Britanie
How important is it to build up volunteer hours before attending graduate school with a focus on Physical Therapy and what are some other things I should consider completing before attending?
I am currently pursuing an undergraduate degree in exercise-science but my long term goal is Physical Therapy. I have volunteered at my local hospital for 3 years and enjoyed my time there but I am wondering how important these hours will be once I start to apply to graduate schools. #college #graduate-school #physical-therapist #exercise-science
2 answers
Elise Brown
Elise’s Answer
The best answer is that it depends on the schools you are applying to for.graduate school. Volunteer/work experience hours are reported on applications and schools do want you to have done some shadowing or volunteering, although I'm sure some schools weigh these hours more heavily than others. I attended University of Utah and they recommeded at least 100 hours prior to applying. That being said, I only had 65 hours and got in. It never hurts to apply when you're ready and see what happens!
This is a good answer. I had to do 100 hours of volunteer work before I could apply to Columbia University in NYC. Three years of volunteer work at a hospital is very good. Be sure you volunteer within the physical therapy department. Volunteering in other ways may not fulfill volunteer requirements and may or may not be of interest to the PT program.
Deborah R. Brandt, PT, DPT
Maria V
Maria’s Answer
I definitely think that this depends on what you want or where you want to go- definitely do some research and check stats of the schools you are looking to apply to. Some schools look at some things more than others. I am not sure how volunteering/ shadowing is going to be analyzed by grad schools because of COVID but either way they could be valuable parts of your college education!
Good Luck!