Just to clarify, last spring one of my best friends just graduated last year from Cal Poly Kinesiology in three years. So it is possible! She’s off volunteering in Mexico right now and doing a masters soon after.
You just need to come in with a few elective units and 17 units per quarter seems about right, but is definitely doable.
@rr77r77: Definitely good to know and yes having some AP or DE course credit can really make it possible.
@shelly10 Good question. We did talk to the NEW dept head. She has been there 1-2 years, I believe. The previous dept head who we had thought we would be speaking to was Dr. Camille O’Bryant, however, just a week or two before we actually visited, we were told we would speak to the new dept head - Kristine Jankovitz, Ph.D. Here is her info:
Office: 43A-458E // Phone: 805-756-2545
Email: kjankovi@calpoly.edu
Area of Specialization: Health Education
The only thing different for my daughter is that she is actually has decided to go into Kinesiology over PT - at least for now.
@shelly10 I forgot to reply to your other question (!) We did visit Gonzaga & Chapman, although did not talk to the dept heads. I do hear that Chapman has an excellent undergrad and graduate program. My daughter decided against Chapman just due to location (closer to LA) and Gonzaga is a very close second to CP still. We have noticed that some undergrads graduating from Gonzaga go on to graduate school at Chapman 
If you are interested in the physical feel of the campuses, Chapman’s campus has been updated more recently while Gonzaga has update a few buildings, including the student union - which is gorgeous, within the last 3 years.
After reading through the replies, the competitiveness of PT programs seems to be overstated. She can go to Cal Poly (or another school) for undergrad, and go to any PT school, rather than be limited to the few programs which offer direct entry.
Hi Luckymom22, I appreciate you sharing your daughters volunteering experience and sorority experience. All of these bits of information coming from a current student are so helpful. Thank you.
Hi TyBlue11, Thank you for the contact information of the CP Kinesiology department head. I think it will be worth having a conversation with her. Also, thank you for sharing you Gonzaga/Chapman info. Good Luck to your daughter, Maybe our daughters will end up at the same place. Keep me updated.
Hi grandpiano, Do you have any personal experience with DPT schools/programs?
Hi, I came to Cal Poly with the intentions of going on to PT school, but after shadowing/volunteering/working I ended up applying to medical school instead. I don’t know how much exposure she has had to other healthcare fields, but if she’s set on PT, direct entry may be a good fit.
Shelly10 - Much luck to your daughter also!!
shelly10,
Just curious where your daughter ended up going and if she is still on a Physical Therapy track? How does she like where she goes? My daughter is trying to choose between Cal Poly SLO [Kinesiology] and Chapman [Health Sciences] with the intent to go into PT and thought your daughter’s experience might be helpful.
Hello @sportsdo ,
I’m not shelly10, but I’m a Cal Poly Slo graduate in my first year of doctor of physical therapy school. I was also on the kinesiology student council for two years and a part of the physical therapy club. I can assure you that Cal Poly has a fantastic Kinesiology program and all the tools needed to become a competitive candidate for physical therapy school. Cal Poly offers all the classes needed to fulfill the DPT requirements, a club dedicated to aspiring physical therapists, and a pre-health career advising center. Since Cal Poly is founded on their motto “learn by doing”, almost every class I took had a lab component. As a result, I’ve gained invaluable hands-on experiences that many of my doctoral classmates did not get to experience (EKG, echocardiogram, adaptive physical activity classes, etc.) I can’t speak much for Chapman, but I do know that they have a DPT program in-house, so undergraduates may have an advantage in the application process. However, DPT school is very expensive and saving money in your undergraduate degree can go a long way. I know that Cal Poly is significantly cheaper than Chapman (4x cheaper) and DPT schools do not care nor place weight on which school you attended during the application process. Also, I’m a biased San Luis Obispo county native and believe that Slo county is a beautiful place to live. Let me know of any additional questions!