Will I be accepted into a Physiotherapy Course?

[Julia Plamenig]

I am worried that I am not smart enough to get into a Physiotherapy Course. I have lots of experience in the health and fitness industry and personal interest in Physio, but am worried I will struggle with my application to get into University because I am not very academic.

I did not do very well in high school, as I was more interested in partying and boys. When I graduated I learnt how to replace these negative habits with more positive ones, especially working out. After a few years of just working after graduating I realized I wanted an education to make more money, and studied to become a Personal Trainer because the only thing I knew how to do was workout. I LOVED studying to become a Certified Personal Trainer and passed with straight A's. When working as a Personal Trainer I felt my knowledge was inadequate (as I had only studied for 5months) and my company made me charge clients the same as what a Phyio or Chiro would charge!! And I wanted to help my clients who had back pain but I don't have enough knowledge in this area. A lot of my family and friends have back pain, and this really bothers me, because so many people live in chronic pain and I believe this is unnecessary. So I realized I wanted to go back to school and study Physiotherapy. My main concern is that I am not smart enough because of how competitive it is.

Pro's:
I love exercise therapy, I workout every day and I learn something new about health every day
I love helping people
The only school I enjoyed was when I become a certified Personal Trainer and got over 90% on all my tests and studied for 3-4hours everyday
Once qualified, there is more work opportunity for Physiotherapists then for Personal Trainers as Physio's are covered by medical insurance
Physiotherapy has a very broad practice including exercise therapy, acupuncture and massage, while exercise therapy is limited
Lots of room for specialities: I would want to specialize in musculoskeletal or sports
Even if I didn't study science in school I already have a lot of knowledge in anatomy and physiology


Con's:
I got A's and B's in high school, and hated school
There is a lot of memorizing when studying Physiotherapy, and although seems hands on, is also very academic
I never studied Chemistry, Physics or Biology in school
I am more hands on then academic, although I love reading and researching health and fitness information
I would hate to work in a hospital, and would prefer a private clinic
I don't agree with a lot of the western health care
More people apply to Physiotherapy in the UK then they do to Cambridge or Oxford, Making it the most competitive course, worldwide even
Acceptance rate is often 30-40 students out of 2000-3000 applicants (like what?!?!)

What I am doing about it:

I signed up for volunteer work in a hospital to shadow Physiotherapist's to put this on my application form, and to see what Physiotherapy is like in real life instead of just a textbook version....
And I have started reading Physiotherapy textbooks

Also: I am wondering if I would just be better off getting a BA in Exercise Science, but my main reason against this is that Physio has a broader range of treatment, and physiotherapy is covered by medical insurance which makes a HUGE difference I think

Thanks for any information and advice you can give!!

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