For those who have started PT school, are there any recommendations you have for incoming students? Do you recommend reviewing any material ahead of time? Should we invest in iPads for note taking or would you recommend using notebooks? Anything you wish you knew ahead of time?
What to get/how to prepare for PT school?
- Thread starter lilak8
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The best advice I could have given myself before starting PT school was that I don’t have to be perfect. The first couple of months for me were really difficult adjusting because I was still in the “need to get straight A’s” mindset. Ditch this attitude as soon as you can and focus more on learning the material rather than your grades.
Don’t review material ahead of time!!!! They teach you everything you need to know in class. Don’t waste your last summer of freedom trying to get a small leg up on your classmates. It’s not worth it. Enjoy your free time 🙂
I have an iPad Pro and I LOVE it for note taking. I made the investment after my first semester and it is one of the best purchases I have made and has really helped me in school. I would highly recommend investing in one if you have the money.
Thank you! Do you use your iPad pro along with a laptop (for things other than note taking) or do you use it for most laptop functions?
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I occasionally pull out the laptop that my school gives us to write papers on and what not, but you could definitely go with just the iPad to do those things. My school only lets us check our emails on their computers they give us so I do use it for that. Other than that, you can do everything in the iPad.
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deleted1029620
How do most of the other students in your class take notes? Handwritten, laptop, ipad like you?
if laptop, which software? i.e OneNote, EverNote, etc)
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I would say that my class is split about 50/50. About half of my class uses school provided laptops and either take notes in the comments section on PowerPoints, or on a separate word document. The other half uses tablets (majority iPads, but some surfaces) with the vast majority of those people using Notability. Not many people hand write notes. There are probably 2 classmates of mine who print out the powerpoints before class and write directly on those. No one takes notes in a notebook though, the material is covered too fast to get the information written down.
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deleted1029620
thank you! im typically one to take note by hand but like you said i know there's probably way too much material to keep up. i guess i'll try out the powerpoint/ OneNote method. Don't think i really want to invest in a tablet considering I already have a Macbook pro.
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I was a handwritten note person too before starting PT school! It just wasn’t going to work out for me personally to continue to do it that way. I think that’s a good option and if you feel that it would be helpful to get a tablet after your first semester then you can make the investment, that’s what I did! I also have a MacBook but don’t use it super often anymore
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deleted1029620
thanks for your feedback! any other pieces of advice for new PT students?
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Find someone in the class above you who you can trust and get information about classes and professors from. My program gives us “big brothers and sisters” and mine helped me immensely with my transition into grad school. I had a hard time adjusting to the demands of my program because it was so different than undergrad, but my big helped me get through it. Otherwise enjoy the time you have now before things get crazy! And remember, you are smart enough to get into the program that you’re in, so you’re more than capable of doing the work and passing, even if it doesn’t always feel like it. Good luck!
I was a paper note taking student in undergrad but invested in an Apple iPad Pro before I started last fall considering the amount of material and knowledge that is thrown at you and I LOVE IT! I use it with OneNote and have everything backed up on my OneDrive. I make a new notebook for each semester and each class gets its own section. It makes everything so organized and easy to find. I also have some hardcopies of textbooks, but most are Ebooks so its nice to have everything on one device, especially once you start going to clinicals and need to reference materials. One of the main reasons I decided to go the iPad route is that everything from previous semesters are on that one device to pull up when needed and it makes my backpack so much lighter. No matter your note taking or electronic choice, stay organized as it can be hard to do.
One piece advice that I got before I started and think is super helpful is to make a "PT Bible" (very appropriate title lol). I didn't put mine together until the end of the first semester and it took a while so I suggest doing it from the start. For example, on my OneNote, I have a notebook for each semester and tabs for each class that I am taking; however, I also have a notebook referred to as my “PT Bible" and each joint has its own tab so everything that I learn through my entire program (anatomy, goniometry, special tests, MMT, conditions, etc.) is added there for each joint. Some other people print everything out and put it in a physical binder to have and reference; others just make a running Word document for each joint and add in the necessary information there. I highly recommend doing this as it will have everything you learned about a joint throughout your entire program all in one place!
Don't study before hand, enjoy your time before the grind starts, plus you will learn everything you need to know in school! Let me know if you have any other questions or need advice! 🙂
One piece advice that I got before I started and think is super helpful is to make a "PT Bible" (very appropriate title lol). I didn't put mine together until the end of the first semester and it took a while so I suggest doing it from the start. For example, on my OneNote, I have a notebook for each semester and tabs for each class that I am taking; however, I also have a notebook referred to as my “PT Bible" and each joint has its own tab so everything that I learn through my entire program (anatomy, goniometry, special tests, MMT, conditions, etc.) is added there for each joint. Some other people print everything out and put it in a physical binder to have and reference; others just make a running Word document for each joint and add in the necessary information there. I highly recommend doing this as it will have everything you learned about a joint throughout your entire program all in one place!
Don't study before hand, enjoy your time before the grind starts, plus you will learn everything you need to know in school! Let me know if you have any other questions or need advice! 🙂
I had free time before PT school, so I would be reading/reviewing some anatomy books at my leisure time. If you want to review stuff, review main muscle names (legs, arms, hands, feet), basics for heart (names of chambers, main blood vessels, blood flow route) , basic information about spinal nerves.That should be enough and not too much.
As for ipad, notbooks, etc, use what has been working well for you so far. I used nothing but laptop and information that school posted online, so I rarely had to write/type anything since all the information was already provided.
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I just wrote about this very topic for SDN! Here's the article
I print ppts and take notes on them, and that's what the majority of my class does. A few just switched to iPads and one was talking about switching back to printing and writing. I personally get really sick of looking at a computer screen of any kind, I prefer handwriting things versus typing, I like using various colored markers, plus it works for me so I didn't/don't feel the need to spend a bunch of money and try a new method. I also greatly prefer having everything laid out in front of me, like if I want to look at several slides from different packets at the same time, I can.
Don't bother studying or doing anything else. Just relax and enjoy your free time while you can!
