kaitlyng24
May 19, 2016
Undergraduate / 'Pursuing a degree in Physical Therapy was never my first choice' SOP for Applying to PT school [3]
Pursuing a degree in Physical Therapy was never my first choice. Actually, I was raised on a farm where everyone and I thought I would be a Veterinarian, but softball convinced me otherwise. I was a softball pitcher and had worked really had to be the best I could. I was obsessed, and honestly, I still am. I am grateful I was given the opportunity to coach and still be around the sport I love, but it was because of softball that I wanted to become a Physical Therapist. I never realized how obsessed I was with mechanics and how to carefully care for my muscles. If my mechanics were off I was panicked because I knew I could injure myself, which was my worst fear. I was constantly stretching and observing how every player moved and played. One day in high school a friend of mine got hurt while we were playing softball and my coach sent her to physical therapy. I was confused because I had no idea what physical therapy was. So being the person I am, I did some research. This was when I realized that this was the career I was meant to pursue. Every description I read described my obsession with muscles and movement to a "T." Ever since that day, my freshmen year of high school, I never looked back on wanting to be a physical therapist. I started doing more and more research on what needed to be done in order to become a Physical Therapist.
Once I had some free time on my hands, I started shadowing. My first setting was a hospital in Ville Platte, LA where I was able to be around acute care, rehab, inpatient and outpatient settings. I was in love. I even did a day in observing Physical Therapist who did home health. Then I started observing at an outpatient clinic in Ville Platte, LA where I learn about E-Stems and Ultrasounds. I was blown away. I thought I new right there what I wanted to do with the rest of my life, until I moved to Lake Charles, LA. My first physical therapy clinic there I observed there was an outpatient clinic. I never realized how small of town I was really from. This Lake Charles clinic was so much more than I thought it would be. We saw more patients and I was able to see more diagnoses than in Ville Platte. Later I discovered a clinic in Lake Charles, LA that was for strictly pediatrics. I had only dreamed of one day being able to observe at a clinic specifically for pediatrics, especially since I love kids. One day I received a phone call telling me I had been approved to start volunteering there. My excitement was threw the roof, but I had no idea what I was getting myself into. The first day was so different. Different setting, colors everywhere, and of course, the patients were very different, all had a type of developmental delay or autism. My heart was full. After observing as many settings I would possibly think of, I found pediatrics and it was then that I knew what God had put me on this earth to do. I told myself no matter what, one day I will become a Pediatric Physical Therapist and I will work with children with autism, disorders, delays, or any child in need of physical therapy. It may take me a while to get there but I am determined. When I set my mind to something, I do not give up until it is accomplished.
My life motto has always been "Live life to the fullest because it only happens once," and I try to live as closely to this motto as possibly. When a new adventure comes up that I know I have worked for, I do not pass it up. I am very focused on school, but I did not like missing out on experiences I will never get back. I was told by so many people to live it up in college because you will never get those years back, and that is exactly what I tried to do. Your undergraduate years are supposed to be the best times of your life and I intended on making that a true. I did not want to be that student who studied my life away in undergraduate school then graduated and went straight to work and never got the chance to experience the adventures most college twenty year olds get to experience. It was not very often I passed up a chance to go on a road trip or go watch my idol play live in concert after coming out of retirement to play his last tour. I want to travel and see the world and the best time to do that is when I am young. I do put work into school, but I know I could have done a lot better than I did. I would not take back my adventures or my experiences for anything. I lived my life as an undergraduate and now I am ready to settle down, and I am really focus on the subjects I love.
I plan on attending graduate school at the University of St. Augustine. I know I will be a great student because Anatomy, Kinesiology, Physiology of Exercise, and Motor Learning were just some of my favorite courses at McNeese. Even though my grades do not show that I was the best student in the class, if you talk to my professors, they could tell you that I was one of the best students in the class. The classes I was the most obsessed about showed that it was obvious what my field of study was. I had been told by a couple of professors that I mostly likely have test anxiety but I did not believe them. I did not want to be like the rest of the students and have a crutch I always had to depend on such as medicine. I fought the thought for three years until I realized I have to start helping myself in some way. Once I sought help, my grades started to drastically improve.
My visions of my personal future growth is attending University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences and obtain my Doctorate of Physical Therapy. Then I would like to start out working for a home health for about three years. Once I have enough money saved up to start my own clinic, I would like to start a clinic for children with autism and developmental delays in Lafayette, LA with my aunt who is a Nurse Practitioner and currently practicing Psychology. She has expressed much interest in this plan with me. I know dreams do not always come true, but like I stated before, when I set my mind to something, I do not give up until it is accomplished.
Pursuing a degree in Physical Therapy was never my first choice. Actually, I was raised on a farm where everyone and I thought I would be a Veterinarian, but softball convinced me otherwise. I was a softball pitcher and had worked really had to be the best I could. I was obsessed, and honestly, I still am. I am grateful I was given the opportunity to coach and still be around the sport I love, but it was because of softball that I wanted to become a Physical Therapist. I never realized how obsessed I was with mechanics and how to carefully care for my muscles. If my mechanics were off I was panicked because I knew I could injure myself, which was my worst fear. I was constantly stretching and observing how every player moved and played. One day in high school a friend of mine got hurt while we were playing softball and my coach sent her to physical therapy. I was confused because I had no idea what physical therapy was. So being the person I am, I did some research. This was when I realized that this was the career I was meant to pursue. Every description I read described my obsession with muscles and movement to a "T." Ever since that day, my freshmen year of high school, I never looked back on wanting to be a physical therapist. I started doing more and more research on what needed to be done in order to become a Physical Therapist.
Once I had some free time on my hands, I started shadowing. My first setting was a hospital in Ville Platte, LA where I was able to be around acute care, rehab, inpatient and outpatient settings. I was in love. I even did a day in observing Physical Therapist who did home health. Then I started observing at an outpatient clinic in Ville Platte, LA where I learn about E-Stems and Ultrasounds. I was blown away. I thought I new right there what I wanted to do with the rest of my life, until I moved to Lake Charles, LA. My first physical therapy clinic there I observed there was an outpatient clinic. I never realized how small of town I was really from. This Lake Charles clinic was so much more than I thought it would be. We saw more patients and I was able to see more diagnoses than in Ville Platte. Later I discovered a clinic in Lake Charles, LA that was for strictly pediatrics. I had only dreamed of one day being able to observe at a clinic specifically for pediatrics, especially since I love kids. One day I received a phone call telling me I had been approved to start volunteering there. My excitement was threw the roof, but I had no idea what I was getting myself into. The first day was so different. Different setting, colors everywhere, and of course, the patients were very different, all had a type of developmental delay or autism. My heart was full. After observing as many settings I would possibly think of, I found pediatrics and it was then that I knew what God had put me on this earth to do. I told myself no matter what, one day I will become a Pediatric Physical Therapist and I will work with children with autism, disorders, delays, or any child in need of physical therapy. It may take me a while to get there but I am determined. When I set my mind to something, I do not give up until it is accomplished.
My life motto has always been "Live life to the fullest because it only happens once," and I try to live as closely to this motto as possibly. When a new adventure comes up that I know I have worked for, I do not pass it up. I am very focused on school, but I did not like missing out on experiences I will never get back. I was told by so many people to live it up in college because you will never get those years back, and that is exactly what I tried to do. Your undergraduate years are supposed to be the best times of your life and I intended on making that a true. I did not want to be that student who studied my life away in undergraduate school then graduated and went straight to work and never got the chance to experience the adventures most college twenty year olds get to experience. It was not very often I passed up a chance to go on a road trip or go watch my idol play live in concert after coming out of retirement to play his last tour. I want to travel and see the world and the best time to do that is when I am young. I do put work into school, but I know I could have done a lot better than I did. I would not take back my adventures or my experiences for anything. I lived my life as an undergraduate and now I am ready to settle down, and I am really focus on the subjects I love.
I plan on attending graduate school at the University of St. Augustine. I know I will be a great student because Anatomy, Kinesiology, Physiology of Exercise, and Motor Learning were just some of my favorite courses at McNeese. Even though my grades do not show that I was the best student in the class, if you talk to my professors, they could tell you that I was one of the best students in the class. The classes I was the most obsessed about showed that it was obvious what my field of study was. I had been told by a couple of professors that I mostly likely have test anxiety but I did not believe them. I did not want to be like the rest of the students and have a crutch I always had to depend on such as medicine. I fought the thought for three years until I realized I have to start helping myself in some way. Once I sought help, my grades started to drastically improve.
My visions of my personal future growth is attending University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences and obtain my Doctorate of Physical Therapy. Then I would like to start out working for a home health for about three years. Once I have enough money saved up to start my own clinic, I would like to start a clinic for children with autism and developmental delays in Lafayette, LA with my aunt who is a Nurse Practitioner and currently practicing Psychology. She has expressed much interest in this plan with me. I know dreams do not always come true, but like I stated before, when I set my mind to something, I do not give up until it is accomplished.
