Does anyone have any information on the Kinesiology program at Cal Poly SLO? My daughter was just accepted into the program for Fall of 2017. Her plan is to go on to get her Doctorate in Physical Therapy. She has been accepted into several other schools some of which have a freshman entry program and some with just undergrad programs offering a Kinesiology, Exercise Science or Health and Rehab major. She has done some online research on the kinesiology program at SLO but there really is not that much info offered. Her primary questions are:
-# of students in the program
-# of professors, how qualified are they?
-How helpful is the Pre-Health Advising Dept. in guiding the students to take the proper classes to get into PT school, and in choosing/ applying to Physical Therapy school?
-How good is the program?
The primary reason why she applied to Cal Poly is because it was a good medium size for her, she wants to be located on the west coast (if possible) to be close to family and she knew that Cal Poly had a good reputation with a Kinesiology program. Also, she is not 100% sure that she wants to go into PT so she is a little hesitant to get locked into a Freshman Entry Program from Day 1.
Other schools that she has been accepted into are:
-Marquette University (Freshman Entry DPT program)
-Ithaca University ( Freshman Entry DPT program)
-Quinnipiac University (Freshman Entry DPT program)
-University of Delaware (Exercise Science/Honors)
-University of Pittsburgh (Health and Rehab Science)
-Gonzaga University (Human Physiology)
-Rutgers University (Exercise Physiology)
-Chapman University (Exercise Science)
She is still waiting to hear back from:
-Boston University (Sergent College 6 yr DPT program)
-University of Wisconsin- Madison (Kinesiology)- deferred
-University of Washington (Biology, not sure if they have Exercise Science as a major)
If anyone has any information or advice to help her make her final decision that would be very appreciated!
I’ll be interested to see the responses. I have two college-aged sons one at CP and the other (a Kines/prePT major) at TCU. I love Cal Poly for so many reasons, but as a mom of a Kines/prePT kid that applied to a few of the same schools as your daughter, I’d say you need to look really fairly at Chapman. That particular program at Chapman is very current and very impressive – and the class sizes are small with absolute top notch faculty. If you haven’t visited Chapman in person to evaluate, it really ought to factor into her decision. Even if not ultimately her choice, the program is so good that exposure on a visit will help her evaluate her alternate choices. Congrats on the acceptances! All very impressive!!
I did want to clarify, that my post in NO way is meant to discourage CP. Rather, that our own experience at Chapman researching that particular program was outstanding. To take it one step further, after two years in the lab and library, my son who thought he wanted to pursue PT is ready to change gears to pursue a career in agriculture, and he’s hoping to head to CP to do so.
Thank you for your advice cpmustangmama. My daughter hasn’t been to either Chapman or CP to take a look and it it sounds like it will definitely be worth going to see both of them. Chapman is not really at the top of her list primarily because she’s leaning towards a bigger school. But I guess you never know until you go to the campus and check it out. If you don’t mind me asking, what other schools did your son that was thinking of PT apply to?
First of all, congrats to your daughter getting into Kinesiology as the acceptance rate for first time freshman apps in that major was around 10% in 2016. I believe the freshman class in 2016 had 60 freshman, 33 new transfer students, and 518 continuing undergrad students. Most undergrad teachers at CP have a good reputation as they are not required to do research and are focused on the students. The advising departments across the board generally seem to be helpful to students as well. It’s a positive atmosphere and many faculty choose to live in or near San Luis Obispo because of the desirable location, quality of living…some to raise their own families.
I thought I could shed some light on a few of your questions given I am a PT, have a sophomore son at CP (Sociology major/Music minor), a 2nd son that just got accepted into CP Engineering program, and a 3rd that wants to apply to CP Kinesiology program in 2 years (so I’ve been doing some preliminary checking.
I’m obviously a huge Cal Poly fan, however, it doesn’t matter what school your daughter attends or major she has as long as she meets PT school course requirements for each graduate school when applying…along with having a competitive GPA and test scores. I was a PE/Exercise Physiology major at Cal Berkeley and many students in my PT class at Northwestern (phenomenal PT program) had a variety of majors in their undergrad schools…even an engineer that changed careers. There will always be all the main general ed and science course requirements, but some PT programs have a few different ones. For example, back in 1989 Northwestern PT had an economics course requirement that no other PT school I applied to required, so I took it in the summer before I applied. The good news is that all this info is easy to check on the internet as that wasn’t an option for me back in my day. Lol
The only other school on your daughter’s list that I’m aware has a great PT program is Chapman. I had a chance to go to some of their PT classes years ago with a friend of mine from college and was very impressed. With that being said, I’m not sure there is a direct link between undergrad Exercise Science at Chapman and getting into their PT Program, but maybe it helps. Also, remember students are so young that many do change their mind on careers, but the major isn’t something to worry about too much. It’s not impossible to change it either with a little planning and keeping grades up.
Good luck to your daughter wherever she decides to go!
United21 thanks for all of the detailed information. Wow, I had no idea that it was that difficult to get into the CP Kinesiology program. I am happy to hear that it is larger than I thought. As a PT and mother of a prospective student would you think that Cal Poly would hold more “weight” or be more reputable than Chapman undergrad when being considered for PT school? As we live on the East Coast I know very little about California schools.
Shelly10, I can’t really speak for Chapman undergrad, but Cal Poly undergrad has a great reputation in general. Kinesiology is a very popular major there too. I’m not sure it really matters where you get an undergrad degree as long as you meet the PT school requirements. Some students that get into PT schools start out in community college first. I really think it would be beneficial to visit to take a look at both schools, ask questions, and see where your daughter fits best. They are about 4 hours 15 mins away by car if that helps.
Cal Poly does have a well organized new student admit weekend from April 6th-8th that would be beneficial to check out. You can visit the Kinesiology department and even attend a class or two. They also have info on PT career advising on the department website as well. We may check into it further as we plan to be at the open house in April for our 2nd son.
For the record, my youngest son would be a good fit for the CP Kinesiology program as he loves all the sciences and is an exercise fanatic, but he hasn’t said specifically what he wants to do or even if he wants to be a PT at this point.
Good luck and always happy to answer any other questions.
I can’t speak to Cal Poly kinesiology program at all, however, I am an Occupational Therapist and work with and have many good friends who are PT’s. I would NEVER advise my child or any person thinking of PT to skip a direct entry program. I have a niece right now struggling to get in a program having graduated college two years ago with excellent grades. I have another friend who’s son took two years to get accepted to a PT program after undergrad. IT IS HIGHLY COMPETITIVE. I have three friends who started in direct entry at St. Louis U. One graduated and is gainfully employed. One decided after freshman year she would prefer Occupational therapy and they immediately let her switch and she will graduate in May. The third will also be graduating in May and already has a job lined up with a hospital that paid his tuition in agreement for a two year commitment.
It will be MUCH EASIER to switch out than to get accepted in should she change her mind. Good Luck with your decision.
Of course getting into PT programs has always been highly competitive and probably even more today like all good undergrad colleges are in 2017. There is always a risk of not getting in, but I was only answering the questions that were asked on her thread. By all means I wasn’t advising her to skip a direct entry program. Obviously, that would almost guarantee her to graduate with a PT degree. She was asking specifically about Cal Poly and the Kinesiology program and also primarily wanting to live on the west coast to be close to family. Not sure any of the direct entry programs she was admitted to are on the west coast, and I can’t speak to their programs as I am not familiar with them.
I’m sorry @United21 if you thought my post was somehow directed at you. I can honestly say that I only skimmed the posts above mine to see if anyone had addressed the direct entry issue. My emphasis on certain points (all caps) was solely because that is my firm belief as a therapist. Direct entry is very difficult to get into and she’s already been accepted. Getting accepted into PT from undergrad majors is even more competitive. I’ve had many students shadow and I tell EVERY one of them to go direct entry if at all possible. I never assumed you were advising anything and you were in fact addressing the question. I started my post admitting that I know nothing about Cal Poly.
I stand by my post. If she is at all thinking of PT even if not 100% sure I believe she should choose one of the direct entry programs. They are all fantastic programs.
First, congratulations on her direct entry admissions! I too can’t speak to Cal Poly, but do know that Marquette has a very good program and she should be proud of herself for getting in. If she really is set on PT, please carefully consider those DE programs. Her senior college year will be much less stressful- no GRE, no application fees, no travel to interviews, no gap year if she doesn’t get in the first time.
Thank you bhs1978 and taskmastrx for your advice. Although it probably would be the smartest strategy for my daughter to go to Marquette she is not sure if she really wants to be in Wisconsin for 6 years while we, her parents will be in Oregon. Unfortunately in the midst of college applications we found out we were moving first to Wisconsin and then to Oregon. As a result she kept adding schools to apply to so she could be closer to us. Unfortunately, there are no 6 yr programs that we have heard about on the West Coast. She is definitely in a quandary as she is torn between the undergrad programs and the freshman entry programs that she has gotten into. Once we visit both Cal Poly and Chapman for the first time and Marquette for the second time I hope that will help in her in her decision making process. I’m also hoping that she gets accepted into Boston Universities freshman entry program. I think she likes Boston better than Milwaukee, which has a more diverse campus and is something she prefers. However, so many students from her school apply there which will make it very difficult for her to get in.
I really appreciate all of your perspectives and knowledge @United21, bhs1978, and taskmastrx. I hope with the info that you have provided me I can help guide her in making the right decision for her. If she doesn’t choose Marquette I have encouraged her to choose an undergrad program that has a strong professors and pre-health advising program that are very knowledgable about the classes she will need to take, the PT school options and the application process.
@shelly10 Good luck to her with the decision process and good luck to you with the move. That’s a lot going on at once and I wish you and your family all the best.
Hi Shelly. I don’t have direct help for you. My daughter is exact same as yours although accepted into many programs on the West Coast and she hopes for CP SLO as it is closest to us, but far enough away still (UP/Nurding, as they don’t have PT or Kines; Gonzaga/Human Phys; Chapman/Exercise Science; USF/Kines; CU Boulder/Human Phys; U of O Honors College/Human Phys; SDSU Honors College/Kines Pre-Major & LMU/Health & Human Science).
We did tour and talk to the director of the dept at Cal Poly last summer and this was her advice:
If you want to do PT, then look at other schools: CSU Long Beach, CSU San Jose, CSU San Diego (SDSU)
Do not go to Cal Poly, as the direction is for Kinesology and selection will need to be made by the student to direct toward either their Public Health or Exercise Science program
That being said, you noted that you hadn’t found any CA 6-year programs. I know that SDSU (San Diego State Univ) does offer an undergrad degree, MA and Doctorate of PT. This is a CSU (State) school, so sometimes people prefer UCs or other private universities, however, SDSU has amazing programs for a large variety of medical. There are others as well.
Hope you are able to determine what is best - it is a difficult decision. Much luck!
My daughter is a Kines major (3rd year); also taking the pre-health courses with the goal of applying to PT school. It’s challenging but overall she loves it. She is definitely feeling the pressure of the future applications for PT school (and the cost, since grad school will be mostly on her) but so far hasn’t wavered from pursuing her goal. She currently works for San Luis Sports Therapy (their Morro Bay office) as a PT Aide and Scribe and loves that as well. Before that job she worked on-campus for one of their restaurants, and then for a year at Starbucks. An off-campus job also means an off-campus work schedule, and this will be the first summer that she doesn’t come home, and she is expected to work during her other breaks as well.
DE programs were out of reach for us at the time she was applying for college for a number of reasons, and she wanted to keep her options open for OT or PA school or even getting her teaching credential. The more experience she gets, the stronger her intent is to try for PT. Her grades are very good, but not 4.0. We will see.
The pre-health courses are challenging. My daughter had a rough start to her sophomore year for a number of reasons (including a death in our family) and I was concerned enough to where I told her she either needed to lighten her course load or come home. She chose the former and will therefore take an additional quarter to graduate. Maybe two.
So it hasn’t all been a bed of roses but overall she loves Cal Poly–is enjoying her department, her sorority, her job and life in general. She is also the social media chair for Polyfit, an organization (made up of mostly Kines majors) that offers fitness testing to the CP community.
One of the Kines professors has a relationship with the Ugandan soccer (football) organization and the camps they run. He invites students to go with him each summer to help with the camps and usually about 5-10 go. My daughter went last summer (it was about 2 weeks I think) and loved it. She is looking to either go back or go on some kind of a medical trip to Africa. I don’t know any details; I hardly had the details of last summer’s trip before she went…I just made sure she got her shots and malaria meds!! But I do know there are opportunities for those who seek them out.
Younger sis was just accepted for Liberal Studies in the Fall…she’s not sure she wants to go where her sis goes, but oh, I am hoping she does!
Hi TyBlue11, Thanks for the great information. Do you remember the name of the director of the Kinesiology at CP. I wonder if he/she is still the director. Maybe my daughter should call and have a conversation with he/she. Congratulations to you daughter in getting into so many great schools. Aside from CP is she leaning towards any other of her acceptances. Did she see Gonzaga or Chapman yet? We still have to get out there and see those schools too.
Hi Luckymom22, It’s great to hear about a current CP students experience in the Kinesiology program. It sounds like your daughter is one busy girl. My daughter also feels like keeping her options open might be a good idea. It really is such a tough decision for these students. It sounds like if there is a will there is a way at CP if your willing to to the research yourself and find the opportunities. I’m happy to hear that there are some shadowing opportunities around the area. Do you know if there are any hospitals that the Kinesiology students volunteer at? I wonder how many students in the department go onto PT school or get accepted on a yearly basis? Does your daughter know of any of the upper classman getting into PT school?
Also, are there sorority houses there that the girls live in, or are there just the organizations? Is the Greek system big there? Sorry for drilling you with so many questions. I wish your daughter the best of luck. Maybe our daughters might meet next year if mine decides to attend CP. Thanks for the great info!
Hi @shelly10 . My daughter volunteered last year in the rehab department at Sierra Vista Regional hospital, which is within walking distance of campus (she did not have a car her first two years). French Hospital is another hospital close to Cal Poly but I don’t know about their volunteer opportunities–it’s also close to the school (although a little too far to walk). My daughter does have upper classmen friends who have been accepted into PT schools ( I believe she told me that one she works with got into Columbia), but I don’t know that they keep any stats on it. From what I can tell, the kines department seems to do a good job of notifying students of job, internship and volunteer opportunities.
As far as sororities go, there are some that have larger houses that a number of girls live in. My daughter belongs to one that has a smaller house (although it’s nice) that only the officers live in. So it depends. She didn’t rush her freshman year because she was having so much fun with the friends she’d met in the dorms. She feels it’s tougher to rush as a sophomore although she made it through and is enjoying her sorority experience (she’s in Chi Omega). I think the last thing I read is that 20% of Cal Poly students are in a fraternity or sorority. So I wouldn’t say their Greek system is “big”…maybe “moderately-sized”? I know at some colleges over 50% of students are in a fraternity or sorority. That is certainly not the case at Cal Poly.
Best wishes to your daughter–it sounds like she has some great options! Obviously she’s quite bright and capable and will thrive wherever she ends up. Let us know what she decides!
@r77r77: I suggest you look at the 4 year Flowchart required for the major and see if would be possible to fit in all classes in 3 years. Also, AP credit can help reduce the course load.
