Anyone have any insight on attending NYU vs Columbia for a DPT degree?
Any information would be extremely helpful!
Thanks!
Any information would be extremely helpful!
Thanks!
NYU vs Columbia for DPT
- Thread starter May24
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I just had an interview at Columbia a few day ago and I withdrew my app from NYU, but I think I can offer some insight. Hope it helps.
Columbia
-Attached to a world-class hospital/medical center
-Great Curriculum
-Amazing Clinical Affiliations
-Larger Class Size(60+)
-Facilities leave something to be desired
-Washington Heights neighborhood of NYC
-Less Competitive classmates(word of mouth)
NYU
-Great Curriculum
-Amazing Clinical Affiliations
-Prestigious Faculty
-Facilities that are outstanding
-Downtown NYC
-Smaller Class size(~35)
-Extremely competitive classmates(word of mouth)
-About 30K more in base tuition than Columbia
I think that both programs are great, and I imagine that one would be well trained matriculating through both. If you have interviews, I would recommend going to both. I have learned throughout this process that you almost always have to see/feel these places to get a sense of whether you want to spend the next 3+ years of your life there. I have been pleasantly surprised and starkly disappointed throughout the interview process. So make sure you do your homework and scout out these places before you commit your educational and professional career to one of the programs. Best wishes!
Columbia
-Attached to a world-class hospital/medical center
-Great Curriculum
-Amazing Clinical Affiliations
-Larger Class Size(60+)
-Facilities leave something to be desired
-Washington Heights neighborhood of NYC
-Less Competitive classmates(word of mouth)
NYU
-Great Curriculum
-Amazing Clinical Affiliations
-Prestigious Faculty
-Facilities that are outstanding
-Downtown NYC
-Smaller Class size(~35)
-Extremely competitive classmates(word of mouth)
-About 30K more in base tuition than Columbia
I think that both programs are great, and I imagine that one would be well trained matriculating through both. If you have interviews, I would recommend going to both. I have learned throughout this process that you almost always have to see/feel these places to get a sense of whether you want to spend the next 3+ years of your life there. I have been pleasantly surprised and starkly disappointed throughout the interview process. So make sure you do your homework and scout out these places before you commit your educational and professional career to one of the programs. Best wishes!
Thanks for your feedback!
I've actually interviewed at both and have been accepted to NYU. I thought Columbia was a friendlier interview process, but otherwise I feel both have pros and cons. (I agree with most of the differences you outlined)
What about Columbia made you withdraw your app from NYU? Or was withdrawing your app not related to Columbia...?
I've actually interviewed at both and have been accepted to NYU. I thought Columbia was a friendlier interview process, but otherwise I feel both have pros and cons. (I agree with most of the differences you outlined)
What about Columbia made you withdraw your app from NYU? Or was withdrawing your app not related to Columbia...?
Hi May,
I will be interviewing this friday at NYU and I was wondering what the interview process was like? Is it an individual interview/tour? Also do you know how many students are interviewed? sorry for all the questions im just so anxious about friday
I will be interviewing this friday at NYU and I was wondering what the interview process was like? Is it an individual interview/tour? Also do you know how many students are interviewed? sorry for all the questions im just so anxious about friday
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My withdrawal from NYU had nothing to do with Columbia. It had a little bit more to do with the other schools I interviewed with prior and the price/cost of living did factor into my decision as well. Best of luck in whatever decision you make.
Can you explain what you mean by the differences in levels of competition?? Competing over resources of the school? profs attention? scholarships?
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I was referring to the fact that people have told me that the students at NYU seem to be more competitive amongst each other than those at Columbia. Maybe that creates some angst among incoming students, because I know some ppl hope that the whole "competition" mentality ends once you get accepted. Whether NYU students are more competitive than Columbia students or any other students from programs around the country is highly debatable. I just know that some people look at competition as a "downer." Whether you or I agree with that is a an entirely different discussion. Lol!
Hi May,
I will be interviewing this friday at NYU and I was wondering what the interview process was like? Is it an individual interview/tour? Also do you know how many students are interviewed? sorry for all the questions im just so anxious about friday
Hey, the interview process is pretty simple and short at NYU....you interview with two faculty members and an alumni...and then you write a short essay (really nothing to worry about). Some of the current students are around and are happy to give tours of the building....Don't be anxious, it wasn't bad at all!
I'm not sure of the total number being interviewed....there were maybe 15 or so other applicants when I was there that had interviews around the same time. Best of luck!!!
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Ox, just a quick change to your list about Columbia.
Unless it has changed the last couple of years, Columbia usually has around 50 students.
Throughout my time at CU, I found the only time there was any real competition was when it came time to pick clinicals (however, this is true at 99% of the programs). Otherwise, we studied hard...and then let loose whenever we could...I mean, it is NYC and being cooped up in Washington Heights can take it's toll!
I can't speak of NYU although I know a few of the current students. One thing I was told, but can't confirm, is that NYU does not have a true cadaver lab with dissections? Some people like this, some don't.
Unless it has changed the last couple of years, Columbia usually has around 50 students.
Throughout my time at CU, I found the only time there was any real competition was when it came time to pick clinicals (however, this is true at 99% of the programs). Otherwise, we studied hard...and then let loose whenever we could...I mean, it is NYC and being cooped up in Washington Heights can take it's toll!
I can't speak of NYU although I know a few of the current students. One thing I was told, but can't confirm, is that NYU does not have a true cadaver lab with dissections? Some people like this, some don't.
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There has been a little change in class size over the last couple of cycles. In last year's class they accepted 62 I believe. They said that the 60-65 number was going to apply to this year's class as well. Dr. Granick said that 70(at this point) was pushing it. The reason they increased the class is two-fold, at least in my opinon. First, these schools seems to be getting more applications each cycle. This, in turn, leads to more students who are qualified for entry into these programs. Granted, with more apps there also may be an increased application pool who are also not as qualified. It just appears that DPT school is becoming more popular.
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Interesting. I'm wondering how they are handling this as I thought 50 was more than enough for the space we had.
Hey Minn,
Is that true about the cadaver lab dissections? Is that something you could find out from the current students you know there? I would be really interested in knowing about that....
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From the official website of the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy, it appears that Columbia is above the national average in terms of ultimate pass rate, and NYU is below the national average (98%)
https://www.fsbpt.org/ForCandidates...x.asp?ExamLevel=PT&PublishYear=2010&label=681
School Name Weighted Average Ultimate Pass Rate 2006 - 2008
Columbia University 98.97%
New York University 95.52%
https://www.fsbpt.org/ForCandidates...x.asp?ExamLevel=PT&PublishYear=2010&label=681
School Name Weighted Average Ultimate Pass Rate 2006 - 2008
Columbia University 98.97%
New York University 95.52%
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I heard from NYU PT students that they have a cadaver lab, but older PT students who become TAs or faculty members do the dissections.
I have an interview at NYU DPT next week. I'm a little nervous about the essay writing. What topics did they assign to write about?Hey, the interview process is pretty simple and short at NYU....you interview with two faculty members and an alumni...and then you write a short essay (really nothing to worry about). Some of the current students are around and are happy to give tours of the building....Don't be anxious, it wasn't bad at all!
I'm not sure of the total number being interviewed....there were maybe 15 or so other applicants when I was there that had interviews around the same time. Best of luck!!!
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I had an interview at Columbia in November and was accepted 2 weeks later. The interview process at Columbia was really laid back. It started with the current students introducing themselves and talking with us and then they gave an overview of the program. After that half of the interviewees went on tour and the other half went to their interviews. They made us feel really comfortable! Nothing to be worried about!
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@__squid :
Can you share your application stats? (GPA/GRE/experience/etc)
Can you share your application stats? (GPA/GRE/experience/etc)
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I had a 3.85 gpa 298 gre and I believe over 200 hours volunteering.
Having been through the NYU DPT program very recently myself, I felt compelled to inform (or warn) anyone seeking information on NYU DPT out there. I know I would have loved having more details on the program myself before I started and its amazing how different DPT programs are .. the kind of knowledge you don't get unless you know someone who went there. If you're interested in specifics or have any questions about NYU DPT, please PM me and i can elaborate.
Summary: I couldn't give it a worse rating from the bottom of my heart. I love NYC and don't regret my time there, but this program is in shambles in every category.
Pros:
- 1st year Summer - cadaver lab with MD prof and two 3rd year students. Rating: Amazing (my favorite part, my background is exercise science and I plan to go into ortho). May have since changed since the hospital it was in was flooded and repaired/redesigned.
- The name: On the occasion that you tell people where you attend grad school, theyre generally impressed when you say NYU.
- The location: Located at 22nd and 2nd, nearby cheap(relative) housing, near the subways, near restaurants/bars, right in the middle of manhattan, safe area, fun area, somewhere you may wanna live nearby
Cons (besides price+ cost of living):
- Disorganization of the entire program/faculty - chaos, miscommunication, lack of rules/policies where there should be (if theyre going to later enforce things), understaffed for having recently doubled the size of the incoming classes from 25 to 50 (especially in reserving and organizing clinical rotations.) Its Manhattan, theres tons of sites right? WRONG. They send many people to deep brooklyn, long island (past JFK), bronx, jersey just for observation and sometimes full time clinicals. Should be no problem getting an out-of-state clinical? WRONG. Theyre completely disorganized and have trouble with the entire process.
- Old profs that aren't particularly in the know with new methodolies (think ART, FMS, SFMA, PRI, DNS, IPA).
- Old profs that dont like teaching.. when someone juts literally reads off the powerpoint slides that have 50 words per slide. They dont accept students concerns for test questions in general. They also dont change the tests year to year since many profs have been teaching since 1820. Oh you didnt cover that this year? .. still gonna be on the test since the prof didnt even look at before giving it to you. When someone raises their hand for a question, they dont really listen or answer the question that was asked - they dodge it and repeat what they already said. Note: there are like 5 profs total.. that teach you every year. So until they replace faculty, this is sadly accurate and in my class was unanimous (not just my opinion).
- 3rd year is entirely genitourinary based. That's a lot of women's health and pee problems for someone that wants to pop out of PT school and work in an orthopedic setting. They love women's health!!! If you're into womens health, this is perfect for you! If not, you may be left wondering why an entire year is spent on what is considered a specialty in the world of PT. Then you might panic because there is 1 class (ever) on manual therapy techniques, and that was in second year.
Undergrad Stats for comparison:
Major: Exercise Science
GPA: 3.71
Interest: Orthopedics/ Sports Medicine (since before school)
GRE: Good but i forget
Hours: 700+ (inpatient rehab aide + outpatient + 12 hrs homecare shadow)
Summary: I couldn't give it a worse rating from the bottom of my heart. I love NYC and don't regret my time there, but this program is in shambles in every category.
Pros:
- 1st year Summer - cadaver lab with MD prof and two 3rd year students. Rating: Amazing (my favorite part, my background is exercise science and I plan to go into ortho). May have since changed since the hospital it was in was flooded and repaired/redesigned.
- The name: On the occasion that you tell people where you attend grad school, theyre generally impressed when you say NYU.
- The location: Located at 22nd and 2nd, nearby cheap(relative) housing, near the subways, near restaurants/bars, right in the middle of manhattan, safe area, fun area, somewhere you may wanna live nearby
Cons (besides price+ cost of living):
- Disorganization of the entire program/faculty - chaos, miscommunication, lack of rules/policies where there should be (if theyre going to later enforce things), understaffed for having recently doubled the size of the incoming classes from 25 to 50 (especially in reserving and organizing clinical rotations.) Its Manhattan, theres tons of sites right? WRONG. They send many people to deep brooklyn, long island (past JFK), bronx, jersey just for observation and sometimes full time clinicals. Should be no problem getting an out-of-state clinical? WRONG. Theyre completely disorganized and have trouble with the entire process.
- Old profs that aren't particularly in the know with new methodolies (think ART, FMS, SFMA, PRI, DNS, IPA).
- Old profs that dont like teaching.. when someone juts literally reads off the powerpoint slides that have 50 words per slide. They dont accept students concerns for test questions in general. They also dont change the tests year to year since many profs have been teaching since 1820. Oh you didnt cover that this year? .. still gonna be on the test since the prof didnt even look at before giving it to you. When someone raises their hand for a question, they dont really listen or answer the question that was asked - they dodge it and repeat what they already said. Note: there are like 5 profs total.. that teach you every year. So until they replace faculty, this is sadly accurate and in my class was unanimous (not just my opinion).
- 3rd year is entirely genitourinary based. That's a lot of women's health and pee problems for someone that wants to pop out of PT school and work in an orthopedic setting. They love women's health!!! If you're into womens health, this is perfect for you! If not, you may be left wondering why an entire year is spent on what is considered a specialty in the world of PT. Then you might panic because there is 1 class (ever) on manual therapy techniques, and that was in second year.
Undergrad Stats for comparison:
Major: Exercise Science
GPA: 3.71
Interest: Orthopedics/ Sports Medicine (since before school)
GRE: Good but i forget
Hours: 700+ (inpatient rehab aide + outpatient + 12 hrs homecare shadow)
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"- Old profs that aren't particularly in the know with new methodolies (think ART, FMS, SFMA, PRI, DNS, IPA). "
Is it also possible that they feel the foundational theory underpinning all of these "new" modalities is total garbage?
Is it also possible that they feel the foundational theory underpinning all of these "new" modalities is total garbage?
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Made me think: "Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play?"
Sorry you had such a negative experience, but I appreciate reading your criticisms. We all seem to adopt an attitude of programs being largely equal (except for cost). But it has to be the case that some programs will get you ready to pass the licensing exam with less drama than others. I hope your career has gotten off to a strong start and that you and your classmates are succeeding in clinical practice.
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I'm a current NYU DPT student in my 3rd year, and this post was brought to my attention. It isn't very accurate. At all. I noticed the person who wrote this claimed to have "been through" the program (which everyone assumes means graduated from), but I don't know who this is, and I know everyone who graduated last year. So I looked up earlier posts written by this person, and noticed he/she claimed to have been accepted in 2012. Which means they would be one of my classmates TODAY. So, not a graduate. Strangely, I can't figure out who this is, and there are only 42 of us. There are also WAY more than 5 full-time faculty members (http://steinhardt.nyu.edu/pt/faculty/departments/Physical_Therapy?title_image=facultyList), all with several certifications (ranging from CSCS, CEEAA, OCS, IPA, CFMT, etc...). Even his/her description of the cadaver lab isn't quite right, much less descriptions of other courses in the program.
So, right off the bat, I don't know where this person gets their information. They're certainly not a student.
I love the program, think I'm getting great ortho training (as well as all other disciplines), and think our faculty are extremely dedicated, passionate clinical experts. Clinically, we have great opportunities. I am going out of state for my clinical affiliation this summer-- which was incredibly easy to obtain. They're even sending some students to an international observation over the winter break.
No program is perfect. But this post is malicious and inaccurate, and sounds like it's from someone who doesn't know the program at all.
So I haven't been on SDN for months now and didn't think I'd ever be revisiting this website- however, I heard that many NYU interviewees had been seriously referencing this post by a certain "recent graduate" Pheobo when making a decision regarding physical therapy school. As a current DPT student at NYU, I thought I'd make some clarifications as the post is mostly just a bitter rant with misleading information.
1. Firstly, I'll agree with Pheobo in that you're paying a hell of a lot for an NYU education. You're not going to be earning any more with that degree than any other DPT graduate and there are many other programs which are just as great and significantly cheaper. If you're keen on one of them, go for it! Also I'd agree that the program can be a little organized sometimes. NYU is generally a very bureaucratic institution and therefore, our department kind of just works within our own tiny little realm of NYU. This is awesome in many ways but also tedious in other aspects- as in when your faculty doesn't necessarily have to stick to the same deadlines that the entire university does in terms of setting up finals schedules etc. With that being said, the faculty and department are generally very cooperative and run things quite efficiently as they've done this year after year for so long.
2. No, the professors here do not just read off the slides. In fact, I can confidently say that NYU DPT has some of the best faculty I've ever encountered- including in comparison to my professors at Rutgers University. They are dynamic. They are passionate. They will keep you interested and so very well-informed (if you care to listen and be a diligent student.) Are there a few exceptions? Yes. But if you can find a school that doesn't have an exception- please let me know. Faculty here are excellent- don't let anyone tell you differently. By the way, there are most definitely MORE than five professors. Pheobo's clearly mastered the use of hyperbole.
3. No, the third year is not just genitourinary. This couldn't be father from the truth. We focus on everything- LOTS OF ORTHO, cardiopulm, neuro etc. You can actually see the curriculum online at the NYU DPT website. We also have a lot of group presentations, especially in our second year, in which we present case studies on the patients we see during observation and also just generally practice our collaborative skills. The takeaway with NYU's program is this- they want you to be a WELL-ROUNDED physical therapist with LEADERSHIP qualities (hence, group presentations).
4. Andddddd last point since I am currently drowning in the midst of finals and this is really the last thing I should be doing right now (yikes x_x), there ARE tons of sites in Manhattan. And students are assigned to them- including literally the best hospitals in New York like Columbia Presbyterian, NYU Langone (where you'll be having cadaver lab) and Bellevue Hospital. Any affiliation in New York City will expose you to a wide variety of clientele and a clinical experience that is just inherently different from other regions. This also applies to ortho, neuro, peds and other affiliations. Brooklyn by the way is not a significant commute from Manhattan. You'd be traveling a comparable amount for an affiliation from any PT school to a site. So a complaint of that nature is just silly. Also, those who were assigned affiliations in New Jersey ASKED for affiliations in New Jersey. If you don't want to go to Jersey, don't ask.
Guys, I'm not trying to shamelessly praise my school. We have our faults just as any school does. And we pay a hell of a lot more than we should for our education, I can tell you that. However, Pheobo's post was just unfair/ inaccurate and I didn't want you guys making your decisions based off of that. Best of luck with your applications! Hope you find a school that is suited to you.
Hi. Regardless of whatever facts are disputed above (yeah they staff more than 5 faculty, see website) the post was not meant to be malicious and was meant to give a real life view of the program. Yeah, group presentations. Yeah, "well-rounded" (especially in women's health!). Yeah, "leadership" and yeah if you want to read the NYU website you can find most of the "facts."
Generally you have the same professors over and over again (as in many graduate institutions), so it's not like professor-based problems disappear after one semester. This is why I commented about professors. "Dynamic and passionate".. they must have paid someone to write this. As a class, we've had so many issues with professors it's been ridiculous. Note: They did just hire someone new for ex phys. Moving on.
The program. Not efficient. The clinical and observation process is not organized at all. No accountability, just plain disorganization. The kind of situation where you sense that someone just does not like coming to their job everyday. Not helpful, not willing, not interested, and not recommended. Sums it up.
NYC hospitals really do provide you with patients that you might just not see anywhere else. Really involved, extreme, rare medical cases that a diverse, urban city can provide. That part has been really cool.
I guess I was wrong about using the word "unanimous" in my post. They need some serious supporters after the amount of people I know that were extremely disappointed in their time and money spent.
Generally you have the same professors over and over again (as in many graduate institutions), so it's not like professor-based problems disappear after one semester. This is why I commented about professors. "Dynamic and passionate".. they must have paid someone to write this. As a class, we've had so many issues with professors it's been ridiculous. Note: They did just hire someone new for ex phys. Moving on.
The program. Not efficient. The clinical and observation process is not organized at all. No accountability, just plain disorganization. The kind of situation where you sense that someone just does not like coming to their job everyday. Not helpful, not willing, not interested, and not recommended. Sums it up.
NYC hospitals really do provide you with patients that you might just not see anywhere else. Really involved, extreme, rare medical cases that a diverse, urban city can provide. That part has been really cool.
I guess I was wrong about using the word "unanimous" in my post. They need some serious supporters after the amount of people I know that were extremely disappointed in their time and money spent.