When are prerequisites considered too old?

[amall]

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Hey Guys! I am in the process of applying to a few programs but am starting to think that the fact I have been out of school for 4 years does not look good. During my undergrad work, I took a lot of my preqs in 2003-2005 (a &p, chem, bio, etc). Do you think my classes are too "old" to recieve credit?

My degree is a Bachelor of Science in Health Promotion. I've worked in the corporate wellness field for the past 3 years as well as personal training on the side. My GPA is 3.4 overall & 3.5 preq. GRE is low (980) but plan on retaking in a few weeks. I've done a reasonable amount of inpatient rehab volunteer hours.

Do you think I still have a chance? I plan on applying to USA for Spring 2011.

 

[PTSuccess]

What I would do is check with the schools you plan on applying to. You say you would like to apply to USA so there is a great place to start. From what I have noticed after reading information on various school's websites (USA included) they prefer your pre-reqs to be taken within the last 5 years, so if you fit into that category with all of them then I'm sure you're good to go, its just the application process you now have to worry about. Good luck! =)

 

[ericdopt]

Agree with PTSuccess. Call the programs to check. Some may want you to have prereqs more recently, others may not care. Don't rely on the "advisor" to give you the correct answer. Universities have a vested interest in you re-taking prereqs because they make money from you. If you aced the prereqs, it makes no sense to retake them again. Instead, I would concentrate on upper level bio, chem, etc. courses. That will show them you can handle the rigors of PT/med school/etc.

 

[Architect2PT]

Being out of school 4 years is by no means a weakness. Many of my pre-requisites will be 20 years old and I'm not finding that to be a problem in the vast majority of DPT programs.
Very few schools require all of the pre-reqs to be completed within a time frame. Emory is one of the schools, so I'm not applying there.
Some schools require a percentage to be completed recently (usually within 5 years, sometimes 10 years), and some just require the A&P classes to be completed recently.
Most of the programs state any time limit requirements clearly on their websites in either the pre-requisite section or FAQ section.
Best to check the websites of the schools you are interested in and follow up with an e-mail.
Most programs want a diversity of age in their classes, and welcome career changers.
Good luck!