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Is it worth getting PT hours the summer before Freshman year?

I’m 17 and heading to Texas A&M this fall to major in Kinesiology on the Pre-PT track. I’ve been told by pretty much everyone (teachers, classmates, etc.) that I need to start grinding for observation hours ASAP because PT school applications are crazy competitive.

Since I live about 1.5 hours away from College Station, I’m wondering if it's worth trying to find a shadowing spot for just the 3 months I have left this summer, or if I should just wait until I get to university. I have no prior experience yet, so I’m curious if 3 months is enough time to actually learn the ropes or build a connection strong enough for a future letter of rec.

My thought process is that since I’m close enough to drive home on breaks, it might be smart to have a "home base" clinic now that I can return to during the holidays so I don't have to compete with everyone else for spots in College Station later.

spring26 internships physical-therapy college-prep kinesiologypre-pt
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Cynthia’s Answer

It's great that you are planning ahead. However at this point, I would recommend seeking a volunteer or paid work experience that is in some way related to physical therapy. This would increase your knowledge of the field of physical therapy to confirm if it is a good fit for you. And those experiences also would help your future graduate school application and essay stand out. Waiting under the summer before your sophomore year of college (or even later) would still give you enough time to accumulate hours. As far as establishing a clinic or facility that would be a home base that you would go back to, that may not be the best strategy. For observation hours, it is a good idea to do these in a variety of settings so you can see therapists working with different types of patients at different ages and at different stages in their recoveries.
Good luck to you!
Cindy
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Rebecca’s Answer

I pretty much agree with Cynthia. If you have the time and don't need to earn a lot of money this summer, try to get a volunteer role in a PT setting, or even a hospital but one that comes with acccess to the rehab department. Then, if you can use public transportation while at school, see if there are some opportunities for a few hours a week somewhere near campus. Since you seem to be someone who plans ahead, you can work throughout this school year on securing some options for next summer's volunteer or shadow hours.
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