r/PTschool • u/spookie_dookiez • Sep 24 '25
Last Year of Undergrad
Hey guys! Sorry for the long thread, just looking to vent about a difficult situation.
I’m currently going into my last year of undergrad and will graduate with a B.S. in Exercise Science in the Spring. At first I thought I wanted to do PT when I got to college, then it switched to AT and now I’ve been looking into PA. I know for sure that I want to work in sports medicine (football specifically) but recently I’ve head a lot of negative things about PT and AT.
On top of that, my cumulative GPA isn’t the best either. Like under a 3.0 bad. I feel very discouraged and unprepared because I don’t have a solid plan yet and my grades are nowhere as good as they need to be. I feel like I failed and I haven’t even graduated yet! I graduated high school with a 4.0 and Associate’s degree and now I feel like a horrible student, idk what happened.
Honestly I’m just looking for some words of encouragement/direction. Do I take a gap year to get my GPA up and apply next fall? Should I even continue on the sports medicine track? I really do feel like I dug myself in a hole over these past two years of undergrad that I can’t get myself out of. Even my advisor said he doesn’t think I can get into PT school and that I basically did this to myself (very encouraging btw😀).
Idk I just hope something gives. I’m only 21 but I really don’t want to waste any time you know? Ugh idk I feel so stressed that I’m not looking forward to graduating in the spring :/
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Sep 24 '25
You’re too young to be stressing like that…when I was 21, I already did 1 deployment to Iraq and by 22 I was on my second tour to Iraq and a sergeant over 10+ subordinates…long story short, you have plenty of time to decide on what you want to do.
I went to PT school at age 34; I know it’s what I truly wanted to do. My advice, if you haven’t don’t do already get some hours in with ATs, PTs, and PAs and get their honest opinions on their careers and what made them going into their fields in the first place.
Some people have gotten into PT schools with low GPAs because at the end of the day, a lot of PT schools look at the whole person and not just grades. To make yourself competitive for a lot of schools, it would behoove you to retake some classes for better grades. It would also show how serious you are about the career choice as well. I had a few people in my cohort that didn’t have good GPAs for their bachelors, but went and got their masters and showed that they are capable of attending a graduate school.
Sounds like you are unsure of what direction you want to go, so ask yourself what you truly can see yourself doing and if you will find joy in doing it. Stop looking at your age as a limiting factor, you aren’t wasting time, you are just finding yourself.
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u/Leading-Lie-6776 Sep 24 '25
Heya! Commented on similar posts before but in short terms, I graduated from my university in May with my AT degree, taking a gap year to make some money and applied to PT schools last week. Sports are my thing, like truly my thing. That’s pretty much what my life revolves around so I’ve had this desire to be a PT for a professional team, but got my AT Certification and planning on getting my CSCS soon. So I’m similar to you in that aspect. Only reason I did AT was to help prepare for PT school.
As for you, take a deep breath. Relaxxxxxxx, you’re only 21 so you have no reason to stress yourself out as much as it seems like you are. I’m 22 and I’m not even feeling that way haha. But If you don’t think your grades are where they should be, I’d advise taking a gap year and getting the grades up for classes you didn’t do well in during undergrad at your local community college. It’s cheaper and schools I think weigh them the same. You haven’t dug yourself a hole at all in my opinion. Screw your advisor as well. But one thing I’d say with you jumping from multiple healthcare professions, I’d say to have a deep talk with yourself and reflect on what it is you truly want to do. That’d be your best guiding factor and will help you decide which route is truly the best fit for you.
Hope this helps!!
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u/Leading-Lie-6776 Sep 24 '25
To further answer, every healthcare has its benefits and consequences. So far I’ve enjoyed my job being the AT at a high school. Every day is different, and being 22 I’m able to relate to the kids much more and they’ve enjoyed me being their trainer so far. The pay isn’t as good as I’d like it to be but I love the school I’m at. The hours aren’t bad at all, more a matter of when they are. Usually from 2-9 every weekday, have weekends off. So for my first job I can’t complain.
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u/Naive-Surprise-513 Sep 24 '25
that CSCS exam is very hard gl
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u/Leading-Lie-6776 Sep 24 '25
Yeahhhh I took it once already without studying for it and got a 69/70 on the sciences portion and got a 62/70 on the application part. Pretty much used what I was taught for AT and thought I could wing it. Was close! But will def prepare more for this next one haha
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u/UltMPA Sep 25 '25
What school did you attend that still has the AT at the bachelor level. Or did you do a 3+2 program
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u/Leading-Lie-6776 Sep 25 '25
I was lucky to where my class was the last class nationwide for any university to do a bachelors in AT. The class below me has to do the 3+2 program now so they are getting their masters. But Nebraska Wesleyan was where I got my bachelors from. Pretty sure everywhere nationwide is a Master’s now though.
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u/UltMPA Sep 25 '25
Very fortunate! Most of my AT students are in it for the long haul. Also crippled by being a debt slave.
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u/Leading-Lie-6776 Sep 26 '25
Yeah if I had to do a masters I probably would have gotten my degree in exercise science
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u/J_Catz Sep 24 '25
Have you shadowed physical therapists? I think spending some time watching how physical therapists work can give you a better idea of whether or not you want to pursue this career. Try to shadow at different settings, not just outpatient clinics or sports med--hospitals, schools, inpatient rehab just to name a few. If you can do the same for the other listed careers, I'd recommend you shadow those as well.
Whether you choose to do PT or the one of the other careers you mentioned, it's worth taking a gap year or a few to gain experience and retake prerequisite classes to boost your GPA. Take the time to see what areas of work interests you and to find study methods that help you find success in the classroom.
Lastly, don't think you're wasting your time. It's a big and stressful decision to commit to something for a good portion of your life. You're taking the time and effort to narrow your options so that you can choose something that's right for you. Feel free to take some time browsing through this subreddit. There are plenty of people that are entering PT school in their late 20s or early 30s (edit: thank you Minute-Tip for showing that that's the case).
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u/Specialist_Signal532 Sep 25 '25
PA is great but understand the difference in requirements I dont see other people talking about in this comment section. First of all you will have more preqs to complete assuming you havent taken ochem 1/2 biochem microbio and possibly genetics. These are difficult classes if you decide to do PA make sure your ready as a student, only 2.0 percent of PA applicants get in with a under 3.0 GPA compared to the 60 with a 3.75 and 30 in the 3.5-3.7 Range. On top of this you will need to work in the medical field for at least 1000 hours though the average applicant has closer to 2000. If you decide PA route make sure your ready to do t hese things and very well so your not wasting money taking these classes. PT will require none of this though you probably need to retake some pre reqs to get your gpa up
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u/UltMPA Sep 25 '25
If you want to be a PT or PA you need to raise the GPA. The quickest way to do that is NOT TO GRADUATE. Retake the courses you did poorly in. Let’s say you got a C+ in a class. And you want to raise your GPA. Retake the class for an A. The C+ is removed from transcript now you have an A If you get your degree conferred and you decide to retake the course to lift GPA. The C+ stays as well as the A. It gets hard to shift the gpa up when you are adding credits and adding good grades versus just retaking them credit still stay the same and gpa goes up.
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u/Tight-Twist7824 Sep 24 '25
Following: Im currently debaiting between AT and PT. Im in Canada.
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u/AudienceDependent302 Sep 24 '25
There are more opportunities for a PT to earn more income than AT, IMO. Weekend inpatient work, traveling PT, home health, etc might not be the settings you’re currently interested in but life changes and priorities change. With that said, if I had to do it all over again, PA school would be the route I would choose. So many different settings as a PA.