Transition from Undergrad to Grad School

Physical Therapy | Utica University


Hello everyone! This post is going to be all about what to expect during your first year at PT school. I’m halfway through my first year and have definitely seen some big differences from undergrad. One of the biggest (and I’d say most expected) differences is the workload. It’s much more in-depth work and there’s extra pressure there because these are the things that we will have to know for our careers and for the rest of our lives as PT’s. So keeping this in mind, it’s important to remind yourself regularly that you’re working so hard to be the best PT you can be in the future. Although the workload is a lot, everyone is helping you work toward your goals. Your classmates are helping you reach your goals, the professors are there to help, the students in cohorts above you are always helping out, and so much more. In undergrad, it may seem at times that you are always in competition with those around you. You're all trying to get into programs that have very limited seats and you want to be the best. Once you get into graduate school, at least that at Utica University, this competition goes away. This is one really big positive to expect transitioning from undergrad to grad school. All of the classmates and professors that you are working with now are going to be your colleagues in a few years. This is how we all like to look at it here at Utica University. Some people may know a little bit more than others or have more experience, but we are all working to best represent the physical therapy field and this common goal brings everyone together. 


The other really big difference between graduate school and undergraduate is the class schedule and class alignment. By this I mean the way that classes are strategically laid out and planned so that we can use each class as a stepping stone toward gaining more knowledge in another course. Here at Utica University, we take human gross anatomy in the summer before our first fall semester. This lays the foundation for all of our future classes and all of the classes in the fall use that information and bounce off of one another which really helps you tie everything together cohesively. In undergrad, a lot of the classes are pretty random and are set in place to meet certain requirements, but in graduate school they are all very organized and intertwined which makes learning much more interesting and easier. 


There are many differences between undergraduate schools and graduate schools, but these are just two of the big differences that I personally have experienced in this transition.  If you have any questions about the change from undergrad to grad school, feel free to send me an email at mmlazore@utica.edu. 


Goodbye for now, folks☺


Maryanne

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