Since physical therapy school takes up a significant portion of 2-3 years of your life, you may wonder what it will be like socially. Whether you’re entering a program with friends in tow or relocating without knowing anyone, you’re probably going to want to make some new friends in school.
As a psychology major, I learned that one of the most important factors in relationships is proximity, and you’ll certainly have this in PT school. In traditional curriculum setups (and not during a pandemic!), you’re in class and lab all day, plus you spend extra time at night and on weekends, studying, practicing, and working on group projects. Add in the fact that you’re practicing physical, hands-on skills together, and you get to know your classmates pretty well.
From what I’ve heard, most cohorts tend not to be competitive with each other for grades. As my professors explained during orientation, the competitive part was getting into a DPT program. Now we didn’t have to compete anymore. If everyone was able to get 100 on a test, everyone could; there were no curves on tests. (The only caveat to this is that getting some internships was competitive).
This held true in my class. Many of us studied together and if you didn’t understand something or missed notes, a classmate would always help you out. We had a Facebook group and email account for sharing notes and pictures. If word got out that someone was struggling, many people would step in to help. In group projects, no one slacked off because you didn’t want to let your classmates down (or develop a certain reputation).
Outside of school and studying, there was a big hangout scene. At Columbia, most of us lived within a few blocks of campus, making it easy to walk and gather at each other’s apartments and local bars. There were many events that were publicized to the whole class – wine and cheese parties, end of the semester blow outs, even a prom at the end of our coursework.
Of course, 60+ people can’t all hang out all the time, and there were definite groups of friends, but it never felt exclusive. If you happened to ride an elevator with any random person in the class or get paired together for a practical, it almost always worked out.
We socialized a bit with the people in the classes above and below ours, but this was much less common, and I will say I probably never met the majority of these classmates even if I could recognize them. In my program, we also had minimal contact with the other health profession students on campus, although there were occasional events with them.
I should note that my social life didn’t consist entirely of my PT school classmates. Since the majority of my undergrad friends and family lived in and around New York City, and I had my now-husband and his friends around, I didn’t exclusively hang out with my fellow PT students. Sometimes, it was great to blow off steam and bond, but other time I wanted a break and to see other people in my life and talk about something other than PT.
At the end of the day, I made several wonderful friends in school. One friend, who was also my roommate was a bridesmaid in my wedding. I talk to her all the time, and keep in touch with a handful of others. Plus, I know I can count on any of my classmates for help or networking if needed. When I had an interview with a telehealth company, I saw a classmate I had lost touch with also did work for them. I emailed her out of the blue and she was happy to give me advice. We also have an active alumni Facebook group.
And, I’m still in touch with a few professors via email, social media, and conferences. It’s nice to have them as peers now that we’re all physical therapists.
Good luck in school and making friends!