, perhaps I should see if I get accepted by BU first XD

And would you guys recommend me doing anything right now to prepare for the future?

S.O.L = Shoot out of luck. (replace shoot with another word). A better program doesn't necessarily always mean a more difficult application. Pittsburgh is supposed to have one of the top programs and their application process doesn't require anything special at all (not even an interview). Don't let difficult application processes discourage you from applying to the better schools though. Like I mentioned before, 3 years is a long time and you'll want to get the most out of it. When you take a step back and put things in perspective, a tedious application might not seem so tedious when you realize it could decide where you'll be living and studying for the next 36 months...

 

[mathlegend]

Thanks, I'll keep that in mind.