What Major Should I Choose??

[Tom4130]

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Hello all,

I stumbled upon this forum about a week ago and have not stopped reading all the great advice people share with one another on here. I have read so much helpful information and think this is great.

I just finished the Pre-Allied Health program at a community college and am registered to major in Kinesiology. I know PT is what I want to do, in fact it’s the only thing I want to do. I currently have a 3.65 GPA after finishing up the PAH program and have full intentions of graduating with at least a 3.5 when I receive my Bachelors, plus over 150 hours of volunteer/observation hours. I do not know if I should major in Kinesiology or Exercise/Sport Science, which are both pre-professional programs at my college. My major concern is that say for some reason something tragic happens and I am not able to attend Grad school right after graduation, or for some unlikely reason I only graduate with a 3.0 and a GRE score of about 1000. If this was to occur I feel like my degree was basically a waste of time and money. Does one degree have any advantages over the other in reference to being accepted into PT school, or getting a job if I was not able to attend/get accepted? Also would a minor in Business or Psychology be a good idea?

If anyone majored in Kinesiology or Exercise/Sport Science and can relate or give any suggestions I would be very appreciative. Thank You!

 

[jbizzle]

I majored in exercise science; I wasn't able to get accepted into a program the first time around, luckily I was already employed while I was in undergrad or else I wouldn't have found a job with my degree in this economy.

So you are on the right track. You should choose a major you can use in case what you wrote above happens and you can use that degree. But also, if I had a chance to do it over again I would choose a major that I was interested in (but I probably would choose ex science everytime) and just do the pre-reqs. So maybe you can do something you're interested in...history or whatever maybe then just do the pre-reqs.

 

[goyo1010]

Hello all,

I stumbled upon this forum about a week ago and have not stopped reading all the great advice people share with one another on here. I have read so much helpful information and think this is great.

I just finished the Pre-Allied Health program at a community college and am registered to major in Kinesiology. I know PT is what I want to do, in fact it’s the only thing I want to do. I currently have a 3.65 GPA after finishing up the PAH program and have full intentions of graduating with at least a 3.5 when I receive my Bachelors, plus over 150 hours of volunteer/observation hours. I do not know if I should major in Kinesiology or Exercise/Sport Science, which are both pre-professional programs at my college. My major concern is that say for some reason something tragic happens and I am not able to attend Grad school right after graduation, or for some unlikely reason I only graduate with a 3.0 and a GRE score of about 1000. If this was to occur I feel like my degree was basically a waste of time and money. Does one degree have any advantages over the other in reference to being accepted into PT school, or getting a job if I was not able to attend/get accepted? Also would a minor in Business or Psychology be a good idea?

If anyone majored in Kinesiology or Exercise/Sport Science and can relate or give any suggestions I would be very appreciative. Thank You!

At the University of Houston, the degree offered there is Kinesiology Exercise Science. lol It doesn't matter what your major is. Really it doesn't. Remember, the Kinesiology/ex/sp science degree isn't a terminal degree. The PT school doesn't take one degree as better over the other. As long as you complete the prereqs with a good grade and take some of the elective courses they recommend.

 

[Fiveoboy11]

Don't worry so much about what degree is most economically sound, figure out what you would like to learn about and go from there.

 

[CmichStudent]

I was advised by the guy who does graduate admissions at my school to choose a major that I will get a high GPA in, and that I will enjoy. Mostly GPA, since that is over half of what they look at here.

 

[dizzy88]

Schools don't really care what you major in. Personally though, I think Kinesiology will be a better route because it will better prepare you for the concepts that you will use in PT school. I majored in Exercise Science. It gave me a good background, but if Kinesiology was offered at my university, I would have done that instead.

Jobs for those kinds of majors are scarce and you probably won't find a whole lot for either one. Some clinics hire "Exercise Specialists" but you are basically just an aid with a fancy title (in my experience).

I worked a little extra and got a minor when doing undergrad. Wouldn't advise it to anyone unless it's purely because you want the extra knowledge.

Good luck!

 

[Tom4130]

I majored in exercise science; I wasn't able to get accepted into a program the first time around, luckily I was already employed while I was in undergrad or else I wouldn't have found a job with my degree in this economy.

So you are on the right track. You should choose a major you can use in case what you wrote above happens and you can use that degree. But also, if I had a chance to do it over again I would choose a major that I was interested in (but I probably would choose ex science everytime) and just do the pre-reqs. So maybe you can do something you're interested in...history or whatever maybe then just do the pre-reqs.

Thanks for the reply! I feel the same way I am not really interested in anything besides Ex/Sci because becoming a PT is what I truly want to do. I have all the pre-reqs done for PT school because the Pre-Allied Health program was for those aspiring to become a PT. As for not getting accepted your first time around, what happens then? Do you take other classes to boost your GPA, or apply to different schools? I'm fortunate enough to land a job with my old employer after I graduate for sure, but it's not the kind of job I would like to be anything more then the type to pay the bills while in school or waiting to get accepted.

 

[jbizzle]

Thanks for the reply! I feel the same way I am not really interested in anything besides Ex/Sci because becoming a PT is what I truly want to do. I have all the pre-reqs done for PT school because the Pre-Allied Health program was for those aspiring to become a PT. As for not getting accepted your first time around, what happens then? Do you take other classes to boost your GPA, or apply to different schools? I'm fortunate enough to land a job with my old employer after I graduate for sure, but it's not the kind of job I would like to be anything more then the type to pay the bills while in school or waiting to get accepted.

Exactly, I hate my job but it helped pay the bills all through undergrad and the past year. As far as reapplying went, I took two extra classes to boost my GPA. When I graduated it was a 2.98 and I was turned down from all schools I applied to (5 in total and all paper applications). This time around I applied everywhere (16 programs and unfortunately only using PTCAS, so technically I applied to these 16 programs for the 1st time this year). I couldnt be picky with my GPA so I chose schools that I thought I could get accepted to. Also, I applied very early this time. So yeah you can do a combination of retaking some classes for a better grade or take a new class that satisfies one or two pre-reqs that other schools are asking of you. For instance, I took a philosophy class to satisfy a pre-req for one of the 16 schools I applied to (yeah pretty extreme but I was determined to get in this time) and I happened to get waitlisted a this school.

 

[usf123]

Should I be ok as an Athletic Training major?

 

[CmichStudent]

Should I be ok as an Athletic Training major?

Yep, of course.