<p>ok...so I know im only a freshman in high school, but I would like to start thinking about what I want to be and what college i should go to for it... so I was just wondering whats a good college to go to if I want to be a physical therapist? I was thinking the University of Minnesota [[ because thats where I live ]] but my very-smart friend [[ mj93 ]] told me it was bad to go to a University. So does anyone know a better college I could attend that might be in the area because I dont want to leave Minnesota.</p>
<p>its not BAD...</p>
<p>also, you should definitely look into macalester. i don't know about the PT program, but it's right in saint paul</p>
<p>thanks...ill look into it. but i kinda want to go to a private college and get a scholorship for gymnastics. ohh...i have a nother question...</p>
<p>if i want to get a scholorship for gymnastics do i have to be on the college team?</p>
<p>if you get recruited, yes. if you get an athletic scholarship, i'm not sure.</p>
<p>I don't know a lot about PT programs, but this is what I've found through research. You may get some helpful responses in the premed forum as well.</p>
<p>To become a physical therapist, you'll want to get a masters or doctorate in PT, which would come from a university. There aren't a lot of schools with undergraduate PT programs (FYI, Macalester doesn't have one), nor is it necessary to be enrolled in one to become a physical therapist. As an undergrad you can study pretty much anything as long as you meet the requirements for the graduate programs you want to enter, which might look something like:</p>
<p>
[quote]
* Two semesters of anatomy/physiology
* Two semesters of college chemistry with labs
* Two semesters of physics with labs
* One semester of biology
* One semester of psychology
* One semester of statistics
[/quote]
</p>
<p>(Those are from the University of Vermont, which I picked somewhat arbitrarily as my local university.)</p>
<p>So you shouldn't be looking for an undergraduate PT program. You have a lot of different college options.</p>
<p>thanks...how much schooling would that involve... like a doctorate and/or masters. plus...i would like to specialize in sports-related injuries so i can get paid more =]]</p>
<p>A masters takes 2 years, a doctorate 3-4. Once you earn your degree, you need to pass an exam to get licensed by the state in which you want to practice.</p>
<p>I don't know how you would go about specializing in sports injuries. The American Physical Therapy Association has some really helpful info on their website - their FAQ is here: <a href="http://www.apta.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Professional_PT&CONTENTID=37192&TEMPLATE=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm%5B/url%5D">http://www.apta.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Professional_PT&CONTENTID=37192&TEMPLATE=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm</a>.</p>
<p>thanks! i will go look.</p>
<p>There might be combined degree programs in physical therapy. For example, WUSTL has one: </p>
<p>but it's not in Minnesota. There are probably other programs you can look into. Going to a "University" (do you mean state university?) isn't a bad thing, unless you're some sort of prestigemonger. UMinnesota does have a (graduate) physical therapy program:</p>
<p>i know quinnipiac in new haven ct has a good program...and i was talking to my physical therapist about becoming one, its 6 years of schooling</p>
<p>cool. i might look into it.</p>
<p>You could always go to the University of Manitoba.
<a href="http://www.umanitoba.ca/faculties/medicine/units/medrehab/pt/%5B/url%5D">http://www.umanitoba.ca/faculties/medicine/units/medrehab/pt/</a>
Minnesota and Manitoba have a reciprocity agreement, so you would pay resident tuition. The tuition in Manitoba is ridiculously low.
I don't know if Canadian PT degrees are recognized in the U.S. though.</p>