I want you to think about this: you have something you're excited about doing like going to a party or a concert or maybe on a date. You start getting ready hours ahead of time. You're so excited to go so you're not procrastinating for that. Why? Because it's fun. Your expectations are so high for this experience that you do not want to procrastinate. There’s no reason to. You're so excited for that opportunity that your actions to get that opportunity follows. And what are those actions? Everything but procrastination.

Now, let's think about it from the PTCAS perspective or from the perspective of studying for the GRE. We've been taught to have our expectations and standards so low for stuff and the mindset that “we don't want to do it” for so long that our actions follow. And what are those actions? Procrastination!

A lot of you are thinking, “well, I took this class before and I failed.” “I took the GRE before and I got a low...

A Quick Q & A.

Q: What is Accreditation? 

A: A process in the United States that ensures the quality of education for the students

Q: Who grants Physical Therapy (PT) schools accreditation? 

A: A body called “CAPTE” or Commission on Accreditation for Physical Therapy Education.

Q: Why is accreditation important? 

A: In order to sit for your licensing exam and become a licensed Physical Therapist, you have to have graduated from an accredited institution. 

How accreditation works

When PT schools are applying for accreditation they are applying to get accepted for accreditation, aka “Candidacy.” Candidacy means that a school is a candidate for accreditation. 

The schools have to write down everything that they want to happen in school and actually do it. They have to say where the money is going. They say how much is going to a cadaver lab, how much is going to the teachers and the students. They have to break...

You might have asked yourself “what should I be majoring in as a Pre-PT?” Is there one best thing? Is there a worst one? Should I stay away from this? Should I stay away from that?

Is there something you can choose that will put you above the rest that will make you stand out? That'll make you be different? Truth is … it doesn't really matter what major you do as a Pre-PT and undergrad. Why? Let's take a step back and think about this. 

When you go to PTCAS or when you go to the school's website, does it ever say that they require a certain major? Does it ever say that they want you to be a biology major? Does it ever say they want you to have a Kinesiology degree? Does it ever say they want you to have an Exercise Science degree? No. 

What does it say?

It says stuff about your GPA requirements and the GRE requirements. It says stuff about the letters of recommendation they want and about the hours and the experiences, but it never says anything about...

Begin.

The other day, I was scrolling through Instagram, and I so happen to cross paths with this quote: “Sometimes I start a sentence and don’t even know where it’s going, but at least it had a start.”

Now depending on your own interpretation of this quote, depicts how you can apply those words to your own life. Through my eyes and even while on my physical therapy journey, there are and have been many new beginnings. Some things come to an end, others just keep going on and on.

However, this quote reminded me of the beginning of my pre-physical therapy school journey. I had no idea on how to get into physical therapy school, but I applied fearless to the unknown; and so it was being denied over a handful of times. Regardless, “I started my sentence,” it may not have ended with a period, stating a complete sentence; but with a semicolon signifying that my failures were not going to be the end.

I started my sentence, and not knowing how it was going...

Let’s talk about a topic that everyone always avoids. Grade Point Average! Let’s talk about why your GPA matters. Now we all know that GPA isn’t everything. 

But if you're going into graduate school, if you're going into a doctorate program, understand that this is going to be a hard intensive three years of schooling that you're about to get into and you have to respect that. Like these classes aren’t your normal pre-req classes. It is way more intensive than that.

So if you're suffering with a pre-req class here by itself and another one there by itself and you're struggling to handle two at a time plus you're studying for your GRE, just understand that this is ALL preparation for PT school.

Like, they're not going to make this easy on you. They're going to make you earn this thing. They're gonna put you through the fire to make sure you know what you're doing and that you're treating your patients with the utmost quality care. They want to make sure...

Would You Accept Yourself?

I can’t believe I’m actually about to tell you guys this. In all honesty, I'm actually happy I was denied my first time applying to physical therapy school. Yes, I said it. It wasn’t easy accepting this news in the beginning, I mean, who likes being denied anyways? I wasn’t just denied once or twice, but I received nine emails stating, “We regret to inform you." I know, tragic right? Yup, thousands of dollars thrown in the PTCAS and supplemental application offering plates. I never knew what so called  “failure” meant, until I had to face my reality. There were a million questions that ran through my mind, but when I look back on this first attempt at applying to physical therapy school; I’m grateful for the “No’s,” because I wouldn’t have accepted myself.

Yes, I wouldn’t have ACCEPTED myself!

I’m giving you guys my truth right now and looking back on the...

“Believe in yourself and stand for your dream. Even in the midst of difficult times. You need to maintain the confidence and conviction that you can achieve what you want.” -Anonymous

The only question I have for you is:

Do you believe in yourself?

I really want you to take the time out and think about this question thoroughly. Yes or No. I know it’s not always the easiest thing to do, but without belief in yourself, how can we set a goal out to achieve it.

To believe in yourself is to stay true, to your true self. Not the person I see, not the person your parents see, but your TRUE SELF. Once you’ve learned to stay true to yourself. You have to think about your goals, and what you want to achieve.  I could imagine your biggest goal right now, is getting that acceptance letter with your name on it. 

But, do you believe in yourself?

Recently I had someone reach out to me on Instagram, and they asked me “How Did I get Into Physical Therapy...

I learned more about myself in 2 and a half months, than I have in my entire existence and I can proudly thank physical therapy school for this. Now that my first semester of physical therapy school is over, and I’ve finally had a mental break (yes, these are needed during PT school), I have a few lessons from my first semester of physical therapy school that I thought I’d share with you guys; Ohana.

I know this is kind of a reach for some of you, but I know many of you will be in physical therapy school faster than you can say “Six sticky sucker sticks” 5 times fast.

Even after the mental breakdowns, the endless conversations about studying, and after way too many pop quizzes that kept me on the edge of my chair, I’m happy that I was able to gain a better understanding of myself. First as a person and secondly as a student, and how far I can be pushed. If I can make it through my first semester of PT school, I can do ANYTHING.

So here are a some of...

Is Physical Therapy Really for You?

Did I just ask that? Yeah, I did. I presume that most of you all are applying to physical therapy school this cycle and if you are still on the fence about rather physical therapy is for you or not; just keep reading. Because this blog is directed towards you. Believe it or not, there are pre-PT students out there who are applying to PT school with blind eyes. There are some who are actually applying “just because”, and sometimes, these are the exact people who will win a seat at the table instead of you because they have played the game far too well. But trust me, it will all catch up to them one day. For now, my job is to make sure you know the reasons to NOT go to physical therapy school. 

I’ve finally completed my first summer semester of physical therapy school. It was nothing near a walk in the park, and to be honest I felt like PT school disrespected me and slapped me in the face. I became a new person, a new...