Undergraduate / 'As a student athlete' - PT application Essay [3]

The topic is: "Which personal characteristics and motivating factors have led you to pursue the profession of physical therapy."

Here's my essay, any comments would be greatly appreciated

I often see my fellow classmates scared to death about the thought off graduating college. The fear that the path they have chosen won't hold up in the real world. It's a fear of questioning whether you made the right decision in your education that will continue in your life. You need that fear to be present in you, because without it, you will never know just how passionate you are about your education in your journey to be successful.

As a student athlete, I was intrigued by the movement of the body and how to use my knowledge to increase my performance on the baseball diamond. As you may have guessed, very few people go most of their life playing sports without sustaining injuries on the way. Some may be more serious than others, but I am no exception in saying that I have experienced injuries that have been roadblocks to pursuing further with baseball. This lead to my growing fascination towards Physical Therapy. My close friends sustained injuries through baseball that have led to getting Physical Therapy treatment, and all of them have had high praises for the amazing work their Physical Therapists did for them. They came back from rehabilitation stronger and more athletic than before their injury. Hearing these positive reviews about Physical Therapy led me to the start of a growing passion for the field, because I realized that physical therapy is a field that would allow me to use my knowledge of science and my passion for health to better the lives of people around me.

This fascination led me toward this field in two ways. Being an athlete, I am naturally fascinated by how the body works and how a Physical Therapist can have the ability to rehabilitate injuries without any type of major incisions. My most recent experience undergoing Physical Therapy was three years ago. It was my second year into college and I had gotten back from a summer baseball team in which at the last week of the season, I had created a partial tear in my rotator cuff muscles. I could not toss I ball further than ten feet. When I got to school, I was given the choice of undergoing arthroscopic surgery or to try a rehabilitation program through a Physical Therapist. I've never had surgery on any art of my body, and don't plan to, so I chose the rehabilitation route. After two months of intensive physical therapy, I was back to pitching in practice games, and ended up making my collegiate team. My arm felt so good after the rehabilitation that I kept with the program through the whole year, and three years later I am still doing the same program because of the increased shoulder stability and improved performances in my pitching.

Since I began my rehabilitation program, I have never had any reoccurrences with my shoulder. I witnessed firsthand just how significant a Physical Therapist can be to a person, and I was immediately pulled toward this field. It amazed me to see a person with the ability to improve someone's life through their knowledge and persistence. Whether it be helping a stroke victim raise her arm higher or saving a young athlete from a career threatening surgery, having the ability to teach someone how to function their body better with greater efficiency and with less pain is an immeasurable skill to obtain.

I look back at all my experiences and see how it built me into a person who is persistent, self motivated, and hard working. My hours shadowing at three different Physical Therapy offices have prepared me into pursuing my higher education to be a Physical Therapist. Much like my goals in baseball, I strive to be the best my abilities allow me to be. With my hard work and determination I know I will come out of my baseball career as being a success in my life. Now with the opportunity to achieve a professional education from some of the best instructors, it will guide me into being a success in the field of Physical Therapy. A field that I proud of knowing that at the end of every day, I can come home from the office knowing that I have made a difference in people's lives.