Pre-vet to Pre-PT

[Kwheezy]

Helloooo -

So, I have been accepted to vet school. However, after about a straight month of anxiety and tears over tuition and debt for the rest of my life, I'm 99% sure I'm going to change career paths. I shadowed at a PT office today and loved it. I love that as a physical therapist you really get to know your clients and see their progress. As for applying to school, most of the pre reqs were covered by my degree (Animal Science) and I would just have to take Human Anatomy and 2 psych classes.

Now, as for choosing which schools to apply, I'm at a total loss. There are only 28 vet schools vs what feels like thousands of DPT programs. How did you choose where to apply?? I'm only 23 and not worried about getting in right away, I realize I need to get some experience and relationships built for LORs, but how do you feel about tuition and debt? It doesn't seem too bad compared to vet school, where you spend >$200,000 and *maybe* make $50,000..

Any advice/thoughts/comments would be welcome!

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[nicolej5]

I couldn't even imagine going through all that trouble to apply to and get accepted to vet school and then switch lol but more power to you. I used the following criteria to apply to schools, not in any order:

stats matching their minimum requirements/prior admitted class
cost (probably the number 1 or 2 factor)
in state or out of state (in state public is cheaper, out of state would require a move)
NPTE pass rates and graduation rates
employment rates
curriculum (some lean more toward research some don't)
faculty (as much experience as possible)
clinical affiliations and requirements

 

[Junta87]

If you don't mind my asking, where do you live? And what areas are you looking to go? I am starting the dpt program at the university of vermont this summer. I did not need any observation hours, and my l.o.rs were from professors and former employers, unrelated to pt.

As far as debt is concerned, it will be high but nothing like vet school! I will probably be 80k in debt, paying in-state tuition.

I think you are making a smart choice. I know vets are having a really hard time finding jobs at all right now.

 

[Kwheezy]

I hail from Reno, NV, so no IS vet schools but one in state PT school, yay!
Honestly I would love to live on the east coast (I have family in brooklyn) or stay west. 80k is do able compared to vet school, and my parents can help out a bit. I'm actually visiting my friend in brooklyn in april and will go check out the school
As far as job security, I know everything is pretty much in the toilet but I think that any human med job is better off than animal med, and again, 80k seems like nothing compared to 300k.

woooo!

 

[pt78965]

Hey You might want to check out the CUNY schools. There is a program at CUNY Hunter and a program at CUNY Staten Island. Both are accessible from Brooklyn and both have very inexpensive tuition. I am going to attend Hunter starting this summer and tuition is about a third of the tuition at other local schools. It will still be very cheap for an out of state student, but I'm not sure what the difference is for instate vs. out of state.

 

[Damccookster]

SUNY Downstate (Brooklyn) and SUNY Stony Brook (Stony Brook and South Hampton) are the other instate schools, but being from Nevada the out of state tuition is just as bad as a private school.

 

[Kwheezy]

Thanks! I'm actually going to New York in April to visit a friend and while he's at work I might go visit the schools. Honestly if I love it maybe ill just move there and get residency and move in with my friend I'm so excited! I love this field already