Can I just tell you how stupid the GRE makes me feel? I took it THREE times and only bumped my score from a 1040 to a 1090. Come on, now! I was literally in tears (and probably cried for about 3 hours) after I finished the last one... I tried so hard and studied as best as I could. I couldn't get a 500 on the verbal and all the schools say that they want a 1000 minimum (500 in each). I have no idea if they will just throw my application out if I don't meet the minimum requirements... I definitely could see that they would because they get so many applications, they have to begin weeding them out somehow. I just feel so sick that I may not even be able to get a chance to go to school because of a stupid verbal score.
I already emailed School B and asked them if they look at all the other aspects and they said that they do, but still I would've much rather have been over the 500 and not have to worry about getting eliminated simply by a number (without them looking at anything else). School A and School C are reviewing my stuff, so hopefully since they are already reviewing it (and the deadlines aren't until Dec 15 or March something) they are looking at every part of it. I just have to say a prayer that if this is meant to happen, it will happen. I have worked so hard and hopefully they will see that through my GPA (and my personal statement and LOR!)
But, right now, I would be lying if I didn't say I felt completely hopeless. I already came up with a Plan B!
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Friday, October 15, 2010
In the waiting line...
The anticipation is killing me! Today is School B's early decision interview. I am just dying to hear from them. I just went to their open house this past weekend and absolutely LOVED IT. The school was gorgeous, the faculty were so kind and the students all seemed really happy. In fact, after visiting, I think I'm definitely more interested in School B than School A.
School A's open house is coming up on November 13th (which also happens to be School B's interview day) so I may or may not get to go. But, I just got such a great "gut feeling" about School B, and a lot of people said negative things about School A, so that was sort of a bummer.
The PT building is new and it is off the main campus, but there is a huge parking lot (a big downfall of my undergrad university) and a shuttle that will take you from the PT building to main campus and back during the day. They didn't really seem to have too many options research wise, but I'm not letting that stop me from the overall awesome feeling I got from there. I just was blown away by how "homey" it all felt. I'll admit that I'm more sensitive and I definitely like to be treated like a person and feel like I am a part of something, rather than only be a number. Plus, my parents got to go with me and they loved it too! :)
School A's open house is coming up on November 13th (which also happens to be School B's interview day) so I may or may not get to go. But, I just got such a great "gut feeling" about School B, and a lot of people said negative things about School A, so that was sort of a bummer.
The PT building is new and it is off the main campus, but there is a huge parking lot (a big downfall of my undergrad university) and a shuttle that will take you from the PT building to main campus and back during the day. They didn't really seem to have too many options research wise, but I'm not letting that stop me from the overall awesome feeling I got from there. I just was blown away by how "homey" it all felt. I'll admit that I'm more sensitive and I definitely like to be treated like a person and feel like I am a part of something, rather than only be a number. Plus, my parents got to go with me and they loved it too! :)
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Now, it's time to cross my fingers.
I officially submitted my application today on PTCAS. I decided to apply to three schools. Mostly because I am attached to my family and don't want to be too far away, and also I don't want to be long-distance from my SO any longer than I have to. (We are working on 3, almost 4 years of being long-distance and it is getting old!)
Thus, I decided to apply to all three DPT programs in a city about an hour from my hometown.
My School Choices
1. Highly Ranked University (School A)
2. Smaller, unranked University (School B)
3. Back-Up School (School C)
I still need a letter from one of the PTs I did my shadowing with, so I hope he gets that submitted super quickly so that my application is complete.
I kind of feel panicked it went out this "late" even though it's still early in the game. At least I'll definitely be considered early decision for the smaller, unranked school (Oct 15) and School A's deadline is December 15. As for School C, I'm not really worried about, because it's my "just in case" school!
So... now, once I get that last PT letter I just have to wait and see what happens. This, I'm sure is going to be the WORST part.
Thus, I decided to apply to all three DPT programs in a city about an hour from my hometown.
My School Choices
1. Highly Ranked University (School A)
2. Smaller, unranked University (School B)
3. Back-Up School (School C)
I still need a letter from one of the PTs I did my shadowing with, so I hope he gets that submitted super quickly so that my application is complete.
I kind of feel panicked it went out this "late" even though it's still early in the game. At least I'll definitely be considered early decision for the smaller, unranked school (Oct 15) and School A's deadline is December 15. As for School C, I'm not really worried about, because it's my "just in case" school!
So... now, once I get that last PT letter I just have to wait and see what happens. This, I'm sure is going to be the WORST part.
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Shadowing: A Summary of My Experiences
Since my shadowing was during when I was taking physics, I didn't really have time to talk about it, so now that it's done I just want to re-cap what I learned/what happened at each of the places I shadowed out.
Family Friend PT: I did my first shadowing stint in April 2009 with a family friend who has been a PT for over 20 years. This was when I was just considering PTA and she is really the PT that pushed me to go "all the way". I spent around 25 hours with her over the course of 3 days and I saw SO much. She really is a do-it-all-PT. I'm not sure that I could have the stamina that she does or the schedule, but it's good to know that you can do all kinds of different things at once. She owns her own out-patient clinic, which was really great in itself, but she also does some visiting/home care through a local visiting nurses company. I got to go into a couple of nursing homes with her as well as pediatric home care! The peds were so cute and I really think I would enjoy working with them, especially since my first degree is in early childhood/elementary education. I can really use that degree to my advantage once I'm a PT. (But, I also want an open mind to experience everything before I decide what I may want to "specialize" in or towards in a job!)
Local Hospital OP & IP: The local hospital was a nightmare. I really wanted a lot of in-patient care and I only got about a day and a half worth and the other 30 hours I got was in the out-patient facility. The PTs weren't very helpful and I spent a lot of time folding towels and cleaning beds. I felt very out of place and no one really seemed to want to explain anything to me. The one lady I got to follow around had a really neat day- she did in-patient in the morning and then in the afternoon she dealt with lymphodema patients, which was awesome. Other than that, I mostly felt bored and out of place. I couldn't wait to find somewhere, anywhere to shadow so I could leave. I still thanked them for allowing me to come, but yuck, not a great experience.
Local OP Facility: I had a really great experience at the out-patient place I went to-- it was just one PT and a secretary (who he let do different things with modalities, which I found interesting since she has no PT degree of any kind...). He actually allowed me to ask questions, watch diagnoses, and he explained anything I was interested in. When there weren't patients I'd pick his brain about school and life. He was a really nice guy AND he was also a "second career" PT person! It was really cool to hear about someone else who had a previous degree and went back to pursue PT instead. It gave me hope that I can do this and that it's not impossible! And since he is the only PT at the clinic he brings his dog into the clinic with him. It's a gorgeous white dog in the husky family and was the nicest dog ever! All the patients were so happy to see the dog, I think it really helps the atmosphere therapeutically. Plus, he gets to spend all day with his pet everyday! Pretty sweet!
So, all in all, 2-out-of-3 great experiences isn't too bad. I am just hoping that my 110 hours will be "enough". It's been really hard trying to fit them in while doing school full-time plus two part-time jobs. I think I really got a great scope of potential job positions with those three (especially with the first!) and we'll have to wait and see if it pays off. I also hope that I got some good recommendation letters from it as well!
Family Friend PT: I did my first shadowing stint in April 2009 with a family friend who has been a PT for over 20 years. This was when I was just considering PTA and she is really the PT that pushed me to go "all the way". I spent around 25 hours with her over the course of 3 days and I saw SO much. She really is a do-it-all-PT. I'm not sure that I could have the stamina that she does or the schedule, but it's good to know that you can do all kinds of different things at once. She owns her own out-patient clinic, which was really great in itself, but she also does some visiting/home care through a local visiting nurses company. I got to go into a couple of nursing homes with her as well as pediatric home care! The peds were so cute and I really think I would enjoy working with them, especially since my first degree is in early childhood/elementary education. I can really use that degree to my advantage once I'm a PT. (But, I also want an open mind to experience everything before I decide what I may want to "specialize" in or towards in a job!)
Local Hospital OP & IP: The local hospital was a nightmare. I really wanted a lot of in-patient care and I only got about a day and a half worth and the other 30 hours I got was in the out-patient facility. The PTs weren't very helpful and I spent a lot of time folding towels and cleaning beds. I felt very out of place and no one really seemed to want to explain anything to me. The one lady I got to follow around had a really neat day- she did in-patient in the morning and then in the afternoon she dealt with lymphodema patients, which was awesome. Other than that, I mostly felt bored and out of place. I couldn't wait to find somewhere, anywhere to shadow so I could leave. I still thanked them for allowing me to come, but yuck, not a great experience.
Local OP Facility: I had a really great experience at the out-patient place I went to-- it was just one PT and a secretary (who he let do different things with modalities, which I found interesting since she has no PT degree of any kind...). He actually allowed me to ask questions, watch diagnoses, and he explained anything I was interested in. When there weren't patients I'd pick his brain about school and life. He was a really nice guy AND he was also a "second career" PT person! It was really cool to hear about someone else who had a previous degree and went back to pursue PT instead. It gave me hope that I can do this and that it's not impossible! And since he is the only PT at the clinic he brings his dog into the clinic with him. It's a gorgeous white dog in the husky family and was the nicest dog ever! All the patients were so happy to see the dog, I think it really helps the atmosphere therapeutically. Plus, he gets to spend all day with his pet everyday! Pretty sweet!
So, all in all, 2-out-of-3 great experiences isn't too bad. I am just hoping that my 110 hours will be "enough". It's been really hard trying to fit them in while doing school full-time plus two part-time jobs. I think I really got a great scope of potential job positions with those three (especially with the first!) and we'll have to wait and see if it pays off. I also hope that I got some good recommendation letters from it as well!
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Step One is DONE!!!!!!!!! =D
Yes!! Today I am officially done finishing ALL of my prerequisite courses for PT school! The angels are singing! I am so, so, so happy to be DONE!!!
After my Physics II final, I hardly knew what to do with myself! I can't believe it. It's been just a couple weeks short of one year of hard work! And, I didn't do too bad, either!
Prob & Stats - A
Developmental Psychology - A
Biology I - B (grrr... stupid professor... I had an 89.4% AND visited him in his office all the time for help!)
Biology II - A
Chem I - A
Chem II - A
Anatomy - A
Physiology - B
Physics I - A
Physics II - A (I'm pretty sure!)
Plus, I had General Psychology (B) from my undergrad stuff.
Unfortunately, my two Bs brought my GPA down from a 3.92 to a 3.89... that really makes me upset, and I know that my GPA is still great, but still- I was SO close to the A in Bio I (and deserved it in my opinion!) that I wish I could've pulled off a 4.0.
This whole process has really been about me proving to myself and to the unknown "they/them" that I am smart and that I CAN do this!
Now- it's time to celebrate! And then Monday I start my last shadowing stint (around 30 hours) and super soon in 2 weeks is the GRE. *EEEEEK*
After my Physics II final, I hardly knew what to do with myself! I can't believe it. It's been just a couple weeks short of one year of hard work! And, I didn't do too bad, either!
Prob & Stats - A
Developmental Psychology - A
Biology I - B (grrr... stupid professor... I had an 89.4% AND visited him in his office all the time for help!)
Biology II - A
Chem I - A
Chem II - A
Anatomy - A
Physiology - B
Physics I - A
Physics II - A (I'm pretty sure!)
Plus, I had General Psychology (B) from my undergrad stuff.
Unfortunately, my two Bs brought my GPA down from a 3.92 to a 3.89... that really makes me upset, and I know that my GPA is still great, but still- I was SO close to the A in Bio I (and deserved it in my opinion!) that I wish I could've pulled off a 4.0.
This whole process has really been about me proving to myself and to the unknown "they/them" that I am smart and that I CAN do this!
Now- it's time to celebrate! And then Monday I start my last shadowing stint (around 30 hours) and super soon in 2 weeks is the GRE. *EEEEEK*
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Oh hi, PTCAS.
So today I officially created my PTCAS application account. Wow. I can't believe it!I'm sooo nervous about getting everything in as quickly as possible.
I only have one more class to take before I'm done with all of my prerequisites and it's Physics II! I can't believe I'm almost done! I've actually sort of enjoyed Physics I, and I'm really glad I decided to take it in the summer separate from all my other courses. It's given me enough time to really study and concentrate on it.
I already have some of my references and everything, but I'm sure I'm going to be nervous until I actually hit "SUBMIT" and it sends out to my schools!
I only have one more class to take before I'm done with all of my prerequisites and it's Physics II! I can't believe I'm almost done! I've actually sort of enjoyed Physics I, and I'm really glad I decided to take it in the summer separate from all my other courses. It's given me enough time to really study and concentrate on it.
I already have some of my references and everything, but I'm sure I'm going to be nervous until I actually hit "SUBMIT" and it sends out to my schools!
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Looking Back: 2009
I know it's been awhile since I wrote, but school has been really demanding, in a good way.
Here we are another year... Life goes by so fast, I swear.
January: In January I applied to grad school for Exercise Science because I was honestly too scared to do anything else. I also went to a preschool interview and the lady wanted me to start the next day, but it didn't pay well. I was also pretty pumped that Barack Obama became president! Woot!
February: I got all my friends addicted to Spinning, which was totally awesome. Found out I was accepted to grad school for Exercise Science and started reading books about health so I would have a semi-clue what was going on. I pulled my ribcage muscles- which sucked, a lot. And I got my cartilage pierced while Michelle held my hand. Haha.
March: I got my job at the YMCA as an instructor and started to feel like things were finally falling in place with where I wanted to go in life. I celebrated my 24th birthday with all my friends and then got the stomach flu on my actual birthday. But my parents bought me a brand new bicycle. Yayyyy! And within like 4 days I read the entire Twilight series. Haha.
April: In April I found out I didn't get an assistantship to go to grad school, so I had to turn down the offer to go. It was really disappointing, but I started looking into other options. I felt really discouraged because everything was going so well and then something wrenched in my plans again, but now that I look back I think God was trying to show me I had more to offer to the world. I quickly decided I would get an associate degree as a Physical Therapist assistant. And then the PT that I shadowed really got me thinking as to I should go for full PT. And I really took a long time to think about it and decided that PTA would be selling myself short and I was going to pursue my original idea of being a physical therapist no matter how scary!
May: The very last episode (in my opinion because the new "spin-off" sucks) of Scrubs aired... I bawled my eyes out. Seriously, the best show ever. Shell and I went to NYC at the end of the month and had the time of our lives. Seriously, it was so much fun to be with your best friend in a huge city. Now, I need to go with Steph! :) I also got attached to a kitty at Erica's Aunt Diane's house.
June: I couldn't get into any classes at the local college for summer school, so I signed up for two online classes through two community colleges nearby. Developmental Psych and Prob and Stats. Erica's bridal shower also happened, which was very nice. A beautiful day. Still obsessed with the kitties at Aunt Diane's house, begging Jon and his mom to let me have one.
July: On July 4th I got to take Andi home with me and then to Jon's house. Yay for my kitty! Meeeooow! :) And I also got to go to Myrtle Beach with all the girls. It was sooooooo much fun to go on a vacation just us. It was great :) And I finished both of my online summer classes before I went! Thumbs up! :)
August: Erica and Evan got married on the 8th (which is also Steph's birthday!) and it was a really nice, cute wedding. Very much like them. Can't believe one of my besties is a Farmery now! Yay! Steph had her bridal shower and it was flipping awesome. I am not even lying. I am the best planner EVER! Haha. And at the end of the month I started back at school. Going for physical therapy was becoming a reality instead of just a dream. I was taking Biology 111, Chemistry 111 and Anatomy. And I got my old student worker job back! :)
September: We found out my dad was losing his job after 30+ years of having it. The building where he worked was being sold to be turned into college apartments. Panic mode started as my Dad searched for a job, but nothing was available. He went to a few interviews, but nothing worthwhile came from them. I started my battle of continuously feeling extremely guilty for having my parents take out a loan for me to go back to school. But, Adelle had her bridal shower, so that was nice.
October: Steph and Josh got married on the 10th and it was the best wedding ever. We had a blast, seriously. NASA blew up the moon and everyone thought it was going to be this huge awesome thing, and it wasn't. I was disappointed. And I had school work coming out of my NOSE.
November: Adelle and Tim got married on the 14th (Michelle's birthday) and it was nice. Jon and I got in a couple huge fights and I thought we might break up. But, I realized that I was wrong and we worked things out. Jon and I went to NYC for Thanksgiving. It was so much fun. We had such a nice time and it couldn't have come at a better time since we were having issues. We got to eat dinner with Emma on Thanksgiving and that was lots of fun. :)
December: I finished my first semester. A in anatomy, A in Chem 111 and a B (almost an A) in Bio 111. I was really proud of myself and felt super smart for the first time in my life. My dad transferred his work to a new garage and the transition is ok. He's making the same amount of money, but we have no benefits. My dad is without them completely, my mom is paying mine and we're trying to figure out how to afford hers. It's really stressful and makes things not happy around the household. Christmas was very small this year, but it was nice.
Overall, this year was a big year of change. I took a lot of steps to get headed in the right direction and I'm proud of myself. Hopefully 2010 proves to be a good year! Cheers!
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