Hey all! So I was wondering what people knew about the University of St. Augustine. I was looking to add another school to my application pile, and saw that they have several entry dates. I've seen some mixed reactions about the school though from old posts, but most of them were in the physical therapy forums. Does anyone know about the MOT program they have? Or general thoughts about if it's a good school or not? Thanks!
University of St. Augustine
- Thread starter Setzu
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Hey! I don't know much about their MOT program, but I am looking to apply here. I actually work with a PT right now who went there for school and he said it was an awesome school and program. He recommends it. He felt like he learned a lot and was well prepared for his career. I know its nothing about the MOT program, but I thought maybe it would help a little.
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The school is good and their program really prepare you. I heard, from an OT who graduated from that school that they focus on hands.
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I go to school in florida and I know at least a dozen people that ended up in both their dpt and mot program and all of them love it. I went to an info session at the school and they did one at my university and I felt that in both situations they seemed very prepared and the school seemed to really focus on their students. They really pump a lot of money into these programs and seem to really help their students out. I've also heard from the students there that they really stress the importance of a social life while in school so they try and put together little get togethers. Also, they are supposed to have a really high tech lab for the students to use. Everything that I have heard is that they are supposed to be a great program despite their lower rating on u.s. news. However, I don't think that the ranking is important. I'm pretty sure they have a high nbcot pass rating which would be a deciding factor for me. St. Augustine is also a really small but beautiful city right on the beach. I also like that there are 3 different acceptance dates which I think should be a testament to their popularity. The only thing is that the school is REALLY expensive. I hope that helps!
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Is there anyone on the forum that goes to USA San Marcos? I would love to hear more about the program, the fieldworks, and how well it prepares clinicians. Also, if anyone has interviewed there, I would appreciate learning about how the interview goes or questions they focus on.
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I had an interview at San Marcos in December and was admitted to the May 2012 class for DPT. The interview was very stressful, but they tried there best to make us all feel at ease.
The questions that were asked in the interview were a lot like the questions in a job interview. They asked why I wanted to be a therapist, how I handle stress, if I would support a law against smoking, examples of challenging situations and successful experiences that I have had while working in PT clinics, and a few that were specific to my application.
In addition to the interview, they required that we write 3 short essays about topics that are current in physical therapy "politics" today. I did research about direct access and referal for physician profit before I went and it helped. One of the questions was specific to the clinical experience that I had asking that I outline the main challenges that I saw with specific examples.
They also had a current student give a tour of the campus. Current students answered questions and talked about the different terms that they were in.
I had visited several schools where I had a chance to talk to other students and was very impressed with the high level of professionalism the students had. The program seems to have a lot of support from the upper classes.
Overall, I felt it was very honest and that I could identify with students and staff. They were up front about the challenges that you will face at USA.
There were about 90 students of OT and DPT and 70 students were admitted. I believe that they held a second round of interviews too in January.
The questions that were asked in the interview were a lot like the questions in a job interview. They asked why I wanted to be a therapist, how I handle stress, if I would support a law against smoking, examples of challenging situations and successful experiences that I have had while working in PT clinics, and a few that were specific to my application.
In addition to the interview, they required that we write 3 short essays about topics that are current in physical therapy "politics" today. I did research about direct access and referal for physician profit before I went and it helped. One of the questions was specific to the clinical experience that I had asking that I outline the main challenges that I saw with specific examples.
They also had a current student give a tour of the campus. Current students answered questions and talked about the different terms that they were in.
I had visited several schools where I had a chance to talk to other students and was very impressed with the high level of professionalism the students had. The program seems to have a lot of support from the upper classes.
Overall, I felt it was very honest and that I could identify with students and staff. They were up front about the challenges that you will face at USA.
There were about 90 students of OT and DPT and 70 students were admitted. I believe that they held a second round of interviews too in January.
I'm getting my bs in Health sciences from UCF. I plan on applying to the st augustine campus. does anyone have any tips?!
i also plan to increase my volunteer hours, is there any advice on getting a job around a rehab with no experience?
i also plan to increase my volunteer hours, is there any advice on getting a job around a rehab with no experience?
Get a job as a Rehab technician if you can, that's what i've done. They only require a highschool diploma most of the time and it really helps give you a great perspective on working in a rehab environment that I don't feel you get by just shadowing people. Of course double check with St. Augustine that they'll take that as part of your observation hours, and that your place of work will sign off on it. I just found out my work won't sign off my hours as counting towards observation or volunteer cause it's paid work, and i'm trying to get in touch with St. Augustine to see if it will count towards their 80 hours of volunteer/observation they require. I've gotten so much experience though about how to work with patients and seeing the different disciplines like PT and OT working together everyday.
In what I gathered from my interview w/ them, it seems St. Augustine looks at the person as a whole not just their numbers on paper. Although high GPA's and GRE's are good they want to see that you are more than that. In your statement of purpose let your passion for rehab shine through, and discuss why you are choosing this field and this school. And in your autobiography include more than just the facts, write about what you do aside from school, studying, and rehab volunteering. Show them on paper what you are outside of school (such as traveling experiences, community service, etc). Hope that helps!
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Anyone hear back about Fall 2012??
Hi frootloops - I got a call on monday afternoon from Heather stating I was admitted for the Fall 2012 San Marcos class. But I applied for the DPT program, I don't know if they're calling DPT at separate times from the OT program. But it seems like they started making the calls this monday...you should be hearing from them soon!