Choosing a Major

Hi guys!

I noticed during last meeting that a lot of you had questions about which major is best for physical/occupational therapy. There is no absolute answer to this, but I can summarize the benefits of the most popular majors.

Exercise and Sport Science 

(sorry- I'm very biased towards EXSS!)

I think this is by far the most popular major amongst pre-PT/OT students. At UNC, this is because you get to focus entirely on the human body rather than animal or plant biology. The EXSS department offers classes such as Exercise Physiology, Neuromuscular Control, and Cadaver Lab. The material taught in these classes will most likely be taught at a deeper level or at least referenced in PT/OT school, so it's useful to have a foundational understanding beforehand. 

Another perk to this major is that it is usually easier on your GPA! A lot of PT/OT schools look at GPA to cut out applicants before they consider everything else, so you need a solid GPA to make it through the door. However, this is not to say that these classes will not challenge you- you still need to devote time to learn the material. It's just that in comparison to classes in the Chem/Bio department, EXSS courses provide a more relaxed learning environment.

Some cons are that because it is so common, you don't really stand out amongst everyone else. With 600+ applicants, you can use all the help you can get! But, even with that, there is always the option of double-majoring!

Also, there is no overlap in pre-requisites other than Anatomy/Physiology. This means that you have to take the basic sciences anyway. 

Biology/Chemistry

It always seems like 70% of the incoming freshman class is either a Bio or a Chem major. Benefits for being one of these majors is that a lot of the pre-reqs for PT/OT coincide with the pre-reqs for these majors! I know OT doesn't have as many science requirements, but PT students usually need 2 Bio, 2 Chem, and 2 Physics courses. Might as well knock out both at the same time!
That being said, these are very rigorous majors! Like I said in the EXSS section, GPA is key to make the cut for most PT/OT schools. It is definitely possible to make good grades in Bio/Chem classes, but it can get difficult when you are taking multiple science classes at a time. 

Psychology

From what I've noticed, a lot of people choose to double major in EXSS and psychology. In therapy settings, you'll be working with a variety of people with both mental and physical disorders, so it is great to have a solid understanding of both sides of the field.

Others

There really is no rule that says you HAVE to major in the sciences. Schools welcome diversity, and if you want to study Art History in undergrad, then do it! (Just remember to do your pre-requisite courses as well).
You'll bring a different perspective to the table. Choosing a major outside of the normal pre-health box will help you to see things in ways that maybe others would not have.



When it comes down to picking a major, the most important factor should be what interests you! Schools want you to be passionate about what you're learning, and passion comes through when you're writing essays or interviewing. Think about what you want to gain from your undergraduate education. Physical/Occupational therapy isn't going to be your entire life! Pursue what you're interested, and schools will appreciate that you are showing them who you are- not who you think they want to see.

Interview Advice

Good morning everyone!

I wanted to write this while interviews were still fresh in my mind.
First of all, congratulations on getting an interview invite! Usually this means that you are academically qualified to attend that particular school, and now they want to know more about YOU.

A few things they might be looking for:

• Are you a good match for the program? 
• Do you know their values, what the school prides themselves in, etc.
• Were you being genuine in your essays?
• In my interview, most of my questions came from what I wrote about in my essays. Make sure you know what you wrote and that you are being honest when you write them.
• Will you represent the school well, both in your practice and while you are a student?

I started officially preparing for my interviews as soon as I received the invitation, but I would recommend reflecting on what you might say even earlier than that. Interviews are an important time, and even if you are great at talking or feel that you know what to say, you will still want to make sure that you get to say what you want to say about yourself. A good piece of advice I received right before my interview was to prepare 5 topics that you wanted your interviewer to remember about you.

Other ways that I prepared:

• Flashcards with common interview questions, current issues in PT, mission statement of the school, and notes of my responses/reflections
• List of potential questions I could ask at the end of the interview
• Talking to myself/friends/family
• Watching TED talks (watch the one on body language! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ks-_Mh1QhMc)
• Constantly meditating and considering common interview questions such as:
• Why physical therapy?
• How have your experiences prepared you to be a physical therapist?
• Why this school?
• How are you different from any of the other hundreds of qualified applicants?
• Career center mock interview- I didn't get a chance to do this because all the slots were full but I really recommend this! 

Other than that, remember to get a nice SUIT (people that didn't have suits kind of stuck out on interview day..), look friendly (even if it's just tours or meeting the current students), etc. My mentality after my interview was that I had done all I could to prepare, I answered everything genuinely and to the best of my abilities. If they rejected me then I would not want to go to a school that didn't like who I was! 

Good luck guys!

Is Physical/Occupational Therapy Right for You?

Hi guys!

I know a lot of you coming in are Freshmen/Sophomores so you may still be unfamiliar with what PT/OT is. Hopefully this post will give you a better insight into the profession and help you decide if this is the career for you!

Physical Therapist:

• Health care professionals who diagnose and treat individuals of all ages
• Examine each individual and develop a plan using treatment techniques to promote the ability to move, reduce pain, restore function, and prevent disability (APTA)

Occupational Therapist:

• Help people across the lifespan participate in the things they want and need to do through the therapeutic use of everyday activities (occupations)
• Have a holistic perspective, in which the focus is on adapting the environment to fit the person, and the person is an integral part of the therapy team (AOTA)

Qualities of a Physical/Occupational Therapist:

• People-person
• Our job is centered around patient care, so obviously you should enjoy interacting with people. A therapist's attitude can have a significant impact on a patient's motivation and progression through therapy. 
• Strong communication skills
• After you learn all of the intricate jargon from PT/OT school, you need to be able to break it down and explain it all to patients who might not have any background in anatomy/physiology.  
• Ability to communicate clearly is definitely a skill you need as a therapist. You use it in everything from explaining exercises to telling patients about their rehabilitation progression. 
• No sense of personal space
• By this I don't mean that therapists don't respect the personal boundaries of their patients (they do!). It just means that PTs/OTs are constantly touching and are in close proximity to their patients, so if you are someone who doesn't like to be touched, you might want to start getting used to having less personal space. 
• Creative
• Patients can better connect to an exercise if they can see how it applies to their daily lives. Oftentimes, therapists cater the exercises to what the patient likes; for instance, if a patient enjoyed karate, the therapist can incorporate punches to work on reaching.
• Hard-working
• Not only do you have to work hard academically, you should be driven to keep up with current practices in your field. Because there is so much research happening with therapy, we are continually finding better ways to train/rehabilitate the human body and it is our responsibility to deliver the best known care to our patients. 

Hopefully this gives you a general idea of what being a physical/occupational therapist entails. The best way to gain a deeper understanding of this profession is to shadow! There, you can judge for yourself whether or not you would fit into this type of setting. 

Welcome!

Hi UNC Pre-PT/OT Club!

This website was built in the hopes that it would compile all of the resources and advice we have accumulated over the years. We will put up blog posts about current issues in physical/occupational therapy, tips (interviews/preparing/etc.), and summaries of our monthly meetings. We would also like for you to send us requests for articles, and we will do our best to thoroughly answer all of your questions. In addition, if you would like to contribute a post of your own, or add to previous posts, you are welcome to do so. Please send any requests or posts to preptotunc@gmail.com.

Looking forward to hearing from you guys!
Sincerely,
Your Officers