Advice needed on choosing a DPT program

[MLCalloway]

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Hey everyone!

I’ve been having a lot of trouble deciding on what school I should attend, and while my friends and family have been very insightful, I’d like to see what other future and current PT students may think. Any advice is greatly appreciated, as I have to decide soon!

So for context, I live in Alabama and have been accepted into three PT schools and I’ll list their pros and cons.

GSU: Most expensive assuming I won’t be able to get in-state tuition (if I can, it would be the cheapest) but closer to home while also allowing me to branch out a bit. Also the program starts only a month after I graduate.

TWU: Second most expensive but not by much. It’d be a huge move for me (over 9 hour drive) and I don’t know anyone in the area. The program starts in August so I’d atleast have time to get myself prepared for the change over the summer.

UAB: Closest to home and I haven’t been able to get much info on tuition. It’s around the same range as TWU but it could either be slightly more or slightly less from what I’ve seen. My biggest issue with UAB is the fact that it starts in January, and I’ve never been out of school that long. I’m afraid if I were to choose UAB i’d get comfortable not being in school, which I definitely want to avoid.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Where do you do your clinical rotations? How about connections to locations whet you want to practice in the near term?

 

[eschmitt98]

Have you been able to go to accepted student events or open houses? It might sound silly but the ~vibes~ are important as well as the logistics of each school/program. Do you have any gut feelings about them that might sway you one way or another?

 

[MLCalloway]

Where do you do your clinical rotations? How about connections to locations whet you want to practice in the near term?

I’m not 100% certain as to exactly where they would take place, but all 3 locations state that I should be prepared for atleast one of my clinicial experiences to take place outside of commuting distance. This wouldn’t be as much of an issue at UAB or GSU, but could cause some financial issues at TWU.

As far as where I’d like to practice, that would more than likely be Texas which is one of the main reasons I applied and I’ve heard great things about the faculty being able to provide connections for jobs after graduation.

 

[MLCalloway]

Have you been able to go to accepted student events or open houses? It might sound silly but the ~vibes~ are important as well as the logistics of each school/program. Do you have any gut feelings about them that might sway you one way or another?

So we had an interview with students at GSU that was very appreciated, as we got to learn more about the program and the vibe of the school. With UAB, there’s a virtual welcoming event next week where we’d be able to talk to current students and faculty. With TWU on the other hand, there was no interview and I haven’t had the chance to talk with anyone there beyond emails regarding my acceptance.

As far as gut feelings go, I do think that UAB is the closest that I have to my current school (The University of Alabama). Both of the other schools are not only a big difference location wise, but also the way the schools are set up. On the other hand, I think TWU could be a great experience and it’s where I’d like to work in the future, but also making such a big move is something i’m cautious about. GSU I find to be in the middle of the two, where it’s a bit far but not unfamiliar.

 

[lab114]

I emailed UAB regarding the tuition and received a PDF with the anticipated hours and fees for each semester and they also sent me the link to the detailed tuition and fees page. From these two things I tried to calculate an estimated cost for the program. I have attached a PDF of what I calculated (it is very much not exact but it should give a rough estimate).

Just in case the file doesn't pull up with all of my notes on it here is a summary of the information: tuition is $572/hr, 119 total hours, $387 anatomy lab fee (one time), $350 professional development fee (one time) $60 graduation fee, and $50 lab fee (have to pay 15 times). There are also background checks and drug tests but I am not sure of the cost of those.

 

[MLCalloway]

I emailed UAB regarding the tuition and received a PDF with the anticipated hours and fees for each semester and they also sent me the link to the detailed tuition and fees page. From these two things I tried to calculate an estimated cost for the program. I have attached a PDF of what I calculated (it is very much not exact but it should give a rough estimate).

Just in case the file doesn't pull up with all of my notes on it here is a summary of the information: tuition is $572/hr, 119 total hours, $387 anatomy lab fee (one time), $350 professional development fee (one time) $60 graduation fee, and $50 lab fee (have to pay 15 times). There are also background checks and drug tests but I am not sure of the cost of those.

Thank you so much, I emailed them a while ago but they haven’t gotten back to me yet. This is exactly what I needed though, I really appreciate it!

 

[lab114]

Thank you so much, I emailed them a while ago but they haven’t gotten back to me yet. This is exactly what I needed though, I really appreciate it!

You're welcome! I emailed them on Dec 20th and just got a response yesterday so I completely understand!