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6) Is the first semester really stressful? If so, what are ways that students cope with it?
Mike Brossman, Class of 2006
It is very stressful. Getting to know and trust your classmates, "fitting in," and preparing for 1-4 tests per class to determine your grade. That's it!
Nichole Maxa, Class of 2006
Yes, second semester, at times you'll feel like you've been hit by a bus! Its just something completely different than what you're used to and you never though it was going to be that hard! You talk about it, laugh, cry, talk to professors to help you through it, ask 2nd or 3rd years for advice and/or notes.
Joy Powell, Class of 2005
Yeah, I'd say that the first semester is really stressful. Most of us aren't used to being under that much pressure, along with the newly acquired taste of failure that many of us experience. We cope by bonding with one another, forming support groups. We also cope by helping each other out, through outlines, student-created study guides, and study groups. By breaking large chunks of knowledge into smaller bits, we maximize time and learning potential.
Heather Sawdy, Class of 2005
Again, this depends on the student and the program. The first year is very intense for several of the programs because students are trying to learn all of the basic information in order to be prepared for their clinical rotations at the end of that first year. Other programs are a slower transition to grad. school and don't pick up in stress levels until the second year of the program. Dealing with stress is very individual, take time to relax every day - figure out what you absolutely have to get to and realize that everythign assigned is not going to get done the day it is assigned - plan according to due dates and take a breather whenever you can get it. Don't completely wrap youself up in school, keep a hobby - exercise, an hour so tv a day - somethign so that you are not only doing school all the time. If you don't maintain something outside of your program you will burn out and you will not learn the material as well or as efficiently if you do. Be prepared that grades your first year in the program may not be as high as undergraduate school.
Deanna Bondie, Class of 2004
Yes, the first semester is stressful. You learn to "deal with it". Plus, you come to realize that everyone is in the same situation, you can't possibly learn everything, and you'll have stress with anything. Your new "family" of pt students help to have a little less stress with some comic relief!
Michelle Kreusel, Class of 2004
Yes, honestly, I did find the first semester stressful. The adjustment and the high expectations from professors and yourself can combine to make an ulcer in your stomach if you let it. You could go crazy and not sleep and get sick and read everything in every book, and make yourself sick. But I'm not really thinking that's too much fun. So I would suggest: 1. Know ways to de-stress yourself AND USE THEM! 2. Get as much sleep as you can. Falling asleep in class is unacceptable. 3. Try to review your knowledge every day, skim the notes. Quiz yourself in the shower. And apply it to what you are doing. i.e.: As I do my Tae Bo, I think about the muscles that I'm working...their names and innervations, how they are working and what their actions are. Make the material real! 4. Use your classmates. They are a wonderful, wonderful resource. 5. Lean on your support system.
Susan Stevens, Class of 2003
The first and second semesters are very stressful, and hard, but well worth it! Some students cope by taking a certain day during the week off from any studying, no matter what (like every Sunday), some by working out, or by just taking it easy. It is important to realize that everyone, no matter what their GPA, feels overwhelmed sometimes by the sheer volume of information taken in, and it's important to have a way to relive stress. Talking to other students or professors about any scholastic worries helps to realize that everyone pretty much feels the way you're feeling at one point during the program, and we've made it this far! Despite the stress, it is still worthwhile if PT is what you want to do!
Lindsay Williams, Class of 2003
I loved the first semester. Its a really key semester for laying a foundation/developing knowledge of the human body and its function. I remember the second semester being the most difficult of that first year for me. There really was no end to the things you could learn about (its very self- directed learning), so you have to learn to cover the basics and know them well.
Michelle Vander Heide, Class of 2002
The first semester is fairly difficult for the majority of students as the transition to the graduate level. There is a full class load scheduled for the PT program and many students are also trying to complete their Bachelor's work. Once again, plan ahead. Finish as many undergraduate courses as possible prior to entering the program, carrying 20 credits each semester is not very appealing at the graduate level. Also, be sure the you take time for yourself during that first year, make time for friends, family, laughter and love because that is what keeps you sane. Work hard and then take a break. Make up games like charades for studying regional anatomy! You'll make it through and laugh when you look back.
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