I have just received two strikingly similar questions. The second, from Sharpenlight is: “Can you talk about the pros and cons of being a psych major? Was it
beneficial in applying to PT school, or did it make it hard to fulfill
your pre-reqs (since it is not something like biology)“
Here are my thoughts:
1. Unless you want to become a psychologist or psychiatrist, being a psych major isn’t classically “useful.” However, it did change the way I think, and it has helped me better understand my patients and their mental states, which is important. It also taught me a lot about research, which is helpful for becoming a PT. Most PT programs also have a few psych pre-reqs so I definitely had that aspect covered.
2. I don’t think bio is a “useful” major either. It might cover a few pre-reqs, but I don’t see it as being drastically related to PT. I loved bio, but you spend most of the time learning about plants and animals – not the human beings you actually need to know about as a PT. Taking your basic intro to bio courses are more than enough to help you on your way to being a PT.
3. If you want to major in something that will be helpful for being a PT, I think exercise science or kinesiology backgrounds helped a lot of my classmates. However, I never took a course in either until arriving at PT school, and I did just find.
4. At the end of the day, as you long as meet the pre-reqs for each school to which you’re applying, it doesn’t really matter what you major in. Pick something that you like studying and enjoy!
What do you think, does your undergrad major matter?